[ARC5] FW: C-47 radio "Island in the Sky"

[GOMEZ, STEVEN B]

Thanks Sandy! Here is another flying example, the Navy R4D "Ready 4 Duty" of the Dallas/ Fort Worth CAF wing.
Collins ART-13, BC 348, Marker beacon and frequency meter over to the right...
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc292/ke5o/IMG_2423.jpg
We need to set up a "ship to ship" contact someday!
73,
Steve 

-----Original Message-----
From: Sandy [mailto:ebjr37 at charter.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 12:02 PM
To: GOMEZ, STEVEN B
Subject: Re: [ARC5] C-47 radio "Island in the Sky"

On our old Air National Guard "Goonie Bird" (43-16029) I spent many hours 
playing with the ART-13/BC-348 and had a bit of fun on the ham bands with 
it.  Since all we had installed on the bird at that time was the fixed 
antenna that ran from the radio position feed thru to the tip of the 
vertical fin.  No much "AM" phone operation took place, as most of the 
activity was on 75 meters.  On that band the fixed antenna isn't very 
efficient!  40 meter and 20 meter CW operation was lively.  I remember one 
trip from Las Vegas to New Orleans at night during bad weather.  Lots of 
lightning and old bird getting tossed around a bit.  Right about the time I 
managed a contact on 40 meters, the pilot (Major Ray Harmeyer, a "Chief 
Senior Pilot" (from the wings he wore) and old WW2 vet showed up at the 
radio bay asking "Blaize!  What the hell are you doing?  All I'm getting in 
my headset is dots and dashes!  Shut that damned thing down I can't get 
clearance to get an altitude change from ATC!"  His face was very red.  I 
followed orders immediately.  When we finally arrived at NAS Callender in 
Belle Chasse, LA, landed and parked, he stopped by and apologized for being 
so  gruff.  I explained I was working the amateur bands and sorry to have 
caused him any grief.  He was normally a very nice chap and was always 
shooting the bull with the sergeants!

In this case the problem existed because we had too many radios installed in 
the aircraft, and normally the "Liaison" radio was NEVER used by anyone 
other than avionics personnel who could send and receive the code!  Some of 
the audio switches had been replaced by "center-off" switches due to lack of 
space for additional switches to disable/enable audio to the 
pilots/co=pilots headsets in the cockpit!  As far as he was concerned in the 
heat of talking to ATC, the "liaison" position was an "off" position.

Somewhere in the radio operators cubbyhole a BC-221 was mounted to get the 
transmitter right on frequency, but I forget exactly where now.  We had only 
2-3 guys in the squadron that were familiar with the ART-13/BC-348 combo and 
who knew how to operate it.  I was one of the lucky few.

73,

Sandy W5TVW

-----Original Message----- 
From: GOMEZ, STEVEN B
Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 9:43 AM
To: arc5 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [ARC5] C-47 radio "Island in the Sky"

Hello to the group!
I noticed the radio operator used a "bug" which may have been accurate for 
commercial post war practice.
Here is the radio op position in the C-47 "Boogie Baby" at Frederick Army 
Air Field in Oklahoma...
http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc292/ke5o/C47RadioOpPosition.jpg
I think the straight key was standard thru the war?
Steve Gomez
ke5o