[Milsurplus] ?? re ARB + ZB-3

[Hue Miller]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Hanz" <AAF-Radio-1@cox.net>

>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.

Hmmm.....does this imply that an ARB + GF would be a "legit" installation?
( Even tho maybe this combination was never really seen? Oops- i just 
remembered: "Never say never". )

This would be an interesting option for me also, as the ARB is, i think,
much better suited for HF AM than the trf receiver RU.

> Might have been installed in the later aircraft, but the original 
> installation was RU/GF. 

Were there any installations that you know  of, of  ONLY ARB/ATB in
an aircraft?

> 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.  

Very excellent photos. It's always such a rare pleasure to see authoritative
photos of the radio gear in real setting.

> >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...

>  Not sure why they would have installed both an RU and ARB in the 
> same aircraft...command/liaison?  

Yes, that's absolutely it. One of the photos, i am pretty sure in a 
Squadron Signal picture book, catches the ARB / ATB to the left
of the radio op's position - on a shelf far away enuff that it's 
distinctly not part of the radio op equipment. The lowly radioman
got a couple of lowly RU's for his desk.  ( Actually, i have been
told by a couple users, one a Navy air vet, that the RU was a 
"pretty good" cw receiver. ) 
This just occurred to me, tho: the ARB has no dial lock that i'm
aware of. So on a long flight, would the radio man be called on
to check and correct its tuning? Not sure i would trust its tuning
to stay on 4495 for landing operations after a multi hour flight.
Hue