7038 - AN/PRC-5 Spy Radio Set (1944)

AN/PRC-5 Spy Radio Set (1944) World War II-era AN/PRC-5 radio set used for clandestine communication and military purposes. The portable radio set is housed in its original brown luggage-type carrying case, measuring 12.5 x 11 x 5.5, with functioning latches, a keyed center lock, hinges, and a leather handle. Affixed inside the lid is the original schematic diagram, captioned “Figure 15. Radio Set AN/PRC-5, schematic diagram.” The front panel retains its controls and fittings, including both plug-in coils, a crystal marked “76.9,” a Westinghouse milliampere meter, green pilot lamp, fuse, antenna and ground terminals, and key and phone jacks. The transmitter covers 4 to 16 MHz in four bands, and the receiver covers 4.5 to 16 MHz in two bands. No accessories are included. In very good condition, with expected wear to the luggage case, including scuffs, edge and corner wear, small tears to the covering, and wear to the leather handle; the inner diagram bears overall toning. The radio is unrestored and has not been tested for operation. The War Department's technical manual for the radio (TM 11-265), issued in June 1944 and classified as secret, was not declassified until 1984. The manual defines the radio set as follows: Radio Set AN/PRC-5 is designed for shortwave communication over medium distances from variable points. It is a portable transceiver, the parts of which are a radio telegraph transmitter, a radio receiver, and a power supply unit common to both. All three are constructed in one unit which is mounted in a luggage-type carrying case, designed to house the radio's peripherals and accessories. The transmitter is of the radio-telegraph type, with a power output of 16 watts when the output frequency is the same as that of the crystal, and an output of 10 watts when the output frequency is twice that of the crystal. The transmitter is composed of two stages: a crystal-controlled oscillator stage followed by a power-amplifier stage. Both of these stages are keyed during periods of transmission. The receiver is of the superheterodyne type. An eight-tube transceiver, the AN/PRC-5 employs two tubes in the transmitter, five in the receiver, and one in the power supply, and was designed for Morse transmission using a J-37 telegraph key.