[ARC5] USN Transmitters on 500 to 1500 kHz

arc5 at ix.netcom.com arc5 at ix.netcom.com
Sat Aug 14 19:44:29 EDT 2010


Several folks asked for this, so:

---------------------------
U.S. Navy Freq. Plan for 1926 
(generally adopted in the Western Hemisphere 
 and elsewhere at the time, reference available):

There were slightly differing allocations for "peace time" and
for "war time."  I"ve listed war freqs.
"Fleet" freqs were available to the commander of 
a given fleet to assign at his discretion.  
I'm just listing the freq limits; they were actually channelized.
If anyone wants a specific channel, such as for
the main transmitter in Annapolis (17.5 KC),
let me know.

High Powers Shore Stations   17.5 - 48 KC
Medium Power Shore Stations  50.4 - 68 KC
Fleet Battleship Divisions  75, 85 and 95 KC
Fleet and Low Power Shore Stations 100 - 125 KC
Low Power Shore Stations  128 - 148 KC
Fleet (Major Task Force) and Navigation Aids  155 - 565 KC
    including 555 KC for "Aircraft squadrons and
   shore stations for aircraft."
Naval Transportation Service - Fleet  605 - 995 KC 
     including 605, 685, 755, 845, 925, and 985 for aircraft.
Naval District Aircraft   1005 - 1295 KC
Naval District Forces  1305 - 1985 KC
Fleet Intra Unit Tactical  2005 - 2995 KC
Fleet Fighting, Torpedo and Bombing Airplanes  3005 - 3195  KC
Fleet Observation and Fire Control Airplanes  3235 - 3985 KC

There were also a 14 channels each on 4, 8, 12 and 16 MC
which seem to have been allocated to shore facilities, 
with the exceptions of four freqs shared by Submarines and
"scouting aircraft," four for fleet cruisers and four for "flagships."

Primary U.S. aircraft freqs were 550, 555, 3005, 3475 KC.
Assignment for fighters was 3000 - 3200 KC.
Assignment for observation was 3000 - 4000 KC.
Navy Radio Washington was on 690 KC. 

Primary source:  
"History of Communications Electronics in the 
 United States Navy," by Captain L.S. Howeth, USN Ret.
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington 1963
Lib. of Congress Cat. # 64-62870
(Several secondary sources not readily at hand).
---------------------------

There were no major, fundimental changes in this scheme
for the International naval community until the late 1930s,
and that doesn't mean Columbia went out 
and bought new gear for their ships.  
Remember: the whole world was trying to emerge 
from The First Great Depression in the late 1930s
(guess who's going to live through the Second?).
Third-world fleets didn't have the bags of money 
to pitch to the  wind like the U.S. Navy.  
They used their gear until it feel apart 
and didn't have an Aircraft Radio Corp
or Western Electric to pull them ahead 
or the money to pay them if they did.
So any "third-world" ship your patrol flight found 
in the Gulf in 1942 was probably going 
to talk to you on some freq under 2 MC.

73 DE Dave S. AB5S



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