SCR-54

The SCR-54 was a tunable, portable crystal radio receiver used by the U.S. Army during World War I for fire control in conjunction with airplanes.

French radio equipment was more advanced than that of the U.S. Army when the United States entered World War I.

Several of the French A-1 artillery receiving set were sent to the American radio laboratory in the summer of 1917 and copied with minor modifications.

The lid of the box held the buzzer circuit, detectors, a screwdriver, two P-11 telephone headsets, spare parts, extra crystals, and an operating manual, “Radio Pamphlet No.

Some were retained by the Signal Corps, but the bulk, most never used, were sold as surplus to the public, becoming a favorite of amateurs.