Radio Boulevard
Western Historic Radio Museum

Pre-WWII and Post-WWII
COMMERCIAL & MILITARY  COMMUNICATIONS  EQUIPMENT
(Airport, Shipboard, General Purpose & Military Gear)

1932 - 1942  &  1946 - 1960s

in Two Parts
 

(For WWII radio gear go to "WWII Communications Equipment - in Four Parts)
Use Home Index at the bottom of this page to Navigate

photo: Radio Room of the USCG Cutter Taney ca: 1938

Pre-WWII and Post-WWII
Commercial & Military Communications Gear - 1932-1942 & 1946-1960s
Airport, Shipboard, General Purpose and Military Gear

PART ONE

Pre-WWII Gear - 1932 - 1942

Airport and Airways Communication Receivers

National Company, Inc. - 1932 through 1934 Airport Receivers 
RHM, AGS, RHP, RHQ, AGU, RIO, RIP, AGL

By the early thirties, National had grown from a company that produced radio parts and regenerative TRF receivers into one of the top shortwave receiver producers in the country. National's chief engineer and general manager, James Millen, had guided the company from its early radio designs (that usually had National as a parts supplier) into the new shortwave receiver market that was becoming popular by 1930.

The RHM Receiver - In late-1931, National Company was selected by the Department of Commerce (who was in charge of airports and airways through the Aeronautical Branch) to build new superheterodyne receivers to replace the old regenerative receivers then being used at airports around the country. The entire system upgrade of airport-airway communication and air navigation equipment included General Electric, who got the contract for the new Range Beacon and ground communications transmitters and Aircraft Radio Corporation, who got the contract for the new airborne gear. National got the contract for the ground-based airport and Radio Range communications receivers. It seems likely that Herbert Hoover Jr. and his West Coast design team were involved in some of the electronic engineering work of the new receiver that was designated RHM. National was the primary mechanical designer and the builder of the RHM receivers. The contact was identified as 32-15305 and was dated May 12, 1932. The RHM was National's first superhet and it had some of the features that were to become National's trade-mark. Plug-in coils to select the tuning ranges, a separate power supply and a micrometer-type tuning dial are foremost in the design and were to become standard features for National receivers over the next several years.

Since the RHM was a commercial airport receiver it had to be built with the best material and best parts available to assure top reliability and performance. Each receiver was hand tested and aligned by engineers at National resulting in a very modern receiver that provided excellent sensitivity and selectivity (along with top-notch image rejection due to its TRF amplifier stage.) Frequency coverage of the RHM was 2.3mc up to 15.0mc using a set of 15 coils. Each band required three coils, RF Amp, Mixer and Local Oscillator providing the user with five tuning ranges. The IF was erroneously shown as 600kc in all of the initially supplied operating instructions. The actual IF is 500kc.*. It's estimated that only around 100 RHM receivers were built and just a few survive today since most of the airport equipment was scrapped when it became obsolete.

photo right: 1932 RHM Receiver - no serial number, repro data plate

photo above: 1932 RHM receiver serial number 8

RMH - No Serial Number - I've owned the RHM receiver shown in the top photo for over 30 years, since 1991. It came with the complete set of fifteen coils and the spare coil holder. But, it didn't have a data plate, so the serial number of this RHM is unfortunately unknown. This receiver is an all "original parts" receiver. I did find that someone had worked on it in the distant past and had reversed the interstage transformer connections for some reason. This caused severe oscillation in the audio that was easily corrected by just reversing the connections. This RHM does function somewhat, that is, it does pick up some stations and is reasonably accurate in the dial readout.

RMH  SN: 8 - I've recently obtained RHM SN: 8 (shown to the left.) This receiver was rebuilt (by me) in the late-1990s for NU6AM from whom I purchased it recently (May 2018.)  Jim NU6AM, found this receiver in a warehouse-type of storage building located in the East Bay Area of California in the late-1990s. The warehouse building was full of all types of electronics gear but the owner specialized in Western Electric equipment (especially audio gear) and really wasn't interested in the RHM, so it was sold to Jim. Over the past two decades, Jim was able to find a complete coil set plus the original RHM-type coil holder (the receiver came with only the coil set that was installed.)

Back in the late-1990s, when I did the restoration for Jim, I had to build replicas of original capacitors and replicas of the original resistors to not only have the circuitry function correctly but to also look authentic. The receiver had been "repaired" in the past by a "hamster-type" of technician so "junk box" parts of any vintage or make had been installed. All capacitors and most of the resistors had been replaced with "junk box" parts. Recreating the unique Sprague rectangular shaped paper-wax capacitors involved using custom-made black paper holders for the caps and then filling the interior with the new capacitor and bee's wax. The final result looks convincingly like the originals (minus the labels, though.) The resistors were recreated with salvaged lead-ends installed on vintage A-B resistors and then painting the body white.

RHM SN:8 is a phenomenal performer with excellent sensitivity and stability. This level of performance demonstrates that, when new, the RHM receivers could certainly have met the demands of airport and airway communications service.

photo right: Close-up of the data plate from RHM SN:8

The AGS-X "Single Signal" Receiver - To take advantage of the prestige the Department of Commerce contract had given them (and to profit through additional sales to the general public,) National adapted the RHM for commercial and ham use dubbing it the AGS. National's advertising implies that AGS receivers continued to be provided for airport use after the initial RHM contract. These receivers had many upgrades from the earlier RHM with more frequency coverage with better calibration procedures and some later-style tubes.

The major AGS-upgrade was with the introduction of the "Single Signal" AGS-X in March, 1933. The AGS-X was tailored for ham needs in that a front panel BFO control and a James Lamb crystal filter were added to the receiver. In late-1934, optional 10 meter coils were added as the AGS frequency coverage was increased to reflect the needs of a "ham receiver" (although at $265 with all accessories, not many hams could afford it.) The AGS-X shown in the photo to the right is a very late production version with serial number F-151 dating from mid-to-late-1934. This particular receiver was originally purchased with all 27 coils that were available at the time. That would have been the standard general coverage coils for the five tuning ranges from 1.5mc up to 20mc, totaling fifteen coils. Also, the amateur bandspread coils that covered 160M, 80M, 40M and 20M (12 coils.) Each ham band was tuned within 100 divisions of the the Type-N micrometer dial (20 to 120 on the scale that was 0 to 150 divisions in a 270º rotation.) Two coil holder rack panels were necessary to store all of the coils which would be 12 coils in each rack and 3 in the receiver. These rack mount coil holders differ from the earlier RHM coil holder that was a combination of a wooden holder with a metal front panel in that these later coil holders are a metal panel with four flat spring retainers per coil. The power supply is the GRSPU for powering a single AGS receiver. I built the table rack that this AGS-X is mounted in based on a ham station photograph that appeared in a 1934 QST magazine. The rack is constructed using 3/4" square steel tubing with welded joint seams.

Although the initial high selling price may have limited the sales of the AGS and AGS-X receivers to the ham market, as the receiver design began to show its age the prices dropped significantly. By 1935, Leeds was selling the AGS-X for $123. Since National had introduced the HRO by that time, the AGS was considered obsolete technology and priced accordingly. It appears that there were three production runs of AGS and AGS-X receivers that were designated by a letter prefix beginning with production run "D" followed by run "E" and ending with run "F." With a serial number of "151" with the "F" prefix designating the last production run, "F-151" shown to the right, is certainly one of the last AGS-X receivers produced. Interestingly, F-151 spent much of its existence in Hawaii.

Other RHM/AGS Family Receivers - In addition to the RHM and AGS receivers, National also produced the RHP and RHQ receivers that were very similar to the RHM within their design circuitry but ganged the three coils together behind a small panel that created a plug-in "coil set" for each tuning range covered. Additionally, the National Type-N micrometer dial was replaced with a National Type-BX illuminated "Velvet Vernier" dial similar to those used on the SW-3 receiver except the dial scale was black with silver numbers. The RHQ receivers were specifically designed for airport communication and therefore were only supplied with two coil sets that allowed tuning from 2500kc up to 6500kc. The RHQ was also identified as the AGU receiver in some uses (photo below.) Also, National produced a long wave receiver built along the same lines as these early airport receivers, the RIO (see below.) The RIO was also produced as the RIP and was also identified as the AGL. There was a slight difference in the RIP/AGL frequency coverage in that the RIO tunes 175kc to 650kc while the RIP/AGL tunes 175kc to 750kc.

photo above: 1934 AGS-X SN: F-151

photo above: 1933 RIO Medium Wave Receiver SN: 3
 

In 1933, National supplied the RIO receiver for tuning those lower frequencies, 650kc down to 175kc. The circuit is not a superhet. The RIO uses three TRF amplifiers followed by a detector and audio output stage. Additionally, an AVC circuit and a "tracking" BFO circuit are provided. Use of a TRF circuit was to allow complete tuning within the 400kc region of the spectrum. Any of the common IFs used at the time would have interrupted the tuning coverage somewhere within the tuning ranges provided. Also, at the lower frequencies, noise was always a problem and the TRF circuitry was considered to be one of the "quietest" tuners. Seven tubes are used. The RIO is powered by the same type of power supplies as the AGS used. The RIO dial normally pictured was a National BX but the dial on the the receiver above is a National B dial (used on the SW-3 receiver. The BX dial had a black scale with silver numerals and indexes.) The RIO is functional and is a very sensitive MW receiver.

photo left: The AGS Airport or Airway station setup (bottom to top) dual power supply GRDPU-26, 58C monitor receiver, AGS receiver, spare coil holder and loud speaker. Note that the AGS receiver has the short data plate indicating it's an AGS (the RHM used a long data plate.)
Photo from:  Radio News - January 1933
 

photo right: Airways Radio Range Station showing the RHM receiver and below it, the RIO receiver. This photo is from Aeronautic Radio Bulletin No. 27 published in July, 1937 by the Dept. of Commerce-Bureau of Air Commerce.

Wrap-up - Today, the performance of any of the RHM/AGS family of receivers, even rebuilt ones, will seem somewhat antiquated and crude. In 1932 they were "state-of -the-art" but, within just a couple of years, National had completely surpassed these receivers in design and performance with their HRO receiver. Although the RHM/AGS performance might be considered "dated," the fact that many of these receivers are still operational on "all original parts" and are still fairly accurate in their dial readout is testament to National's build quality and Herbert Hoover Jr. and James Millen's design capabilities. This same design team again worked together in 1934, producing the famous HRO receiver.

* 600kc IF for the RHM? - I have two original manuals for the RHM. The first one had 500kc IF penciled in. The second manual didn't have the correction and shows that the RHM manual has a significant error in that it has the IF listed as 600kc. I tried aligning the RHM to 600kc and the results made it obvious that 500kc is the correct IF. The first manual was "hand corrected" but the second manual never was. Interesting.

National RCE, ca: 1937

National Co., Inc. - Airport and Airway Communication Receivers

National Co., Inc. had been supplying receivers for airport and airway communications since the RHM receiver in 1932. The mid-thirties HRO also was used in some airports. The most popular airport receiver by far was National's Airport and Airway Communication Receivers that were based on their NC-100 receiver. The continuing upgrading of communication and navigation equipment was initially the responsibility of the Department of Commerce and the Bureau of Air Commerce with its various branches in charge of airports and navigation. The new and developing Radio Range navigation systems provided a pilot the means to fly an airplane to an airport using the Radio Range Beacon signal called a "beam." Each Radio Range Beacon antenna system produced a four-leaf clover signal pattern and the "beams" were the four "nulls" that resulted from this pattern. The navigational radio beams allowed the pilot to follow a predetermined altitude and route called an "Airway." The navigational beams and various Radio Range Beacon stations also provided two-way communications with pilots to report weather conditions and other information that might be needed by pilots.

National's history of providing top quality receivers for airport use (RHM, the fore-runner to the AGS, and the HRO) practically assured them of continuing contracts for airport-specific receivers. The first "moving coil" receivers supplied to airports were standard NC-100X receivers. Some of these early receiver used the "art deco" overlay panel while others used a black wrinkle finish rack mount panel. In 1937, National began supplying the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Air Commerce, Dept. of Navigation (still in charge of airport communications at that time) with the RCD receiver, a slightly modified NC-100X receiver that had the AM BC coils replaced with 200kc to 400kc coils. At the end of 1937, the RCE was introduced and it became the "standard" Airport-Airway Communication receiver from National. When the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) was created in 1938, National then supplied the CAA with airport receivers. These new CAA receivers were continually being upgraded as new contracts were issued. Some receivers were even produced during WWII for use at both military and civilian airports. The RCK tuned 200kc to 800kc in the two lowest frequency bands and 2.5mc to 23.5mc in the three highest frequency bands. The RCK was supplied to the U.S. Navy during WWII. Also during WWII, the RCL was introduced and it featured a two position bandwidth switch. After WWII, early versions of these receivers (RCK and RCL receivers) were upgraded into the last versions, the RCP and the RCQ. Most of the upgrades were professionally installed by well-known companies such as Schutigg & Company or National Electrical Machine Shops (NEMS.) Even National managed to upgrade a few of their earlier models. These later versions were used up into the early fifties when more modern equipment was becoming a necessity.

Although the Airport-Airway Communication Receivers are based on the NC-100 chassis, there are some significant additions to the circuit. The most obvious is that the receiver is rack mounted and has a very different front panel when compared to the striking "art deco" panel of the standard NC-100 receiver. These receivers use a 3/16" thick aluminum front panel that is black wrinkle finished. All early Airport-Airway receivers were equipped with an I.N.S. control. I.N.S stood for "Interchannel Noise Suppressor," which was actually a "squelch" control. 

Later versions have a C.O.N.S. (Carrier Operated Noise Suppression) control that uses a relay to mute the receiver if no carrier is being received. Additionally, the push-pull audio was changed to single-ended and the output transformer was internal to the receiver. The audio output impedance was 600 Z ohms and 20K Z ohms. Another addition was a relay that could remotely quite the speaker without affecting headset reception. Most Airport-Airway Communication Receivers came with two speakers, a single table top speaker box and a rack mount dual speaker. No carrier level device (meter or eye-tube) was used on the majority of the receivers. The chassis is covered top and bottom with a "slide on" dust cover although early versions have separate top and bottom covers. 12 tubes are usually used in the circuit which utilizes a 457kc IF. Post-WWII receivers RCP and RCQ will have a selectable crystal-controlled fixed-frequency function installed operated by a front panel toggle switch. Shown in the photo left is a 1940 Airway Communication Receiver Type RCF-2 sn:13. The RCF-2 is the only version that is specifically identified as an "Airway Communications Receiver." All others are "Communication Receivers." The Airport Communication Receiver shown in the top photo is a 1937 RCE sn:302 which happens to still have its original dust cover.

RCA Manufacturing Company, Inc.  -  AVR-11A Airport Receiver

RCA supplied some airports with this 16 tube superheterodyne receiver beginning around 1937. The receiver used many of RCA's developments, including the "Magic Brain" which was a modular receiver "front end" and the innovative "band-in-use" dial mask. Many other components are recognizable as exclusive-RCA parts and included the "Magic Eye" cathode ray tuning indicator. RCA included a BFO, a sensitivity control, a noise suppressor circuit and a headset output jack - all necessities for a communication receiver. Additionally, an optional Crystal Filter assembly was available on special order. There were three models available, the AVR-11 that was installed in a metal cabinet with matching speaker. The AVR-11A was a rack mount receiver with gray painted panel but without a chassis dust cover and with matching rack mount speaker. The AVR-11B was a rack mount with dust cover with black painted panel and rack mount speaker. 

Shipboard or Coastal Station Radio Equipment (Pre-WWII)

U.S. Navy  -  RAD-2 (CNA-46013)
Contractor: National Company, Inc.

In 1932, the U.S. Navy contracted with National Co. to provide the RAD receiver. The RAD was based on National Company's SW-5 "Thrill Box" but was provided to the Navy with a "complete" set of coils to cover 250kc up to 33mc for the frequency coverage. The coil sets were contained in a box and were assigned a USN model number (CNA-47040) The separate power supply was also part of the RAD equipment supplied (CNA-20002.) The RAD receiver appears to be a stock SW-5 with the exception that it was painted black wrinkle finish and had a large data plate installed on the top lid. Also, each control had an index plate mounted behind the knob.

Shown in the photos is a RAD-2 receiver. The USN model number is CNA 46013. The "project date" is 1932 and the contract is also dated 1932. The photos show that the RAD-2 is almost identical to the standard National SW-5 with the exception of the black wrinkle paint and the index plates behind the two control knobs. Internally, the RAD-2 is identical to the SW-5 except for the black paint. The RAD-2 shown is serial number 13. The screen grid tubes are 24-As and the audio tubes are 27s. Knobs are probably not original.

photos from: WA6OPE

Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co.  -  Type 105-A
Contractor: Federal Telegraph Company

Mackay Radio & Telegraph Company was founded by Clarence Mackay, son of John W. Mackay, one of the "Big Four of the Comstock" fame in Virginia City, Nevada. John Mackay initially made his fortune in Comstock silver but he later (1883) moved into telegraphic communications. Mackay, along with newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett Jr., formed several telegraph communications companies to compete with Jay Gould's Western Union. Postal Telegraph Company (1886) was the best known, along with Commercial Cable Company (1884). Eventually, these companies, along with other Mackay-Bennett telegraph companies, had transoceanic cables across both major oceans. When John Mackay died in 1902, Clarence inherited the businesses. Clarence Mackay saw to the completion of the transpacific cable in 1904. Radio was added to the business end of things in 1925 to provide "radiogram" service to every area of the world. Mackay Radio was mainly interested in maritime communications which went along with the maritime radio-telegraph business. By 1928, ITT had merged with most of Mackay's business interests but the Mackay name continued on for several decades. Today, Mackay Communications is still doing business, located in North Carolina.

Federal Telegraph Company started out in Palo Alto, California mainly dealing in arc transmitters. At one time, Lee DeForest worked for the company but Frederick Kolster was the head engineer for most of FTC's history. FTC bought Brandes and created a division called Kolster Radio Company for selling consumer radios in the mid-twenties. FTC became involved with Mackay Radio in 1926 when Mackay bought a radio station that had belonged to FTC. When Mackay sold his interests to ITT, then Federal Telegraph was contracted to do most of the Mackay Radio work. Federal Telegraph moved to New Jersey in 1931 when it was purchased by ITT (International Telephone and Telegraph Corp.) For awhile ITT tried the consumer radio market with Kolster International but it was a short-lived venture. The name of Federal Telegraph Co. was changed to Federal Telephone and Radio Company around 1940.

The Type 105-A is actually a pre-WWII commercial shipboard receiver that dates from 1932 (SN: 32081 - the first two digits of early Mackay equipment serial numbers indicate the year built) which is sometime after the Federal Telegraph move to New Jersey since the ID tag lists Newark, N.J. as FTC's location. It is a four tube receiver that originally used either 201-A tubes or type-30 tubes but now uses five-pin cathode-type tubes. The level of workmanship involved with the upgrade suggests that the work was done either at the factory (unlikely) or by a professional shipboard radio work shop. Several companies did exist that supplied marine radio gear and also repaired and upgraded older marine gear. This is the most probable source of the modification upgrades. The patina of the solder joints leads one to believe the rework was done just before or during WWII. It is possible to use type 27 or type 56 tubes but it's far more likely that type 76 tubes would have been used since the six volt heaters would be easy to power up with ship's batteries. The frequency coverage is 1500kc down to 15kc in seven tuning ranges. Power was supplied by batteries. Like earlier designs for shipboard receivers, e.g. the IP-501-A, the Mackay 105-A utilizes an LC Antenna tuner ahead of the regenerative detector to increase gain and selectivity. An Antenna Series Condenser switch selects various value capacitors to match the ship antenna to the receiver input and a stepped Tone control provides some relief from static. The panel meter is a dual meter that normally reads filament voltage but B+ voltage can also be monitored by activating a panel switch. The left large tuning knob tunes the Antenna Condenser, the middle large knob controls the Regeneration Condenser and the right large knob tunes the Detector Condenser. The Mackay 105-A is built for shipboard use being physically stout and very heavy. The chassis, the cabinet (if I had one,) the panel and most of the shielding is cadmium-plated brass with the cabinet and panel painted Mackay Dark Gray. Originally, most of the receivers were mounted in a cabinet however, according to the original Mackay Type 105-A brochure, it was possible to order the receiver without the cabinet for installation in a shipboard console. It's also possible that sometime later the receiver's use it was removed from the cabinet and mounted in one of the Mackay Marine Radio Units that housed the majority of the radio gear for the ship. This may have coincided with the tube upgrade modifications to the receiver. (See "Vintage Longwave Receivers - Part 1" webpage for an in depth article about this receiver.)

Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co. - Type 101-A Monitor Receiver Contractor: Federal Telegraph Company from: Mackay Radio Coastal Station WSE - Amagansett, Montauk Point, L.I., NY   The Type 101-A Monitor Receiver was used to monitor near-field radio transmitter signals. The receiver uses three type-30 triode tubes that perform as the Regenerator, the Detector and the Audio Output. A set of six plug-in coils provide a frequency coverage of 350kc to 550kc and 3.0mc to 25mc in six tuning ranges. The manual contains a graph showing the dial readout to frequency correlation for each coil. The Monitor Receiver was designed to run on batteries with storage for dry cells provided within the cabinet. Voltages required are +3.0vdc for A voltage and +45vdc for B voltage. An external +6vdc storage battery could be used if desired and its connection is via the phone plug marked "EX. BATT" (phone tip +) The front panel switch marked IN-OFF-EX selects the filament voltage source and operation of the receiver. The panel meter monitors filament voltage (2.0vdc for Type-30 tubes.) Unused coil storage is provided by way of five "dummy" sockets on the receiver chassis (with the sixth coil installed in the active coil socket located under the coil shield.) An antenna is normally not required but it does depend on the transmitter-antenna location in relation to the monitor receiver location. If the signal is too weak an additional short wire can be added to the antenna input terminal connection. If the signal is too strong, the antenna input has an adjustable rod that electrostatically couples the antenna input level to the receiver input coil by the length of the rod within the receiver cabinet. Normally, the cabinet was kept closed to provide shielding for strong signals but if a weak signal was difficult to find, then the cabinet lid could be opened (though this was considered a temporary measure - as soon as the signal was located the lid should be closed.) The audio output was to Hi-Z 'phones. Normal operations had the Type 101-A monitoring a CW transmitter so the Regenerator control was advanced until the receiver was oscillating to provide an autodyne signal. Noting the frequency coverage, the AM-BC band was not tuned, therefore the intended use of the Type 101-A was for ship-to-shore stations or other types of uses where  the station's CW transmitter signal needed to be monitored. Stout construction with cabinet, panel and chassis entirely made out of cadmium-plated brass sheet metal with the cabinet and panel painted the standard "Mackay Dark Gray." The photo upper left shows the Type 101-A Monitor Receiver. The lower photo shows the chassis and compartments inside the cabinet. The three tubes are type-30 tubes. The five HF coils (3.0mc up to 25.0mc) are stowed in their spare coil holder sockets. The medium wave coil (350kc up to 550kc) is installed in the active coil socket located under the removable can-type shield. The compartment to the left side is where the two 1.5vdc dry cells were mounted with the aid of the special clamp. The compartment to the right side was for the 45vdc B battery which actually was two 22.5vdc B batteries connected in series. The two B batteries were held in place with the bakelite strip that also had connection terminals for the batteries. Note the rod protruding into the cabinet from the Antenna Coupling mount on the front panel. The length of this rod inside the cabinet determines the level of RF energy electrostatically coupled into the Regenerator and Detector circuits. This Type 101-A SN: 32191 ("32" is the year built, SN is 191) has written under the lid of the receiver and on the front cover of the original manual "W.S.E. Montauk Station." WSE was located at Amagansett, Montauk Point, Long Island, New York and was operated by Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company. The powerful CW transmitter was operated by remote control from a short distance away in Southamton, LI, NY and was also connected by wire to the Mackay offices at the ITT building in New York City.

Navy Department - Hygrade Sylvania Corp.
Model RAG-1  CHS-46042     SN: 1
Long Wave Receiver - TRF with Tracking BFO - 1933

The RAG-1 Type CHS-46042 was a USN shipboard longwave receiver that was usually paired with its high frequency matching receiver, the RAH-1. Contact was July 13, 1933 and Hygrade Sylvania Corp. was the contractor. The RAG-1 tunes from 600kc down to 15kc and uses an eight tube, TRF circuit that also employs a tracking BFO that is adjusted to always be 1kc higher than the receiver's tuned frequency. Additionally, the RAG-1 uses three grid bias-controlled RF amplifiers (SENSITIVITY control.) The triode detector is interstage transformer coupled to a tuned audio frequency bandpass filter is selectable for wide-band (OFF position) or 450hz to 750hz or from 750hz to 1300hz. The audio signal is then routed through a passive Audio Bandpass Filter that limits the frequency response to 450hz to 1300hz with the peak response being 800hz (ideal for CW.) The output of the BP Filter is interstage transformer coupled to the first audio amplifier and that output is RC coupled to the Type-41 audio output tube. An audio AVC that acts like a limiter to keep the receiver output from over-driving the operator's ear with unexpected strong signals or static bursts can be switch in during noisy conditions. The tuning ranges are 15kc to 38kc for Range 1, 38kc to 95kc for Range 2, 95kc to 240kc for Range 3 and 240kc to 600kc for Range 4. The tuning dials are a 0-100 lower dial and a 0-10 upper dial with ten revolutions of the 0-100 lower dial showing from 0 to 10 on the upper dial. 

Tubes used are (3) 6D6 - RF Amplifers, (1) 76 - Detector, (1) 6D6 - BFO, (1) 76 - 1st Audio Amplifier, (1) 41 - Audio Output Amplifier, (1) 84 - AVC Limiter, (1) 80 - PS Rectifier. Voltage required is 6.3vac for the tube heaters,+180vdc for B+ and -55vdc bias. 5.0 vac was required for the PS rectifier and was supplied by the PS power transformer. The negative bias was obtained by elevating the PS transformer CT above chassis ground using a WW resistor network. The audio output impedance at the TEL jack is 600Z ohms. The audio output power is only 250mW implying that earphones were the intended reproducers to be used. Sensitivity is rated at an impressive 1uv to 4uv. Power Supply was identified as CHS-20032. The power supply could operate both the RAG-1 and its companion MW-SW receiver, the RAH-1. Both receivers were controlled by the CHS-23067 Control Unit that routed power to each receiver and provided switched audio outputs from each receiver. ON-OFF switch on receiver is only for battery operation. The battery power only version of these receivers were the RAG and the RAH, no numeral suffix.

The OUTPUT meter measures the audio output level and has a scaling switch that allows changing the meter full scale or turning the meter off. The FILAMENT meter acts as an ON-OFF indicator and also measures the tube heater voltage. The OSC. TEST disables the BFO. If the OSC. TEST button was pushed and a resulting "click" was heard in the 'phones which confirmed that the RAG-1 was operating.

For restoration details on this rare Navy receiver, go to "RAG-1 LW Receiver" Use Home/Index for navigation.

Navy Department - RCA
RAA-3 Long Wave Superheterodyne - 1935

The initial contract for the mammoth long wave receiver, the USN RAA-1, dates from 1931. At 465 pounds (when fully assembled in cabinets) and with its gargantuan physical size, the RAA was a "cost absolutely no object" receiver that also had a matching high frequency version, the RAB. Both receivers were initially built by RCA-Victor Corp. but by the RAA-3 versions, RCA Manufacturing Co., Inc. was building the receivers. The RAA-3 tunes from 1000kc down to 10kc in five tuning ranges. The receiver has four different frequency, two-stage IF amplifiers with the proper IF selected by the band switching set-up. The four different IFs required four different frequency BFO circuits also selected by the band switching function. A separate power unit supplied all required voltages. The chassis of all three units are made of nickel-plated brass. The cabinets are also made of black wrinkle finished sheet brass. The front panels are black wrinkle painted aluminum.

This RAA-3 has been undergoing restoration since 2017. Unfortunately, the receiver units and the power supply were stored outside for decades (wrapped up in a tarp) in central Oregon. Most of the extensive mechanical and cosmetic restoration has been completed. What remains is repairing the significant electronic damage caused by corrosion and mice infestation. The power supply is 90% finished. The Tuner and the IF/AF unit have only been partially electronically rebuilt. The photo shows how the RAA-3 currently looks with most of the cosmetics finished.

This is a lengthy project that is being fully documented in the "RAA-3 LW Receiver" article. Use Home/Index for navigation.

Federal Telegraph Company

Intermediate Frequency Receiver  Type R-100  SN: 84

Range 90 to 1500 K.C.

TRF with Tracking BFO

Manufactured for U.S. Coast Guard ~ Order No. C.G. 80-727 ~ Date - June 9, 1938
 

The USCG Type R-100 is a seven-tube, LF and MW TRF receiver that employs a tracking BFO. The frequency coverage is 90kc up to 1500kc in four tuning ranges. Range A tunes 90-180kc, Range B tunes 180-360kc, Range C tunes .36-.74mc and Range D tunes .74-1.5mc. The RF amplifier tubes are three type-6D6 tubes, the detector tube is a type-6C5, the BFO tube is a type-6D6, the first AF amplifier is a type-6C5 and the Audio Output tube is a type-41. The front panel controls consist of three toggle switches for Power on/off, BFO on/off and Filter in/out. The left knob is Volume, the middle knob is Band Switch and the right knob is Tuning. Two phone jacks are provided on the lower right side of the front panel (600Z audio output.) The chassis, the bottom cover, the top cover, the side gussets, tuning condenser box and all of the RF shielding pieces are made of nickel-plated brass sheet metal and the front panel is .190" nickel-plated brass painted black wrinkle finish.

The illuminated tuning dial features "band-in-use" masking and the dial scale reads out the tuned frequency direct and also has a logging scale provided. There are several important USCG frequencies on all tuning ranges that are specifically indicated with a red arrow printed on the dial scale. 

A separate power supply (rack mounted) is required and is connected to the receiver using a four conductor, shielded, rubber-jacketed cable with a four pin plug on the end. The power supply provided B+ of approximately +180vdc and tube heaters operated at 6.3vac. It was also possible to power the R-100 with batteries if necessary (emergency operation.)

Like most TRF receivers, the Volume control (5K pot) is actually a sensitivity control that adjusts the RF amplifier cathode resistance to chassis and therefore the gain of the RF amplifier circuit (actually a series combination of fixed resistors and the variable resistance for more precise control.) No AVC is provided since the receiver was primarily for CW (and possibly also could be operated as a Direction Finder.)

There is a selectable audio filter (placed into the circuit with FILTER IN-OUT) that reduces the upper audio frequency response to about 1200hz to allow better CW copy during heavy static. The receiver circuit has no "output limiter" to protect the radio operator's ears from static crashes or other instantaneous noise bursts. There is a antenna trimmer adjustment (with bakelite knob) that is located on top-rear of the chassis near the TB-1 antenna connection point.

photo left: USCG R-100 - the top of the nickel-plated brass chassis.

In the early fifties, some R-100 receivers were installed as beacon monitors in USCG emergency coastal lifeboat/rescue stations. Also, some were still in use onboard a few USCG ships as dedicated 500kc emergency frequency monitor receivers. The receiver shown was built on a 1938 contract. It's likely that the later WWII versions had several upgrades, especially in the tube types used. The receiver was found "buried" under a very large pile of scrap cardboard in a Carson City, Nevada storage unit that sometimes doubled as a machine shop. The receiver was found in October, 2021.

Federal Telegraph Company started out in Palo Alto, California mainly dealing in arc transmitters. At one time, Lee DeForest worked for the company but Frederick Kolster was the chief engineer for most of FTC's history. FTC bought Brandes and created a new division of FTC called Kolster Radio Company specifically for selling consumer radios in the mid-twenties. FTC became involved with Mackay Radio in 1926 when Mackay bought a radio station that had belonged to FTC. When Mackay sold his interests to ITT, Federal Telegraph Company continued to do most of the Mackay Radio work under contract to ITT. Federal Telegraph moved to New Jersey in 1931 after it was purchased by ITT. For awhile ITT tried the consumer radio market with Kolster International but it was a short-lived venture. The name of Federal Telegraph Co. was changed to Federal Telephone and Radio Company in the early 1940s.

Type R-100 Direction Finder Indicators - The terminal strip on the top-rear of the chassis is identified as TB1. It has four terminals that are marked TL TL CT G. These terminals are wired to a matching transformer that then connects to the S5 section of the band switch. These terminals are for a direction finding loop. S1 is a "moveable link" type switch located on the chassis that allows switching the standard ship antenna to ground and operating only on the loop. When S1-ANT is disconnected from chassis, it's possible that the loop antenna is coupled through the transformer to the ANT terminal connection that may have then acted as a sense antenna. The two "TL" terminals are for the loop ends, the "CT" is for the loop center-tap and "G" is for the loop cable shield. TB1 terminals L-R are Audio Output (2 terminals,) G, CT, TL, TL, Antenna. Using one of the two PHONE jacks, an Audio Output Meter could be connected as an indicator of maximum or null signal levels for DF purposes. The DF function could have had multiple applications the most popular being triangulation for position, homing navigation or search and rescue operations.

photo above: Under the chassis showing the ten segment ceramic band switch and the buss wire connections to the RF coils. Each of the nine shield panels can be easily removed for rework access. Note the round antenna transformer in the upper rear section by the antenna input

Reception Notes:  By Dec 2021, I had logged 81 NDBs. Best DX was DDP 391kc in Puerto Rico but the five Alaskan NDBs copied on the 29th (and Nov 3rd) are also quite a distance away. Best Continental US DX has been FIS 332kc in Key West, FL. Best Canadian DX was probably ZF 356kc in Yellowknife, Northwest Territory but several NDBs from Ontario and Quebec have also been copied. All listening was done using a headset, HB-7 frame with WWII TRIMM 600Z phones.

For most listening, I had to use the FILTER - IN,...especially if I was using the wire antenna. There's plenty of RF sensitivity available with the usable limits being EM noise pulses (static crashes) and atmospheric noise. It's possible to detune the Antenna Trim to lower the noise on moderate signal levels but not on weak signals. For best DX, the Antenna Trim should be peaked and the sensitivity versus noise controlled with the VOLUME. The Antenna Trim adjustment seems to hold across the entire band but this might be due to the antenna used and the frequencies being tuned. The USCG R-100 has a lot of frequency "overlap" between the bands, so NDBs around 350-370kc can easily be tuned in on either Band B or Band C. With good, low noise conditions, the USCG R-100 does a fine job pulling in DX NDBs using a 163' end-fed wire antenna but when those conditions exist, the Pixel Loop provides an even lower noise floor allowing very weak signals to be heard. The lack of any audio-AVC limiting can be over-come by using an external audio filter device such as the WWII-era "Beam Filter." These are audio frequency filters that allowed the operator to select a 1000hz band pass or band reject filter or to switch out both filters. These were used in air navigation to filter out noise and static so that only the A or N information from the Radio Range Beacon would be heard. The tuning dial resolution is vague but the readout could be considered reasonably accurate for its time. Certainly in its day a Frequency Meter was used for accurate set up and from then on the logging scale could be used. For NDBs, the selectivity provided sufficient separation on all beacons copied, although with good conditions, the R-100 sensitivity will allow hearing several NDBs operating on the same frequency - a common occurrence during the LW season.

For more details on the restoration of this USCG/FTC R-100 receiver, go to "LW Receivers Part 1." Use Home/Index at the bottom of this page for navigation.
 

RCA Manufacturing Company, Inc. - High Frequency Receiver Type CGR-32-1 (AR-60R)  SN: 25
Manufactured for U. S. Coast Guard   Contract: Tcg-31919  Date: November 16, 1939

In 1935, RCA offered what must have seemed like the ultimate receiver. So over-built and so expensive that it was obviously not for any Depression-era ham. The AR-60 was priced at an astounding $495 at a time when this amount of cash could easily buy a new car. To those familiar with RCA's equipment built for the U.S. Navy where cost was not even considered as a "limiting factor" the AR-60 was normal "Navy shipboard construction" but the AR-60 wasn't built for the Navy. Though RCA's intended market was the commercial and military users, RCA did advertise the AR-60 in QST one time. RCA obviously didn't expect many sales to hams since the AR-60 was only available through RCA dealers (rather than discount dealers like Leeds and others.) The AR-60 was intended as a robustly-built, extremely reliable, commercial-military receiver that featured performance that was at the limits of the designs of the time. It was a receiver that could endure and survive the rigors of shipboard use and function superbly while doing so. RCA built the AR-60 through their subsidiary, RCA Manufacturing Company, Inc., the division that generally handled all of the commercial manufacturing. RCA also advertised the AR-60 in their Broadcast Equipment catalog. Since the AR-60 was a "limited production" and was a "built-to-order" receiver, the total quantity of AR-60s built from 1935 until 1940 was around 300. Most of these went to the U.S. Coast Guard, one of the major users of the AR-60 (USCG designation CGR-32-1 and CGR-32-2) along with the Signal Corps, where they were used in Triple Diversity receivers. RCA used the AR-60 in some of their Coastal Stations and Pan-American Airlines used the AR-60 in their HF direction finders in the Pacific.

The AR-60 was built on a heavy-duty nickel-plated brass chassis with three nickel-plated brass bottom covers, unheard of, in 1935, for civilian equipment but a construction method RCA and other marine radio builders used to reduce corrosion in shipboard equipment. Other commercial marine radio equipment manufacturers, such as Mackay Radio and Federal Telegraph Co., also used this same type of construction. The receiver tuned from 1.5mc up to 25mc in six tuning ranges. The bandspread range gave great vernier effect because its span was limited to an average of about 100kc for the entire bandspread range (although its exact span depends on the tuning range selected and where you are tuned with the main dial in that range.) The AR-60 front-end used double pre-selection or two TRF amplifier stages, although the double pre-selection is only used on the top three frequency ranges (5.6mc to 25mc.) Radio engineers generally believed that double preselection was only for image rejection and not really necessary below around 7 mc where the receiver circuitry was more efficient. The AR-60 receiver featured an elaborate antenna input system with selectable links for doublets or end-fed wire antennas and then variable antenna primary coupling allowed the operator to adjust how much signal level was going to be needed for low-noise reception. All of the RF and IF coils were wound on ceramic forms. When the three bottom covers are installed the chassis is compartmentalized and fully shielded. Nearly all of the tube sockets are Isolantite (ceramic.) Ten tubes (along with a 991 neon bulb voltage regulator) are used in the circuit and a heavy-duty sectional bandswitch was used. The audio output is from a single 41 tube that uses a 600 Z ohm output transformer. The B+ levels are fairly low in the AR-60 so only about 1/2 watt of audio power is available and since the receiver was designed for commercial use, headsets were the intended audio  reproducers. The AR-60 can be operated on batteries although it requires moving some wires on the terminal boards in the power supply section. The AR-60 was available as a black finished table model (suffix T), as a rack mounted unit with full dust cover (suffix R) or in a deluxe two-tone gray table cabinet (suffix S.)

The AR-60-R shown in the top photo is the 1939 Coast Guard version, the CGR-32-1 bearing the serial number of 25. This receiver was built on contract Tcg-31919, dated November 16, 1939, which was probably the last contract for CGR-32-1 receivers. This CGR-32-1 is a functional example and its performance is impressive. Very similar to the Hammarlund Super-Pro SP-100 in overall front end noise and sensitivity. Very similar to the 1940 Navy RBB and RBC in audio output capabilities (primarily for 'phones.) Coupling and Antenna Trim controls will interact somewhat but it's best to set the Coupling to the minimum amount that gives the desired signal level. Although maximum Coupling will appear to result in stronger signals it will also produce higher noise levels that will interfere with signal copy. The two 0-100 dials necessitate using a frequency meter or signal generator as a calibrated signal source unless you have the frequency chart from the manual. Weighing in at 75 lbs, the AR-60 is a durable, robustly-built, almost indestructible receiver that can still perform in an impressive manner.

The AR-60 was available from RCA Manufacturing Company, Inc. (subsidiary of Radio Corporation of America) up until around 1940. RCA was designing the AR-60's successor, the AR-88, in 1940 and that receiver continued the line of robustly-built, durable, hard-working and reliable receivers. More on the AR-88 further down this page,...the CR-88 actually,...the AR-88 is covered in "WWII Communications Equipment Part 2" in the General Purpose Receiver section and in its own four part write-up on all aspects of AR-88 repair, restoration, operation and ownership.
 

For the ultimate information source on the AR-60 receiver, including history, performance comparisons, restoration information, serial number analysis and more, including the frequency to dial readout chart, go to our web-article "RCA's Legendary AR-60 Receiver." Use the Home/Index for navigation.
 

General Purpose Communication Receivers

Hammarlund Mfg. Co., Inc.

Series 100 Super-Pro  SP-100-LX

Hammarlund's relationship with the U.S. Army Signal Corps dates back to the Army purchases of a few Comet Pro receivers in the early thirties. The first official Super-Pro contract that Hammarlund had with the Signal Corps was from June 1935 for the SPA receiver. The SPA was, without a doubt, the first version of the SP-10 Super-Pro that was produced. The official Super-Pro announcement for the civilian market came nine months later, in March 1936, with a two-page advertisement in that month's QST magazine. The SP-10 was only produced for nine months before it was replaced with the updated Series 100 Super-Pro receiver.

With the Series 100, Hammarlund began to offer a LF/MW coverage options. The standard coverage was .54mc to 20mc but also offered was the SP-100-SX tuning from 1.25mc to 40mc had been offered with the SP-10. The new LF/MW Super-Pro tuned 100kc to 400kc and 2.5mc to 20mc. The "SP-100-LX" was considered the military/commercial version because of its LF and MW coverage. Certainly the 100kc to 400kc range was a tuning range specifically for aircraft use for the Signal Corps. Since the maritime 400kc to 500kc band wasn't included in the tuning range, the early Super-Pro receiver were never used onboard ships by the Navy.

Most SP-100-LX receivers went to the Signal Corps although there certainly were some commercial users also. The receiver's frequency coverage appealed to airport radio operations since LF-MW Navigation or HF Communication could be tuned in. The 6mc part of the spectrum was popular for airport communications. Certainly, Army aviation use must have been popular since most of the LX receivers that turn up today seem to have Signal Corps stamps on them. In addition to airport use, the Super-Pro receivers were used for surveillance by both military and civilian government users, like the FBI. Some commercial broadcasters used the Super-Pro as the receiver-link in a rebroadcasting system. About 1200 SP-100 Series receivers were produced from 1937 to 1939.

NOTE: I don't believe this SP-100-LX is actually an original "from the factory" LX version. During restoration I discovered that the entire RF box was actually from a BC-779 Super Pro. While mechanically the RF boxes would have been identical, and the transfer was very well done, many electronic mistakes had been made while implementing the transplant, which indicates the workmanship was at an amateur level and certainly not the work of Hammarlund or a military depot. I rebuilt the RF Box to be electronically identical to the SP-100LX version and also corrected several other "old repair" wiring errors during this restoration. This "LX" now functions superbly. Too bad the 400-500kc MW band isn't covered.

Post-WWII Gear - 1946 - 1960s

Airport Communication Receivers

National Company, Inc. - RCQ Airport Communications Receiver

RCQ receivers were modified from earlier RCL or RCK WWII version receivers in 1948 to add a crystal-controlled fixed-frequency function. Note the additional toggle switch that is identified as TUNE-ABLE and XTAL. The XTAL position selects the fixed-frequency mode. Shown to the left is the RCQ receiver SN: 288. National Electrical Machine Shops, Inc. (NEMS) actually performed the rework and modifications to build the RCQ receivers.

After WWII, fixed-frequency became more and more necessary because it helped to eliminate tuning errors during operation and eliminated the possibility that the receiver might "drift" off-frequency.  Since many of the receivers were operated with a squelch circuit, frequency drift would go unnoticed unless the receiver was in fairly constant use. The crystal-control fixed frequency kept the receiver "on frequency" over long periods of inactivity. Even though the LO is crystal-controlled, the tuning dial must be set to the correct receive frequency so the RF amp and Mixer stages are "in tune." A mechanical dial-lock was added to keep the RF and Mixer correctly tuned for fixed-frequency operation (missing on this example.)

Note the "vented" top cover on the power transformer. This is commonly found on Airway receivers. Also, almost every National Airways or Airport receiver encountered today will be missing its dust cover. This RCQ is even missing the side panels. Airport technicians generally removed the covers thinking it lowered heat buildup and increased reliability.

National Company, Inc.  - RCR Airport Receiver

National had been supplying "Moving Coil" receivers to airports since 1937. All of those receivers were based on the NC-100 receiver with some special modifications for airport communications. After WWII ended, National RCK and RCL receivers were upgraded by NEMS or Schuttig and designating as either RCP or RCQ receivers. In 1947 or '48, National was given a contract for an Airport Receiver that would be based on their then current production commercial communication receiver, the NC-240CS. The receiver was designated RCR and it represents the last of the "Moving Coil" receivers that National produced for airport communication use. The RCR was built for contract number Cca 26391.

The RCR is very much a NC-240CS with only a few changes. The NC-240CS dial scale is the most obvious with its light amber color - quite different from the cream color dial of the standard NC-240D. The other change is the data plate that identifies the receiver. The RCR and the NC-240CS provide a 500Z ohm and an 8Z ohm audio output along with an option to allow a 10K Z ohm input the essentially parallels the audio output transformer in the receiver with another audio output transformer mounted on the speaker. This allowed using the regular National table speaker if desired. Also, one could opt for the rack mount version of the speaker. It was also acceptable to just use the 500Z or 8Z ohm outputs for audio output connections. The audio output uses push-pull 6V6 tubes which differs from previous National Airport Receivers that used single audio output tubes. Since the RCR is a commercial receiver it doesn't have amateur bandspread coils and its six bands covers 200kc to 400kc (Band F) and then 1.0mc to 30.0mc (Bands E to A.) The receiver uses 12 tubes and is single preselection with two IF amplifiers and provides a crystal filter for selectivity control. A Noise Limiter and Tone control are also provided. The RCR was rack mounted and features a slide-on dust cover that entirely encloses the receiver chassis. All cables can exit from the sides of the dust cover with only the mounting screws and the removal handles on the back of the dust cover (although there is a square cut out for the power cord to exit directly to the rear if necessary.)

The RCR shown was installed at a CAA facility located in Honduras, Central America. Its serial number is 17.

Shipboard Communication Receivers

Mackay Radio - Type 3001-A from 1952

Mackay Radio & Telegraph Company  -  Type  3001-A

The Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co. Type 3001-A is a Longwave regenerative receiver covering 15kc to 640kc in four bands and dates from as early as 1948 but with most manufacturing dating much later. The Type 3001-A is based on the earlier version of the receiver, the Type 128-A Series. The Type 3001-A receiver shown was built in 1952. Mackay receiver serial numbers generally incorporate the last two digits of the year of manufacture as the first two digits of the serial number. The 3001-A was mainly for commercial shipboard (non-military) use where it could be set up as the main receiver or as the emergency receiver. The receivers were sometimes installed in the Mackay "Marine Radio Units," like the MRU-19/20, a shipboard radio console which contained two 3001-A receivers along with transmitters and other auxiliary equipment (the MRU receivers were panel mounted.) The 3001-A uses an AC-DC circuit and can operate on 115vac or on the ship battery system. Various filament battery options were available with 6vdc, 12vdc and 24vdc being the most popular. When BATT. is selected, the tube heaters are in parallel requiring 6vdc and a WW dropping resistor was plugged in to drop the voltage as needed to operate the tube heaters with whatever storage battery voltage was used on the ship. B+ was supplied by standard dry cell B batteries when used. When LINE is selected, the receiver connects the tube heaters in series along with a four pin Amperite ballast tube and two lamps behind the dial. These two lamps are only for a series load because the white dial material is opaque. A small built-in speaker provides for radio room monitoring but earphones would normally have been used by the shipboard radio operator. Selectivity is controlled by a combination of the RF Gain setting and the setting of the Regeneration. The seven tube used are RF AMP - 6SK7, REGENERATION TUBE - 6J5, DETECTOR - 6SJ7, FIRST AF AMP - 6SJ7, AF OUTPUT - 6G6G, RECTIFIER - 35Z5 and a Ballast Tube. The 3001-A is very sensitive and capable of receiving any of the NDBs and other LW stations found in the spectrum below 500kc. These type of Mackay receivers were in use for several decades and were commonly found still operating on commercial ships as late the 1990s. These types of Mackay receivers date from the late forties and were manufactured through the fifties. Note that the panel states "manufactured by Mackay Radio & Telegraph Co." rather than "Federal Radio & Telephone" or the earlier "Federal Telegraph Company." Since ITT owned both Federal Radio and Mackay, listing both companies must have seemed superfluous.   (See our "Vintage Longwave Receivers" webpage for an in depth article about this receiver.)

RMCA AR-8506-B from 1953

Radiomarine Corporation of America  -  AR-8506-B  aka: R-203/SR

The origins of Radiomarine Corporation of  America date back to the 1920s,...a time when RCA was controlled by General Electric and Westinghouse. When RCA was created in October, 1919, the US Navy wanted a radio company that could handle operation of the coastal wireless stations, service all the equipment and provide sales of new wireless gear. General Electric created RCA out of some of their own assets but it didn't seem to fulfill the requirements needed for a company as requested by the Navy. The next month, in November 1919, GE purchased American Marconi and added its assets to RCA at which time GE announced the "creation of a new wireless company." GE wanted to keep RCA under its control so the American Marconi manufacturing plant in New Jersey was not included in RCA's assets, therefore RCA had no ability to manufacture radios at that time. As commercial radio developed, by about 1920, GE directed what was to become known as the "Radio Group" - a patent-sharing association of five companies that dominated radio in the early twenties. General Electric, Westinghouse, AT&T, RCA and United Fruit Company/Wireless Specialty Apparatus owned all of the most important radio patents. As radio broadcasting became more and more popular, GE and Westinghouse somewhat controlled that end of business while United Fruit Company's Wireless Specialty Apparatus was more involved with the maritime radio business. Eventually, United Fruit Company sold Wireless Specialty Apparatus to RCA (around 1924) and, in 1927, RCA combined WSA with another acquisition, Independent Wireless Company, to create Radiomarine Corporation of America. The virtual domination of radio by GE, Westinghouse, AT&T and RCA ended in 1930 with a settlement of an anti-trust suit by the government (which actually gave the Navy what they had wanted back in 1919.) The settlement took patents from GE and Westinghouse (and others) and gave them to RCA. Westinghouse and GE couldn't compete with RCA for two years (until 1933) and RCA was freed of any debt to Westinghouse or GE. This meant that the millions of dollars that RCA owed Westinghouse and GE for the loans necessary to buy the Victor Talking Machine Company didn't have to be repaid. In 1930, RCA Victor became the division of RCA that handled consumer entertainment radio along with broadcasting through NBC, recordings and vacuum tube manufacture. RCA Manufacturing Company, Inc. (created about 1934) built all commercial and military equipment and Radiomarine Corporation (created in 1927) became the division that handled all shipboard radio equipment and operated all of the RCA Coastal Ship to Shore stations (providing RCA Radiogram service, among other duties.)

The RMCA AR-8506-B was introduced during WWII with schematics dated November, 1942 and with the FCC approval for shipboard use dating from February, 1943. The AR-8506-B is a five band receiver capable of reception of LF signals from 85kc up to 550kc and medium/shortwave signals from 1.9mc up to 25mc. The circuit is superheterodyne and uses 10 tubes along with a NE-32 (G-10) neon lamp for voltage regulation (LO.) The IF is 1700kc in order to allow the receiver to cover the entire 400kc range without interruption. Much of the ship's communications were in the frequency range of 400kc to 500kc and a standard IF of 455kc would have a gap in frequency coverage from about 430kc up to 475kc due to the IF operating at 455kc. Usually, shipboard superheterodynes will have IFs that are in the AM BC band area since this region of the spectrum wasn't normally tuned by the ship's communication receiver. The receiver can be powered by 115vdc or 115vac and can also be powered at 230v ac or dc using an external resistor unit, the RM-9. Tuning uses a 30 to 1 reduction vernier drive (counter-weighted) and there is an additional "band spread" function using a separate control. A built-in loudspeaker is front panel mounted and can be switched off by the operator if necessary. These receivers were usually integrated within a shipboard communications console that contained a transmitter, another receiver capable of VLF reception (AR-8510,) an emergency receiver (crystal detector receiver,) a power control switching system that allowed battery operation or ship's power operation and other equipment necessary for radio communication at sea. Most of the RMCA radio equipment was usually installed on Victory ships and other merchant ships during WWII. The FCC approval for shipboard use indicated that the AR-8506-B's LO leakage to the antenna was <400pW and thus would not interfere with other shipboard radio equipment and would not radiate a signal of sufficient strength for enemy DF or detection. The U.S. Army Signal Corps issued a manual, TM11-875, giving the AR-8506-B the designation R-203/SR.

After WWII, the AR-8506-B continued to be offered by RMCA for maritime use on various types of ships. The post-war versions are somewhat different in appearance in that the individual celluloid control identification plates are replaced with a "raised letter" type of panel nomenclature. Additionally, the data plate was removed and the manufacturing information became part of the front panel nomenclature. The AR-8506-B shown in the photo above is from 1953 and shows how the later versions looked when installed in the table top cabinet (with shock mounts.) It's interesting that RMCA was still building and selling a ship's receiver design that was over ten years old. Ship owner's reluctance to replace radio gear was probably why RMCA could still find buyers for obviously dated designs. Since the ship owners didn't want to replace their old RMCA consoles anyway, as a consequence, the associated radio equipment was in-use well beyond the normal life-span with examples of the AR-8506-B and AR-8510 still in use as late as the 1980s. These later post-war AR-8506-B receivers were also used at the RMCA coastal station KPH for various purposes.   

The AR-8506-B has an internal 1700kc wavetrap. The wiring and adjustment of the wavetrap should be checked if BC signal leakage is encountered. There are six AM BC stations in the USA that operate on 1700kc located in Texas (2 stations,) Iowa, Alabama, Florida and New York (all are 10KW day and 1KW or less at night.) There's another 1700kc AM BC station located in Baja California, Mexico. Since 1700kc is so sparsely utilized, the chances of encountering 1700kc AM BC leakage is slight. However, things can always change so proper adjustment of the wave trap should be performed. The wave trap should be adjusted on Band 3 for minimum response with a 1700kc RF signal input to A1 on the antenna input of the receiver. If you're unlucky enough to be in an area with a strong 1700kc station and you have the wave trap adjusted correctly and there's still BC signal leakage then using an antenna that is "tuned" for the specific frequency desired should be tried. This could be a resonant antenna cut for the specific frequency desired or an antenna with an antenna tuner. The "tuned" antenna will be very selective and should reduce the BC interference. It's also possible to install an external wave trap between the antenna feed line and the receiver antenna input for severe interference.

Like a lot of shipboard receivers, the AR-8506-B doesn't have a standby switch (either remote or panel.) To use as a station receiver requires either an antenna relay with good isolation for the receiver in "transmit" or you can also use an electronic TR switch. Separate T-R antennas would also work. Since the AR-8506-B is a "transformerless" AC-DC circuit, always operate the receiver using a 1:1 isolation transformer when powered by the house AC line voltage. It's also possible to build a combination isolation transformer and a rectifier-filter circuit to operate the AR-8506-B on +115 vdc (see RMCA AR-8516 below and the details on the MM-555140-B combination isolation transformer and DC filter unit that provides +115vdc to operate that receiver.)

The WWII version of the AR-8506-B is profiled in the "WWII Communications Equipment - Part 2 - Radiomarine Corp" - use Return to Home/Index for navigation.

The post-war AR-8510

Radiomarine Corporation of America  -  Model AR-8510

The AR-8510 was provided with a cabinet and shock mounts if it was to be used as a "stand alone" receiver. However, if it was going to be installed into a shipboard communications console (as most were) then the cabinet and shock mounts were not provided. Many AR-8510 receivers were part of the shipboard 3U transmitter console that included a 200W transmitter, an emergency crystal receiver, a battery charger switching panel and an automatic emergency alarm receiver. 4U consoles used the RMCA AR-8506 (a MW and SW superhet) and a 500W transmitter. The 5U console had both the AR-8506 and the AR-8510 installed along with all of the other auxiliary equipment. Mackay Radio supplied MRU-19 or MRU-20 consoles with their equipment installed.

The WWII version of the AR-8510 is profiled in the "WWII Communications Equipment - Part 2 - Radiomarine Corp."  - use Return to Home/Index at the bottom of this page

1958 Radiomarine Corp. - Model AR-8516  SN:5830

Radiomarine Corporation of America - Model AR-8516

Circuit Description - RMCA introduced the AR-8516 around 1958 and it was available up into the mid-1960s. It was a tremendous upgrade from the proceeding commercial shipboard receivers that RMCA had been providing (those designs dated from the early part of WWII.) The AR-8516 was a thoroughly modern, complex communications receiver that used 18 tubes in a single, double or triple conversion superheterodyne circuit. The receiver used a variably-tuned IF covering 1.09 to 3.09mc or 2 to 4mc. The fixed-frequency IFs were at 455kc and 45kc. Single conversion was used in the first five bands covering 80kc up to 4mc. Bands 1-4 span different widths of the LF and MF spectrum and, along with Band 5, these single conversion bands tune from left to right being from high to low in frequency. From 2mc up to 30mc is covered in fourteen 2mc-wide bands. Band 5 (2-4mc) is single conversion but Bands 6-18 are double conversion. The double conversion bands (Bands 6-18) tune left to right being low to high in frequency. The total frequency coverage is from 80kc up to 30mc in 18 tuning ranges. Seven crystals are utilized in the Crystal Oscillator with only two crystals used uniquely. The other five crystals are used in various fundamentals and harmonics for a total of 13 crystal oscillator frequencies. The RF amplifier, Crystal Oscillator and Mixer 1 circuit function as the RF input for bands 6 to 18 with the output going to the Variable IF tuning that then provides a fixed 455kc output. The RF input section is bypassed when using bands 1 to 5 and the incoming signal goes to the Variable IF which combines with Mixer 2 and the selected VFO to provide a 455kc output. Two separate VFOs are used with one used for Bands 1, 2 and 3 and the second VFO used for Bands 4 to 18. Main tuning gear reduction is 41.7 to 1 and the SECTOR gear reduction is another 3.8 to 1. The resulting tuning is a constant "bandspread" type at almost a vernier tuning rate.

The dial readout is "band-in-use" and employs a rotating dial drum that is ball chain-coupled to the band switch. The smaller dial to the right is the kilocycle-logging scale which for Bands 1-4 is a logging scale, but, since the Bands 5-18 are 2mc linear scales for each band, if the receiver is well-aligned, then the this dial will readout almost directly "to the kilocycle" for these bands. For example, if the slide-rule dial pointer is set in between 14.1 and 14.2 and the logging dial reads 67, then the tuned frequency is 14.167mc. The kilocycle dial index is not adjustable. The accuracy of alignment will determine just how usable the kilocycle dial ends up being. Spec from 4-30mc is "within 10kc." I was able to achieve an average tracking accuracy of between "dead on" up to about 5kc off. Below 4mc the accuracy spec is 0.5% which is easily attained during alignment (at 4mc the spec of 0.5% is 20kc.)

Bandwidth is selectable from 6kc down to 100hz (five steps) in Bands 3 to 18 but in Bands 1 and 2 the bandwidth is selectable only from 1.5kc down to 100hz in three steps (6kc and 3.1kc, if selected, won't change from 1.5kc bandwidth.) The selectable bandwidths provided are 6kc, 3kc, 1.5kc, 800hz and 100hz. The 3.0kc bandwidth utilizes a Collins 3.1kc mechanical filter. The 45kc IF is utilized for two purposes. In Bands 1 and 2, 45kc is the IF. In Bands 3 to 18, the 45kc IF is utilized as part of the selectivity bandwidth operation and results in triple conversion in the IF section if 1.5kc, 800hz or 100hz bandwidths are selected. Two types of detectors are used with a standard vacuum tube diode detector used in Bands 3 to 18 and a crystal diode detector (heavy duty 1N34 germanium diode) utilized in Bands 1 and 2. Two BFOs are also used with the 455kc BFO being adjustable +/- 2kc but the BFO for 45kc (which is used just for bands 1 and 2) utilizes a fixed-frequency (adjusted for a 1kc heterodyne or 44kc.) When SSB is selected the 455kc BFO output is increased (compared to the output in CW) for better demodulation of suppressed-carrier signals. AGC has selectable fast and slow time constants. The audio output frequency response is 200hz to 3000hz (4db down) and the audio power available is 250mW with 3.2Z or 600Z impedance outputs provided. A 500kc Calibration marker signal is available that functions from the 500kc Crystal Oscillator that also provides mixing with 455kc IF for the 45kc IF. A carrier level meter (showing db above 1uv) is provided. The ANTENNA (trimmer) control is connected to RF/Mixer 1 and only functions when the receiver is on Bands 6-18 (4-30mc.)

Power Requirements - Being a commercial shipboard receiver, the AR-8516 is designed to be powered by various types of ship's power systems. It was expected that the receiver would be powered by +115vdc. Using accessories available from RMCA, operation on +230vdc was also possible. It was also possible to operate the receiver direct on 115vac but the receiver's power input section only provides a half-wave rectifier if AC operation is used. RMCA recommended that the MM-555140-B Isolation Transformer/DC supply be used to convert the ship's 115vac (or 230vac) to +115vdc for operation of the receiver. In fact, if the receiver was ordered with the matching table cabinet, then the MM-555140-B was included and installed inside the cabinet. If the rack mounted version of the receiver was ordered then the MM-555140-B was separate and was installed externally (somewhere in the rack.) Since the AR-8516 is AC-DC in concept, all tube filaments are wired in series. Most of the tubes are 3-volt filament types, e.g., 3BZ6, 3BE6, 3CD6, 3AL5, etc. but (2) 5U8, (3) 7AU7 and (1) 12CU5 tubes are also used.

The SECTOR Control - The unfamiliar control on the AR-8516 is the SECTOR control which is part of the RF and Mixer 1 tuning in combination with the Crystal Oscillator. When the receiver is tuning from 80kc up to 4mc (first five bands) the RF and Mixer 1 circuits are bypassed and the Variable IF (acting as a RF amplifier, VFO and Mixer 2) tunes the receiver as a single conversion circuit. When tuning above 4mc, double conversion is used and the SECTOR control provides the correct tuning for the RF and Mixer 1 (and Crystal Oscillator) for each of the 2mc wide bands (4mc to 30mc.) Four sets of coils are used for ranges 4-12mc, 12-20mc, 20-28mc and 28-30mc. When combined with the selected Crystal Oscillator frequency the result is 2mc wide tuning ranges from 4 to 30mc. The "sector" refers to each 45 degree quadrant (A, B, C or D) of the RF/Mixer 1 variable tuning condenser's 180 degree rotation range. Selecting A, B, C or D will actuate a physical rotation of the RF/Mixer 1 tuning condenser rotor to the correct 45 degree quadrant required for tuning (plus the Crystal Oscillator) of the particular 2mc band range selected. The SECTOR switching is roller-chain coupled to the band switch. The RF/Mixer 1 tuning is gear-coupled to the main tuning control and the SECTOR selector knob will rotate as the TUNING knob is rotated. Although the SECTOR knob and RF/Mixer 1 condenser rotate with the main tuning, the correct quadrant selection is necessary and will require that the SECTOR knob be set to the "detent" in the correct position. The "PLACE SECTOR AT" indicator is illuminated and located in the viewing hole above the band switch. The main tuning dial, logging scale and meter illumination is also controlled by the SECTOR control in Bands 6 to 18. These lamps will only illuminate when the correct SECTOR position is selected.

Serial Number and Cabinet - The serial number of the AR-8516 shown is SN:5830. The serial number incorporates the year of manufacture in the first two digits, e.g., "58" is 1958 and the receiver number is "30." There is also another tag mounted to the rear chassis that gives the month and year of manufacture, in the case of SN:5830, the tag reads "JAN 1958." The odd size panel height of 9.5" (rather than the standard 10.5") does limit the receiver's installation into generic-type cabinets without an obvious gap. Mounting the receiver in a rack will solve that issue. Of course the proper RCA cabinet does fit the receiver panel correctly. As stated in the manual, the AR-8516 was available as a table model receiver with the cabinet (with the MM-555140-B installed) or it could be ordered as a rack mount without cabinet (with the MM-555140-B as a separate accessory.)

>>>  These dissipation values are much higher than the original dissipation values called out on the schematic but I found that those values shown on the schematic did get very hot during operation. This was probably because of the 122vac line voltage I have. Actually, at the output of the isolation transformer the voltage is 124vac, versus the original MM-555140-B design for 115vac input. Also, the 6.5 ohm value differed from original value of 5 ohms but that again was due to the higher line voltage versus the original 115vac design. The + DC output has to be connected to the receiver so +DC is routed through CR101 (the half-wave rectifier in the receiver.) This would correspond to the LINE (HOT) if the connection was directly to the AC line. The -DC corresponds to the AC NEUTRAL connection which is internally connected to the power supply chassis (transformer shield.) The B- inside the receiver is isolated from chassis to allow -DC to be connected to the power supply chassis  The chassis Ground of the receiver is connected just to chassis of the DC supply. I used a three-wire power cable so the power supply chassis and the receiver chassis go to ground.  >>>  >>>  My version of the MM-555140-B was installed into a 3.5" x 6" x 8" aluminum project box. There is a standard single socket grounded AC outlet on the front panel. Also, two pin jacks are on the front panel that can be used for monitoring the DC voltage to the receiver. Other power supply features are an AC toggle switch and a 120vac neon pilot lamp. The fuse holder is on the rear panel and has a 2A SB fuse installed in the Line to primary. When connected directly to my 122 volt AC line, the DC voltage at the powered-up receiver is +115vdc +/- 1vac and the +115vdc remains very stable regardless of the various functional adjustments made to the receiver. DC voltage measured at the receiver at initial power-up will start at about +112vdc, climb to about +117vdc and then settle at +115vdc as the receiver "warms-up" which takes about 30 seconds. Hum is non-existent and the audio sounds very clean. With no load, this power supply output voltage will measure about +175vdc which isn't over the voltage rating of the components used but the design output voltage relies on an 80 watt load being connected and that's where it operates correctly. The upper-right photo shows my replica MM-555140-B. Shown to the left is the schematic of the MM-555140-B and also the artwork of how the RMCA unit looked.

Post-Alignment Performance and Issues - No doubt, the alignment significantly improved sensitivity and certainly got the 45kc IF working correctly along with the Bandwidth 1.5kc, 800hz and 100hz working very well. Listening on 20M quickly turned up a ZS6 amateur from South Africa. Trenton Military out of Ontario, Canada was easily found at 15.035mc since their signal was very strong now and the dial accuracy noticeably improved. WWV 15mc was about 1.5kc off frequency readout and WWV 10mc was about 1kc off. However, WWV 5mc was off about 10kc (still within the factory specs.) 40M hams required reducing the RF Gain down to 4 for the very strong signals. 80M performance was quite good and the tracking on that band (Band 5) was easily within the 0.5% spec. Just a note,...there's no noticeable difference in using either a 3.2Z or a 4.0Z speaker (as expected.) So, that was the good news,...but two problems were noted. 12-14mc Band Tracking - For this problem I don't think there's any easy solution. The 12-14mc band tracking is off by about 45kc. Since all other bands are very close in their tracking, I would think that the Crystal Oscillator is the problem with the crystal being the most likely suspect. The crystal is Y103, an 8.00mc crystal and it is used twice, on 12-14mc and also on 28-30mc. A test on 29.0mc revealed an error of about 90kc which seems to confirm that the crystal Y103 is the likely problem. From what I've heard, there are virtually no companies that supply newly made crystals anymore. I checked to see if the R-390A happened to use that frequency crystal but it doesn't. In addition to finding an 8.00mc crystal there's also the physical access to the crystals in the receiver which is beyond difficult. Looking at the photo to the right, the crystals are soldered directly to the band switch (they have a green coating on the metal housing.) I looks like replacing a crystal requires extracting the entire Crystal Oscillator as a unit. It's not a module but note in the photo that the band switch shaft uses a slotted nylon Oldham-type coupler which implies the Crystal Oscillator is removable. Since performance on the 12-14mc band is excellent in all other areas, I'll probably just have to accept that frequency readout on that band (and on 28-30mc) is off. Even with a 45kc dial readout error,...at 12mc the accuracy is still better than 0.5% (0.5% is 60kc at 12mc.)   Note: Used 8.000mc crystals are available from Alltechs in California - seen on eBay - about $5 plus shipping. 200kc to 500kc Band Sensitivity - The second issue was poor performance on the 200kc to 500kc band (Band 2) and this was easily repaired. Low sensitivity on this band was due to the misalignment of VFO at 220kc. I must have initially set the RF gen to 210kc as indicated in the manual alignment instructions but actually had the receiver tuned at 220kc as indicated on the receiver chassis silk screening (after all, I was looking at the receiver dial in a mirror.) To correct the problem, obviously I realigned with the receiver tuned to 220kc and the RF generator also tuned to 220kc. The other alignment adjustments (six adjustments, three for 220kc and three for 500kc) were also peaked for Band 2 and afterwards the sensitivity was quite good and the tracking was excellent. In the evening, I set up the AR-8516 with the Pixel Loop and tuned in several NDBs in the 300kc to 420kc part of the spectrum. Best DX was LLD 352kc in Hawaii, several Canadian NDBs in Manitoba and Saskatchewan along with several Mid-west 25W NDBs. With a wire antenna, signals were stronger but so was the noise which is normal. Dial accuracy was good but the dial's scaling is fairly vague.     Dec 23, 2020

Performance as a Station Receiver - I set up the AR-8516 with the Collins 32V-3 as a station to operate on 75M for the MRCG net and the Vintage Military Radio Net. A Collins 270G-1 speaker was used as the audio reproducer. The receiver doesn't have a remote standby circuit so the front panel standby position of the operation switch has to be used. Also, with the 32V-3 set up I use a vacuum relay for the T-R operation for isolating the receiver antenna input. Since 75M is tuned in on Band 5, the AR-8516 is operating as a single conversion receiver and because the signal routing is to the Variable IF, the ANTENNA (trimmer) isn't functional. However, using a tuned antenna (~50Z for the transmitter) will be a close match to the receiver input Z. Frequency readout is primarily on the slide rule dial where the accuracy seems reasonable. Sensitivity on 75M really isn't ever too much of a problem for just about any receiver. Selectivity is much more important. 6kc bandwidth can be used most of the time but it's nice to also have a 3kc mechanical filter for tough QRM. I run the AR-8516 on +115vdc and there's no hum at all on the audio output. It's very clean sounding and voice articulation is reproduced quite well. The result is easy-to-understand AM QSOs (most of the time.) The only complaint would be the lack of remote standby that is actuated with the PTT. For the most part, any shortwave transmissions are easy to receive. CW also is reproduced nicely. SSB uses the adjustable BFO position to select either USB or LSB and selecting the "SSB" position on the operation switch does provide a slight increase in BFO injection. Stability in the CW or SSB mode is excellent. Using the narrow Bandwidth will depend on how well the receiver is aligned. When first tested, this AR-8516 hardly functioned in the narrow Bandwidth positions since alignment of the 45kc is crucial for these functions. After alignment, the narrow Bandwidth selections function great and are a benefit for CW in crowded band conditions. Also, the narrow bandwidth selections utilize the 3.1kc mechanical filter at 455kc and then use the 45kc IF to provide 1.5kc, 800hz and 100hz bandwidths. When properly aligned, the AR-8516 provides excellent selectivity options. Update: May 2021 - I built a wooden cabinet for the AR-8516. Nothing fancy. In fact, I built it out of "used plywood" and from some of the edges, I guess that's pretty apparent. But, it is square and it does a good job for having a place for the loudspeaker and other accessories to set. I painted the cabinet gray and I designed it to conform to the dimensions of the front panel and the full depth of the chassis. Overall, the gray paint finish helps to disguise the fact that the cabinet is made out of wood (well,...maybe a little, especially in average room light,...with stuff piled on top.) I think it's a nice improvement to the AR-8516 "looks" overall and certainly provides more bench space than the open chassis did. I've been using the AR-8516 paired with an ART-13A transmitter and have found it to be an excellent station receiver with very nice audio and excellent selectivity. The lack of "remote standby" can be compensated for by using the front panel standby switch. With the generous band and frequency over-lapping, the military radio nets - all being at the upper end of 75M - can actually be tuned in on Band 6 (4-6mc) to take advantage of the double conversion. Although not shown in the photo, I'm still using the Collins 270G-1 loudspeaker with this receiver.

Radiomarine Corporation of America - Model AR-8711 Direction Finder

Post-WWII found that there was a growing interest in the operation of private small boats and in piloting those craft on lakes, bays and maybe even some distance off the coasts. Larger private craft that provided sleeping berths and storage for supplies might be used for over-night to several day excursions that could involve operating the craft long distances from shore and perhaps in the dark hours or maybe in fog-bound waterways. Many small businesses were started for charter trips, excursions and fishing trips that may have required a moderate size boat to travel long distances in unfamiliar waters. At any rate, Radiomarine Corporation decided that there was enough of a market to build and sell small, easy to operate, radio direction finders that could be used to find correct bearings for navigation. Most of the larger bodies of water had marine beacons at various locations (many associated with lighthouses) and some buoys were equipped with radio beacons. At the time, Lighthouse Ships, equipped with radio beacons, were also in use as navigation aids. Navigation charts usually had the locations and radio identifications shown. It was also possible to use a known AM-BC station to provide a "beacon" to a city. So, the intention of the AR-8711 was to offer owner-operators of cabin cruiser type boats a method of navigation if the visual options were unavailable. The original selling price of the AR-8711 was $149.00 in 1947.

The AR-8711 is an eight tube superheterodyne receiver that is designed to be used as a direction finder. Since the intended operation was to be onboard a boat, four different types of power supplies were available as options. There were three DC types of supplies for 6vdc, 12vdc or 32/115vdc operation and one AC supply for 115vac input. The DC supplies were vibrator based and the 32vdc unit could also use an adapter (RM-93) for 115vdc input. The AC supply used a 6X4 rectifier tube and the 32vdc DC supply used a 0Z4 rectifier tube. The 6vdc and 12vdc just used filters for the switched voltage out of the transformer. Power input to the AR-8711 was via a 21 pin Cinch-Jones male plug on the rear chassis. The same type of connector was used on the power supplies and an interconnecting cable was supplied.

The AR-8711 is a radio receiver that operates as a direction finder. Two antennas have to be connected for an indication of "true" direction. The simple wire or vertical antenna is used as the "Sense" antenna and it is always in the circuit except when the BALANCE control is in the OFF position. The loop antenna provides a "figure-8" pattern that is bi-directional with signal level peaks off the ends (in line with the loop axis) and deep nulls in signal level off of both sides. The "loop only" is in the circuit when the BALANCE control is switched to the OFF position. The loop alone provides ambiguous directional information which can be used in some types of navigation. When the two antennas are combined within the receiver front-end, then a "cardioid" antenna pattern results, this occurs at any position of the BALANCE control except OFF. The advantage of the "cardioid" pattern is that only one null is produced which can be used for finding "true" direction. The "null" position is very narrow and much more accurate than the "peak" response, which in a "cardioid" pattern is extremely broad. NULL was used to increase the sensitivity of the receiver for a better null indication. DF gain was used for controlling IF gain when DFing since the AVC was disabled for DFing. Since the Loop and the Sense antennae are always connected the DF procedure is a little different than the standard DF receiver. When finding the null, the loop's "red band" - setup to be the "forward" part of the loop - is either pointing towards the signal source or 180º away from the signal source. The BALANCE is switched to SENSE and the null "fine tuned." Then the operator slightly rotated the loop to increase the compass reading. If the null decreased in strength then the Loop was pointed at the signal source. If the null strength increased then the Loop was pointed 180º away from the signal source and the opposite compass pointer indicated the true direction of the signal (two opposing pointers, one red and one white are part of the compass.)

Radiomarine Corp. AR-8711

If a marine beacon or lighthouse ship (they were usually equipped with a radio beacon also) was in the direction of the desired course but the actual "true" direction of the beacon wasn't known (you're lost, in other words) then the "true" direction could be determined by using Sense DFing. This required the sense antenna in combination with the loop to provide a cardioid pattern. Once the beacon was tuned with BALANCE ON, then the signal was tuned for absolute minimum, the null. The compass bearing is noted and then BALANCE switched to SENSE and the null fine tuned. When "true bearing" was found the loop axis was pointing at the signal source and the bearing could be read on the compass. If you were really lost, using two maritime beacons (their positions and frequency shown on the navigation chart,) a bearing could be taken of each beacon and a line drawn for each beacon's bearing on the chart and the point of intersection would be the your location (a form of triangulation.)

All of this assumes that the DF radio was setup in the boat with the loop axis oriented for 0º being the bow of the boat and that the boat was also equipped with a magnetic compass that gave the direction of North plus or minus whatever magnetic deviation in the area for "true" North. From the magnetic compass reading with compensation for deviation and the DF bearing, a correct course could be plotted for the boat to be steered towards the beacon. When the AR-8711 was operated by an experienced navigator it could provide a lot of information. For example, distance to a coastal beacon (lighthouse for instance) could be determined by taking two radio DF bearings as the boat passed. The angles measured and the distance traveled between the first and second bearing could be used to calculate the distance to shore where the beacon was located, essentially letting the boat pilot know how far out from land he was. At distances greater than 50 miles when using Mercantor charts, a slight correction factor had to be added or subtracted because of the distortion that is inherent in Mercantor projection charts. Most of the larger boats that would have had a need for the AR-8711 would also have been equipped with other marine radio gear for ship to shore communications.

General Purpose Radio Communication Equipment

RCA - CR-88 and CR-88A

RCA began the AR-88 design in 1940 and because of WWII requirements it was rapidly completed so production could start. The intent of production was to provide our WWII Allies with a durable, high-performance receiver for intercept. All early AR-88s were built for export and most of the early-WWII production was sent to England through Lend-Lease. Russia also received a significant share of the AR-88 receivers through Lend-Lease. Nearly all of the early WWII versions of the AR-88 are found in England with some turning up in various European countries also. Russia also kept their AR-88s for quite a long time after the war ended and eventually sold them surplus to Russian ham clubs. In the USA, most AR-88s that show up are either from the DR-89 Triple Diversity receiver, those component receivers being the AR-88F version. Some AR-88 versions that were in commercial service, government service or military shown up occasionally. RCA-Montreal built the AR-88LF, with LF and MW coverage, mainly for export although some of production was routed to the Canadian military. Even the Camden-built CR-91 was mainly for export and almost all versions are found in other countries. Post-war, the AR-88 demand stopped and only a fraction of what was produced and exported was now being built for commercial use in the USA. RCA redesigned the AR-88 with various upgrades, especially to the Crystal Filter, for post-war commercial users. This version was designated CR-88.

The CR-88 is the standard version of the receiver with a carrier level meter installed. The CR-88A is the diversity version of the receiver with no carrier level meter (it's on the meter panel of the diversity rack) and with an IF GAIN control on the front panel to allow balancing the output of three CR-88A receivers operating in diversity. RCA-Montreal upgraded their AR-88LF and the post-war version was the CR-91A that was produced mainly for Canadian military and commercial needs. Very late in RCA-Camden production (1953) the CR-88B was introduced but only a handful were ever built. It featured a significantly redesigned chassis, push-pull audio output and moderately redesigned front panel.

In 1950, the Signal Corps designed a triple-diversity receiver, the OA-58 that used a new version of the old AR-88, the SC-88. This receiver had a band-in-use dial mask, the chassis front end alignment adjustments were relocated and the panel was painted black wrinkle finish but otherwise, the SC-88 is very similar to the CR-88A. Only about 300 SC-88s were produced. Most that turn up today were sold by Fair Radio Sales as surplus in the late-1960s. Fair Radio also sold AR-88 receivers at various times in the past.

For the ultimate in details on the entire AR-88 Series of receivers including history, circuit analysis, restoration, sweep alignment information and much more, go to "RCA's Amazing AR-88 Receiver - in Four Parts" use Home Index below for navigation.

Wickes Engineering & Construction Co. - Hammarlund Mfg.Co., Inc.  - R-270/FRR

Post-WWII modification of the BC-794 Super-Pro for the Signal Corps

A constant level signal, free from fading, was necessary for accurate copy of RTTY (Radio Teletype) signals. During WWII, RTTY was being used more and more by the Signal Corps. After WWII ended, the SC continued to develop better RTTY systems. Diversity reception would greatly reduce fading radio signals and provide the nearly constant signal level to the RTTY converter that would allow accurate copy. The diversity system would use widely separated antennas to respond to the different phases of the radio signal at different locations (called Space Diversity) and then the receivers would interact to provide a level of signal reproduction that was constant and based on which antenna-receiver combination was providing the strongest signal. The Signal Corps had different types of WWII receivers modified to allow their use in diversity RTTY systems. Early systems used modified BC-342 receivers. By 1947, the Signal Corps was using modified Hammarlund Super-Pro receivers. The initial modification was to improve frequency stability by installing MC-531, a kit that incorporated a three channel, crystal controlled oscillator to the Super-Pro. Other modifications required access to the IF output in order to drive the CV-31 Diversity RTTY Converter. When the modifications were finalized, the Signal Corps had Wickes Engineering & Construction Company professionally modify several BC-794 Super Pro receivers (designated as R-270/FRR) which would then be installed into the dual diversity receiver, AN/FRR-12. The AN/FRR-12 would interface with a CV-31A Diversity RTTY converter to drive the TTY machine.

The Wickes R-270/FRR changed some of the tubes in the BC-794 as part of the upgrade. The 6H6 AVC rectifier was changed to a 6SN7 to allow the use of one section (diode connected triode) as the AVC rectifier and the remaining triode to be used as an IF output buffer stage. The MC-531 kit added a 6SC7 crystal oscillator to the circuit. Additionally, the BFO could be crystal controlled also, if necessary, for precise reception of RTTY signals. A new aluminum front panel was installed with raised lettering and the steel bottom plate was replaced with an aluminum plate with the receiver schematic printed on the inside. The RA-74 power supply also got a new aluminum front panel and aluminum bottom cover with the schematic printed on the inside. The Crystal Oscillator front panel was installed over the Main Tuning dial escutcheon providing an ON/OFF switch with three channel selection and a separate frequency vernier control. All chassis component nomenclature was redone and the entire chassis given a heavy coating of MFP.

In 1951, Hammarlund released the SP-600 JX receiver that incorporated all of the Signal Corps upgrades along with totally redesigning the entire Super-Pro receiver. However, the Signal Corps was also beginning to use the Collins 51J receivers in their RTTY communications. Ultimately, the SC used Collins receivers for RTTY (in most instances) and the SP-600 for general surveillance.