[Milsurplus] [MRCG] Navy WRC-1 & URC-35 family history - Stromberg-Carlson SC-900A

Mon Sep 26 13:24:33 EDT 2022

Correction. I had mixed an SC contract in with the Bendix one.

FY64 SC contracts to deliver 324. additional WRC-1 plus 807 additional
R-1051

2/65 Bendix contracts for 964 additional WRC-1 plus 2422 additional R-1051

On Mon, Sep 26, 2022 at 12:44 PM Nick England <navy.radio at gmail.com> wrote:

> All I have is that delivery of the first production order was to be made
> during FY63. Fleet installations began by end of 1963 but I have no
> details.
>
> On Mon, Sep 26, 2022 at 12:33 PM Francesco Ledda via MRCG <
> mrcg at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>
>> FY doesn’t necessary means a calendar date. Does it?
>>
>> Best, Francesco K5URG
>>
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> > On Sep 26, 2022, at 11:23, Nick England <navy.radio at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > This is the best I can figure out so far
>> >
>> > 4/59 SC-900E xcvr advertised. Demonstrated 5-6/59
>> >
>> > 6/59 Navy contract to SC to develop PRC-45 and URC-35 xcvrs. Amended to
>> > URC-35 xcvr (RT-618 plus AM-3007 amp) and WRC-1 receiver-transmitter
>> > (R-1051 rcvr plus T-827 xmtr plus AM-3007 amp)
>> >
>> > 6/61-10/61 SC-901X xcvr manual copyright and SC-910 xmtr-rcvr-amp
>> manuals
>> > copyright
>> >
>> > 6/63 SC delivers first WRC-1 preproduction units
>> >
>> > 12/63 SC delivers 28 pilot production WRC-1
>> >
>> > FY63- SC delivers 306 WRC-1 plus 1274 R-1051
>> >
>> > 2/65 Bendix contracts for 1288 additional WRC-1 plus 3229 additional
>> R-1051
>> >
>> > 3/67 URC-35 installations begin
>> >
>> > On Mon, Sep 26, 2022 at 10:20 AM W2HX <w2hx at w2hx.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >>> It would be interesting to know how the transition from the SC product
>> >> line to the RT-618/R-1051/URT-23 happened.
>> >> And don’t forget the T-827
>> >>
>> >> 73 Eugene W2HX
>> >> Subscribe to my Youtube Channel:
>> >> https://www.youtube.com/c/w2hx-channel/videos
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> From: mrcg-bounces at mailman.qth.net <mrcg-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On
>> >> Behalf Of Francesco Ledda
>> >> Sent: Monday, September 26, 2022 10:13 AM
>> >> To: Jim Whartenby <old_radio at aol.com>
>> >> Cc: mrcg at mailman.qth.net; milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
>> >> Subject: Re: [MRCG] [Milsurplus] Navy WRC-1 & URC-35 family history -
>> >> Stromberg-Carlson SC-900A
>> >>
>> >> Jim,
>> >>
>> >> The SC-900 was surely ahead of its times. Potentially, it was vastly
>> >> superior to the KWT-6. I am totally in the dark about the possible
>> youth
>> >> problems that the SC-900 may have suffered from.
>> >>
>> >> The SC-908 amp was not very successful, and its follow up (URT-23) was
>> >> totally different and therefore not an evolution of the SC-908. It
>> would be
>> >> interesting to know how the transition from the SC product line to the
>> >> RT-618/R-1051/URT-23 happened.
>> >>
>> >> Regarding the URC-32/KWT-6, as you well know, it is not auto tuned,
>> and it
>> >> is a simplified version of the ARC-58. There was another version of the
>> >> URC-32 that kept the auto tuning capabilities of the ARC-58.
>> >>
>> >> Best, Francesco K5URG
>> >>
>> >> Sent from my iPad
>> >>
>> >>> On Sep 25, 2022, at 22:24, Jim Whartenby via Milsurplus <
>> >> milsurplus at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>> >>> 
>> >>> If the SC-900 development started in the Fall of 1958, that answers
>> the
>> >> question of which of the three systems came first.
>> >>>
>> >>> Another thing is that the SC-900 is contemporary with the KWT-6.  The
>> >> original ground station developed during Birdcall used a receiver -
>> exciter
>> >> similar to the 310F-1 as shown in a photo in the Fall, 1958 Collins
>> Signal,
>> >> Volume 7 # 2.  This is essentially an ARC-58 receiver - exciter, for
>> >> automatic tuning, repackaged for rack mounting with a 60 to 400 cycle
>> motor
>> >> - generator.
>> >>>
>> >>> Not exactly sure when the KWT-6 made it's debut but it certainly
>> wasn't
>> >> ready for Birdcall in the mid to late 1950's.
>> >>> Regards,
>> >>> Jim
>> >>>
>> >>> Logic: Method used to arrive at the wrong conclusion, with confidence.
>> >>> Murphy
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> -----Original Message-----
>> >>> From: Nick England <navy.radio at gmail.com>
>> >>> To: Jim Whartenby <old_radio at aol.com>
>> >>> Cc: mrcg at mailman.qth.net <mrcg at mailman.qth.net>;
>> >>> milsurplus at mailman.qth.net <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
>> >>> Sent: Sun, Sep 25, 2022 4:48 pm
>> >>> Subject: Navy WRC-1 & URC-35 family history - Stromberg-Carlson
>> >>> SC-900A
>> >>>
>> >>> OK - The internet tar-baby got me today but I believe I now have a
>> >>> solid history - See https://www.navy-radio.com/xmtrs/sc-radio.htm
>> >>>
>> >>> I have added photos and references to the SC-901X transceiver, 907,
>> >>> 908A, and 910A amplifiers, 910R receiver, 910E exciter, and 905C
>> >>> antenna coupler. These were sold commercially (beginning in 1961 I
>> >>> believe) and to the USAF as a result of a 1959 USN R&D Contract. The
>> >>> Navy's R-1051, T-827, RT-618, URC-35, URT-24, and WRC-1 resulted from
>> >>> this contract
>> >>>
>> >>> Aha! - I found a patent case showing that in June 1959 the Navy
>> >> contracted with Stromberg-Carlson (General Dynamics) "to design and
>> furnish
>> >> experimental, mock-up, and developmental models of a single sideband
>> radio
>> >> set and a single sideband portable transceiver." (NObsr-77628, dated 16
>> >> June 1959 for AN/WRC-1 and AN/URC-35). The Navy had rights to patents
>> >> developed during the contract, but General Dynamics claimed some of the
>> >> inventions "were conceived and reduced to practice during plaintiff's
>> own,
>> >> independent project to develop a single sideband transceiver, called
>> the
>> >> SC900A, prior to the award of contract NObsr-77628".
>> >>> That led me to the SC900A development background.
>> >>>
>> https://www.navy-radio.com/xmtrs/sc/SC900A-Board_of_Contract_Appeals_D
>> >>> ecisions.pdf Evidently they had a working radio before the Navy
>> >>> contract was signed.
>> >>>
>> >>> Trivia - the original Navy contract referred to the AN/PRC-45 portable
>> >> transceiver and AN/URC-35 fixed transceiver. The names were later
>> changed
>> >> to AN/URC-35 portable transceiver and AN/WRC-1 fixed transceiver.
>> >>> [The URC-35 was called portable - HA!]
>> >>>
>> >>> And finally I found this -
>> >>> April 1959 Stromberg-Carlson Advertisement -
>> >>> - A new approach to Single-Sideband radio by Stromberg-Carlson......
>> >> greater power output, less power input with a smaller volume.
>> >>> - The SC-900A digit-tuned Single-Sideband transceiver marks a
>> >> significant advance in the state of the art.
>> >>> - The SC-900A is designed for both vehicular and fixed point-to-point
>> >> communications adaptable to rack mounting and back-pack meets full
>> military
>> >> requirements.
>> >>> - Provides 28,000 stabilized channels from 2 to 30 megacycles, with a
>> >> transmitted peak envelope power output of 100 watts.
>> >>> - Receive input power : 50 watts.
>> >>> - Average transmit input power for voice: 150 watts.
>> >>> - Available soon.
>> >>>
>> >>> Any additional info, photos, etc. would be greatly appreciated Nick
>> >>> England K4NYW www.navy-radio.com
>> >>>
>> >>> ______________________________________________________________
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>> >
>> > --
>> > Nick England K4NYW
>> > www.navy-radio.com
>> > ______________________________________________________________
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>
> --
> Nick England K4NYW
> www.navy-radio.com
>
-- 
Nick England K4NYW
www.navy-radio.com
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