[ARC5] B-29 Radio Operator's Station on August 28, 1943

[Michael Hanz]

Yup.  There was apparently a kerfluffle between the operational 
development staff and the logistics people early in the B-29 program.  
The logistics folks wanted to stick with what was in all of the other 
USAAF bombing aircraft (for obvious reasons), but the Navy procured 
Collins transmitter quickly got a reputation for all that capability in 
much smaller (and lighter) package, so the ops folks won out.  I suspect 
some of that debate went on at a few Officers' Clubs around DC, the Navy 
folks happy to go nyah-nyah-nyah over their superior equipment.   Among 
many other other things, the USAAF can thank them for the comfortable 
chamois lined earpads as well. Cross-pollination on the world's WWII 
flight lines did wonders for leveling capabilities.

The logistics folks got their licks in eventually, though.  You may 
notice that the mount for the BC-375 is lower than the radio operator's 
table because of the height of that transmitter.  Almost immediately 
after that change to installing the AN/ART-13 was made, radio ops began 
complaining about the awkward tuning effort required by its low 
position.  In a curiously late final report on the "Operational 
Suitability of the Radio Equipment in the B-29 Airplane" 
(https://aafradio.org/docs/B-29_radio_suitability.pdf ), a last pitch 
was made to move the AN/ART-13 to the where the BC-348 receiver was 
sitting.  Given the late date of the report, (23 February 1945), the 
USAAF brass determined, "Naw, not worth it." IIRC, it may not have been 
changed until the B-50 came out.

           73,
  - Mike  KC4TOS

On 6/12/2022 5:44 PM, David Stinson wrote:
> On 6/12/2022 2:10 PM, Brian McQueen wrote:
>> You sure that’s not a B-17?  B-29’s used the ART-13 xmitter, not a 
>> BC-375...
>> Brian. WJ0P
>
> Early B-29s, like many used to fly "the Hump"
> over the mountains to China, used SCR-287.  Conversion
> to AN/ARC-8 (ART-13) was a late-war thing.
>
> Moreover, the Radio Op position is certainly B-29.
> B-17, -24, -25, -26 etc. were very different.
>
> 73 Dave S.
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