[Milsurplus] Older USAF airborne receivers?

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

Let me apologize in advance if my passing on this
compete thread offends anyone, but I decided that
the entire record of a previously private exchange
might prove interesting to the Milsurplus list.

I received the following info from a fellow who had
received my Milsurplus list posting.  He is not a member
of this list, but you can see that he gave me the okay
to post that exchanges to this list.

Mac - K2GKK/5
Oklahoma City
Capt, USAF (retired)
2 AF, 7 BW, 9 BS (H)
B-52F EWO, Crew E-55
1963-1966, ArcLight 1965


----Original Message Follows----

Hi Mac,

Believe it or not, I'm not a member of that list!  Your
post was forwarded to me by a friend of mine who is on it.

If you feel like posting it to the list, feel free to do so.

Tim


D C *Mac* Macdonald wrote:
>Hi, Tim.  As I said, it's a long time ago for me.
>I retired end of Feb 81.
>
>I think you should have sent your reply below
>to the entired MILSURPLUS list!
>
>73 - Mac, K2GKK/5
>Oklahoma City, OK
>
>
>----Original Message Follows----
>From: Tim <nightwatch01 at comcast.net>
>
>In the 1930s/1940s they tended to migrate from longwave/HF over
>to VHF around the 139/140MHz area, but then in the early 1950s
>they started migrating to the 225-400MHz UHF-AM band -- tactical aircraft 
>having UHF only, strategic aircraft having UHF in addition to
>their HF gear.
>
>In the 1960s as the gear got a little smaller, some newer model tactical 
>aircraft, or perhaps just certain versions of them, had HF
>as well as UHF, with HF being needed for nap of the earth comms.
>Of course, attack & ground support aircraft, including your standard
>UH-1 helo, had 30-50 or 30-75/79.975MHz 'Fox Mike' band capability
>for talking to the standard ground combat net radio circuits, with
>UHF-only aircraft needing a forward air control, airborne battlefield
>command control capsule, combat control team/ROMAD/TACP etc.
>to relay between the USAF aircraft & the troops on the ground,
>who often just had the PRC-77 type VHF low band 'Fox Mike' radio.
>
>I think the last modern fighter to initially come from the factory with 
>UHF-only were F-15s.  F-16s came with VHF Low Band, VHF
>High Band, and UHF radios, low band often used for comms with
>Army ground units, VHF high often used for their 'inter-plane' air/air
>channel, and UHF being used for secure comms (HAVE QUICK) as
>well as misc. non-secure stuff like ATC, bomb/gunnery range control,
>air refueling, etc.
>    F-16s designed for the NORAD interceptor mission had HF, and F-15s
>assigned to NORAD air-defense squadrons I think were upgraded with
>HF/SSB.  HF was removed if a unit lost the air defense interceptor
>mission to free up space/weight on the aircraft.
>
>Navy tactical aircraft (including helos) sometimes had HF for comms
>back to an aircraft carrier or airborne early warning plane that was
>beyond visual line of sight because the aircraft was flying so low to
>the deck, and newer helos of all branches were given HF for
>extended range comms when operating at low altitudes.  Reliable UHF
>secure SATCOM (using the 250-320MHz spectrum) has replaced a lot
>of HF traffic that non-supersonic aircraft once relied on.  Some of the
>aircraft have a control head & rack space for HF, but HF is only installed
>if the mission requires it as a primary or back-up mission comms system.
>
>There are plenty of spread-spectrum voice & data mode HF nets out there, 
>and the Army has designed a pretty sophisticated HF network
>for their helos, using ALE & narrowband digital voice & data.
>
>Getting back to B-52s, one of the reasons they got the radio upgrade
>was for the maritime patrol/mine-laying capability that they were given
>ordnance & tactics-wise in the 1980s.  It was easier to give them VHF
>capability for VHF Marine Band channels & be able to initially call a
>USCG cutter or Navy destroyer on Marine channel 16, 21 et al. than it
>was to set up a tactical calling/working channel with Navy surface assets
>on UHF (not to say those didn't exist, though), and that VHF capability
>came from a new radio set that actually delivered around 30-512 or
>520MHz AM/FM & secure modes.
>
>I am NOT anything close to an expert on B-52s, but I believe today's
>modern B-52 (alas, there are what, about 93 left in service in the
>USAF?) has, in terms of comms gear, a Miniature Receive Terminal
>for VLF SLFCS comms, 2 or 3 - 30MHz HF AM/SSB, 30-512MHz
>multi-mode clear/secure voice/data comms, a separate UHF transceiver for 
>the 'Giant Star' Air Force Satellite Communications Network (AFSATCOM) 
>record-mode system, and then occasional testing of
>other satellite-based communications systems, such as Iridium, Inmarsat,
>and military systems for near real-time target package updates, etc.
>
>It's hard to believe, but the USAF is still planning for B-52s to be
>operational in 2030 or 2040.  As you probably know, the first ones
>entered service OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO!
>
>Keep in mind I'm just operating from memory here at now 2AM my
>time, so please don't ever hold me verbatim to any of this, but I
>expect I'm passing you a fairly accurate situation report now.
>
>Tim, KA8VIR
>
>
>D C *Mac* Macdonald wrote:
>>I thought that ALL USAF aircraft had at least
>>one VHF transceiver aboard.  Maybe not.  I
>>didn't have any connection with either VHF
>>or UHF.  That was a pilot function, and on
>>occasions at a bombing range, that of the
>>bombardier.
>>
>>Too long ago.  Last time I was in a B-52
>>was 41 years ago!!!
>>
>>Mac
>>
>>
>>----Original Message Follows----
>>From: Tim <nightwatch01 at comcast.net>
>>To: D C *Mac* Macdonald <k2gkk at hotmail.com>
>>Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Older USAF airborne receivers?
>>Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:50:09 -0800
>>
>>Hi Mac,
>>
>>Are you very confident in your recollection that your B-52s had VHF
>>capability?
>>
>>  My understanding is that even in much of the 1980s, B-52s didn't
>>have VHF-AM radio transmitter/receivers used for air traffic control,
>>but had the HF plus two UHFs, with one being used for ATC-type
>>purposes & the other being used for EAM monitoring, air/air
>>intercom, etc.
>>
>>Messing with the CB'ers is still done (or at least was in the
>>1990s).  One interesting thing that aircraft with a major comms
>>capability & bored, devilish radio ops have occasionally done
>>is cross-linked one bit of ham spectrum (say, 40 meters) with
>>another (perhaps 20 meters)...
>>
>>  A modern B-52 has comm capability from 2 or 3MHz up
>>to about 520MHz with a variety of modes, plus receive capability for
>>VLF.
>>
>>Tim
>>
>>
>>D C *Mac* Macdonald wrote:
>>>On the B-52Fs on which I was aircrew (ECM)
>>>from 63-66, we had only the AN/ARC-65 HF set
>>>which was a modified-for-USB AN/ARC-21 if I
>>>remember correctly.  That was it other than
>>>VHF and UHF AM for Air Traffic Control and
>>>Command and Control purposes.
>>>
>>>Of course, I could receive from about 20 MHz
>>>up through about 10 GHz with my ECM gear
>>>but it certainly wasn't comm stuff.
>>>
>>>Now that statute of limitations has well run out,
>>>I confess to jamming 11 meters with a noise
>>>jammer.  I gave a few seconds of jamming and
>>>then off.  Great fun to hear the CBers jabbering
>>>about "where and what the source was!"
>>>
>>>Mac - K2GKK
>