T-36 radio help needed please - SCR-187

[gordon]

My 1944 T-36 Snow Tractor, one of four known survivors, needs some bits and pieces associated with the SCR-187 radio which was original fitment, and where better to ask than here as my knowledge of radio equipment isn’t that great.

My cab still has the T-36 radio socket mounting plate;



… and I have an image of the socket sitting loose on another survivor, it is rectangular, with a screw on cap, and looks to be 2-pole from a poor interior shot which isn’t worth reproducing here;



… hole centers 1 11/16” horizontally and 3 ¼” vertically. Anybody got one or know what it is? Sockets like this are not uncommon but all the ones I can find are square rather than rectangular.


Finally, can anyone point me at the radio mounting bracket which would have mounted the SCR-187 to the top of this bracket, on the left side of the cab;



There are a handful of images on my T-36 page here;

http://www.gwim2.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/t36.htm


… showing survivors and how it looked originally.

All help appreciated, any bits would need posting to me here in Scotland

Gordon@Dodge.org.uk

[tankbarrell]

Gordon, that socket is the standard US slave socket as used in Sherman etc.

[gordon]

Know anyone that can sell me one please?

In fact any UK contacts that might have bits of the assembly ? I can import small bits, not sure about the whole unit, and won't really need it for ages, but ...

regards

Gordon

[Mike K]

Hi Gordon

SCR = Signal Corps Radio ?

This link has some info

http://radionerds.com/index.php/SCR-187

BC = Basic component of SCR

The BC 191 Is the transmitter part of SCR 187, this transmitter is also a part of other SCR sets like like SCR 193 as used in 1/2 ton Dodge command cars .

The set appears to be intended for air to ground liason use, and it was fitted in Piper Cubs and similar aeroplanes with a 12V System ?

The BC 191 is a 12V transmitter .

[gordon]

Some of the paperwork shows not only a transmitter and receiver, but power packs and a dozen other associated parts.

Any old radio specialists about?

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Hi Gordon

SCR = Signal Corps Radio ?

This link has some info

http://radionerds.com/index.php/SCR-187

BC = Basic component of SCR

The BC 191 Is the transmitter part of SCR 187, this transmitter is also a part of other SCR sets like like SCR 193 as used in 1/2 ton Dodge command cars .

The set appears to be intended for air to ground liason use, and it was fitted in Piper Cubs and similar aeroplanes with a 12V System ?

The BC 191 is a 12V transmitter .

There is one enormous problem with the BC 191, these days: Audiophools.

The transmitter uses 4 large triode valves (VT-4C or (civilian) 211), and these are highly prized by the valve audio amplifier crowd, to the point of ridiculous prices being paid (500 USD for a pair). As a result, any transmitter you are likely to find will have had its valves "liberated", and they will be neither easy nor cheap to replace (unless you are very lucky).

Chris.

[gordon]

... thanks for the info, but at the minute I don't even have the wooden board that it mounts on, so I'll have to build bottom-up first and fill in the gaps later

The other thing that strikes me is I was expecting just a transmitter and recover unit, plus mike and ariel lead, but the images I see have lots of bits and boxes with them.

An empty unit I could put on the bracket would be a good start, better try for that. The radio regulations here in the UK are such it's probably not legal as originally configured anyway.

thanks

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by gordon

... thanks for the info, but at the minute I don't even have the wooden board that it mounts on, so I'll have to build bottom-up first and fill in the gaps later

The other thing that strikes me is I was expecting just a transmitter and recover unit, plus mike and ariel lead, but the images I see have lots of bits and boxes with them.

An empty unit I could put on the bracket would be a good start, better try for that. The radio regulations here in the UK are such it's probably not legal as originally configured anyway.

thanks

gordon

This web site explains a lot

http://www.radioblvd.com/using_the_bc375e_today.htm

The BC 375 is basically the same transmitter , but is run from 24 to 28 Volts . These were fitted in larger aircraft like the B24 .

My BC 191 I found at a hamfest here , with the big triodes sitting inside it The sets got a bad reputation after the war when hams tried to use them at max. power output , a very dirty signal resulted.

I have an article written by a Guadalcanal US army signaler veteran , he used the BC 191 and he wrote that it was the most reliable transmitter set he used in the islands . Just about everything broke down as the tropical climate created terrible conditions for anything electrical but he reported , the BC 191 kept going day and night

A U tube movie http://www.google.com.au/url?q=http:...HQsiQBZ_wFdpPQ

[gordon]

I'll have a look.

Don't think I'm after usable hardware, just complete and tidy looking

Gordon