[Milsurplus] Ya got ur BC-348 in a Martin flying boat

[Marty Reynolds]

...to the tune of "dead skunk in the middle of the road"

Met a really neat man at Charlotte AWA Friday 'n Saturday.  80 yr old,
full of vigor & smiles, back in business after 10 yr.s off, and a ham
since '46.  John something.

Sed he served late '44 thru 7/45 as a 17-yr-old radio op in a PBM Mariner
in Pacific.  The one with gull wings that looked newer than PBY but
wasn't.  It had an ART-13 & a BC-348.

Not a misprint.

Sed he got a ham ticket on discharge & his 1st rx was same as svc. rx.  A
BC-348.

Told a lot about PBM which was never an amphibian.  IE, had to have a
wheeled dolly tucked under to pull up ramp - a job for the "ordinance men"
& not the scrawny radio op.

I got a book on the PBYs that shows about all with loop DF antennas.
Except a real late one that has a 'football.'  Oh boy, say I, a DZ
install.  Nope, next page shows a SCR-269.  No kiddin.

Green machines were leaking into the Navy everywhere in '45.  Like SCR-608s
on LSTs, BC-1000s to gyrenes, etc.

But PBY book did show ASB yagis in lotsa fotos.  Another book, "Black Cats
of Pacific" sed 2 PBY4a amphibians fresh from San Diego came in right after
the Midway 30 were launched to find incoming JA force.  This pair went
out cold & found the supply & personell convoy apparrently right
away & scored several hits on big ships with just-loaded bombs.  This
was 6/42 & maybe 1st ever airborn radar 'win.'  Take note aw288.

I think I wrote that once

   Marty

PS... military electronics div'n of judged entrants was W2CQH's TS-35
      bouncing 9gig x-band off far wall to TS-148 in next space

      Should have had a tag, "danger, klystrons in use"