[MRCA] [Milsurplus] Working "Cold War " rellics, Addendum

[D. Platt]

Regarding the 18S-4 and its variants, that set came out in the 50's to 
try and replace older sets like the ART-13.  The transmitter is all but 
a re-designed ART-13, sans autotune and the VFO.   Reading the  RTCA 
meeting notes from the early 50's and the subsequent committee reports,  
they (RTCA) decided that HF needed better stability, closer channel 
spacing, etc.  Collins came out with the 18S-* radio sets to do the 
job.  I have the USAF school manual and all the Collins books.  Talking 
to old hands who had to maintain the 18S, they all hated it as it was so 
time consuming to change frequencies and get it tuned up.  One had to 
have the complete box of plug-in coil sets, the crystals, and the 
antenna tuner which was, in fact, the better part of the output network 
of the transmitter.   I have two complete ARC-8s up and running, one of 
ART-13s was actually NIB.  I've considered bargaining one of the ARC-8s 
for an operational ARC-2A but don't know if its really worth it, in the end?

In the 50's Gen.s LeMay and White were dealing with Collins to move the 
USAF to SSB.  Maybe some of you recall when they installed a 
ground-based Collins SSB rig in a C-54 and flew it around a good bit of 
the world doing tests.  They were on the ham bands, too.  SAC was the 
first to convert, then the rest of the AF and the military, in general.  
It took a while as the FAA

Breck, K4CHE got the last one I had.

Jeep - K3HVG