ARC-502 VHF RADIO (original) (raw)

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(L-R, top to bottom) Control Unit, Dynamotor Junction Box/Power Supply , transmitter and the receiver. There are four connectors on the front of the junction box marked "Battery", "Transmitter", "Control Box" and "Receiver" . In outward appearance, the ARC-502 resembles the 8 channel AN/ARC-3.
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The ARC-502 depicted in these photos came from two different Canadian F-86 Sabres .One is the gate guardian at the Oshawa Ontario airport, while the other crashed at an airshow in California many years ago.
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Inside the T5015/ARC502 top cover is a decal indicating "Alignment Instruction when Replacing Tubes in the T-67B/ARC3". This suggests it's an ARC-3 modified to Canadian specifications.
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The ARC-3 used large CR-1A (FT-243 ?) crystals, while the ARC-502 uses the smaller CR-18 (HC-11) size crystals, with some extra relays inside to select one of the three banks of crystals. This receiver was last overhauled in June 1960. The Control Unit atop does not resemble any of the three units in the ARC-3 family.
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Interior views of the transmitter (L) and receiver (R). The transmitter was last overhauled in May 1959.
All photos and copy in this table by Bill Griffith VE3WGX.