From: military-radio-guy Full-Name: Dennis R Starks To: military radio collectors#3 Fcc: Sent Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 04:40:32 Subject: MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Dec.1/98 Message-ID: <19981201.043933.5263.7.military-radio-guy@juno.com> X-Status: Sent X-Mailer: Juno 1.49 MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, Dec.1/98 Index: PARA-MILITARY RADIOS; Part III, by Dennis Starks PRC-68/126/128 BATTERY CONNECTORS AVAILABLE; NEW MEMBERS; Jim Laidler WL7VK, & Michael Crestohl HUMOR; *********************************************** PARA-MILITARY RADIOS; Part III, by Dennis Starks As most of you know, the Hallicrafters company went on to become one of the most prolific manufactures during WW-II. Nearly everything in their pre-war product line continued in production serving our troops in various capacities at home and abroad. Here follows a listing of some of these basically civilian sets, and their known military fates. S-29(Sky Traveler), and S-39(Sky Ranger) Receivers: Both nearly identical in appearance and available in either black or OD crinkle finishes. These receivers were highly portable types obviously built to serve a military application. They were most probably intended for troop entertainment, and information in the most forward areas, but the military listed applications as shown below. Interring production in 1940, and 1942 respective, none have ever been encountered that were not built during the war years, though the S-39 may have survived production into the late 40's. Neither were ever included in any of Hallicrafters' commercial catalogs. Power supply options included either 110v ac or dc, or internal dry batteries for field portable operation(providing 100hrs of intermittent service). Usable antennas included an internal 28" telescoping type, or an external long wire. They would tune .55-30mc AM or CW in four bands, had a built in loud speaker, and controls for Tuning, Band Spread, ANL, AVC, BFO, AM/CW, AF & RF Gains, Band Select, Power Source, & On/Off. Size was 7 x 8.5 x 13.25 inches at 18lbs(R-62), and 9 x 9 x 15 inches at 28lbs(R-80). Both these receivers were officially adopted by both the Army(Substitute Standard) and the Navy, and were granted their associated military nomenclature. But as with many radios of this type, no examples have ever been encountered with any military markings. The S-29 received the model number R-62/PR from the Army, and RCB from the Navy. The S-39 received R-80/PR from the Army(with a cost of $198) and RCB-1 from the Navy. The official military purpose of these radios was described as: "general purpose, hand-carried radio receiving equipment that receives AM(voice, tone, and CW) signals in the MF and HF bands. It is used for communications, intercept, monitoring, and similar applications at tactical or fixed stations." Aside from War time Hallicrafters promotional material, very little survives to tell of how these receivers were used. One photograph has surfaced that shows a group of solders gathered around either an S-29 or -39 apparently during a peaceful interlude on the front lines. But it is unclear where or when this picture was taken. A couple of interesting points, the same Army manual is listed for both the R-62 & -80 receivers as TM11-876(again, no example has yet been found), and no listing for these radios appeared in any military catalogs until 1950. RE-1(Sky Courier) and EC-6(Echophone Commercial): Built between 1942 and 1946, these were portable receivers specifically acquired for, and officially described as "Troop Entertainment, Moral Boosters". They did not have the versatility offered by the S-29 and -39 in that they would only tune .5-19mc/AM, and while they were operable from dry batteries, this required a simple field modification which involved replacing the rectifier and audio output tubes. They did offer extreme simplicity in design and use, having only four operational controls(main tuning, band spread, volume/power, and a three position band switch) this also made for a very low price tag. All this would provide a totally unforseen advantage when at mid WW-II, after the Italian capitulation, these receivers were produced locally by the Italians for Allied consumption. This measure was taken to minimize some logistic and supply complications, and to instill some very early form of domestic production/economic support. All the known examples of these radios had an OD crinkle finish, and at least one form was adopted as the R-100/URR. Unlike many radios in this series, R-100 marked receivers are not terribly uncommon. Hallicrafters "Ultra High Frequency" Receivers: The S-27, S-36: The two most famous of several Hallicrafters receivers to be highly publicized as the "UHF Receiver", they of course weren't, and were actually HF/VHF radios. But with all the possible uses of the frequency spectrum above 100mc only then being fully explored it was to them, at that time, quite "Ultra". Due to the multiple variants of these receivers, and the fact that they were considered interchangeable for the military's purpose, it might become difficult to adequately separate their descriptions, and possible contributions to history. They would all be adopted in one form or another, and receive designations like BC-787, a host of different RBK numbers as listed below. Entering production in 1940, and 1942 respective, they would tune 27.8-143mc(36-163mc for at least one unknown version) in three bands, and included the standard operational modes of AM and CW. But also, and for the first time in a receiver of this type, FM was included as an operable mode. As will be seen, it was their ability to receive FM signals that would leave their greatest mark on history. Other operational parameters and specifications included: Operable in a multitude of stations including Fixed Ground, Shipboard, and Vehicular. Normal power was derived from 110vac but versions are known to have been capable of 220vac operation. When used in a vehicular application, the heaters where supplied voltage from the vehicle's 6vdc primary battery, and high voltage B+ was obtained from an external B battery that provided 270v at 145ma. Size was 19 x 9 x 14" at 68lbs, though rack mountable, most were supplied with a table top cabinet. Their Purpose: Basically these receivers where intended for two major purposes, monitoring and interception, but the military listed applications included: VHF Intercept, Ground to Air Control, and VHF Air Warning Systems. The Navy's adaptation of most of their versions to include compatibility with various panoramic adapters might tend to show they had an additional application as a search receiver. We do know that they were used in the previously mentioned two major roles, Monitoring, and Interception. It should be noted, that while these two application may sound similar, they are not! Monitoring is normally conducted on friendly radio traffic. Radio Interception is conducted on enemy traffic. In the case of the first, the FM capability of these receivers becomes significant. The two most noted historical applications were by Military Intelligence, and General Patton himself. When in use as a monitoring set by Military Intelligence, information was gained on several aspects of an on-going battle. One was to insure that proper radio procedures and security discipline where being observed by the troops. Another was the instantaneous intelligence gained on friendly troop movements, locations etc. Indeed it was for this reason that General Patton kept one of these receivers close at hand. Though the General was accused of spying on his troops by many, this couldn't have been further from the truth. His use of a BC-787(or whichever one it was) and monitoring the tactical front line radio traffic of his troops allowed him to keep up to the second data on the fast moving pace of his armored columns. Without the need to wait anxiously for the next report via radio or courier. He knew instantly of any troubles they had, supplies they needed, and by virtue of radio direction finding, their exact location. As a result, he was able to anticipate events, and begin planning the appropriate strategy, even before any official reports were received from his units. Radio Intercept by Military Intelligence when in conjunction with these type receivers would net tactical data on the enemy not obtainable by, nor of the same type generally associated with radio intercept activities on the HF bands which would usually apply in a strategic nature. Axis Armies operated their front line, short range tactical communications within the same low VHF/hi HF spectrum as Allied. But with AM modulation rather than FM. Much information on the locations, strength, and status of enemy units could be obtained by intercepting their tactical communications. Data could be derived from direction finding their locations, directly translating their messages, or even the count of messages received in a given time frame might warn of a pending action. It should be noted that given the short range nature of radio signals in this spectrum, it would have been necessary for the intelligence gathering unit to have been in close proximity to the front lines, and they were! One last official use for these receivers can be found in the manuals of equipment operational with their same frequency range, including transmitter-receivers, and transmitters(late 40's/early 60's). Here they are specifically listed as items to be included with the test equipment for the servicing of these various radio sets. Known Variants: BC-787, similar to S-36, part of radio set SCR-607. Could be supplied with shock mount FT-377 for vehicular operation, and antenna equipment RC-154. Order dates, and original Government cost: Electronic Devices Inc, 1946, $240.62(accessory items?) Technical Appliance Corp. 1945, $289(accessory items?) Hallicrafters, 1950, $1074.50. Hallicrafters, 1950, $379.22.(BC-787 alone?) R-137/GR, same as BC-787, may be used as a component of Radio Control Central TRQ-1.(note, the TRQ designation is often associated with intelligence/intercept equipment) RBK, S-27D, order date June 6, 1941. RBK-1,-9, identical to S-27D. Order dates April 20 1942(RBK-5) and July 9 1942(RBK-7) models -1 and above have had all electrolytic capacitors over 50vdc replaced with mermicaly sealed paper type, and all other capacitors are hermetically sealed. RBK-2,-11, similar to the S-27D, modified for operation with a companion transmitter. Includes a front panel send/receive switch, and a rear panel connector for interface with an external transmitter. RBK-5, -7, -8, similar to the S-27D with a modification for use with the a panoramic adapter, and substitution of it's power transformer to allow 110 or 220vac operation. RBK-12, similar to the S-27D, Used hermetically sealed transformers, chokes, and had permeability tuned IF transformers. Order Date June 10, 1944. RBK-13, similar to the S-27D, usable with panoramic adaptor model RBW. Used hermitically sealed transformers, chokes, and had permeability tuned IF transformers. Order dates June 10 1944, and Feb.2 1945. RBK-14, similar to the S-27D, included a blanking circuit to allow the use of the dual panoramic adaptor model REM. Order dates June 30, 1944, and December 30, 1944. RBK-15, similar to S-36, operable with an external panoramic adapter. U.S. Government original cost, $750.00. RBK-16, similar to S-36, specifically noted as for shipboard use. Possibly painted haze gray rather than the normal black. Order date Jan.6 1951, with a cost of $750.00. Special note, early war production models of S-36 retained the older S-27 marked dial face and used binding post for the antenna connections. Later production units(S-36M) had the standard S-36 marked dial face and used 'N' connectors for the antennas. If you see radios actually marked S-27 on their front panel, they can usually be distinguished by the square plastic panel meter used on the S-27, or the round metal meters on the S-36. While not completely unheard of, receivers marked with the above military models numbers are rare. Most of those that did bare military data plates have had them removed to circumvent MARS statutes. References: TM11-487A, Directory of Signal Corps Equipments, Radio Communications Equipment, Aug.1950 Ships 275, Catalog of Naval Radio Equipment, August 1944. MIL-HDBK-161, Military Handbook, Electronic Communications Equipment, 1958. U.S.Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Emergency, by Dilany & Terrett. Radios by Hallicrafters, by Chuck Dachis. Equipment contained in the author's personal collection. Dennis Starks; Collector/Historian Midwest Military Communications Museum email: military-radio-guy@juno.com *********************************************** PRC-68/126/128 BATTERY CONNECTORS AVAILABLE; A fellow I know has found what he thinks to be exact matches for the battery connectors on the PRC-68/126/128 etc. series of radios (these come with crimp lugs). These are handy for making your own alkaline battery packs. He and I would like to offer them to the group members. The good news is that they are not expensive, only about $.60 per pair (plus shipping charges to us and shipping charges to you). A pair is one male and one female. The not so good news is that they are available only in increments of 100. While he performs the acid test of making sure they really work in actual application (mechanical specs look exact), we'd like to get a feel for how many sets you would like so we can pass the savings on to you without us ending up with more than we need. Depending on how this goes, we might have to impose a 5 pair minimum to make sure we cover costs. Please let us know your needs. Alan Tasker, atasker@ix.netcom.com *********************************************** NEW MEMBER; Jim Laidler WL7VK Dear Dennis, 1) I accept all of the terms and conditions listed below. 2) My Radio Collector "Resume" My interest in miltary radio equipment grew out of my interest in amateur radio. Unlike many "hams", I didn't start out my "career" with an old military radio; I started with VHF/UHF equipment of modern civilian construction. Shortly after getting my amateur license, I entered active duty service with the US Army. Although I wasn't in the Signal Corp, I was usually co-located with the Troop HQ (I was in the Air Cavalry), so I was in close proximity to the Troop HQ radios. It was then that I started my long-term "love-affair" with "green radios". My current interest in military radios has taken two directions: first, like most military radio fans, I like using them for operating on the amateur radio bands. However, I also use my "green radios" when I am on Reserve drills and during our Reserve unit Active Duty Training (ADT). Like most Reserve units, mine is poorly equipped with commo equipment, so bringing my own radios along allows me to keep in contact better with the other units. It's been a fun way to use my radios AND it allows me to use the resources of my unit's signal people to keep my radios in good, working shape. My current collection includes both military radios and older civilian radios (some of which were used in the armed services during WW II and the Korean war. AN/PRC-68B(V) AN/PRC-77 RT-70 Hallicrafters HT-37, HT-40, HT-18, SX-99, S-40B Hammarlund HQ-110, HQ-129X I hope that gives you an idea of who I am and what my interests in military radio are. Thanks, Jim Laidler WL7VK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Dennis: Thanks for your invitation to become a member of your list. I agree to the conditions as set out in your invitation letter. I am an amateur radio operator with an interest in specific military/government radio recievers, transmitters and mechanical cryptographic equipment, ie: R-390/390A, GRC-109, PRC-64, etc. I am the co-founder of the R-390 mailing list on the QTH.NET server. In addition I am active in the USS SALEM radio club. I live with my wife and baby daughter in Northern Vermont not far from Burlington. I look forward to reading this traffic with great interest and posting when I feel I have something to contribute. Cordially, Michael Crestohl *********************************************** HUMOR; Arnold has a big one; Madonna doesn't have one; the Pope doesn't use his. Question: What are we talking about? Answer: Their last names! --------------------------------- How do crazy people go through the forest? They take the psycho path. How do you get holy water? Boil the hell out of it. How does a spoiled rich girl change a lightbulb? She says, -Daddy, I want a new apartment.- What did the fish say when he hit a concrete wall? -Dam-. What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long? Polaroids. What do prisoners use to call each other? Cell phones. What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work? A stick. What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho Cheese. What do you call Santa's helpers? Subordinate Clauses. What do you call four bull fighters in quicksand? Quatro sinko. What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite. What do you get when you cross an elephant and a skin doctor? A pachydermatologist What has four legs, is big, green, fuzzy, and if it fell out of a tree would kill you? A pool table. What is a zebra? 26 sizes larger than an -A- bra. What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup? Anyone can roast beef. Where do you get virgin wool from? Ugly sheep. Why are there so many Smiths in the phone book? They all have phones. Why do bagpipers walk when they play? They're trying to get away from the noise. Why do gorillas have big nostrils? Because they have big fingers. ----------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Feel Like a Woman? On a Trans-Atlantic flight, a plane passes through a severe storm. The turbulence is awful, and things go from bad to worse when one wing is struck by lightning. One woman in particular loses it. Screaming, she stands up in the front of the plane. -I'm too young to die!- she wails. Then she yells, -Well, if I'm going to die, I want my last minutes on Earth to be memorable! I've had plenty of sex in my life, but no one has ever made me really feel like a woman! Well, I've had it! Is there ANYONE on this plane who can make me feel like a WOMAN??- For a moment there is silence. Everyone has forgotten their own peril, and they all stare, riveted, at the desperate woman in the front of the plane. Then, a man stands up in the rear of the plane. -I can make you feel like a woman,- he says. he starts to walk slowly up the aisle, unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time. No one moves. Every eye is fixed. The woman is breathing heavily in anticipation as the strange man approaches. He removes his shirt. Muscles ripple across his chest as he reaches her, and extends the arm holding his shirt to the trembling woman, and whispers: -Iron this.- --------------------------------------------------------- A farmer and his brand new bride were riding home from the chapel in a wagon pulled by a team of horses, when the older horse stumbled. The farmer said, -That's once.- A little further along, the poor old horse stumbled again. The farmer said, -That's twice.- After a little, while the poor old horse stumbled again. The farmer didn't say anything, but reached under the seat, pulled out a shotgun and shot the horse. His brand new bride raised all kind of heck with him, telling him, -That was an awful thing to do.- The farmer said, -That's once.- --------------------------------------------------------- Why do married men gain weight while bachelors don't? Bachelors go to the refrigerator, see nothing they want, then go to bed. Married guys go to bed, see nothing they want, then go to the refrigerator. ---------------------------------------------------------- THE POWER OF SUGGESTION ------------------------------------ A local preacher was dissatisfied with the small amount in the collection plates each Sunday. Someone suggested to him that perhaps he might be able to hypnotize the congregation into giving more. -And just how would I go about doing that?- he asked. -It is very simple. First you turn up the air conditioner so that the auditorium is warmer than usual. Then you preach in a monotone. Meanwhile, you dangle a watch on a chain and swing it in a slow arc above the lectern and suggest they put dollars in the collection plate.- So the very next Sunday, the reverend did as suggested, and lo and behold the plates were full of dollar bills. Now, the preacher did not want to take advantage of this technique each and every Sunday. So therefore, he waited for a couple of weeks and then tried his mass hypnosis again. Just as the last of the congregation was becoming mesmerized, the chain on the watch broke and the watch hit the lectern with a loud thud and springs and parts flew everywhere. -Crap!- exclaimed the pastor. It took them a week to clean up the church. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Generic drugs Tylenol is Acetaminophen Advil is Ibuprofen Viagra ia Mycoxafailin --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff. 2. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor. 3. One nice thing about egotists: they don't talk about other people. 4. To be intoxicated is to feel sophisticated, but not able to say it. 5. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. 6. The older you get, the better you realize you were. 7. I doubt; therefore, I might be. 8. Age is a very high price to pay for maturity. 9. Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. 10. Women like silent men; they think they're listening. 11. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it! 12. give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day. 13. A fool and his money are soon partying. 14. Do Pediatricians play miniature golf on Wednesdays? 15. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery? 16. If all the world's a stage, where's the audience sitting? 17. If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown? 18. If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2? 19. If work is so terrific, how come they have to pay you to do it? . If you ate pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry? *********************************************** (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 conserning this group contact Dennis Starks at, military-radio-guy@juno.com) ***********************************************