Specific YE-ZB Instructions
Operation: This is a simulation of a classified WW2 Navy Navigation system called the YE-ZB system. Three carriers are simulated. The Hornet, the Yorktown, and the Stennis. The Stennis is not Period authentic, but it is part of the stock FS9 scenery, if you don't want to use the "Battle of Midway" add-on scenery package.
This simulation adds the Midway Battle Group some 200 NM north of Midway Island. It is a ficticious location selected by the authors of the excellent Midway Island Battle Scenery which is available from flightsim.com as "uss_mdwy.zip". I cannot find the authors to give them credit. The USS Hornet and the USS Yorktown have the YE navigation system installed (as part of the YE-ZB gauge). Another carrier, the USS Stennis (CVN-74) which is near San Francisco is also operational if you don't want to download the Battle Group scenery. It wouldn't be a problem to add other carriers, or land based YE transmitters if you contact the author (see below). There is a gauge that has to be added to the F4F (or any aircraft) to turn on and tune in the YE transmitter. It is called ZB. Instructions on how to do that are included. Finally, carrier operations are a lot more fun if you do tail-hook capture on landings. The author of software to implement that is Richard Hogen. His software is available at flightsim.com as "arrcab26.zip" It is not Scenery, and it is not required.
The concept is similar to the US Radio Range navigation system. It has 12 fixed beams, 30 degrees apart, rather than 4 "adjustable" beams, and it works in the UHF rather than the MF band. The transmitter doesn't just use "N" and "A", but uses Morse Code to identify which beam "direction" is being received. In the real system, the Code was changed daily, but in this simulation it is fixed.
A disk was handed to each pilot/navigator with the code of the day set on it. The beams are not "continuous", but repeat every 30 seconds for about 2 seconds.
Operations are simple enough. You need to be within line of sight of the carrier for the signal to be heard. (Seems strange when you think about it. You need a navigation system to find a carrier that is within line of sight. But when you realize that at 20,000 ft, the line of sight to the carrier is over 200 NM, you know that even without clouds or haze you can't see a tiny carrier at that distance. Just tune in the UHF signal, confirm that you are hearing the Hornet or another Carrier, (by listening for the Station ID which is different for each nearby carrier, and is broadcast every 5 minutes) and based on what beam code you hear from them, you will know what direction to fly to reach the tuned in Carrier. Don't forget to include the Magnetic Variation to stay on the beam, which is based on a true direction. Also, don't forget that if the code you receive from YE is an "A", the carrier is to your south (not north), so you need to fly the "reciprical" of the direction of the beam to approach the Carrier. When you overfly the Carrier the beam will switch from (in this case) an "A" to an "M" so you know you have arrived. (or more precisely, you just passed it by).
The ZB receiver control box is shown below. The volume control is "off" by default, and turning it clockwise will increase the volume of the received signal. The aircraft Carrier selector offers a choice of 5 carriers on different UHF transmit frequencies, as follows:
Num | Title | RWY | Location | ID |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | USS Hornet | RWY 0 | North of Midway Island | ID = OJ |
2 | USS Yorktown | RWY 0 | North of Midway Island | ID = BP |
3 | USS Stennis | RWY 7 | West of San Francisco | ID = BZ |
4 | Charleston WV | Test Site | ID = CY | |
5 | Danville KY | Test Site | ID = XO | |
I can change the names and locations of the aircraft carriers or test sites, but Not the ID's. Selection of the proper crystals for changing the YE-ZB frequencies is automatic.
Another system, not directly related to YE-ZB navigation, is the arrester gear simulator. You can activate the tail hook on some aircraft and have it land on a carrier, for the successful completion of a navigation mission. Omitting it will not harm the YE-ZB simulation.
In the cockpit, the YE-ZB received signal strength display is a needle indicating the relative strength of the beam due to being "off beam center". The sidelobes are down 40 db, the beam center is down 0 db, and the beam signal is down 10 db when the plane is exactly half way between two adjacent beams. This display is "after" the rf automatic gain control that sets the receiver front end gain. The needle will show active received signals regardless of the volume control setting.
To hear the YE-ZB signal, the volume must be turned up, the frequency selected, and the receiver must be within line of sight of the Selected Aircraft Carrier. Power must be available to the Avionics on the Receiving Aircraft to see the needle move, or hear the Morse code Beam and ID letters. When the volume control is turned all the way down, the power to the receiver is turned off. You may see a delay of up to 30 seconds after turning the receiver "on" before you hear the YE signal. This is because the transmitter doesn't transmit in your direction continually. You will hear only a few seconds every thirty seconds.
The default carrier frequency is the USS Hornet on "1". Each YE-ZB tranmitter is on a different frequency with a different but fixed ID code. To change frequencies, click on the displayed carrier number using the mapping above. As in real life, if the transmitters are closer than about 3 NM of each other, the system will not work correctly and all the codes will "blend together". Likewise if the Aircraft is within a few miles of the Transmitter, the codes will "blend together".
For flight planning, the following table is useful: Aircraft Alt (Ft) YE-ZB Max Range (NM) 1000 45 2000 65 4000 85 8000 120 16000 165 24000 185
Use caution measuring elapsed time since FS9 sometimes "jumps" Zulu time, and frequently "jumps" the local time as the plane moves from one time zone to another.
This work is entirely freeware, Limited Distribution. Do not use it to make money. The author assumes no responsibility for any problems it causes to your computer. FS9 Only!
For questions, please contact
Dave Bitzer
bitzer7@comcast.net
November 2011