Adf?

[n421nj]

I can tune the adf freq in the cockpit and hear the identifier but where is the gauge that points towards the station?

[gulredrel]

There is no cockpit gauge, but you can use shift + 5 map.

Regards
Jens

[n421nj]

Why would there be a freq tuner in the cockpit and no gauge?

[Bomber_12th]

I assume you're referring to the Detrola receiver (BC-1206), as there is no ADF/radio directional finder in the P-47 - if there was, you'd see a directional finder loop antenna mounted on the outside, together with a few different pieces of equipment in the cockpit (like a directional finding gauge, antenna rotation and signal strength control panel, etc.). The Detrola radio is just a basic, general purpose receiver that picks up low-band frequencies. In the US during WWII, all of the control towers and beacons transmitted on low frequencies, but in England, and other Theatres of operation, VHF was adopted as the main/only source of communication. So while P-47's, P-51's, late model P-38's, P-63's, etc., were manufactured with the VHF SCR-522 receiver/transmitter radio set for use overseas, they still needed something to be able to receive the low frequencies when flying across the US, and that is where the Detrola receiver came into play. The Detrola unit only took a few minutes to install/remove, and could be plugged into the SCR-522 radio. It was actually designed so that the round portion that sticks out was small enough (3" diameter) to fit in a standard instrument panel gauge opening (though it was never fitted that way, at least in the fighters).

While still in the US, the Detrola was used for tower communications and with the navigation ranges across the US. The navigation ranges operated by transmitting beams from directional antennas along "airway" routes. If you were "on the beam" you'd hear a single steady tone. If you strayed too far off course in either direction you'd hear the Morse-Code of either D or M, and later either A or N, and you'd know which direction you'd have to change course back to.

The Detrola receiver was never a permanent piece of equipment. As soon as fighters like the P-47/P-51/P-38, etc., reached England or other Theatres of operation, the simple Detrola receivers were almost always removed, as there was no longer a use for them. The AN/ARA-8 Homing Adapter, which was used similarly to navigate by beams, later was used for navigation in the Pacific, and of course a lot of the CBI fighters were modified in the US, prior to going to the CBI, with radio compass/directional finder units (what would typically be described as ADF). Aircraft fitted with the SCR-274 radio set, which operated on three different levels of frequency band ranges, didn't need the Detrola receiver since they could already communicate on the lower frequencies while operating State-side.


Also, "Detrola" is usually just used as the common name for the radio type, but Detrola was actually the manufacturer name, and the unit itself falls under the type BC-1206 receiver. The Setchell Carlson company also built/provided BC-1206 receivers as well, and although they had different looks to them, they were interchangeable - during production, either type was used based on availability at any particular time. Once the fighters were overseas, I believe the Detrola/Setchell Carlson receivers were sent back to the US for re-use. There are still tons of them surviving in collections, museums and fitted to restored WWII fighters today.