"FI-FI" Calling! Last Flying B-29 now ham operational

[Jeff K1NSS]

AMer and aviation buffs may already know, but just to pass it on, the last flying B-29 Superfortress AKA "FIFI" is now operational on the ham bands. Her "Smith-Irwin Memorial Radio Position" renovated by Rockwell Collins ARC hams was dedicated June 30th in Addison TX at FIFI's Commermorative Air Force home base.

Lots more info, history, pictures,links and continuing updates can be found at http://www.6sj7.com/B29%20Pages/indexB29.html. I've been helping Lawrence Robinson, Curator of the Rockwell Collins Museum create and edit these pages -- parked on one of my domains for my easy access and to be moved sooner than later to the RC ARC site.

Recently at the Reading PA airshow, under the wing of a family B-29 vet whose story is included on the site, I was graciously invited aboard for a little radio seat time (off air), shown here happy as a six year old plopped down in a fire engine.

It's been a privilege and a thrill as the team's "Graphics Grunt," especially since becoming a Collins engineer was one of my later childhood fantasies, up there with cowboy, astronaut and Robin Hood's right hand man or something equally realistic, given my erratic grades and attention span. I think I may have paid a little more attention if I understood then just how cool was the genius of Art Collins and company and all the balls-out American technical romance of which the S-Line was only the iceberg tip.

BTW, waiting on pictures from Addison dedication, will post on the FIFI pages when I get 'em. Wondering if anybody up here heard anything - most action on 40 meters, I think maybe a little on 20. I couldn't listen Saturday, because of an attendance not optional family function.

6312

[PA5COR]

Thanks for sharing, good to see the old girl and the restored radio though...
Respect!

[K7SGJ]

Tnx for the post Jeff. That right there are two of my favorie things. Old radios and old planes. When I was CE at a local radio station, I got to engineer a live remote and fly around the city in Sentimental Journey (B-17). What a hoot.

FIFI reminds me of the B-29 that a bunch of guys tried to save, and ended up losing to an APU fire. I saw it on Nova, as I recall. A real pisser, to say the least.

I have a Collins AN/ARR15 receiver out back, that used to fly in the 29s.

[N2CHX]

Neato!

[w2amr]

:-DNow that looks like fun.

[KG4CGC]

♪ Are all those your knobs? ♫

[Jeff K1NSS]

You're welcomes, yep neato, fun and simmer down, sailor! Speaking of hot stuff, heard that FIFI's cabin temp on the ground yesterday was about 110 or above while they were operating at the ceremonies, which is some kind of extreme ham radio. K7SGJ, that's one exciting remote! At my old 5KW AM powerhouse, the Chief didn't get out much, confining himself to sometimes, er "sleeping: on the transmitter room floor, I think to scare the morning man when he arrived to open up. Funny guy, smoked a million Salems, about 40-50 grand in my office, a ham from way back and mushroom expert and yep those kind too.

[K7SGJ]

You're welcomes, yep neato, fun and simmer down, sailor! Speaking of hot stuff, heard that FIFI's cabin temp on the ground yesterday was about 110 or above while they were operating at the ceremonies, which is some kind of extreme ham radio. K7SGJ, that's one exciting remote! At my old 5KW AM powerhouse, the Chief didn't get out much, confining himself to sometimes, er "sleeping: on the transmitter room floor, I think to scare the morning man when he arrived to open up. Funny guy, smoked a million Salems, about 40-50 grand in my office, a ham from way back and mushroom expert and yep those kind too.

It's the RF.

[Jeff K1NSS]

It's the RF.

Indeed. No one gets out of radio unburned.

[W3WN]

Interestingly enough, there was a report at the end of the 6 PM news that a B-17 is down at County Airport, through this weekend. Rides to the public will be available for a small fee.

You may have heard of it before. Memphis Belle.


(and before anyone asks, I suspect it's actually one of the B-17's that were changed into the Belle for the movie, not the original. From what I learned of her history, the original Belle isn't in the best of shape, but is being restored by the Air Force)

[N7YA]

Two things....Yes, i want to work them and get a card...and YES, i damn well want to take a ride in one!

[Jeff K1NSS]

6493

New URL for Rockwell Collins ARC B-29 Restoration Project, www.b29radio.com (http://www.b29radio.com).

BTW, FIFI will be calling on Cedar Rapids tomorrow 7/18 and Oshkosh this Saturday. Click this Collins Collectors Assoc (http://www.collinsradio.org/?page_id=1439) page for latest operations details and important tips for making a contact. Also check our Latest News (http://www.b29radio.com/LATEST%20NEWS.html) for addtiional coverage, we link to the CCA FIFI update page too. It's my understanding that FIFI QSL cards are in the works. Looks like primarily 40m AM, using ground Net Control "Bulldog"station feeding "FIFI" contacts, a la DX nets. Guess iginition noise from a bit of horsepower is still a bear inside the aircraft and they need help hearing. Some of us classics have that problem too. Happy Hunting!

[NQ6U]

Hey, Jeff, I just got the August issue of QST—there's a nice piece about Fifi on page 20.

[N7YA]

Saw that too, and ill be listening...i have nothing to do and that would be a nice birthday present to myself. :)

[Jeff K1NSS]

Hey, Jeff, I just got the August issue of QST—there's a nice piece about Fifi on page 20.

TNX for the tip! They used to sell QST at the local Barnes & Noble, but all I remember lately is CQ.

[Jeff K1NSS]

Hey guys,

Here's the latest I have:


FIFI flies July 18, 2012 from Addison, Texas to Cedar Rapids, IA Take off estimated 9:30 AM (1430 UTC) with enroute time of estimated 3 hours.


Contacts will be made DX Net style -- read operator notes at the Collins Collectors Association (http://www.collinsradio.org/?page_id=1439) "FIFI" page.


Listen for N0A/B29 from 9:30 AM CDT to 1 PM around 7200-7205 kHz +/- and also listen for the FIFI'S GROUND NET CONTROL STATIONS:


K0CXX Bill
KE1RR Scott
N9PY Torrey

[Jeff K1NSS]

Saw that too, and ill be listening...i have nothing to do and that would be a nice birthday present to myself. :)

HB OM, happy hunting too.

[Jeff K1NSS]

Now listening on SDR online receiver
http://W4AX.com/ out of Atlanta...very weak signal fading in and out at 7205 but can't ID http://W4AX.com/

[Jeff K1NSS]

1135 EST July 18 GOT IT! HEARD FIFI briefly on 7205 with SDR online radio out of Atlanta...weak/QSB...continuing to monitor http://W4AX.com/ fades up and out

[N7YA]

HB OM, happy hunting too.

I overslept like an asshole. :(

[Jeff K1NSS]

Ya didn' miss much. Beyond my intial fleeting intercept, only words here and there faded up on the Atlanta based SDR online receiver. I assumed if I couldn't hear it on a fancy receiver kinda sorta midwestish, I'd hear nothing up here on my econobox Icom or untweaked Drake 2B in greater Nome. Got a phone call late afternoon from KC0ODK in Cedar Rapids saying that all was well, festivities were festive and he managed to work FIFI from his car just as they were making their approach. Word is that its FIFI's BC-348 has a hard time with the ignition noise, so there's still work to be done. I suggest a Faraday cage around the radio position, but that's why I draw the pictures and may explain my driving my site host to drink with my monkeying with the new doman DNS redirect config. I hate that stuff. Ah well, all fixed tnx to good old Scott KA9FOX at QTH.com. Jeeze though, where do you start with noise suppression on 72 cylinders worth of 8800 horsepower? And what did they do back in the day? Questions for the team. Note: Note those numbers will be different than wartime specs. FIFI's current engines need not be so maxed as the originals, given her lack of bomb load, so I hear.