[ARC5] More on the "No HF" Myth

[Telegrapher@QWEST.net]

To go along with this i pulled my Pacific Airways Route manual from 1945
to see what was happening in the Pacific.

Most all ( i didn't check every one of them) major and some of the
smaller outlying airfields had a LF  and a VHF tower freq.  As an
example Tarawa Atoll (Hawkins Field) used 272 Kc and 140.58 mc.  However
they also had receivers on 4475, 4495, 6500 and 6970 Kcs.  140.58
appears to also have been the VHF D/F frequency at some installations.
HF D/F such as Palmyra Is. as an example is listed as 2-18 Mcs.  Others
2-10 Mc and others yet show 2-31 mc.

N.A.S. Johnston Is. lists the following freq. channels.

NIQ5 260 Kcs - QJ
Homer-528 kcs - id-QJ
YG Beacon - 640 id- BO ( still hear a BO on the LF.  wonder if its still
them?)
YJ RACON id - BO
RSV- (Radio Communications Station Voice) Johnston "OATC" 528 kcs
BS - Broadcast station - WVTV - 1420 kcs.
H-F D/F NIQ 2-18.1 Mcs.
Tower lists 6970 Kcs and 140.58 for communications.

Lots of LF range stations out there also.  All with 2 letter id's.

So you can see that LF/HF/VHF was available at most of these stations in
January of 1945 which is the dates on my charts.

If you think it was a simple matter flying into one of these fields
during WWII, you ought to read some of the Approach procedures.

Larry
W0OGH


David Stinson wrote:

> I pulled out some of my documentation- circa 1945-
> last night and started counting.
> It's important to note that this documentation does
> not address portable or temporary DF and Comm stations.
>
> North America:
> Army Airways Communications Command stations.
>  All were HF primary, most in the 4.7 MC range for AM.
>  While none list a VHF channel assigned to them,
>  I assume they would have had access to the VHF channels
>  available from the other airport facilities.
>
> Most USAAF installations and Naval Air Stations
> had VHF and LF tower frequencies.
> Air/Ground frequencies were a mix of VHF and HF.
> Naval Air Stations seem more heavily weighted to HF.
>
> Examples- The Chicago area-- 51 listed airports.
>  Tower frequencies
>   16 VHF and LF
>   26 LF only
>    2 HF only
>   26 did not list a tower freq.
>
>  Air to Ground frequencies (approach control, etc.)
>   All stations used 3, 4, and 6 MC HF.
>   27 list VHF freqs.
>   There is no notation on which was "primary" for air/ground,
>   but context in the notes, such as
>   "3105, 4117, 6210 KC.  Also guards 116.1 MC" gives us a clue.
>   If we can go by this, it was about 50/50.
>
> With a couple of exceptions, all commercial airports
> had 3-4 MC primaries and 6 MC secondaries.
> Many also listed a VHF channel.
> This is not surprising, since the commercial airlines
> were all HF equipped as primary comm.
>
> In the June 1945 Radio Facility for North Atlantic book,
> there are over 90 DF stations listed.
> They provided D.F. bearings to pilots on request.
> The pilot transmitted a carrier and
> the D.F. stations gave him a bearing.  In June of 1945,
> exactly FOUR of these stations had VHF DF capability.
> That would have made it pretty tough on a lost flight
> of P-38 trainees or a P-51 ferry mission with no HF capability.
>
> If you wanted to fly somewhere in central Canada in 1945,
> you'd better have HF.  Even the RCAF stations didn't have VHF.
> The larger cities and the northeast did, but I assume they
> built airports in central Canada because someone needed them.
>
> In northeastern Canada and Europe, things were different.
> Once you get to Newfoundland, cross the North Atlantic,
> England and enter liberated Europe,
> you start to see VHF primaries for Air/ground.
> Orly in Paris, Hanau in Frankfurt and Gatow in Berlin
> and other major cities
> list VHF primaries for Air/ground and HF secondaries.
> Most still have the Tower on LF and HF.
>
> All the *fixed* DF stations still used HF.
> If the fixed stations could do VHF DF, it's not documented.
> There were many U.S. field portable
> VHF DF stations being set up as the front moved forward
> that would not be documented in the sectionals and facility charts.
>
> Larger aircraft in Europe could use any of these stations.
> Smaller aircraft had to pick and choose according to the
> mission.  "Spotter" aircraft radio installations
> depended on to whom they were reporting- some were HF, some VHF FM.
> Most fighter aircraft operating in the European theater
> had a VHF radio and an LF receiver by 1945.
> They could do this because of the many
> portable DF and Comm stations at forward airfields
> or stayed set-up in the rear areas.
> Also- once the Allies were established on the continent-
> long range navigation was less of a problem, at least in
> fair weather.  But if you wanted to fly your C-47 or P-38
> somewhere any distance from the front or a major city,
> you'd better get some HF installed.
>
> In conclusion: HF and LF aircraft communications systems
> were still alive and active during and after WW-II,
> but VHF was fast overtaking the old standard.
> In the European theater, a fighter in a tactical role
> could get along without HF, but bombing, patrol, transport
> and ferrying aircraft could not.
>
> 73 Dave S. AB5S
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