[MRCA] Nice find today - BC-348-*

[Mike Morrow]

> Are the "R" models remodeled from an earlier
> "dash lettered" model?

All unit and system nomenclatures in the old Signal Corps system are "dash lettered".  For example, there is no such thing as a BC-348R nor SCR-274N, just the BC-348-R and SCR-274-N.

Some BC-348-C (RCA) units were remanufactured as the BC-348-S by Belmont in order to add the 200 to 500 kHz band that had been provided on the BC-348-E and all later models.

> Well, I have 2 other R versions, both with metal tags.

The BC-348-R was manufactured under these order numbers:

 2540-WF-42 - Every unit I've seen has a metal name plate.
11414-WF-43 - Every unit I've seen has a plastic name plate.

Plastic plates often appear washed out.  Soaking with a gun cleaner/lubricant/preservative known as "Break Free-CLP" will restore most of the lost legibility.  Plastic plates that I treated 20 years ago have maintained their restored appearance to this day without retreatment.

FWIW, under the mid-war JAN nomenclature system the BC-348-* was officially designated AN/ARR-11.  None were physically marked as such.  Thus, receiver AN/ARR-11 and transmitter AN/ART-13A make LF/MF/HF sircraft liaison set AN/ARC-8, the world's finest liaison set of WWII and some years afterwards.

Mike / KK5F