[Milsurplus] PU-18/A ???

[jcoward5452 at aol.com]

Keep on ramblin' man!
Jay

-----Original Message-----
From: wdonzelli at gmail.com
To: WA5CAB at cs.com
Cc: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Sun, 8 Oct 2006 3:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] PU-18/A ???

> On another subject, many people seem to think that sets like ASB-5, 
GP-7 and 
> GO-9 are unique. Meaning that for example GP-7 was the only one 
built. This 
> is probably a consequence of them all being the final production 
models, and 
> many never getting issued. The Navy, unlike the AAF, appears to have 
scrapped 
> most of its avionics with the airframes. Had they scrapped instead of 
> mothballed most of the fleet at the end of the war, the same thing 
would have 
> probably happened to shipboard sets. 
 
True, but I think it has more to do with the earlier models just being 
made in far less numbers. When it comes to the earlier Navy aircraft 
stuff, note that some of it does still exist, but mostly in the form 
of small items like control boxes, the stuff that survives simply due 
to ham packratness. The things that we know were made in larger 
numbers, like RUs before the -16s and GFs before the -10s have 
survived in reasonable quantities. 
 
ASB-5s are an anomaly - the sets seem to have been bought up by the 
surplus dealers in large numbers, and some of those dealers lasted 
until the end. I still have four complete* sets, plus a bunch of 
extras, that Compass still had when they finally went down. The first 
runs, ASB. ASB-1, and ASB-2, were made in tiny numbers - something 
like 30 total. The rest of the ASBs are around, with a big population 
spike in the -5s. 
 
* Complete meaning missing the receivers and antennas. The antennas 
did not survive well because nobody wanted them, some were converted 
into AN/APG-4 antennas, and I do not think they were procured with the 
sets. The receivers of the ASB-5 are always missing, I suspect, 
because they were taken back and rebuilt into the later version of the 
box, using lighthouse tubes. I have one of these later boxes tagged 
for ASB-5. I have never seen an old version ASB-5 receiver, using 
acorns, but I have for the ASB-3 and ASB-4. By the time the ASB-6 and 
-7 were out, the new version receivers were ready - the somewhat 
common 46ACJ. 
 
> But for example GP-7 was only the ninth order in a series of GP's 
(there was 
> a GP-6a). 
 
Keep in mind that the suffixed type numbers are mostly for larger 
field changes, so the GP-6a really was not a production version. With 
these larger field changes, it was normal for the Navy or contractor 
to provide a new dataplate, so often the stuff looks like it was made 
that way. Anyway, there is a GP-4a, as well. I think the big change is 
in the control box. 
 
Ramble, ramble. 
 
-- 
Will 
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