Signal Corps Radios were U.S. Army military communications components that comprised "sets". Under the Army Nomenclature System, SCR initially designated "Set, Complete Radio," and later "Signal Corps Radio," though interpretations have varied over time.

Nomenclature

The term SCR was part of a nomenclature system developed for the U.S. Signal Corps use at least as far back as World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Three-letter designators beginning with "SC" were used to denote complete systems, while one and two-letter designators (such as "BC", for basic component, "FT" for mounting, etc.) were used for components. Only a few system designators were used:

SCM Set, Complete, Meteorological

SCR Set, Complete, Radio

SCS Set, Complete, System

SCR radio sets

The U.S. Signal Corps used the term "sets" to denote specific groupings of individual components such as transmitters, receivers, power supplies, handsets, cases, and antennas. SCR radio sets ranged from the relatively small SCR-536

SCR-536

The SCR-536 was a hand-held radio transceiver used by US Signal Corps in World War II. It is popularly referred to as a walkie talkie although it was originally designated a "handie talkie".- History :...

 "handie talkie" to high-powered, truck-mounted mobile communications systems like the SCR-299

SCR-299

The SCR-299 was a U.S. Signal Corps mobile military communications unit used during World War II.-History:The SCR-299 replaced SCR-197 and SCR-597, and was an effort to give a long-range communication advantage to the U.S. Army and its allies...

 and large microwave radar systems such as the SCR-584 radar

SCR-584 radar

The SCR-584 was a microwave radar developed by the MIT Radiation Laboratory during World War II. It replaced the earlier and much more complex SCR-268 as the US Army's primary anti-aircraft gun laying system as quickly as they could be produced...

.

SCS

The SCS designator was applied to groups of SCR-numbered sets comprising an extensive system, such as multiple radio sets employed in a ground-based fighter direction/control center. The SCR designator could be a single transmitting or receiving set, or a full set of both transmitting and receiving equipment.

Additional Designators

An additional designator, "RC" was used for subsystems or groups of accessories. The Joint Electronics Type Designation System

Joint Electronics Type Designation System

The Joint Electronics Type Designation System , which was previously known as the Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System and the Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System, is a method developed by the U.S. War Department during World War II for assigning an unclassified designator to...

 which came into use in 1943 absorbed or superseded the SC designations.

See also

• U.S. Signal Corps
• Joint Electronics Type Designation System
  Joint Electronics Type Designation System
  The Joint Electronics Type Designation System , which was previously known as the Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System and the Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System, is a method developed by the U.S. War Department during World War II for assigning an unclassified designator to...
  
  
• List of U.S. Signal Corps Vehicles
• List of World War II electronic warfare equipment

External links

• http://sdr.lib.umich.edu/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062770162 signal corps storage catalogue 1920
• http://earlyradiohistory.us/1916sc.htm early systems
• http://www.gordon.army.mil/ocos/museum/equipment.asp scr and bc lists
• http://pages.cthome.net/fwc/SCR.HTM SIGNAL CORPS RADIO SETS, F. W. Chesson
• http://www.hypertools.com/nomenclature.html ELECTRIC RADIO Magazine, July 1995, World War Two Nomenclature Systems by Ray Mote, K5FKT
• http://www.fernblatt.net/m1.html#a0200
• http://www.qsl.net/pe1ngz/army/army-us/us-comm.html