[ARC5] Radio Equipment installed in Grumman F6F-3 at NMNA

Tue Jun 8 21:21:36 EDT 2010

Hi All,
 Here's a little known side note to carrier training for USN pilots.The island of Martha's Vineyard, off the south,south east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was a carrier training area during WWII. The airport there had an ideal over water approach. (As I recall, the terminal building there has a big plaque with all  the Corsair squadrons that trained there).Also, just SW of Martha's Vineyard is an island named Nomansland which was owned by the Navy and was used as a bombing/shelling target all the way through the Vietnam War. It is rumored that the indigenous species of rabbits now have short ears.
 There may very well have been a YG tx there on MV to facilitate homing training.I doubt there are any remaining records there, though, to prove the point.
 The airport had been returned to civilian use when the War ended.
 Up through the fifties and early sixties there was an active radar site on the island. When I lived there, mid '70's,  it was totaly gutted,a place for locals to party. However, a friend of mine went up there and salvaged a huge 220 3 phase motor off the roof from one of the blower housings.The motor looked brand new!
  Jay KE6PPF

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Morrow <kk5f at earthlink.net>
To: Discussion of AN/ARC-5 military radio equipment. <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tue, Jun 8, 2010 3:42 pm
Subject: Re: [ARC5] Radio Equipment installed in Grumman F6F-3 at NMNA

John/W4THQ wrote:
>The following were removed from the aircraft:

A 3 receiver rack/mount was present containing three receivers: an ATA receiver 
.19 -
0.55 MC;  an R-27/ARC-5 6 - 9.1 MC ; and an ATA receiver 0.52 - 1.5 MC.  Also, 

receiver control box for 3 receivers, ATA CBY- 23251 was included.  Two 
eceiver
nameplates were not readable as to Type.
Those are ARA receivers.  ATA is the associated transmitter system.
The .19 to .55 MC set is a CBY-46129.  The .52 to 1.5 MC set is the CBY-46145.
he 6 to 9.1 set should be a CBY-46106, but in practical service use the later
-27/ARC-5 unit that you found would have been interchangable.
>A 2 transmitter rack/mount ATA CBY- 52212 was present containing: two 
ransmitters:
ATA Type CBY- 52210, 5.3 - 7.0 MC; and ATA Type CBY - 52208, 3 - 4 MC.
One receiver in the rack would be associated with each of the two transmitters.
he CBY-46106 receiver would serve with the CBY-52210 transmitter.  The presence 
f
he CBY-46129 beacon band receiver with the CBY-52208 transmitter is evidence of
raining use of the aircraft, since these two units allow reception of the 
ommon
ivil air communications beacon band tower-to-air frequencies (most often 278 
C)
nd transmission on the common air-to-tower frequency of 3105 (later, 3023.5) 
C.  
But for a typical at-sea service configuration, obtain a CBY-46105 3 to 6 MC 
eceiver
o serve with the CBY-52208, in place of that .19 to .55 MC unit.  That 46129 
eceiver
ould not have been used in at-sea service, especially with the ZB-3 homing 
dapter
nd its associated 46145 BCB receiver in place.
>Also, an ATA Type CBY - 23243, Transmitter Control Box and an ATA Type CBY - 
9125,
Antenna Relay Unit were included supported by an an ATA Type CBY - 50083, 
Modulator/Dynamotor unit.
Which, with the modification noted above, complete a very nice, classic ARA-ATA
nstallation.  That's significantly rarer than SCR-274-N or AN/ARC-5 
nstallations.
 assume that three CBY-21531 receiver dynamotors and one CBY-21626 transmitter
ynamotor are present.  A list of the major ARA-ATA components are available in
 table at:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/ARC-5 .
>A Model ZB-3 Homing Adaptor was also removed.
That is associated with the CBY-46145 receiver.  The ZB received a 246 MC signal
odulated with a broadcast band signal, which itself was either keyed or 
odulated.
he ZB demodulated the BCB signal from the VHF, which was fed to the BCB 46145
eceiver, which then AM demodulated the BCB signal or detected its keying with 
ts BFO.
The ZB-3 system had a ZB antenna relay box and a ZB pilot's control box, but 
either
re necessary or desirable for use of the ZB with 46145.  The 46145 should have 

BY-62036 power adapter in the front drawer.  That should be connected to the 
B-3
o give it power.  The BCB RF output of the ZB-3 would be permanently connected
o the antenna connection of the 46145, so no antenna relay is needed.  The ARA 
ontrol box (CBY-23251) for the 46145 would provide the only homing adapter 
ystem
ontrols that were needed.  
I would be most appreciative of any information that you could provide about the
oming adapter system cable connections that were present, and verification that
he ZB system antenna relay box and pilot's control box are, in fact, NOT 
resent.
>An RT-19/ARC-4 and Mount with a C-51/ARC-4 Control Box and a J-23/ARC-4
Junction Box were also in the aircraft.
That's excellent!  It's time capsule containing a complete early USN VHF-AM 
ommand
et.  The dynamotor is inside the RT-19/ARC-4.
So, your aircraft has an MF/HF ARA-ATA command set, a ZB-3 VHF homing system,
nd the AN/ARC-4 VHF-AM command set, all apparently intact.  Pictures??
>...I cannot say for sure which of the above were only along for the ride and
not needed during training.
I suspect all of the gear you mentioned would have had service value in a
raining aircraft.  Even the ZB VHF homing system must have been used on 
raining
ircraft to educate the pilots.
>I thought it would be interesting to pass along to the group what was found
on this particular aircraft.
Indeed!  Thanks.
Mike / KK5F
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