ART 13 transmitter

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The ART 13 was a radio transmitter manufactured by Collins radio and found widespread use during and after WWII in military aircraft. It operated in CW (code), MCW and AM (voice) modes and covered LF, MF and HF frequencies up to 18.5 MHz. It had ten autotuned VFO tuned channels that could be preset. Postwar modifications by COMCO and other companies added crystal frequency control capability and were approved for use on civil airliners. Power output was approximately 100 watts using an 813 tube as the final amplifier. Under favorable atmospheric conditions communications could be established between aircraft and ground stations separated by thousands of miles. The ART 13 is used today by ham radio operators interested in operating historic military gear. It is often paired with a BC 348 military receiver of WWII vintage or the later ARR 15 autotuned receiver of postwar vintage. The ARR 15 and ART 13 pair was widely used in post WW 2 Naval patrol aircraft up to the adoption of SSB for miltary HF communications and the retirement of AM HF gear. It has recently been confirmed that the Russians made nearly exact copies of the ART 13 transmitter for use on their military aircraft. It is thought that they obtained genuine US ART 13s from battle damaged B 29 bombers that landed in Russia during WWII. It was well known that the Russians copied the B 29 bomber calling their version the TU 4.