[ARC5] PBY Radios

[Mark K3MSB]

I have been a bit hesitant in contributing to this thread as I know that
some are going to feel I'm questioning the integrity of Wayne WB5WSV.  So,
let me be clear at the onset that I am not.

I fully believe that Wayne is accurately reporting something that he read.

What I'm questioning is the probability of the reported incidents in and of
themselves; more precisely:

“The Brits asked about the radios on the PBY, saying they were having
trouble with their patrol planes being able to contact home base.  The US
crew replied that they had been communicating with the Consolidated plant
in San Diego while on final approach to the Brit base.  The Brits did not
believe that, either.  So the next day they went up and observed comm with
SD again.

Based on my understanding of propagation (I've been Dxing and Contesting
for over 50 years), the radio technology at the time, and the indicated
flight parameters, I have to question whether these two events really
happened.   Again, I believe Wayne is accurately reporting what he read so
no disrespect to him at all.

Why would the PBY on a military mission be communicating with the
Consolidated plant in San Diego?   I've never read anything that indicated
the Consolidated plant in SD had this kind of communications capability.
 It would be more believable if they said they were communicating with a
military base in the United States, preferable along the East Coast.   But
remember, most USAAF bases in the United States also did not possess this
long range communications capability.   Recall the intercept stations used
to break the Japanese Code.   There were only a few of them able to hear
traffic from a distance close to that of San Diego to England (5000 nm) ,
and it was not always reliable.     Also, what was the altitude of the
plane on final approach when this communication was occurring?    I've not
looked at a PBY Flight manual,  but I would suspect it was 1000 to 1500
AGL.    That's pretty low to the ground to be talking to SD from England
with the antennas on the PBY.   Finally, on final approach, why would the
radio operator be on the air?   One would assume there is a before landing
checklist for the radio operator to adhere to, and I suspect being on the
air is not on that checklist.

The next day, the PBY crew does it again – on demand!   If this was at a
random time during the day, it again meant that the SD Plant had a world
class radio setup and was guarding select frequencies throughout the
interval in question.   Perhaps more believable if the PBY crew had a
normal “sked” with the SD Plant, but again... why? Again, that would
require a world class setup in SD and the ability to make the contact from
a low flying PBY over a distance of about 5000 nm.    Now, on the “next
day” the report does not state they did it again at low altitude on final
approach.   Still, even flying a few thousand feet AGL over the western
coast of England,  talking to SD would be a feat!    Remember the
challenges the PBYs had in the Pacific getting messages off from a range of
1000 nm and altitudes near 10,000 feet!

Are the events relayed by Wanye possible?  Certainly.   But when evaluating
historical evidence, one has to ask if they are “probable”.       I
maintain that while they are certainly “possible”, they are not “probable”.


I would love to see the text that Wayne had read.   While I think the
events are not probable,  I think it would be outstanding if they did in
fact occur as reported!

73 Mark K3MSB

On Fri, Nov 28, 2025 at 9:41 AM <releazer at earthlink.net> wrote:

> I don't know the type of radios involved but I read of the delivery of the
> first PBY to the British.  After they arrived in the UK the US crew was
> asked about the route they took.  They described it and the Brits thought
> they had to be lying.  Not only could no Brit aircraft have flown that
> route, but the engine cowlings were not covered in oil, so it could have
> not have been a flight that long.  The Brits asked about the radios on the
> PBY, saying they were having trouble with their patrol planes being able to
> contact home base.  The US crew replied that they had been communicating
> with the Consolidated plant in San Diego while on final approach to the
> Brit base.  The Brits did not believe that, either.  So the next day they
> went up and observed comm with SD again.
>
> Wayne
> WB5WSV
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