[Milsurplus] PBY Radios

[Michael Tauson]

On Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 2:20 PM, Mike Morrow <kk5f at earthlink.net> wrote:

> This would suggest that sometimes the USN purposefully used the USAAF BC-348
> in USN-designed aircraft, even though USN receivers existed which would normally
> have been expected to accompany the ATC.  In this case that BC-348 would not be
> a legacy of earlier USAAF ownership, but a component selected by the USN for
> some USN aircraft.  Interesting...I've not heard of such installations before.
> It would seem to complicate logistics and personnel training.

Well, yeah, it would but if the end result was worth the aggrevation
it's not out of line.  The Navy's service introduction to the BC-348
probably came from reassigned USAAF aircraft as might have some of the
original receivers that wound up in PBYs and PB2Ys.  As a result of
the USAAF transplants, they would already have some expertise and
logistics train in place so the complication wouldn't have been as bad
as it would have been had they started cold.

On the other hand, even as a Navy Loyalist I have to wonder why the
Navy didn't already have their own version of the BC-348 in place.
It's not like they didn't know about it when it was first developed
... although their own "not made here" pride might have gotten in the
way.

Best regards,

Michael, WH7HG