Reel-out/in Wire Antennas (was: RE: [Milsurplus] VLF/ELF submarine comms)

[D C *Mac* Macdonald]

That reminds me of the story told by instructors at Undergraduate 
Navigator School at Harlingen AFB, TX about the wire antennas for 
the Loran A receivers on our T-29 training aircraft.  Apparently 
somebody forgot to reel the antenna in while still over the Gulf of 
Mexico.  Last minute panic roll-in went too far and the big weight 
at the end snapped off and went through the roof and each floor 
of a house in Brownsville, TX. 
 
73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 
Oklahoma City, OK 
(Class 62-16) 
 
 
 
> Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 19:16:11 -0700 
> From: gzook at yahoo.com 
> Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] VLF/ELF submarine comms 
> To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net; arc5 at ix.netcom.com 
> CC: 
> 
Speaking of TACAMO: 
 
It was being developed when I was working for Collins Radio at the 
"new" corporate headquarters here in Richardson, Texas (worked 
there right out of college from 1967 until 1969). At the time they 
were having problems with the "reeling in" of the miles long wire 
antenna. When that happened the operator had to take a hatchet 
and chop off the wire so that the aircraft could land. There are 
many miles of this wire at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico off 
shore from Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach, Florida. 
 
Collins had a 35 mm slide show for presentations to various 
organizations (including the military) which included one slide 
showing Heckel and Jeckel, the two cartoon crows, saying "duck, 
here comes that damn wire again." 
 
Glen, K9STH