Military Collector Group Post, Nov.17/97 Index: Desert Storm Trophies,& JCMEC: By Bill Howard,& Dennis Starks Part VII; From France New Books; HUMOR; ********************************************************** Desert Storm Trophies,& JCMEC: By Bill Howard,& Dennis Starks Part VII; From France Continuing on with our list of captured Iraqi commo gear brought home by troops as trophies, we find more equipment of French origin. Generally the French sets were not as common as those from Italy & Britain, and only two models can be confirmed as being used by the Iraqi forces. Possibility this is a reflection of their original cost, as these examples are of higher quality & recent design. With one exception they still fall into the same categories that we have already discussed. One item of interest may prove to be the only evidence of it's type, you may notice it as you read on. Here follows all the known sets. TRC-302, Originaly designed & built by Thompson-CSF, the TRC-302, or more accurately, the TRC-302-4, entered service in 1972. If compared with U.S. equipment of that time(PRC-74), it would have boasted several advanced features. These would include smaller size, greater frequency coverage, better ergonomic design, & operational mode flexibility. The TRC-302 is an HF all mode backpack set, as such it is one of only two sets of it's type to be encountered, the other being the Racal TRA-931. If compared with that radio, the TRC-302 is of a smaller size, better mechanical construction, more advanced circuit design, is completely water tight, & operates from a lower supply voltage, thus overall better suited for a front like combat environment. It's controls are all arranged down one side of the radio as is common in European designs. This fashion does afford better access to these controls by both a secondary, & primary operator while it is in position on his back, also some measure of protection from weather. Though it would appear that they might be more vulnerable to damage under combat conditions. The only known radios in U.S. inventory to utilize this configuration, are also of foreign origin. Features include lightweight waterproof aluminum alloy case, usability by unskilled operators, COS/MOS synthesizer design with extreme stability, & maximized use of integrated circuits & other solid state devices, with no mechanical relays. Modulator internal design utilizing plug in modules & circuit boards. Ancillary equipment that will allow it's use as a vehicular or semi-fixed station with power levels up to 100 watts. Ops 2-30mc, in 1kc steps(some models 100cps steps, & preset channel ability). RF power output is rated 20watts/high, & 6 watts/low, from a 14.5 volt 4 amphour nicad battery. Modes include USB, LSB, CW, AME. For the most part The TRC-302 is one of the more attractive radios sets known to be in use by the Iraqi's, though it too is a dated design, & no longer believed to be in production in it's country of origin. Examples have been brought to the U.S. that display a "Made in Iraq" plaque on them. These models are of the -4 variant which are equipped with the 100cps frequency steps. The TRC-302 is reported to have seen wide spread use in South America, The Middle East, Australia, & South Africa were it is possibly produced locally as the RB25 series. Ref.#2,#7 TRC-570, Probably the most advansed radio to emerge from Desert Storm is the TRC-570. It is a fully modern set using fairly current technology & still believed to be in production today, if for no other reason than examples have returned here labeled "Made In Iraq". Originally designed & built by Thomson-CSF, it entered production in 1979 for use by French overseas armed forces. Primarily designed for vehicular operation, the TRC-570 is far more advanced that it's U.S. counterpart, the VRC-12 series(by 1990, nearly 30 years old). And much less complicated than our now current VRC-87 series(based on the PRC-119). Features include compact size & heavy duty construction. Modular design using LSI & Hybrid circuits. Digital frequency/channel display with keypad entry of frequency & modes with up to 9 presetable channels. 25 or 50 kc channel spacings , with 150cps tone or carriar squelch, 5 or 10kc deviation on FM. X mode compatibility for secure equipment, digital ciphering & data, or TTY via external accessories. Ancillary equipment to allow it's use as a vehicular or fixed station with power derived from 12vdc,24vdc, or AC mains. And a minimum of controls for simplified operation. Ops 26-76mc in 25 or 50kc steps,FM. RF power output is 30 watts/high or 2 watts/low, from a 24vdc power source with a drain of 6 amps/trans, 600ma/rec(external equipmnet will allow 12vdc, or AC mains operation). We can only speculate as to the existence of such a modern piece of equipment in the Iraqi inventory(see below). Though it is true that the TRC-570 does lack many of the high tech capabilities present in equipment in use by the U.S., & other developed countries, there seems to be a worth while sacrifice of bells & whistles, in favor of simplicity which will get my vote every time. You may have noticed with these two radios of French origin, the presents of the "Made in Iraq" tag. It is very possible that these may be the only examples of domestically produced electronic equipment. And perhaps will explain the presence of these more advanced & combat ready designs. This as the result of the French allowing it's manufacture to take place locally, & most likely with a great deal of their technical support. Ref.#2,#7 The next instalment of this series will cover the radios of Russia & China along with some parting comments. As always, if you have any input at all, we'd like to hear from you. Dennis Starks Bill Howard miliary-radio-guy@juno.com wlhoward@gte.net Referanses; #2) Janes Military Communications #7) a source that prefers to remain anonymous ********************************************************** New Books; There are two new books available that might appeal to those collectors interested in all types of military communications equipment. Saddly though, both are only available at this time in Europe. It has been proposed that should there be sufficiant interest, that several of use could go in together to emport a small quantity, thus reducing cost. If your interested, you can contact Bill Howard at wlhoward@gte.com Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first is titled "Wireless For The Warrior",Vol.1, by Louis Meulstee. Detailing British sets No.1-88(1933-1946), some being of Australian,& U.S. origin. It is a highly detailed work which includes many quality pictures, history on development & use, schematics, parts list, explanations on British numbering systems & deployment, etc. Vol.2 is suspected also to be in print & details the WW-II contributions of the more common radios, in greater detail. Vol.3 is either now, or will shortly be in print, & continues on with postwar sets No.89 & up. I have Vol.1 & highly recommend it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The second book is of German origin & is still only in print in that language. It still should provide a wealth of information to the researcher even if he can't read the language. Below is a description of the book by it's author, Arthur Bauer. Now the description of my new book. It contains 323 pages with 49 drawings and 30 pictures most of full size. It explains about wireless propagation, Enigma and its communication; the Uboat wireless organisation. The most important chapter is handling HuFF-Duff (HF/DF) and how it technically worked. The antenna, which was the backbone, is extensively explained. I also have integrated eye witness reports of three British Huff-Duff operators, which they have forwarded to me in 1995. (in to German translated) The explanation of the sort of Enigma messages for different purposes, as these were decoded in (by) Bletchely Park, based on original Public Record Office (PRO London) documents. In the appendix is a copy of the entire Enigma (general) manual M. Dv. Nr. 32/1, as well as several copies of other original coding material. Metox history with never published details; Kurier the top secret super fast Uboat's transmission system. This enabled messages to be transmitted within 454 msec!!!! If have used a picture of the inside of this apparatus, which I suppose never had been printed before (in not classified papers). This article was originally written by a British colleague and I have extended the technology chapter. Inclusive a British film strip recording made during their trails in 1945/46. You really will find all important technical principles described. And last but not least a contribution from a third (German) co-author concerning the technical description of the giant Goliath Sender which was wold's most powerful tube VLF transmitter (up to 1000 kW output). Which could send messages to the Uboats while these were submerged, even in the Indian Ocean! ************************************************************ HUMOR; This little boy wakes up 3 nights in a row when he hears a thumping sound coming from his parents room. Finally one morning he goes to his mom and says, "Mommy, every night I hear you and daddy making noises and when I look in your bedroom you're bouncing up and down on him." His mom is taken by surprise and says, "Oh... well...ah....well I'm bouncing on his stomach because he's fat and that makes him thin again." And the boy says, "Well, that won't work!" His mom says, "Why?!?" And the boy replies,"Because the lady next door comes by after you leave each day and blows him back up!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A Captain in the foreign legion was transferred to a desert outpost. On his orientation tour he noticed a very old, seedy looking camel tied out back of the enlisted men's barracks. He asked the Sergeant leading the tour, "What's the camel for?" The Sergeant replied, "Well sir, it's a long way from anywhere, and the men have natural sexual urges, so when they do, we have the camel." The Captain said "Well, if it's good for morale, then I guess it's allright with me." After he had been at the fort for about 6 months, the Captain could not stand it anymore, so he told his Sergeant, "BRING IN THE CAMEL!!!" The Sarge shrugged his shoulders and led the camel into the Captain's quarters. The Captain got a foot stool and proceeded to have vigorous sex with the camel. As he stepped, satisfied, down from the stool and was buttoning his pants he asked the Sergeant, "Is that how the enlisted men do it?" The Sergeant replied, "Well sir, they usually just use it to ride into town." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two deaf people get married. During the first week of marriage, they find that they are unable to communicate in the bedroom when they turn off the lights because they can't see each other using sign language.After several nights of fumbling around and misunderstandings, the wife decides to find a solution."Honey," she signs, "Why don't we agree on some simple signals? For instance, at night, if you want to have sex with me, reach over and squeeze my left breast one time. If you don't want to have sex, reach over and squeeze my right breast one time." The husband thinks this is a great idea and signs back to his wife, "Great idea, Now if you want to have sex with ME, reach over and pull on my penis one time. If you don't want to have sex, reach over and pull on my penis......fifty times" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forget the Snap-On Tools truck; its never been there when you need it. Besides there are only 10 things in this world you need to fix any car, any place, any time. 1. Duct Tape - Not just a tool, a veritable Swiss Army knife in stickum and plastic. Its safety wire, body material, radiator hose, upholstery, insulation, tow rope, and more in an easy to carry package. Sure, there's prejudice surrounding duct tape in concours competitions, but in the real world, everything from LeMans winning Porches to Atlas rockets use it by the yard. the only thing that can get you out of more scrapes is a quarter and a phone booth. 2. Vice Grips - Equally adept as a wrench, hammer, pliers, baling wire twister, breaker-off of frozen bolts and wiggle-it-til-it falls-off tool. the heavy artillery of your tool box, vice grips are the only tool designed expressly to fix things screwed up beyond repair. 3. Spray Lubricants - A considerably cheaper alternative to new doors, alternator, and other squeaky items. Slicker than pig phlegm, repeated soakings will allow the main hull bolts of the Andrea Doria to be removed by hand. Strangely enough, an integral part of these sprays is the infamous little red tube that flies out of the nozzle if you look at it cross eyed (one of the 10 worst tools of all time). 4. Margarine Tubs with Clear Lids - If you spend all you time under the hood looking for A frendle pin that caromed off the petal valve when you knocked both off the air cleaner, it's because you eat butter. Real mechanics consume pounds of tasteless vegetable oil replicas just so they can use the empty tubs for parts containers afterward. (some of course chuck the butter-colored goo altogether or use it to repack wheel bearings.) Unlike air cleaners and radiator lips, margarine tubs aren't connected by a time/space wormhole to the Parallel Universe of Lost Frendle Pins. 5. Big Rock at the Side of the Road - Block up a tire. Smack corroded battery terminals. Pound out a dent. Bop noisy know-it-all types on the noodle. Scientists have yet to develop a hammer that packs the raw banging power of granite or limestone. This is the only tool with which a "made in India" emblem is not synonymous with the user's maiming. 6. Plastic Zip Ties - After 20 years of lashing down stray hose and wiring with old bread ties, some genius brought a slightly slicked up version to the auto parts market. Fifteen zip ties can transform a hulking mass of amateur quality wiring from a working model of the Brazilian Rain Forest into something remotely resembling a wiring harness. Of course it works both ways. When buying a used car, subtract $100 for each zip tie under the hood. 7. Ridiculously Large Standard Screwdriver - Let's admit it. There's nothing better for prying, chiseling, lifting, breaking, splitting or mutilating than a huge flat bladed screwdriver particularly when weilded with gusto and a big hammer. This is also the tool of choice for all filters so insanely located that they can only be removed by driving a stage in one side and out the other. If you break the screwdriver-and you will just like Dad and you shop teacher said-who cares if it has a lifetime guarantee. 8. Bailing Wire - Commonly known as MG muffler brackets, bailing wire holds anything that's too hot for tape or ties. Like duct tape, it's not recommended for concours contenders since it works so well you'll never need to replace it with the right thing again. Bailing wire is a sentimental favorite in some circles, particularly with the MG, Triumph, and flathead Ford set. 9. Bonking Stick - This monstrous tuning fork with devilish pointy ends is technically known as a tie-rod-separator, but how often do you separate tie-rod ends? Once every decade if you're lucky. Other than medieval combat, its real use is the all purpose application of undue force, not unlike that of the huge flat-bladed screwdriver. Nature doesn't know the bent metal panel or frozen exhaust pipe that can stand up to a good bonking stick. (Can also be use to separate Tie-rod ends in a pinch, of course, but does a lousy job of it). 10. A Quarter and a Phone Booth - See tip #1 above --------- End forwarded message ---------- When finished reading use browser back button or go to http://www.prc68.com/MCGP/MCGP.html