[ARC5] [Milsurplus] Command Receivers on the Broadcast Band

Wed Apr 16 17:05:02 EDT 2025

Hello Jan,

My comment in-line below:

On 4/16/2025 3:39 AM, zakariya.abu at yandex.com wrote:
> Al,
>
> Thank you for sharing a great presentation.
>
> I would like to ask about the following matters:
>
> (1) On p. 14 of your presentation, there is an example of the YG 
> transmitter radiation. And on p. 15 there is a pilot's decode card. I 
> assume that the latter was binding, so if the aircraft was flying 
> exactly south of the aircraft carrier, the pilot would hear letter D 
> in Morse code. Right?
Wrong!  If you hear "D" you are due north of the ship, and "180" is the 
heading you fly to get to the ship.
>
> (2) What exactly was the ZBX? Was that the ARR-2 receiver's alias?
I don't really know.  But, that makes sense.
>
> (3) Considering that most WW II naval fighters were fitted with the ZB 
> (or ARR-1) in a place inaccessible by the pilot, does it mean that the 
> set had to be manually tuned by the "ground crew" before take off? If 
> yes, do you know about examples where vibration contributed to 
> frequency drift during flight making the reception impossible and the 
> set unusable to help return to the aircraft carrier?
Yes, in some cases the system was tuned by the ground crew.  I have no 
information on stability.  However, the ZB/ARR-1 is a 
tuned-radio-frequency architecture (as opposed to a superhet.), so I 
assume it was pretty broad, so probably stayed on frequency.
>
> (4) Practically, what was the maximum range away from the aircraft 
> carrier from which a pilot could pick up the YE signals? Ca. 150 miles 
> or more?
As I mention on p17, Range 275 miles at 15,000 feet.

73,
AL
>
> 73,
>
> Jan SP5XZG
>
>
> W dniu 16.04.2025 o 02:21, Al Klase pisze:
>> My PowerPoint on YE/ZB homing HERE <https://www.skywaves.ar88.net/ 
>> Presentations/YE-ZB%20Presentation.pdf>. - AL
>>
>> On 4/15/2025 8:12 PM, MARK DORNEY wrote:
>>> The R-24/ARC-5 beacon receiver had a very short lived military 
>>> career. It was being replaced by the R-4/ARR-2 starting in late 
>>> 1944. The R-4/ ARR-2 combined the beacon receivers ( R-23 and R-24 ) 
>>> with the US Navy ZB Homing adapter. And the ZB homing device went 
>>> out of USN service in about 1960. It was replaced by VOR and TACAN.
>>>
>>> The Navy really didn’t require a receiver using a directional loop. 
>>> The Transmitter used with the ZB adapter ( YE transmitter ) used a 
>>> directional antenna to send a different cw letter, as well as a 
>>> transmitter specific identifier ( again in cw ) every 30 degrees of 
>>> the of the 360 degree rotation of the directional transmitter 
>>> antenna. The pilot/navigator simply had to listen for what letter 
>>> they heard on their headset to know their position in relation to 
>>> their landing field ( normally an aircraft carrier )
>>>
>>> The R-23/ARC-5 and R-24/ARC-5 were set up to use a loop antenna. The 
>>> ARA CBY-46145 and BC-946 ( SCR-274-N) were set up for a single 
>>> antenna lead. The R-4/ARR-2 also had a single antenna lead.
>>>
>>>
>>> Mark D.
>>> WW2RDO
>>>
>>> “In matters of style, float with the current. In matters of 
>>> Principle, stand like a rock. “.   -   Thomas Jefferson
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On Apr 15, 2025, at 2:10 PM, robert meadows <rpmeadow at bellsouth.net> 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> 
>>> Not really rare, just the latest iteration of the receivers, from my 
>>> memory of reading the US Navy manuals on the radios. In fact, I have 
>>> a control for the Broadcast receiver that is the standard ARINC width.
>>> From memory, the USN didn't standardize the ARC/ARA radios until 
>>> early 1960s.
>>> R
>>>
>>> On Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 02:03:23 PM EDT, J Mcvey via ARC5 
>>> <arc5 at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> I never saw one of those (ARC?) broadcast receivers with the loop 
>>> option.
>>> That's a rare beast.
>>> The Arc beacon receivers all had the loop option. I've seen lots of 
>>> those.
>>>
>>> On Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 11:35:05 AM EDT, Al Klase 
>>> <ark at ar88.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Gang,
>>>
>>> Recent discussion of CBY-46145 and BC-946B bring to mind my 
>>> experience with R-24/ARC-5 as a BCB DX receiver.
>>> <2012 DX Station.jpg>
>>>
>>>
>>> Here's my log from our radio club's DX contest back in 2012:
>>>
>>> <ARC-5 1-22-2012.png>
>>>
>>> Sadly, YVKS  has been QRT for a while now.
>>>
>>> 95% of the time you'll bemuch better off with a tuned loop rather 
>>> than a wire antenna.
>>>
>>> More info here: https://www.skywaves.ar88.net/homebrew/ARC-5_PS/ 
>>> ARC-5_PS.html <https://www.skywaves.ar88.net/homebrew/ARC-5_PS/ 
>>> ARC-5_PS.html>
>>>
>>> Have fun,
>>> AL
>>>
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Al Klase - N3FRQ
>>> Jersey City, NJ
>>> http://www.skywaves.ar88.net/ <http://www.skywaves.ar88.net/>

-- 
ARK Sig Block Al Klase - N3FRQ
Jersey City, NJ
http://www.skywaves.ar88.net/
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