[MRCA] BC-152

[Al Klase]

Folks,

The recent Armstrong-Superhet discussion on the ARC-5 list got me 
looking around for the earliest military superheterodynes.
That might be the  BC-113 Tuner with the BC-116 amplifier in 
SCR-133/134/135.  There's reasonable documentation on these, but it 
didn't work all that well.  Design started about 1924 by Fort Monmouth, 
about the same time Armstrong and Harry Houck were doing the superhet 
design for RCA. .  This was a separate converter and IF/AF amp in the 
fashion of Armstrong's original design, and tuned 250-1500 KHz.


These use VT-5 tubes (W.E. 215A's)


Then from "Aviation_in_the_U.S._Army,_1919-1939"  P. 232:

"In 1928, a board of Air Corps and Signal Corps officers, headed by Mai.
Horace M. Hickam, concluded that two types of radio communication were
required: "command" communication within a pursuit, bombardment, or
attack unit in the air, or between units in combined operations: and 
"liaison"
between aircraft in the air and Air Corps or other units on the ground. The
equipment on hand did not meet requirements. As an interim measure, the
board suggested modifying present transmitters and adoption of a new
receiver (BC-152). being developed by the Signal Corps. Compact, light, easy
to install, and simple to operate. the BC-152 was compatible with any of the
three ground sets then standard for aircraft communication, as well as with
the Air Corps' interphone. Three plug-in coils for 250-400, 400-850, and
850-!500 kilocyclcs afforded a broad frequency range. With one coil the
receiver weighed only 10 pounds: with all three, 11.5 pounds. Much smaller
and thinner (12 x 8 x 2.75 inches) than previous sets, it became known 
as the
"pancake receiver.""

Any info on BC-152 would be appreciated.

Al


-- 
ARK Sig Block Al Klase - N3FRQ
Jersey City, NJ
http://www.skywaves.ar88.net/
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