PB4Y-1 Aerial Wires

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

Does anyone have an idea of the proper routing or placement of the aerial wires on the PB4Y-1 Liberator? There is a strong possibly this is the same as a B-24D. I believe there is a wire from each fin, but not sure where they lead to.

Also, I've seen some B-24D profiles that show what looks like an aerial wire, mounted on very short stand-offs on the underside, in-between the bomb bay. It looks to be about the length of one of the "garage doors." What is this and is it appropriate for the PB4Y-1?

Any assistance is appreciated!

Cheers,

Bill

[David H]

Hey Bill,

The Navy PB4Y-1 while not completely ignored, has not gotten the same amount of press as the B-24 or the "4 by 2". I DO have the Osprey book on Navy Liberator operations. Let me take a look at that and see if a cohesive pattern emerges. In the interim, Tommy Thomason would be a good person to ask. He just finished his latest Blogspot posting on F4U Corsair antenna installations.

i will try to get back to you soon.

david

[David H]

Blast....

I guess the only Osprey Book i had was "B-24 Liberator Units of the Pacific War", and it did have a few shots of 4 by 1s, burt the imagery wasn't clear enough to really see details of the antenna arrangement.

Sorry.

-d-

[Navy Bird]

Thanks, David. Just curious, do you have an idea of what the antenna arrangement on the B-24D was?

Cheers,

Bill

[brewerjerry]

Hi

it might be worthwile browsing this page

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/communication/us-navy-radio-gear-11509.html

or maybe posting the question here

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/communication/

cheers

jerry

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

Thanks for the information. It's all very helpful. Here is a summary of what I've learned:

B-24D ANTENNA SYSTEM

The Antenna system used on the B-24D consisted of six separate antennas, each with a specific purpose.

• The Command Antenna is a single wire which extends aft from alongside the top turret to the top of the left vertical stabilizer, attached to insulators on each end.
• The Liaison Fixed Antenna is a single wire which extends aft from alongside the top turret to the top of the right vertical stabilizer, attached to insulators on each end.
• The Radio Compass "Sense" Antenna is a "vertical whip type," mounted on top of the airplane at Station 5.1.
• The Marker Beacon Antenna is mounted underneath the plane below the catwalk on stand-off insulators. The lead-in is at Station 5.0.
• The Radio Compass Loop is mounted topside at Station 5.3 to 5.4.
• The Liaison "Trailing Antenna" is a single wire wound on an electrically operated reel located under the flight deck.

Thanks to some great photos provided by Tailspin Turtle which show the Command and Liaison wires, I think I now have what I need to properly model those antennae. Plus, I have a drawing which shows the Marker Beacon clearly, so I can estimate its length and stand-off distance.

However, I am still in need of knowing the length of the whip antenna - any ideas?

Cheers,

Bill