hello everyone .I have a vhf r-15 am receiver .
It work very well .
Does anyone know when they were fabricated and on what plane
they were used ?Thanks 73
alain f1gqb

Alain,
The R-15 receiver, part of the Aircraft Radio Corp. (ARC) Type 12 series
of airborne communications and navigation equipment. The Type 12
equipment was used by military as well as civil aircraft, up to and
including "cabin class". In its day, Type 12 was considered first-class
equipment. The military used Type 12 equipment, to include the ARN-30
navigation series and several AN/ARC-xxx comm systems. Aircraft
included DeHaviland L-20/U-6A Beaver, Otter, and Caribou. Cessna T-37
jet trainer (employing a UHF transverter), both civil and military Aero
Commander and Cessna 310 (Blue Canoe) used ARC in the early years. T-6's
in Korea used Type 12 equipment. I've been told that early P-80's (nee
T-33) used this ARC equipment, also. During this period, the ARC
equipment was competing with both the AN/ARC-3 and AN/ARC-49 VHF
equipment. I'm certain there were other aircraft but these are the ones
I have personal knowledge and/or directly associated with. Type 12
equipment was also used in an integrated ground radio package that was
used beginning in Korea as a FAC (Forward Air Control) and in mobile
control towers. The Type 12 eventually gave way to the ARC-210 and
ARN-30D equipment and thence to solid-state equipment by ARC and others.
The Type 12 and ARC-210 systems were considered the Cadillac of ARC
equipment during the 50's and early 60's. The ARC IN-10 VOR/ILS
indicator became a de-facto standard-of-the-industry. After ARC was
bought out by Cessna Aircraft Corp., ARC equipment became nothing but
consumer-class junk, with a horrible maintenance record. My Type 12
books both from ARC and the military show dates from 1954 through 1960.
The ARC-210 book, with addendums is dated up through 1977. All the
Type 12 stuff can be wired for either 12 or 24 volts. The books provide
filament re-wire instructions so that all one has to do is change the
dynamotor or "dynaverter" over to the desired voltage. Although somewhat
available, control boxes, connectors, and teleflex cables are the harder
things to find inasmuch as most of it stayed in the airframe when it was
taken out of service. Finding some types of the racks can also be
problematic. Hope this sheds some light on the subject.
Regards DE K3HVG

nierveze wrote:
hello everyone .I have a vhf r-15 am receiver .
It work very well .
Does anyone know when they were fabricated and on what plane
they were used ?Thanks 73
alain f1gqb

K3HVG wrote:
Alain,
The R-15 receiver, part of the Aircraft Radio Corp. (ARC) Type 12 series
of airborne communications and navigation equipment. The Type 12
equipment was used by military as well as civil aircraft, up to and
including "cabin class". In its day, Type 12 was considered first-class
equipment. The military used Type 12 equipment, to include the ARN-30
navigation series and several AN/ARC-xxx comm systems. Aircraft
included DeHaviland L-20/U-6A Beaver, Otter, and Caribou. Cessna T-37
jet trainer (employing a UHF transverter), both civil and military Aero
Commander and Cessna 310 (Blue Canoe) used ARC in the early years. T-6's
in Korea used Type 12 equipment. I've been told that early P-80's (nee
T-33) used this ARC equipment, also. During this period, the ARC
equipment was competing with both the AN/ARC-3 and AN/ARC-49 VHF
equipment. I'm certain there were other aircraft but these are the ones
I have personal knowledge and/or directly associated with. Type 12
equipment was also used in an integrated ground radio package that was
used beginning in Korea as a FAC (Forward Air Control) and in mobile
control towers. The Type 12 eventually gave way to the ARC-210 and
ARN-30D equipment and thence to solid-state equipment by ARC and others.
The Type 12 and ARC-210 systems were considered the Cadillac of ARC
equipment during the 50's and early 60's. The ARC IN-10 VOR/ILS
indicator became a de-facto standard-of-the-industry. After ARC was
bought out by Cessna Aircraft Corp., ARC equipment became nothing but
consumer-class junk, with a horrible maintenance record. My Type 12
books both from ARC and the military show dates from 1954 through 1960.
The ARC-210 book, with addendums is dated up through 1977. All the
Type 12 stuff can be wired for either 12 or 24 volts. The books provide
filament re-wire instructions so that all one has to do is change the
dynamotor or "dynaverter" over to the desired voltage. Although somewhat
available, control boxes, connectors, and teleflex cables are the harder
things to find inasmuch as most of it stayed in the airframe when it was
taken out of service. Finding some types of the racks can also be
problematic. Hope this sheds some light on the subject.
Regards DE K3HVG

nierveze wrote:

hello everyone .I have a vhf r-15 am receiver .
It work very well .
Does anyone know when they were fabricated and on what plane
they were used ?Thanks 73
alain f1gqb


Hello ,thanks for the answer ,it is very interresting .
The r-15 I have works very well indeed .This afternoon
I recorded and got a small picture of noaa18 on 137.9mhz in
fm , (yes I know it is an am rx),you know those weather sats at about
850km of altitude ,it was at 1000km fro qra when I got it without
preamplifier and with an omnidirrectional antenna!!!Not too bad for this
50 years old radio .Do you know if there are books available on the net
,I looked for it and did not find anything ?
Thanks very much ,73 alain f1gqb