Antena wire on a Spit Vb?

[Ian M]

Any one of you chaps know where the antena wire on a Mk Vb went to and from.

Tamiya have no sign of it on the instructions. I know there was one. On the IXC it went from the tips of the tailplanes wings and entered the fusalage somewhere under the top ID light.

Anyone more familliar with wingie things please feel free to jump in and come to the rescue.

Ian M

[stona]

You need to check references for your aircraft. The "cheesecutter" wire from horizontal stabilisers to fuselage were for the IFF system (identification friend or foe) and I don't have dates for their use to hand,I'll try and find them. The wire from fin to mast was for the HF radio. This was replaced quite early (again I don't have dates to hand) by a VHF system for which the aerial was in the mast. Some masts still had the triangular insulator on top despite the lack of a wire.

If noone else chips in I'll try to clarify some dates for you.

Incidentally that top light was also deleted by an official mod. Again date to follow...if I can find it!

Cheers

Steve

O.K. You are doing a Vb so you should not have an antenna running from fin to mast. This was discontinued when the TR9 HF radio was superceded by a VHF system in 1940. This change upset the pilots as they could no longer receive the BBC! The MkII IFF was still an HF system so the cheesecutter wires appeared in Dec 1940 and were used until the MkIII IFF system was introduced in 1943. This used a different system and had the rod antenna under the wing. I can't be sure of an exact date for it's introduction but Mod801 of 13/3/43 seems to be the one that stipulates the introduction of the IFF MkIII.

Still working on the light.

Steve

Back again! That upward facing light was first mentioned for deletion in Mod886 of February 1943 but I can't find an order for the implementation of this. I'd say you can do what you like with it!

Steve

[Ian M]

Thanks Steve. I sat on google for ages and seached the picture galleries, LOADS of models, not so many good photos of the real thing.

I found it very amussing that even a single mk, could be so different. I got to the point where I didn't know what to belive, so I sort of gave up.

A quick look it the instructions tells me that it did have the VHF fitted so no BBC in my spit!

Enough of this. I am calling this one done. Just need to do a base for it but thats a way off yet.

Further pictures are comming in the PLANES section very soon.

Ian M