[MRCA] BC-611 Operational Question

[MARK DORNEY]

    About the only time an SRC-274-N would have been mobile would have been if the set was mounted in an aircraft. The SCR-274-N wasn’t really designed for use on the ground in the field. The set isn’t rugged enough to really withstand the rigors of field use and is not sealed against weather.  Power supply would also have been a problem since 24 volt vehicle electrical systems ( required to power up an SCR-274-N ) didn’t really come into use with US Army Ground Forces until the Korean War. During WW2, radio equipped vehicles had mostly 12 volt power systems ( 6 volt could be used , but there were problems keeping a 6 volt equipped radio vehicle’s battery charged in the field ).  There were very limited 12 volt versions of the SRC-274 type radios, but they were very few and far between, and by the beginning of 1943, the USAAF had converted almost all of their aircraft ( and all of their new aircraft ) to operate using 24 volt electrical systems, 12 volt aircraft liaison sets simply were no longer supplied to the USAAF overseas (the USN converted their aircraft sooner ). Another problem you might encounter using these few 12 volt powered aircraft radio systems is the limited frequency range the early radios used. You may not find a transmitter with a frequency range legal for you to use. Of the USN radios, the Western Electric GF-11/RU-16 is a 12 volt radio that comes to mind, but that set, while designed as an aircraft radio, wasn’t really fielded as an aircraft radio ( only documented use was on USMC ships - I didn’t know the Marines had ships, and by one USMC Artillery Battalion on a motor gun carriage). now I suppose a scavenged aircraft APU could be used to power your SCR-274-N, but as far as any standard vehicle was concerned, the options would have been very limited. Scavenged liaison radios like your SCR-274-N could be found in airfield watch stations, but were powered either using a rectifier ( if that could be found) or much more commonly a battery bank of scavenged automobile batteries. 

73
Mark D. 
WW2RDO

“In matters of style, float with the current. In matters of Principle, stand like a rock. “.   -   Thomas Jefferson 

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 2, 2024, at 6:00 PM, MARK DORNEY via MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

efficient on the 60 meters ( the short antenna on the BC-611 is better suited to that frequency band ). Unfortunately, the bandwidth the