[ARC5] [spam] Re: Looking for an RU-19 receiver connector.

[Michael Hanz]

As Hue mentioned,  the fifth picture from the top at 
https://aafradio.org/sidebar/PB4Y2_Line_Maintenance_Manual.html shows an 
ATB _and_ ARB in a PB4Y2.  Both the ATB and ARB tended to be installed 
remotely, so all you would see of it in an operating position photo 
would be the control boxes (all shown at 
https://aafradio.org/flightdeck/b29.htm )

The introductory article at https://aafradio.org/docs/atb-arb.html 
indicates that the purpose of the ATB/ARB pair was replacement for the 
RU/GF, so differentiating the latter as "the radioman's radio" might be 
a wee bit of a stretch as time went on.  In that  PB4Y2, the radioman's 
radio was the ART-13/RAX-1.  Of course, replacements don't get installed 
overnight.

- Mike  KC4TOS

On 11/26/2025 1:40 AM, Hubert Miller wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MARK DORNEY <mkdorney at aol.com>
> Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2024 5:51 PM
> To: Hubert Miller <Kargo_cult at msn.com>
>
>> The BC -348 I’ve seen in PBY radio position photos, along with the ARB receivers. What  I haven’t seen are photos of any ATB transmitter installed in a PBY, or any reference other than the Quantas airlines PBYs having the ATB installed. The pilots radio would have been set before flight, and the GF transmitter would work with the ARB receiver. The coil sets for the GF transmitter are also smaller than the sets for the RU receiver, while the ARB receiver is about the same size as the RU receiver, and does not require a whole bunch of different coils to operate on different frequencies like the RU receivers require. The ARB receiver was also very plentiful.
> I think the different radios and radio set ups were more than likely done due mostly to logistics. New or freshly refurbished PBYS were flown with temporary comms to whatever facility would fit out the planes en-mass for whatever mission/squadron they were destined to go to. A whole squadron would be fit with the same type of radios to simplify operations and logistics. Replacement aircraft would be fit more with what radios were on hand at any particular facility, with consideration given to the ability to operate on at least some common radio frequencies used by the USN.
>
> The move to VHF for the USN started happening really by the end of 1942 at the latest. The TBF/TBM Avenger did have a VHF ARC-1 transceiver installed for use as a pilots radio in addition to having an ART-13 and an ARB receiver ( with ZB Homing Adapter ). First combat use of the Avenger was at Midway in June, 1942.  The ARC-1 stayed in use with the USN at least into the early 1960’s
>
> Mark D.
> WW2RDO
> I have seen one photo of PBY innards with ARB - ATB. This was the pilot's "voice radio". The RU - GF was the radioman's radio, used
> only for CW liaison. I bought years ago an ATB from a former PBY pilot who had picked up the transmitter for, i guess, nostalgia. He
> took out the big keying relay, which i need to find and reinstall before i sell the thing. I have only seen the "pilot control box" for the
> ATB, which is narrower than the boxes in the photos Mark D. sent me.
> -Hue Miller