[Milsurplus] AN/ARC-8(?) (ART-13B + ARR-15)

[holden]

I have been enthusiastically following this thread for some time now. I would
normally not have anything to contribute to it as I have little knowledge about
WW2 AC communications, but had to interject something about HF comms from
aircraft.

I was a Navy CW op in the late 60s at NavCommsta Greece (NGR). We took a
departure message regularly from what we presume was one of the few remaining
C47s or something, a plane which took off from NAF Naples, on 8578Khz CW. This
was an internationally guarded Navy CW frequency, used mainly by USNS and
commercial govt contract ships, but also by regular Navy ships occasionally.
This AC was the only one from which we took such traffic, and only once or
twice a month.

Being young at the time,  and more interested in the sights on the beach than
historical items, none of the ops ever questioned this seeming anomaly in AC
communications, much less wondered what equipment they used, we just took his
traffic whenever it came along. They used their Tail number as a callsign,
Nxxxxx. Thinkg about it, it was probably some overenthusiastic or nostalgic
radio op using what was still authorized, even though few if any AC did
anymore.

Howie WB2AWQ

Kargokult@aol.com wrote:

> mmorrow@companet.net wirelessed:
>
>  Kargokult@aol.com wrote:
>
>  >>  Was this still being used, or just left in place? I cannot imagine
>  >  the USAF using either HF AM or cw at that date.
>
> > Nor could I at the time!  I was interested in WWII aircraft sets even
>  back than, so I asked the pilots if they used it.  They said they didn't
>  know anything about it.  They just used the AN/ARC-27.
>
>  Actually, HF was tending to fade away in military use even in WW2.
> Navy planes in combat operations used VHF. The HF, as far as i can
> tell, was  only used for contact reports and progress reports from
> far ranging patrol and  scout planes.
>
>
>