[Milsurplus] AN/ARC-1 Manufacturers

[Mike Morrow]

>> Surely the Collins ARC-1...

I wrote:

> I've never seen a Collins-made RT-18/ARC-1.  All that I've seen were made
> by either Western Electric (WECO) or Westinghouse, although the auto-tune 
> mechanism inside is Collins-made.  Are there COL-made RT-18s?  What company
> designed the RT-18?  It seems "Collins-ish", but I always thought it was WECO's
> work, a logical progression from their WE-233 (RT-19/ARC-4) in the identical
> package.

I've had time to look in the AN/ARC-1 documents that I have.  All the data
in the Modifications and Service Notes list ONLY sets made by WECO (CW) and
Westinghouse (CAY).  The only Collins connection is the auto-tune mechanism.

Presumably the USN RT-18/ARC-1 is a WECO design, not Collins, and it's a pretty
good set for the era.  But many were replaced shortly after WWII by the
USN UHF RT-58/ARC-12 that was designed as a direct replacement in the existing
racks for the the VHF RT-18/ARC-1.  Only the antenna needed replacement.  Most
USN VHF command sets were eliminated after the classic Collins AN/ARC-27 UHF
set became available.  

The USAF and US Army continued use of both UHF and VHF command sets in many
of their aircraft until well after the Vietnam era, but not the USN.  Perhaps
they still do today.  That's why the SCR-522-A could be found in service
ten years after the end of WWII, along with the AN/ARC-3 (and -36 and -49)
through the 1960s, along with more modern VHF Collins AN/ARC-73 and Wilcox
AN/ARC-134 sets into the 1970s.  But there were no USN VHF equivalents.

Mike / KK5F