[Milsurplus] Subject: Re: RAX-1 Contract Information

[Hue Miller]

> The date you cite (1945) is problematic, and critical.  Is it AFTER the 
> cessation
> of hostilites?
>
> It is hard to imagine that DURING the war the Pacific islands hummed with 
> hundreds
> of beacon and broadcast band transmitters blithely broadcasting a homing 
> signal to
>friend and foe alike.  (Please excuse the alliteration.)
>
> I must be mis-interpreting your information.
>
> Mike / KK5F

No to latter - I did not cite a date for the publication. It is 1945, but I 
do not remember whether
from shortly before VJD or shortly after. If the latter case, we can surmise 
that the beacons
were not hastily erected - the trend was more to downsize. Also, I suggest 
that some beacons
could have been available on limited schedule, or as-needed basis, on call, 
and shut down
when radar detected incoming bogies.  Also, we know that broadcast stations 
on the MW
band carried regular day-long schedules, even the island AFRS stations. ( 
Mental blank
right now, but interesting - to me - topic.  ) ( Also to Hal ( ? correct 
first name ) Engstrom,
may he be in peace ).         I have seen station photos in olde Nat'l
Geographics, and area soldier newspapers printed the station schedules - I 
have a few
of those also. And we know that Pacific area Japanese planes also carried LF 
homing
receivers. ( Wish now I had bid on that one on Epay about 2 years back.  ) 
So no, I
wouldn't say all the smaller island beacons were blithely broadcasting 24 
hours a day,
but no doubt some stations were....
BTW, how often can we guess the LF band on the BC-348 was used? About as 
often
as the RAX LF receiver?
"Hundreds" is a little high. "Scores" would be more like it.
-Hue