[ARC5] RE: BC-453 usage

[Clarke, Tom AIR4.0P NATOPS]

We had the ARC-5 version on our station bird (C-117D) up in sunny
Keflavik, Iceland in the late 70s.  About the only thing it got used for
up there (no ranges by then) was to listen to the occasional music BC
stations in Europe (they were in the LF band).  I used to enjoy turning
it on and seeing how long it would take for someone to come up from the
back end and asking about the "whining sound" coming from the radio ops
desk!!  You had to have pretty good ears to hear the dynamotor, with
those two R-1830s pounding away out on the wings!

There were actually a few of the old four course ranges up until the
late 60s or so.  I remember there was a range approach to NAS Norfolk
that I flew for practice in 1968.  All you needed was a receiver and
waited for the A's and N's to merge indicating that you were on course.
Crude but effective until VOR and TACAN came along.  Now GPS takes all
the fun out of it! 

73 de Tom/W4OKW
Herks and Goons, they will never go away!


Tom Clarke
Wyle Labs,  Aeronautics
NATOPS Program Support Specialist
USN/USMC National Airworthiness Office
Naval Air Systems Command, AIR-4.0P
(301) 995-3793/DSN 995-3793
Fax: (301) 757-6599
Cell (301) 904-2053
frederic.clarke at navy.mil