[Milsurplus] BC-342 / 312 vs BC-348

[Ray Fantini]

OK, let’s try it again!


B-17       13,000
B-24       18,000
B-25       10,000
B-26       5,000
B-29       4,000

C-47       10,000
C-54       1,500

That’s    61,500 aircraft that would be using a BC-348 receiver along with a mix of T-375, ART-13 and ATD transmitters. Better yet, just imagine the numbers of 1625, 807, 813 tubes for all that or the number of 6K7 or 6SK7 tubes that had to be produced!


Ray F/KA3EKH


From: Nick England <nick at navy-radio.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2025 11:14 AM
To: Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu>
Cc: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] BC-342 / 312 vs BC-348


18,000 B-24
10,000 C-47




Nick England K4NYW
Chapel Hill NC
www.navy-radio.com<http://www.navy-radio.com/>


On Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 10:47 AM Ray Fantini via Milsurplus <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net<mailto:milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>> wrote:
approximately 4,735 B-17s were lost out of the 12,731 built, a total of 414 B-29s were lost, with the majority (267) due to mechanical failures, engine fires, and operational accidents, while 147 were lost to enemy fire from Japanese anti-aircraft guns and fighters. At least that’s what Wiki tells me. The percentage of losses for the B-17 exceed the B-29 by a factor of ten. B-24 were higher then that, Wiki dose not have production number for the Liberator but says 3,500 B-24 Liberators were lost with the highest percentage rate for the war. Over 73 were lost in a single raid against oil fields in Ploiești, Romania alone.
Think around 7,000 B-24 were built, 13,000 B-17, 4000 B-29 and just under 10,000 B-25 Mitchells, 5,000 B-26 Marauder and not taking into account transport and cargo aircraft that’s around 39,000 aircraft that would have BC-348 receivers.
Looking at that would assume that I was wrong about BC-342/312 numbers in comparison to BC-348 production numbers and would tend to think that the overall production number of 120,000 receivers may be correct.

Estimated production numbers for the BC-342/312 receivers produced for the SCR-299, SCR-399, and SCR-499 radio sets built between 1942 and 1945 is 14,706  units but that’s not taking into account receivers produced for the SCR-287 (BC-342/312 receiver and BC-375 transmitter) installations. Western Historic Radio says the GE received a contract to build 100,000 BC-375 transmitters, if just 20,000 were used in aircraft how many went to SCR-287 installations and required BC-342/312 receivers?  And don’t forget one of my favorites just due to its three hundred pounds of radio for less than ten watts the SCR-245(BC-312 and BC-223)  Before FM replaced the SCR-245 in armor and recon that was a go to set.
I have a SCR-245 in the cue for restoration and use as a possible 3885 base at Hamvention next year but have not gotten to it yet.
Just a crazy speculation but going to say maybe 75,000 or more BC-342/312 and 314 receivers were built? Don’t know myself.

Wiki also tells me that 1,450,000 command sets (receivers and transmitters) were produced in WW2 along with 47,000 SCR-300 and 130,000 SCR-536 (BC-611) radios.
Man that’s a lot of radios!

Ray F/KA3EKH



From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net<mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net> <milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net<mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net>> On Behalf Of joldenburg2 at new.rr.com<mailto:joldenburg2 at new.rr.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 9:13 PM
To: 'Jim Whartenby' <old_radio at aol.com<mailto:old_radio at aol.com>>
Cc: 'milsurplus at mailman.qth.net<mailto:milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>' <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net<mailto:milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>>
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] BC-342 / 344 vs BC-348 and the GRR-5 too!


I remember reading that it was procedure to pull radio equipment after a mission and replace it with a fresh checked unit  to avoid comm problems due to tube failure  because of vibration. That and B29s high losses  make for a lot of radios


Jon  AB9AH

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