[Milsurplus] Old Stuff In Original Crates - Magic Time Capsules

[Mike Morrow]

George asked:

> The way I read the stenciling, the dynamotor and tube set were
> packed separately inside the crate.  How were they packaged?
> And where were they re: the radio itself?

Dave,

George's question is interesting.  In addition, is the stenciling
accurate saying that the FT-154-W was not packed with the receiver?

I've never had a new-in-crate BC-348, but a few years ago I bought
an absolutely pristine NOS BC-348-Q with DM-28-Q and FT-154-AA, all on
Order No. 11415-WF-43.  The mount plug assembly was still in military
package, uninstalled.  There was also a brand new T.O. 12R2-3BC348-2
Revised 15APR57 (printed NOV59) Maintenance Handbook for the J, N, and
Q models.  (It's surprising that the late manual does not refer anywhere
to the receiver's JAN nomenclature of AN/ARR-11, like manuals for the
R models did by their 1945 editions.)  The only original packaging was
that around the plug assembly, so there wasn't any concern with preserving
packaging material as there is with Dave's P model.  I put it all together
as a NOS BC-348-Q display that I like to show, even though the R model
is my favorite BC-348.

I got a complete SCR-AS-183 still in the large unopened wooden crate ten
years ago.  I unpacked it all.  I've still got the packing material, but
I'm not too attached to it.  BTW, NONE of the individual component serial
numbers are identical, the way that a USN GF/RU set would have been out of
the crate.  However, all the transmitter coil units are stamped in red paint
with the serial number of the transmitter.  Oddly, NO receiver tuning coils
were included, or shown on the packing list.  Every BC-AS-229 I've ever
seen had a SCR-AR-183 coil set installed.  In ten years of searching, I have
only come across one SCR-AS-183 receiver coil set in ANY form or condition,
or even in a picture.  It was new in packaging, with no serial number of an
associated receiver stamped on it.

Returning to the BC-348, I suppose that some must have been packed as a
set of ALL required components for the initial installation in an aircraft,
and some packed with just the receiver only for replacement purposes.

Mike / KK5F