[Milsurplus] ARC-2/2A stuff

[Mike Morrow]

> Just acquired a nice late ARC-2, early ARC-2A RT at Dayton.

There is no such animal.

There are:
1.  RT-91/ARC-2
2.  RT-298/ARC-2A
    a.  Corrected some electrical design deficiencies in RT-91.
    b.  Added front panel fuses.
    c.  Eliminated RF amp meter function and switch.
    d.  Substituted plastic crank knobs in place of all-metal versions.
3.  RT-91/ARC-2 with modifications to provide some of the superficial
    RT-298 characteristics.
    a.  Front panel fuses
    b.  Eliminate RF amp meter function.  Not all modified RT-91 units
        have this removed, but if your RT-91 has the meter switch and
        you get no RF amp indication when you select that function and
        transmit, then that function has likely been officially removed.
        Sometimes, the switch itself has been removed.  But some units
        have full functionality of the RF amp meter.

The RT-298/ARC-2A is, IMHO, a mechanically lower-cost version of the
RT-91/ARC-2.  I like the original RT-91 that has no modifications,
compared to the RT-298 and the modified RT-91.  But apparently most
RT-91 units received some of the modifications.

> I am looking for any ancillary kit for it. Some things such as the
> mount and remote controls come to mind.  Here are some numbers that
> might spark some memories...
>
> Mounts - MT-421/AR or MT-421A/AR
> Control boxes - C-244A or C-245A

All such AN/ARC-2 items are very scarce...they can take years to find.
Any "A" version item will work in place of a non-A version.  The mount
is most important, because all the controls are available on the front
panel.  The only thing that most of the remote controls provide is
a power switch and a channel selector.

> Radio Set Control - C-732 or C-732A  (not even sure what this is!)

These are modern six-inch plastic front back-lit control panels.
The C-732A has a sensitivity control that all other AN/ARC-2 controls
lack.  The C-244 is a control box, and the C-245 is the early-style
six-inch all-metal control *panel*.

Robert Downs sells the Maintenance Manual for the AN/ARC-2 and 2A.
I believe he has the Operating and the Overhaul Manuals as well.
The Maintenance Manual is the one to have if you only have one.
These are very hard to find otherwise, as originals.

The AN/ARC-2 was, IMHO, a bit of a white elephant.  It is really
nothing more than a HF command set in one 70-pound box.  The USN
tried to use it as a low power liaison set, since HF command sets
had been replaced with VHF and UHF by the time the RT-91 was around.

The AN/ARC-2 was still flying in TS-2A aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi
in 1972.  

It's a nicely constructed set.  I don't think a lot more positive
can be said about it.  I got my first one from Fair Radio in 1975
and I have both RT-91 and RT-298 versions.

I hope your unit still has the dynamotor, the first thing that hams
liked to discard.

Mike / KK5F