I don't know about the B-29 claim - but I used to do it with APS-42 radar
scans (didn't do any tuning, just giggled when the radar scan lit up rooms
at the sweep rate of the antenna in the offices next door - it was a good
first check to see if the magnetron  was magnetroning out the dish).

Neon peanut bulbs were around long before the '60s.  Neon lights are shown
in lots of film noir (pre-40's), art paintings from the 30s-40s, and
advertising.  Finally, Nikola Tesla invented the flourescent light bulb and
he died in 1943.

Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Forde <farmerpentium@CWCOM.NET>
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Date: Monday, November 29, 1999 10:31 AM
Subject: Re: [OT] Interactive Laser/Neon Light?


On Mon, 29 Nov 1999 12:08:50 -0800, you wrote:

>The radio operator on World War II B-29 bombers tuned their AN/ART-13
>HF transmitters with a fluorescent tube or a neon bulb tied near the
>antenna lead.
>
> - Nick -

I don't believe this - they didn't have fluorescent tubes until the
early 1960's !

Peter