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

[w4thq at cox.net]

To Group:

I will be taking "before" pictures which I can send to those interested in the installation.

To J. Forster - No RADAR was installed as is true of the several SBD-5's although they had the YAGI antennas under the wings but no equipment was present.  (Except one had the ARB power control box mounted in rear cockpit.

Thanks to Mike Morrow who has answered all of my questions on this particular configuration.  And yes the receivers should be "ARA" instead of ATA.  I could not read the line "Part of ARA etc " on the nameplates which are corroded severely.  All of the dynamotors are present on the receivers and the modulator.  There is in fact an adapter on the 0.55 - 1.5 MC receiver which has the connector that appears to be the type for connecting to the ZB-3.  We have not removed the cables for all of the equipment yet so I cannot verify if this is how it is connected.  Until we study everything I cannot be sure if there is a pilot's control box for the ZB-3 or an associated antenna relay.  I was not present when all of this equipment was first removed.  It is all full of mud and needs to be cleaned up before any further work can be done.

When we first turned the airframe up on its nose (after engine removal) to pressure wash out clams, mud, and dead fish we heard a loud bang and discovered that the ARC-4 had broken its steel fastenings to fall into the belly skin puncturing it with one corner.  It took two people to lift the ARC-4 out of the hatch afterward.

My first look gives the impression that all of the equipment is complete while somewhat corroded in places especially steel components but we have begun with these conditions before.  I expect that disassembley will be slow but most parts should be recoverable.  On our last SBD-5 I restored a GP-6 transmitter after removing every slotted head screw without stripping or breaking a single one.  These were the plated brass type No. 6, 8, and 10-32 screws so common of the era.

I'll update during the restoration when other information is available.

John, W4THQ
Pensacola
Rig: Collins S-line w/ 30-L1 to tribander