[Milsurplus] ?? re ARB + ZB-3

[Mike Hanz]

Hue Miller wrote:

>I would appreciate comments on whether a ZB-3 navigation adapter
>would be a realistic match to the ARB receiver. 
>

Dunno why not.  In the 1 Oct 1942 Radio and Sound Bulletin, the ARB is 
touted as mocking up into the same space as the RU, and is mentioned as 
a direct replacement for it, including the ZB being mounted on top.  The 
ATB is a bit of a stretch sizewise to replace the GF, though.

>I am contemplating
>completing a setup of ARB, ZB-3, and ATB. It may be the navig
>adapter never really was matched with the ARB, even tho it can
>fasten on top the ARB. From somewhere i got the idea that the
>ARB/ATB was used in the Kingfisher ( SOC2 ? )  but i've never
>seen any photo demonstrating that. That would be a "potential"
>realistic matchup, i am thinking. 
>

Might have been installed in the later aircraft, but the original 
installation was RU/GF.  I put some pictures I took of the NASM OS2U 
radio setup at  http://members.cox.net/aaf-radio-1/OS2U.html for those 
interested.  Unfortunately, they had to hoist it up above the Enola Gay 
before I could get around to correcting the antenna wiring, so please 
disregard that aspect for now.  :-(    The ZB can be seen on top of the 
RU in that aircraft.

>The other, more common ( i think,
>anyway) role for the ARB/ATB, as voice HF radio in the PBYs,
>of course did not have the navig adaptor parked on the ARB. IF
>it was used, i suppose it would have been parked on one of the
>radioman's RU's. Anyway...speculating...
>

I don't know where it would have been parked in the PBY, but in the 
PB4Y2, it had been replaced by the ARR-2.  They used the ARB/ATB as the 
low power "command" set, with the ATC and RAX-1 triplets as the liaison 
set.  Not sure why they would have installed both an RU and ARB in the 
same aircraft...command/liaison?  Anyway, the ZB was used by most 
aircraft in the Pacific, even on the AAF planes (go to 
http://members.cox.net/aaf-radio-2/RHAntennas.htm and you can see the 
ZB/ARR-1 antenna on the B-29), so to my way of thinking it's an 
appropriate match for the ARB.

73,
Mike