F-86L radar/SAGE GCI Sabre and the A.R.C. Type R-22 broadcast band receiver

[yahya]

While reading the F-86L flight manual from 1960 I noticed the peculiar R-22 broadcast band receiver among its avionics. However, it seems that the R-22 was likely disappeared from the Sabre Dogs after 1961.

A small research revealed that the receiver was made by the Aircraft Radio Corporation of Boonton, NJ, and that it covered the 0.55 to 1.5 MHz AM broadcast band, which by the way covered the NDBs band. The tuning was achieved through a small crank on the control head. Obviously, the setup could not be used as an ADF.

I wonder what was the purpose of installing the R-22 in Sabre Dogs? The A-N Low Frequency navigation beacons operated in the 200 to 400 kHz band (in some cases up to 560 kHz), so the R-22 would be useless. Do I get it right that the R-22 was installed 'just in case' for the WW III SHTF scenarios if eg. Soviet bombers nuked Alaska or the continental US, and rendered the earth ATC stations and the SAGE GCI stations void, so that the Sabre Dog pilot could learn about the situation from commercial broadcast stations rather than use the R-22 for in-flight entertainment?

I also wonder if any other US interceptors of that vintage used the R-22 as well.

Any comments are welcome.

 

[P-STICKNEY]

That frequency range is allocated to US Commercial Voice Radio. Maybe someone had the idea that CONELRAD could be used to pass along information in the case of failure or destruction of the UHF link. Note that the description in the manual is "Monitoring Broadcast Band".

 

[yahya]

Yes, you're right. The CONELRAD broadcast monitoring seems to be the only rationale. Notably, the R-22 disappeared from the 1961 F-86L manual, hence I assume that the maximum time span that the R-22 was used on that bird took place between 1959 and early 1961.

I wonder if any other US jet of that vintage also used the R-22.

 

[P-STICKNEY]

Yes, you're right. The CONELRAD broadcast monitoring seems to be the only rationale. Notably, the R-22 disappeared from the 1961 F-86L manual, hence I assume that the maximum time span that the R-22 was used on that bird took place between 1959 and early 1961.

I wonder if any other US jet of that vintage also used the R-22.

I just checked thought my manual sets - the AN/ARN-6 Radio Compass Receiver covers the same frequency range and will feed into the airplane's audio loop. The F-89 and F-94 had the ARN-6as well as the F-86D. - Pretty much standard equipment.
The F-101 and F-102 from that period didn't have any AM band comms gear, as far as I can tell.

 

[yahya]

Yes, you're right about the LF/MF frequency coverage of the AN/ARN-6. It was actually pretty standard on US jets for over two decades.

The F-86L avionics did not include the ADF but VOR, with an addition of the ILS in the later mods. It seems that the AN/ARN-21 TACAN eventually became the standard nav equipment on it as well as many other jets.

I've just checked in my old files. The F-102B F-101B Voodoo, which was used as an interim SAGE GCI interceptor, did use the AN/ARN-59A ADF under a mod, making the R-22 redundant. The F-101A had the ADF, too, except the RF-101A, which surprisingly used the VOR/ILS/TACAN only plus the standard AN/ASN-6 and AN/ASN-7 nav computers on this type.

 

[TomcatViP]

@yahya : Probably a typo but

F-101B Voodoo

F-102B Delta Dagger:

 

[yahya]

Right. I meant the F-101B Voodoo interim SAGE GCI interceptor with the AN/ARR-44 SAGE data link receiver.

The F-102A was a full-fledged SAGE GCI interceptor with the AN/ARR-44 or AN/ARR-60 SAGE data link receivers.