[Milsurplus] ] BC-348Q

[Hue Miller]

Actually, the decision to add LF was made early in the war, if i'm not mistaken.
The pace of change kind of diminished its value. Any convoys the plane
flew over would be equiped with HF and VHF on escorts. Any solo  vessel
would have probably been an ammunition ship, also equiped with HF. Perhaps
the original thinking was to assist in listening for 600 meter distress calls, altho
i'm not sure the number of shipping losses had escalated already. A 500 kHz
transmitter would allow rebroadcast of the distress call, plus offering a homing
signal like the way the Navy used their LF aircraft radio. ( For example,
the plane that discovered the Indianapolis survivors provided a homing signal;
and when it returned to base, this task was taken over by a later arriving PBY. )
Also the designers had to consider that some   "overseas" ground DF stations,
QTE providers, especially in colonial areas ( North Africa, for example) may 
have had only LF receive and transmit.  Compared to this use, the actual
over-water flight time was a minor consideration. IMO. -Hue Miller