[Milsurplus] No GO-9 On Display. Likely GO-2.

[Mike Morrow]

Meir,

I wasn't disputing the installation of the GO-9 on PBY-5 aircraft.  There's no doubt about that.

I was only calling attention to the very very remarkable existence of a much earlier GO-series set, which I believe is a now-unique 1935 Western Electric GO-2.  It's on that former 1942 PBY-5B which became a 1944 non-flying training exhibit, which became a cutaway exhibit at NMNA.  Apparently after that PBY-5B became a "training exhibit" its GO-9 got replaced with the earlier model of GO-*.  I did not mean to imply that any PBY-5 aircraft flew with a GO-2 instead of a GO-9.

The PBY-5A Pilots Handbook AN 01-5MA-1 dated 20 January 1945 is the document that Nick provides at:

  https://books.google.com/books?id=DxDDz5KSWdYC&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=%22pby%22+%22go-9%22&source=bl&ots=J-jt9r4Aa7&sig=-h53T5lahglfyCoaCBemsKWbfak&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwii6NatiJPVAhXD64MKHdt9CuYQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=%22pby%22%20%22go-9%22&f=false

On page 72 the following radio communications sets are listed:

-  One RU-19 and one GO-9 for the radio operator (long-range/liaison set)
-  One ARB for the radio operator
-  One ARB and one ATB for the pilots (intrasquadron/command set).

There is no mention of a second RU-19 set with its own two receivers.  Such a set (with likely one receiver) may have been provided in similar aircraft before the radio operator had a dedicated ARB.  It would not have been part of the GO-9 one-transmitter/RU-19 two-receiver liaison set installation.

All of the long range (liaison) service RU-series receiver systems RU-4, 5. 6. 10, 11, 12, 18, 19) normally used TWO nt-46048* receivers served by ONE junction box and ONE dynamotor unit in each system.

On what page of your 20 Jan 45 pilots' manual are two RU-19 systems (with four total receivers) described?  A single RU-19 set should normally have two CW-46048D receivers.  Those two receivers would not be properly considered to be two RU-19 sets.

Unrelated to all that...There is an interesting photo of the pilots' communications gear on page 6 of Nick's pilots' handbook.  It shows the ATB control box and the pilots' ARB control box plus tuning dial.  All just as expected.

But...also present is a nt-23087 or nt-23096 RU-* receiver control box plus nt-23012 tuning dial.  There is no description elsewhere of an RU-* receiver controlled by the pilot.  There should be none, unless it is an RU-* receiver dedicated to a ZB-* homing adapter.  Possibly it was considered adequately covered when the ZB-* was briefly mentioned...apparently soon to be replaced by an AN/ARR-2 'ZB' homing receiver

Mike / KK5F

-----Original Message-----
Mike and all,

I didn't give more than a cursory look at that transmitter in the cutaway display (I looked at it on my "smart"phone screen as I wasn't by my computer) and didn't notice the difference. 

I know that the GO-9 is paired with the double setup (including the double RU-19 junction box) of RU-19's, because it states so and is illustrated in clear photos in the PBY-5A flight manual, revised 20 January 1945 I'm looking at. The radio equipment listed and illustrated, not to mention components such as junction and control boxes, is as follows: command (intersquadron as the manual says) transmitter ATB,  command  receivers  2x ARB. Liaison transmitter GO-9, liaison receivers 2x RU-19. The manual also shows and lists an LM-10 frequency meter. The manual also notes that the ZA equipment was deleted from the equipment installation,  although it shows on the photos.

73, Meir WF2U/4

Sent from BlueMail 
On Jul 17, 2017, at 8:36 PM, Mike Morrow  wrote:
Meir wrote:

 You can see the radio compartment of a PBY-5 aircraft with the GO-9
 and a pair of RU-19 receivers here:
   http://tlbigley.com/Cutaway%20PBY/  

Meir,

The photos in that cutaway have intrigued me for several years.

The GO-series transmitter pictured is definitely NOT a GO-9...there's not a bit of doubt about that.  So...wbat is it???

There were only four makers of the GO-series:

Hygrade Sylvania
GO      1933

Western Electric
GO-1    1934
GO-2    1935

Westinghouse Electric
GO-3    1937
GO-7    1940
GO-8    1940
GO-9    1940
GO-9a   1944

General Electric
GO-4    1938
GO-5    1939
GO-6    1939

If the photos are enlarged and studied, the largest lettering is the manufacturer's name, which appears to be the stylized "Western Electric".  The cutaway likely has a 1935 GO-2 installed on a 1943 PBY-5B.

That's not so unlikely...the website explains that the aircraft was damaged in 1944 and subsequently turned into a non-flying training exhibit.  It would be very possible that older gear would wind up replacing a set that was currently needed for flying service.  The preservation of what is likely the only surviving GO-2 is a happy consequence.

For similar reasons, it is uncertain that the receiver system is actually the expected RU-19 system.  There would only be ONE RU-19 system with its TWO CW-46048D receivers.  Regardless, the liaison-service receivers RU-4 (1935) through RU-19 (1941) are visually and electrically essentially identical.

I've been wanting to make a trip to see this cutaway and try to verify what is really installed.  One thing is certain...there is no GO-9 there.  :-)

Mike / KK5F