[Milsurplus] B-45 radios

[antqradio at juno.com]

Jack and Mike

Found the following on the B-45:
http://gra.midco.net/h2olily/Jet%20Bombers/B-45%20Tornado%20Bombnav.JPG
A BC-348 is in this photo, the mount to the right of it is interesting. 
I don't think it is for an ARC-21.

http://gra.midco.net/h2olily/Jet%20Bombers/RB-45C%20Tornado%20Photo%20Nav
2.JPG
Radio altimeter display and radio direction finding control panel and
display.  Don't recognize the other equipment.

http://gra.midco.net/h2olily/Jet%20Bombers/RB-45C%20Tornado%20Nav2.JPG
Another radio altimeter display is seen but again I don't recognize any
other equipment.

Regards,
Jim


On Thu, 15 Sep 2005 11:34:59 -0400 (EDT) Mike Morrow <kk5f at earthlink.net>
writes:
> Jack wrote:
> 
> >Anyone know what the radio fit was on the North American B-45 
> bomber?
> 
> That's an interesting question about the USAF's first jet bomber.
> 
> I would **conjecture** that radio gear was an AN/ARC-3, -36, or -49 
> VHF and a AN/ARC-8 [combo of AN/ARR-11 (BC-348) and AN/ART-13A], HF. 
>  I think it was too early for UHF...I don't think the ubiquitous 
> AN/ARC-27 UHF set was available then, nor do I think the USAF ever 
> used the US Navy's AN/ARC-1 VHF or AN/ARC-12 UHF sets.  AFAIK, the 
> only high-powered pilot-controlled HF radio set in the late 1940s 
> was the US Navy's AN/ARC-25 [combo of AN/ARR-15 and AN/ART-13], and 
> I doubt that the new USAF was installing these in their aircraft.  
> It seems most USAF aircraft of any decent size from that era, like 
> early B-36s, had one or more AN/ARC-8 sets.  The AN/ARC-8 survived 
> on some older USAF aircraft at least as late as 1970 (personal 
> observation).
> 
> I'd suspect that the AN/ARC-21 remote-controlled HF AM set made it 
> into some of the RB-45s before they were retired in the late 1950s.
> 
> >Spent some time at the Castle AFB museum today, and looking at
> >the B-45 there got me to wondering, given the time frame it 
> entered
> >service, did they design in a radio operator position and an 
> AN/ARC-8...
> 
> Can you see anything that looks like an HF antenna?  Every picture 
> I've seen of a B-45 was not clear enough to tell if there was some 
> obvious HF antenna installed.  The B-45 was capable of speeds above 
> 600 mph, so I think there would have had to be something quite 
> different from the traditional longwire.
> 
> The B-45s had a crew of four.  On the RB-45C, at least, there was a 
> crew position for a "co-pilot/radio operator."
> 
> The USAF Museum in Dayton, OH, has a B-45C, but apparently it is not 
> on display.
> 
> Maybe someone who can do better than just theorize will provide a 
> real answer.  It's too bad that *most* of those who write books 
> about, run web sites on, or do restorations of historic military 
> aircraft seem to have little interest in details of the original 
> radio gear.
> 
> Mike / KK5F
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