Everyone seems to have missed the point about wireless communication in the 1930s. A wireless operator was needed because the main form of communication over any distance was by morse code.
The standard RAF TR9 HF voice radio introduced from the early 1930s had a ground to air range of about 35 miles and an air to air range of about 5 miles and was initially difficult to keep tuned in an aircraft without an operator (vibrations etc) until the introduction of a crystal version in 1937. It represented an improvement over previous equipment. On land the RAF managed to increase this for fighter control by the use of relay stations which was not possible at sea.
The RAF only began to introduce VHF voice radio in Oct 1939 (6 Spitfires) which proved an immediate success with ground to air ranges of up to 140 miles and air to air ranges of up to 100 miles at 10,000 feet being achieved. By May 1940 8 Fighter Command squadrons had been equipped increasing to 41 by the end of the year.
As for the homing beacons, the development timeline was as follows:-
Type 72 RN system - trial system in 1933;
Type 72X - introduced to service in early 1936 on a fitting that had to be at masthead
Type 72 DM - allowed radar equipment to be mounted above it. First installation Illustrious completed May 1940
In the US, the first experimental YE beacon was fitted in Saratoga in May 1938. Ranger didn't get her set until her 1941 refit.
The standard RAF TR9 HF voice radio introduced from the early 1930s had a ground to air range of about 35 miles and an air to air range of about 5 miles and was initially difficult to keep tuned in an aircraft without an operator (vibrations etc) until the introduction of a crystal version in 1937. It represented an improvement over previous equipment. On land the RAF managed to increase this for fighter control by the use of relay stations which was not possible at sea.
The RAF only began to introduce VHF voice radio in Oct 1939 (6 Spitfires) which proved an immediate success with ground to air ranges of up to 140 miles and air to air ranges of up to 100 miles at 10,000 feet being achieved. By May 1940 8 Fighter Command squadrons had been equipped increasing to 41 by the end of the year.
As for the homing beacons, the development timeline was as follows:-
Type 72 RN system - trial system in 1933;
Type 72X - introduced to service in early 1936 on a fitting that had to be at masthead
Type 72 DM - allowed radar equipment to be mounted above it. First installation Illustrious completed May 1940
In the US, the first experimental YE beacon was fitted in Saratoga in May 1938. Ranger didn't get her set until her 1941 refit.