[ARC5] BC-453 in the SCR-274N Configuration

[Dave Merrill]

Hello group,

I hope you all have power and are staying warm as this storm sweeps across
the nation.

This may be a dumb question, but for the life of me, I can't figure out
what operational use a BC-453 receiver would have in the air. It is
variously described today as a 'navigation' or 'beacon' receiver and while
it covers the LF band, what helpful information could be discovered while
using it in flight?

The BC-453 is connected to the single, fixed antenna of the airplane along
with any other receivers.

To find your position, don't you need a fix on the direction of two (or
more) beacons? And isn't a rotatable loop antenna and possibly a signal
strength indicator required to do that?  Or does the pilot select a beacon
and turn the airplane for maximum audio and note the compass reading? Seems
like a clumsy solution.

The SCR-274N manual provides no guidance; it only covers system
description, installation and maintenance.

The Radio Operator's Information File has two pages on navigation. It
discusses the protocol for contacting a ground station on CW to request a
heading. Nothing about using beacons to find a position.

The R-23A/ARC-5 did have provision for a loop antenna so I can see how that
would work.

Forgive me if this has been discussed before but I don't believe it has
come up in the many years I've been reading this fine reflector.

73, Dave N9ZC
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