[MRCA] Most Useless Radio

[David Bourque]

I've got an SCR59 that is pretty darn useless. From what I have read, the pilots actually use to throw them out of their planes because of the weight. At the time they had the opinion of "why would you ever need a radio in a plane?" ironic. Looks pretty darn nice on the shelf though.

David R. Bourque
NOC/ETAS Engineering Supervisor
Mutual Telecom Services Inc.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Black Box Corp
Office 434.946.1554
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-----Original Message-----
From: mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mike Morrow
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2012 12:43 PM
To: mrca at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [MRCA] Most Useless Radio

I treat the few items I've collected like I treat my old firearms...as examples of technology that served very serious contemporary requirements...valuable today much much more for the technical and military history they represent than for any capability for use.  Just as I would never fire an old musket that has survived intact after 180 years, I don't operate 70-year-old WWII stuff...which is far more fragile than, say, an 1829 Harper's Ferry .69 cal musket.  Once original components are replaced with modern devices, the example of original technology is gone.  But...

I do have one candidate for a radio that was useless at the time it was produced, (perhaps Robert will agree a little) and that is the SCR-178 (BC-186, -187, 188) sets that were produced on late orders in 1942.

It's difficult to see what value the SCR-178 had at that late time frame, even for rudimentary training.  I suspect that the far more capable SCR-288 would have required less effort and cost to build for training purposes in 1942 than did the SCR-178.  Sure...use up existing inventory, but why make more?  I believe that 1942 SCR-178 sets were a waste of war material.

It's a somewhat backward situation with the SCR-178.  Its transmitter uses tubes that are very expensive today (865 PA and 10 MO).  It's a remarkable museum piece for early 1930s military technology.  It likely has a lot greater appeal today to us old radio fanatics than it did to anybody (especially military users) in WWII.  Thus, many would consider useful (and desirable) today something that was neither at the time it was delivered to the US military.

73
Mike / KK5F
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