[ARC5] Re: Military Collector Group Post (Jan.19/2002)

[Ken Corwin]

I can confirm Dave Stinson's comments about civil towers monitoring
HF.  I used to fly a Cessna 140 out of Van Nuys during the 1960's
(sixties) and did, in fact, transmit many times to the Burbank
tower on 3023.5 kc.  They replied on LF (332 kc I think).

The 140 also had a Bendix PATR-50 5-channel VHF transceiver powered
by an SCR-183 dynamotor with a modified filter base.  The receiver
had no squelch and it used an overhead speaker.  I think that 140
(no one used headphones then) and the M1 Garand I toted earlier
caused my hearing to go to hell.

At that time, many civil towers monitored 126.18 mc for the
military planes in addition to their own VHF frequencies.

The radio equipment in that little plane was so heavy that, when
carrying one passenger, it was over gross with full gas tanks.

Ken Corwin, KF6NUR