From: military-radio-guy Full-Name: Dennis R Starks To: military radio collectors#2 Fcc: Sent Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 05:46:13 Subject: MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Aug.3/99 Message-ID: <19990803.054518.2663.5.military-radio-guy@juno.com> X-Status: Sent X-Mailer: Juno 1.49 MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Aug.3/99 Index: NEWS FROM THE USMCHC; POLISH MYSTERY RADIOS; by Jan Bury MEMBERS WRITE; More PRC-68B, YET ANOTHER VISIT TO THE MILITARY RADIO GUY, HUMOR; *********************************************** NEWS FROM THE USMCHC; SOLOMONS A GO, The Solomons program is going on the 6,7,&8 of August in Solomons, MD. This was the site of the Navy Amphibious Training Base-Solomons, where Marines trained for the Guadalcanal through Iwo Campaigns, and the Army trained for everything from the North African Invasion on. NATB-Solomons was closed after WW II. The Navy maintains an Annex there now, on the site of the Mine Warfare Research Center on Rt 4 just north of the bridge at Solomons. It is on the Naval Annex that the Marine Corps Historical Company is conducting a three day program commemorating the contributions of the base to Solomons and to Naval and Marine Corps history during WWII. Featured will be a platoon level training landing from the Liberty Ship John W. Brown each morning, just as Marines did for demonstration purposes then. Also, throughout the day there will be lectures and operational interactive demonstrations of company level communications, a fire-control trainer, Naval medicine, tactical vehicles then and now, tours of the ship and landing craft, weapons from .45 pistols to flame-throwers, and other appropriate subjects. Involved in the program, besides the USMCHC, are 4th MarDiv, a Navy LCM detachment, the Calvert Marine Museum, NAVAIR (NAS Pax River) The S. S. John W. Brown, and a host of other folks. More Info can be had by e-mailing me at (sarge@klaros.com), or checking the latest issues of Leatherneck Magazine or Retired Officer's Magazine. Also, The USMCHC has been nominated by the Corps for the Macgruder Award this year. This award goes to the individual or organization who the Corps feels has contributed the most toward the preservation of Marine Corps history and tradition. Just to be nominated, let alone winning it, is one hell of an honor. Certainly the folks in the Military Collectors Group Post who have helped us find the right gear over the years deserve to share in this honor. Thanks to All! Brian Scace *********************************************** POLISH MYSTERY RADIOS; by Jan Bury Contents Foreword Introduction to the designation system of Polish radios Exceptions from the listed above rules. The FM-315 series R-4421 Spyradio R-4438 Spyradio 2 Meters Mystery version of the R-4421 R-4 military set Conclusions Sources of information All information found below are from Technical and Operator's Manuals of the mentioned sets, Radmor's advertising brochures and press articles, therefore cannot be perceived as classified. Foreword The idea of writing this article came after joining the Group and the major goal is to give you an approach to some odd radios produced in Poland in the past. There were few manufacturers of communications equipment in Poland before the 1989 political changes. Most of their production was to fulfill domestic needs and some series were manufactured entirely for export. Here I would like to deal with former Unitra Radmor (Now ZR RADMOR; http://www.radmor.com.pl) Company's production. It was a long established manufacturer of radios for civil and para-military use in Poland. There were probably hundreds of types that left its production lines, but only the most popular are known. At present, this company manufactures commercial, as well as military radio for the Polish Army under the Thomson-CSF license (the PR4G system). During the communist period, Unitra Radmor was located in Gdynia, Northern Poland, just off the coast, and belonged to the state-owned electronics industry group (Unitra). Its name appeared in late 1960s, when the factory called MORS, previously dealing only with maritime communications, was renamed. Then, it started producing first all-solid state FM radios for civil and paramilitary use in Poland. The series consisted of portable, mobile and fixed radios. The most common among them were the FM-315, a three-channel x-tal controlled portable and FM-3001, 10-channel mobile, both commercial, now found in many HAM's rigs. The production of this series started about 1968. Some people told me that then MORS (i.e. later named Radmor) acquired a license from Storno of Belgium and that the entire series was the Belgian radios' clones. Actually, I could not have found any information to prove this statement. It seems the FM-3001/FM-315 series was of a Polish origin. Introduction to the designation system of Polish radios Radmor's built radios have a four-digit (sometimes three-digit) designation system. This system can be divided into two groups: 1. para-military radios built for the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense, 2. commercial radios used in dispatchers networks. * Para-military radios' designation system Example: 'R-4421', where: R - stands for the Radio Set, First digit, '4' means portable set ('2' could mean mobile set). Second digit, '4' is characteristic to all paras, but its meaning remains unknown. Third digit, '2' indicates radio's band (possible combinations: '1' - VHF 31-46 Mcs. low band; '2' VHF 74-88 and/or 88-108 Mcs. band; '3' - VHF 148-174 high band; '4' UHF 300-308 or 336-344 Mcs. bands; '5' 420-450 Mcs. band, the last very rare). Fourth digit, '1' - is radio's own type number. * Commercial radios' designation system Example: 'FM-3136', where: FM - stands for the FM radio set. First digit, '3' is characteristic to all commercial FM's. Second digit, '1' indicates the purpose of use of the radio ('0' - means mobile; '1' means portable; '2' means fixed station). Third digit, '3' marks the operating band in the same manner as the paras. Fourth digit, '6' is radio's own type number. Exceptions from the listed above rules, the FM-315 series Another derivative number is the 'FM-315' set designation. It is special, in that sense it was one (a VHF high version) of a whole family of such radios, which consisted of the FM-316, a VHF low; the FM-317, a 300 Mcs. band version and the FM-318, a 400 Mcs. UHF model. All were 3-channel x-tal controlled portable FM's. These sets have been mass-produced in Poland apparently since 1968; their production ended in early 1990s. The radios were made of small modules, each consisting of a few electronic components put into steel cups. The modules were assembled on a chassis and soldered with wires. The front panel of the series was the chassis' upside. The chassis was put into housing, much like the PRC-25 is constructed. On the front panel, there were antenna connector, mic/speaker or other audio accessories connector (throat mike was also available), volume, squelch and a four-position off/3 channel switch. There was also a lamp, which if pressed indicated a proper battery power level. This was later replaced with a red LED flashing on Tx. The radio did not have an internal mic or speaker. It required external audio accessories to operate. All radios were painted gray, with light glossy gray front panel. There were four major versions of the FM-315, operating in 148-161 or 159-174 Mcs. bands in 25 or 50 kcs. steps. Channels were x-tal controlled. Max. RF power was about 0.5 W, sensitivity was 0.5 microV:20 db. The set was powered from 12.6 V dc using a 0.5 Ah Ni-Cd battery. Its weight was about .82 kg without battery. Dimensions: 11(w)x 15(d)x 4(h) cm. The radio was worn on a shoulder strap, usually in a leather case, with the mic-speaker attached. It could be also backpacked, as used by the army. I guess that '3' in FM-315 stands for this commercial series, '1' for portable set ('0' would be mobile, '2' would be base/fixed unit), and '5' is unit's specific number. This set was widely used by the Polish Police, Railway, Fire, etc. It proved to be reliable, easy to operate and cheap to fix if failed. However, the radio required re-tuning every year or so, because of the coils' cores movement (they were fixed with paraffin at the factory), which caused the ops. frequency drift. My FM-315 was bought from the railway surplus and was re-tuned for the 2 mtrs. band. It works pretty well on repeaters and direct channels. As a 1960/1970s vintage set, it was still too big and heavy to be named a fully portable. Its technology was quite simple; the radios were hand-assembled at the factory. Its price then was also very high. When I inquired at Radmor in early 1990 about the price of a brand new FM-315, they said it was at equal price with Western-made and far more sophisticated sets. R-4421 Spyradio Using the technology tested in the FM-315 series set (small cup-modules), Radmor designed a smaller radio intended for surveillance operations. I think, the R-4421 was actually derived from another Radmor's radio, the R-4422, which was the 88-108 Mcs. para-military version of the FM-315. I think this set was designed as a fulfillment of the Ministry of Interior family of R-2422, 10-channel mobile unit (separate TRx unit and control panel), and R-4422 portable set mentioned above. The R-4421 has a very peculiar shape, since it was intended to be worn under the shoulder using suspenders like for a gun. If you look at it from upside, it has a crescent-shaped cabinet so that it could stay close to the operator's body. The radio is much smaller and lighter compared with the FM-315/R-4422. Its production started around 1968. The set operated in 74-88 or 88-108 Mcs. band in FM with 25 or 50 kcs. steps, depending on version. At that time, these frequencies were used for the mobile communications, and were later moved to the higher 148-174 Mcs. band. The set was three-channel, x-tal controlled, all solid state radio. Max. RF power was about 0.5 W, while sensitivity was about 2 microV. The later Silicon transistors versions (marked 'R-4421K', where 'K' is for Silicon in Polish) had better sensitivity, as good as the FM-315 series. There were the following connectors/switches at the front panel: antenna, squelch dial, four-position 3-channel/off switch, audio connector (odd Honda socket with pins) and remote controller connector. In the bottom, there were battery and vibrator connectors. The antenna was a dipole sewn into the operator's jacket sleeves. The audio mic/speaker was mounted somewhere near the collar. The remote controller consisted of volume/mute, PTT and tone signal send button and its cable was to be put into one of the sleeves of the operator's jacket. The battery (12 V Ni-Cd) was to be worn inside the jacket in a special pouch or on the opposite side of the operator's body, attached to the suspenders. There was also a vibrator, which was hanged below the radio to give a silent call signal, if needed. The cabinet was painted glossy gray, with the manufacturer's name on one side. This radio was probably used by the units of the Criminal Police or who knows by whom else during 1970s and early 1980s. It was a big challenge for Radmor, since the set was much more miniaturized compare with the previous ones. In my opinion, its major disadvantage was that it did not use an earpiece, but a mic/speaker. In those days, it was a great success to produce such a unit, though. I guess, in case of an untrained operator, the voice of communications could alert the people around and the 'suspect' could escape. Furthermore, it consisted of too many things worn under the operator's wear (just imagine the operator walking like Frankenstein). The cables were fragile and the communications range was limited because of the antenna proximity with the operator's body (poor SWR). However, it was an LPI/LPD set, what could be important to some sort of its users. It was also a very expensive set. The HAM I saw on a flea market selling another R-4421s said its price could double the FM-315's in 1970s. The unit I encountered was the R-4421K (Silicon version) manufactured in 1972. These units were sold to HAMs in early 1990 by the Warsaw Police HQ with other more useful mobile and portable radios. At that time they were completely unuseful, since the services moved to the VHF high band in late 1980s. NOTE: There is lack of harmony in Radmor's designations, as far as the spyradios are concerned. There is a very popular version of the FM-315 for the Ministry of Interior, marked R-4431. Cosmetically they are the same, but the R-4431 uses 75 Ohm antenna versus 50 Ohm used in FM-315. However, this set cannot be referred to the R-4421, as if they were from the same family, since these are completely different purpose radios. It seems, such designation was chosen to confuse others about the real mission of the R-4421. I guess here, the 'R-4431' had been chosen before. R-4438 Spyradio During 1970s, it occurred that the small module radios, especially the FM-315/R-4422 series were too big and heavy for their operators. Radmor designed a new series of portable hybrid-based radios. These sets were to fit the Ministry of Interior order and were far more advanced than their predecessors, especially as far as the power consumption is concerned. Then, there was a series of commercial, slightly fatter radios, having similar parameters. The first radio to meet the new criteria was the R-4432 (also marked the R-4433). It was a quite flat radio, slightly longer than the FM-315, built with hybrid modules produced by Dolam. It was an FM portable operating in the 148-161 or 161-174 Mcs. bands with the maximum power of 1,5 W with 12 V 0.5 Ah battery (it could transmit at 0.5 W with 12 V 0.25 Ah battery). The set could work on four x-tal channels. All connectors were on top; the off/volume and channel selectors were located between antenna and audio sockets. The radio had a red LED indicating Tx. The radios are gray painted, with the black upper side and the front panel. It also had a newly designed hand speaker/mike, which could be attached to the shoulder strap, almost like the FM-315 was carried. These radios entered service in late 1970s to replace the FM-315. They are still (1999) in use in many public services. Again, Radmor could not built the mic/speaker inside the radio. Their hybrid series was again to be carried in a leather case with a shoulder strap. These radios were very hard to repair if failed, since the hybrid modules were soldered to the motherboard. But I like them much more than the FM-315 for their handsome design. Following an order by the government, Radmor designed a spyradio coded R-4438. It was a modification of the mentioned above set. It could work on four x-tal channels with max. power of 1 W. Volume control was removed from the front panel and was mounted on the remote controller with off/vol and PTT/tone transmit switches. The only control on the front panel was the channel selector. The mic/speaker had strange shape and was intended for attaching to the operator wear's collar. The antenna was a very short thick helical (about 5 cm long). The sets were all painted flat black. The LED indicator was omitted. The radio was supposed to be worn inside the jacket, with the microphone/speaker below the operator's chin and the remote controller in the palm of his hand. The connecting cable was of course to be put inside the sleeve. The R-4438 was far more advanced than the R-4421. It could work in the new VHF high band, had better RF power and was easier to operate. However, again the communications range was limited to about 150 meters because of a very short antenna. The radio did not have a vibrator protrusion, so silent calling was impossible. The HAM I met on one Hamfest said he used this radio at work and reported this was better than the FM-315 series he had used before, but far away from perfection. He said the operators usually attached the longer helical for the same band (standard for R-4433 and FM-315), that gave better communications range. 2 Meters Mystery version of the R-4421 Apparently, there was a special version of the R-4421, which worked in the VHF high band. I saw such set, but it had the label removed by a surplus dealer. It is hard to assess what was its true designation. The radio is in all respects similar to the R-4421, except the ops. frequency. My friend converted it into 2 mtrs. band, but he did not use the original accessories. These units were also surplused by the Police in early 1990s. R-4 military set There was a set adopted by the army called R-4. It was in fact an R-4422, 74-88 Mcs., three-channel FM solid state radio. The set was used for guard duties. I heard it was also used by paratroopers and commandos with a throat microphone, worn as a backpack. It seemed to be ideal for spec-ops operations, however later it came out the radio was too fragile for tactical use. Conclusions This article was to give a general approach to some odd radios used in Poland before the changes of 1989. At present, these sets find their second role in HAM's collections or as their secondary 2 meters sets. The matter of their primary users remains open. These mystery sets were designed especially for the Ministries of Interior or Defense and served there for a long time. I would like to underline here that before the changes of 1989, Poland was a police-style state, where having an unlicensed TRx was equal to having unlicensed gun. The matters of communications were kept secret until all those things and their purpose came out in 1989. These sets hit the surplus market in the early 1990s. The normal procedure with radios used in Poland was their retirement after 10 years of service (as described in all Radmor's TMs), unless the radio was to be sold on a surplus market before that period. Before 1989 it was common that the old but still working radios and their all accessories were being put into garbage or simply destroyed instead of being sold to the HAMs. This occurs even today, when the companies want to avoid paying tax for selling their old and not needed como gear. My only desire is to inquire whether anyone of you has ever encountered Radmor's radios, especially those mystery ones. For many years Radmor exported its products to many countries of the former Soviet block and even further. There were TM's printed in English, German, and Russian. My friend even told me that in Arabic, too. I was told the sets were mostly used in Eastern Europe, but probably in the Mid-East, as well. Sources of information 1. Technical manuals for the listed radios. 2. Radmor's catalogs and advertising material. 3. Interviews with many HAMs. 4. An article on the Radmor radios' history in 'Swiat RADIO' Magazine, Poland, 1998. Jan Bury, SP5XZG Warsaw, Poland e-mail: yahya@orient.uw.edu.pl *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; More PRC-68B, The PRC 68B I purchased surplus is clearly marked Malmstrom AFB indicating Air Force use, secondly a retired Marine after seeing the radio told me that he saw them in use by helicopter crew chiefs and ground crew. Two instances of Air Force and Marine usage. Mark Burgess n1jzv ----------------------------------------------------------------- YET ANOTHER VISIT TO THE MILITARY RADIO GUY, I needed to meet Ike halfway on a trading deal, and since Ike lives in Kansas City Ks. and I live where I do, halfway is Dennis' place! He wanted a PRC-10 and I wanted his RT-70, he had a Hammarlund power supply for a BC-779A and I had a GRR-5. We decided on a day and time to meet; 2nd of August. high noon. I had another reason to go to CrossTimbers; Dennis' Desperation Sale. At about 1130, I finally raised Dennis on the PRC-25. I was about a mile south of CrossTimbers with the squelch wide open and ignition noise roaring in my ears when he came back to my call. Ike was already there, the two of them were working on the CPRC-26 Ike bought from me at Washington. It needed four new modules and power, now it just needs an alignment[Dennis had all the needed parts]. Me and Ike traded our stuff, he told me about the caveats in the RT-70, and I filled him in on the filament regulator woes in the GRR-5, we tried the PRC-10 with a power supply (no workie) and I looked over the dilapidated Hammarlund supply with it's heavy coat of cobwebs. We traded even. I bought some bulky objects from Dennis' list, but the real prize was the General Radio RF Impedence Bridge. This thing looks like fine furniture with it's walnut case, pristine leatherite finish/Bakelite panel, and nickle-plated brass hardware. It was new in 1933, a real laboratory instrument. He has another General Radio general purpose bridge of the same vintage and style; somebody should buy it!! After the dealing was done, the three of us sat around and talked military rifles and had some ice cream. Long about a quarter to three, it was time to split. Ike had a two and a half hour drive ahead and so did I. As it was, I bought pizza for the folks' dinner rather than try to cook something. I highly recommend the trek to Cross Timbers, MO. Bob Simpson ed) Tribute from both parties on this occasion was sorrily lacking! Ike brought only some land mobile equipment that I had already sold for him, Hell, I had to give HIM money! He did return some manuals that he had borrowed some MONTHS before. Bob brought me a couple bottles of prefab Lipton tea(use only in emergencies!), and a Spike bayonet for a British SMLE. He went on to tell me how he had only given $1 for it and they were so common that they were being sold as tent stakes! I had turned on both an RT-68, and a URC-773, connected together, and on separate freqs(51 & 51.6mc) as I didn't know which freq Bob might be on. But as Ike & I were not within earshot of the radios(we were out digging through goodies), I didn't hear Bob when he first started calling. Bob had sold Ike a CPRC-26 at the Washington hamfest a couple weeks ago, minus any accessories, and four modules. It came to me to provide these missing items, and see that the radio was working. Upon replacing the modules, it did work, but the receiver & transmitter frequencies didn't jive so it will need some alinement. Ike wasn't as lucky with the PRC-10 Bob swapped him. It was dead, & by then I was out of the mood to mess with it(not having received any proper tribute in the first place). Bob got a nice looking RT-70 & AM-65 from Ike in swap for the PRC-10, but it too was electronically deficient. Ike got the GRR-5 from Bob for the BC-779 power supply. The GRR-5 didn't work, and the BC-779 power supply looked like shit! I'm at a lose to understand why these guys would choose to drive 2.5 hours and visit their madness on me? But then, I suppose that the day did net far more than the average hamfesting weekend does nowadays. *********************************************** HUMOR; Southern humor: Did you hear about the redneck who passed away and left his entire estate in trust for his beloved widow? She can't touch it till she's fourteen. What's the difference between a good ol' boy and a redneck? The good ol' boy raises livestock. The redneck gets emotionally involved. How do you know when your staying in a Tennessee hotel? When you call the front desk and say "I've gotta leak in my sink" and the person at the front desk says "Go ahead, you paid for the room!" How can you tell if a redneck is married? There is tobacco spit stains on both sides of his pickup truck. What's the difference between Virginia and West Virginia? In Virginia, Moosehead is a beer. In West Virginia it's a misdemeanor. What is a Redneck's defense in court? "Honest your Honor, I was just helping the sheep over the fence." Did you hear that they have raised the minimum drinking age in West Virginia to 32? It seems they want to keep alcohol out of the high schools! What do they call "Hee Haw" in Tennessee? A documentary. What do they call it in Kentucky? "Life Styles of the Rich and Famous." Why did God invent armadillos? So that rednecks can have 'possum on the halfshell. ------------------------------------------------------------------ John gets a call from his blonde girlfriend, Buffy. "I've got a problem," says Buffy. "What's the matter?" asks John. "Well, I've bought this jigsaw puzzle, but it's too hard. None of the pieces fit together and I can't find any edges." "What's the picture of?" asks John. "It's of a big Rooster," replies Buffy."All right," says John, "I'll come over and have a look." So he goes over to Buffy's house and Buffy greets him saying, "Thanks for coming over." Buffy leads John into her kitchen and shows him the jigsaw on the kitchen table. John looks at the jigsaw and then turns to Buffy and says,>"For Pete's sake - put the Cornflakes back in the Box." ------------------------------------------------------------------ When you want a man to pay attention to you, wear a full-length black nightgown with buttons all over it. Sure it's uncomfortable, but it makes you look just like his remote control. ------------------------------------------------------------------ A husband walks into the bedroom holding two aspirin and a glass of water. His wife asks, "What's that for?" "It's for your headache." "I don't have a headache." He replies, "Gotcha!" ------------------------------------------------------------------ Three young candidates for the priesthood are told by the Monsignor they have to pass one more test: The Celibacy Test. The Monsignor leads them into a room, and tells them to undress, and a small bell is tied to each man's penis. In comes a beautiful woman, wearing a sexy belly-dancer costume. She begins to dance sensually around the first candidate. *Ting-a-ling* goes the bell... "Oh Patrick," says the Monsignor, "I am so disappointed in your lack of control. Go take a long, cold shower and pray about your carnal weakness." The candidate leaves. The dancer then continues, slowly dancing around the second candidate and peeling off her layers of veils. As the last veil drops: *Ting-a-ling* goes the little bell... "Joseph, Joseph," sighs the Monsignor. "You too are unable to withstand your carnal desires. Go take a long, cold shower and pray for forgiveness" The dancer then proceeds to dance her sensuous dance around the third candidate. Slowly around him she dances, now devoid of all of her veils, but he third candidate remains unmoved. "James, my son, I am truly proud of you," says the Monsignor. "Only you have the true strength of character needed to become a great priest". Now, go and join your weaker brethen in the shower". *Ting-a-ling* *********************************************** The preceding was a product of the"Military Collector Group Post", an international email magazine dedicated to the preservation of history and the equipment that made it. Unlimited circulation of this material is authorized so long as the proper credits to the original authors, and publisher or this group are included. For more information concerning this group or membership contact Dennis Starks at, . A list of selected articles of interest to members can be seen at: http://www.softcom.net/users/buzz/backmail.html ***********************************************