[Milsurplus] L.O. radiation

[jmfranke]

The program name was Black Crow and homed in on VHF emissions from the spark 
plugs in Soviet built Zil trucks.  The detectors were installed in AC-130 
gunships for subsequent handoff to interdiction/strike aircraft.  Was also 
used to locate gasoline engine driven generators used at ground radar sites 
that had shut down to standby due to the presence of countermeasures.

Reference: The International Countermeasures Handbook 1977-1978, Third 
Edition, page 90.

John  WA4WDL, an old crow for over twenty five years, last aircrewman on 
E-1B and one of many on E-2B aircraft.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ben Dover" <quixote2 at ix.netcom.com>
To: "Albert LaFrance" <lafrance at att.net>; <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, February 13, 2006 11:25 PM
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] L.O. radiation


> Related...
>
> I keep hearing stories about "Spookies" (gunships) during Vietnam
> D/F ing truck ignition systems on the Ho Chi Minh Trail to make
> night attacks...  they'd be boogying along and suddenly "Puff the
> Magic Dragon" shows up!
>
> Tom, W9LBB
>
>
> At 08:07 PM 2/13/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>>I just came across this ad in a 1943 issue of the "Proceedings of the
> I.R.E." (Institute of Radio
>>Engineers) and thought it might be relevant to the topic:
>>http://coldwar-c4i.net/Other/ProcIRE-43-Aug-8A1.html
>>
>>Albert LaFrance
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "J. Forster" <jfor at quik.com>
>>To: "Richard Brunner" <rbrunner at gis.net>
>>Cc: <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
>>Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 8:03 PM
>>Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] L.O. radiation
>>
>>
>>> This afternoon, I had a chance to chat with a ex-Navy Airborne Radar
> Tech who
>>> trained for the Pacific theater, but the war ended just as he was about
> to ship
>>> out, and I asked him about the LO business.
>>>
>>> He confirmed that airplanes were electrically noisy, especially the
> engines and
>>> magnetos, despite the shielding. He was also unaware of any real effort
> to DF
>>> ships by their LO emissions, but commented that the Germans and Japanese
> were
>>> VERY good at DFing clandestine transmitters (coast watchers, for 
>>> example).
>>>
>>> His opinion is that the LO DFing is largely a myth to cover up the
> cracking of
>>> Enigma and Purple Ciphers and also microwave radar. (He was trained on X
> band
>>> search radars), Also, until about 1943, subs had to surface to recharge
> their
>>> batteries and made good radar targets. X band was important because the
> Germans
>>> had no X band warning receivers, so the airplanes could sneak up on 
>>> them.
>>>
>>> -John
>>
>>
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>
>
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