William Hughes wrote:

On 18 Sep 2003 21:20:20 GMT, in rec.aviation.military (B2431)
wrote:

On C-130s painted in camoflauge they used to leave a panel bare on each side of
the vertical stab. There was a circle in the middle that was painted. What was
the purpose of doing this?

That circle in the middle isn't paint, it's - for lack of a better term - glue.
Actually, a combination of adhesive and waterproofing. There is a longwire VHF
antenna that runs from there to the spine just behind the flight deck.

TSg Bill
7 ACCS (EC-130B) '75-'79

Much more likely it's an HF (High Frequency) antenna.

VHF doesn't use 'long wire antennas'
--

-Gord.