On 8/2/2025 4:47 PM, Ray Fantini via Milsurplus wrote:

> the old generation of LF/HF AM and leap forward to VHF but were not
> influenced by what was happening in Land mobile and military short range
> communications?

I think that another thing to consider is that with 1940s technology, a
stable FM transmitter was somewhat more complicated than an AM
transmitter of the same frequency and power range. The desire
to keep things simple was probably a determining factor.

> The big question is the AN/ARC-4 or RT-19; think the civilian equal is
> the WE-233 Was that radio fielded before the US entered WW2?

Plans were well underway in the 1940 time frame to move civil aviation
to "UHF"(now called VHF). A book I have by either Morgan or Sandretto
says implementation should be under way around 1942. America's entry
into the war would definitely have altered those plans. In the
book was a description of a radio that fit the description of the
WE-233 to a tee.

Old time list member Marty Reynolds made the claim that the WE-233
was developed by Western Electric at the request of Douglas, for
use in the DC-3. However, I would like to know Marty's source for
that. I had a chance to visit Marty once in Atlanta, but he high
tailed it off to Canada, and he passed away before I had another
chance to visit.

Jack Antonio
WA7DIA