[MRCA] World War Two ATC tower radio

Tue Jul 10 21:13:40 EDT 2018

The Transmitter BC-640 and Receiver BC-639 were actually installed in separate facilities away from the airfield, and remoted by telephone to the tower.  However the Military Aviation Museum in Pungo VA does not have the facilities or land to install these radios remotely, so they have to be installed in the signals office of the Watch Station/ Control Tower itself.  The electrical restoration work would be done through the local HAM radio club, who have shown little interest in doing anything except a restoration to working condition, and access to the radio from time to time.  Hence the need for the antenna switch.  On the complete Transmitter that the museum did get, they discovered it already had a JB-45 installed on the back of the cabinet ( missing data plates and cover, but there, but in bad shape ). but they will be looking for a spare.  This  complete transmitter BC-640 came out of a US Coast Guard Station in upstate NY.  Pictures are attached.  Unfortunately, the receiver did not come with the transmitter.  The museum has already ordered the Signal Corps Green paint to restore the Frame FM-39 and the faces of the various components to their original color.

We still haven't figured out how the radios married up the what looks like an RAF issue control console that was in the tower ( and will have to be built from scratch in all likelihood ), or what controls, if any, the staff on duty at the console had.

The actual transmitter and receivers, with their antennas, were actually located about a mile away from RAF Goxhill ( USAAF Station 345) during World War Two. 

73
Mark
WW2RDO 

In a message dated 7/10/2018 7:09:16 PM Eastern Standard Time, mrca at mailman.qth.net writes:

No, the BC-638, 639 & 640 are parts of numerous SCR’s and a few RC’s.  If the system had something like an antenna switch or relay, it would be a part of the higher level system.  

Robert Downs

From: mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of J Mcvey via MRCA
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2018 17:27
To:mrca at mailman.qth.net; mkdorney at aol.com
Subject: Re: [MRCA] World War Two ATC tower radio

I was curious about this and located manuals for the receiver and transmitter, thinking that the antenna switch would be described in one or the other. It certainly isn't easy to find if it's there!
The transmitter has many components to it that will fill the rack top to bottom if it's complete. Quite the project!

Maybe these radios part of a larger all encompassing "radio system" nomenclature which would include  their use as a transceiver system?

On Tuesday, July 10, 2018, 12:28:58 PM EDT, WW2RDO via MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net> wrote: 

I'm trying to help out a museum purchase and restore a World War Two Control Tower radio.  We've whittled things down to a BC-639/BC-640 radio combination.  The objective is get a complete and functioning radio. We have the transmitter  ( BC-640 ) complete, in the rack ( Frame FM-39 ) and the Power Supply ( Rectifier RA-42 ).  We also have a receiver ( BC-639 ), but no frame FM-39, and no power supply RA-42 for it .  Modified equipment is not an option, since this is going into a museum.  We will also need an antenna switch external to the radios so that the radios will work as a transceiver.  There is a Junction Block, JB-45 that is an antenna switch, but we don't know if that antenna switch will work with the BC-639/ BC-640.  The BC-639/ BC-640 operate on 100 to 156 MHz AM.  At least part of that frequency range falls into the 2 meter Ham radio band.  Any help would certainly be appreciated.

73
Mark
WW2RDO
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