[Milsurplus] DFing Myth?

[Hue Miller]

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Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] DFing Myth?


> I can't recall the source where I read this (possibly "The Wizard War" 
> <http://www.vectorsite.net/ttwiz.html>), but as I understand it, the 
> Allies concocted the whole DF on the LO myth as a disinformation 
> campaign to convince the German's that the British Navy was sinking 
> their U-boats by DF'ing the LO in their radio receiver, instead of by 
> locating them by radar. They went so far in this disinformation 
> campaign as to contract with Scott to build "LO shielded" morale 
> receivers for the troop ships.
> -Steve

I can not rule that out but it does seem to me that this went beyond
a disinformation campaign and was really universally believed. OR-
it was a super successful disinformation campaign.  Those Scotts
and Technical Radio LRR's were REALLY expensive radios. You can
see Scott's boasting about radiation-safe in old National Geographic
ads from 1942. Also the Navy has a large manual on equipment troubles
and modifications that lists the "safe" receivers. You wouldn't expect
any German eyes to have scrutinized this manual in WW2, but who
knows, maybe that list even reflects the pervasive effect of the disinfo
program.
I read that at start of WW2 "many English ships had simple regenerative
receivers onboard, which had to be replaced...."  If you look at one of the
1938-1940 U.K. wireless manuals you can see that some of these ship
receivers are really simple, like 2 tubes, and very much 1920s style. But
then, in the USA, the IP-501 was still in many ships. I have some docs
that indicate the Alaska Steamship Co. changed out their IP-501s in Dec.
1941, after Pearl, for SW-3's and Sargent 10's - both regens, but better.
Also, as for regens in US ships, i'd note that the RCA AR-8503/ USN 
RAZ and the Mackay 128 were regens that many freighters carried
throughout the war. Often this MF equipment operating in the 450 -
500 kHz (approx.) band was the ONLY 2-way radio installed. ( But
i am suspecting this only in the case of convoyed ships??? )  -Hue