MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, FEB.19/98 INDEX: OFF THE SHELF PRICK's; PART V, PRC-97>101 by Dennis Starks MEMBERS WRITE; ON THE COMMERCIAL FRONT; HUMOR; *********************************************** OFF THE SHELF PRICK's; PART V, PRC-97 & 101 by Dennis Starks You might by now be noticing another trend. This that by far, the biggest user of these type radios, with a PRC designation, is the Navy. And at a distant second comes the Army. Dead last is the Air Force, but they are by far the largest consumer of the commercial variants. It would seem, that ever since the WW-II inception of the joint designation system, that the Navy has taken great delight in grabbing up just about anything that sparkled, and slapping a military designation on it. I would think that this would tend to cause those with the responsibility of assigning these numbers, great emotional distress. Indeed, in the case of the PRC numbers, had the Navy not used up so many, I'd venture to say, we'd only be up to about PRC-100 buy now. I believe this is also the reason we find so many radios in Naval service with the URC designation, which seems to be a catch all. It might go something like this, two persons charged with the responsibility of assigning new equipment designations, see the Navy coming, the first say's "Ooooh Shit!", "here comes the Navy again", the second say's "That's OK", "No need to try and figger out which numbers next", "We'll just give them another URC". Thus we have URC designated equipment that ranges from shirt pocket portables, to simi-tractor/trailer mounted communications systems. But that's another story, and I've again strayed from the subject matter. The Air Force too has been guilty of using up numbers on limited standard/production radios, but not these "Off the Shelf" types, nor to the general extent the Navy has. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRC-97;Handheld VHF, FM transceiver. Adoption of the commercial Motorola model H21DCN1100ASPO2(SPS1B11648). Ops 30-42mc, 1 channel, with an output power of 1.4 watts, from 14vdc internal battery. NSN 5820-00-179-8433. Original US Navy cost $819.90. No further information. Ref.#28 Again we see the vulnerable old Motorola HT-200, except this time in VHF, Low Band. A military version of this radio has never been encountered, and even it's civilian counterpart is extremely rare. But this is true of just about all Low Band VHF handies, which today are highly sought after by commercial industry, public service, and hams alike. Today, the commercial, and public service organizations are scrounging the surplus market for these type radios for several reasons. The first is that industry has all but dropped Low Band equipment from their production lines. Neglecting old systems that have been in place for many years, preferring instead to open up new markets on the higher bands. Thus users of these old systems are left no choice but to desperately search the surplus market for equipment to either augment or maintain what they have in service. Second, Low Band hand helds were never very common to begin with. By the time technology had advanced enough to downsize equipment to where it could be carried in one hand, there were no new markets opening up. Instead, old users had at lease partially migrated to the upper bands, and new users had little interest in the lower. The few that remained on lowband, did so because of the longer ranges possible, where a hand held radio was of little use. The Ham interest in these radios is simple, they want a handie talkie that can be used on ten, and six meters FM. And as there wasn't until very recently, any other equipment that could be used for this purpose. And what little there is now, is extremely expensive. To illustrate the above point, last year I required in my commercial business, about 50 Repco lowband HT's. Remember these? And the similarities between it and the HT-200? (see PRC-91's) They are a grossly large, and outdated radio. I sold out of them in two weeks! A year before that, it was GE Portamobiles. Had 60 of them, sold out in less than a month. My customers were all those listed above. I did manage to keep a couple for my own use. An interesting tale about the GE's, they had been in service with the Missouri State Army National Guard, and as they were on compatible frequencies with the PRC-25, and 77, it's apparent they had been used in conjunction with these radios. Strange though, they did not have tone squelch. One last point, the antennas used on these early Low Band HT's were very inefficient. Basically, they used the standard High Band telescoping antenna combined with an internal load coil. As a result, a two watt radio, or even a five watt radio, had extremely limited range. It would not be until the late 70's or early 80's that more efficient helical rubber types would be developed, and used. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRC-101; Hand held VHF, FM transceiver. Adoption of the commercial Motorola HT-220 (H23FFN1102ASP2), for general purpose communications. The HT-220 series were available with an optional 2 or 4 watts RF output, and up to 4 xtal control channels. Other optional features included detachable or hard wired speaker mics, tone or carrier squelch , telescoping or 6" rubber helical antennas & frequency ranges of 130-175mc. It appears the PRC-101 was supplied with 2 watts output, one channel, & carrier squelch. Original US Navy cost $2150.00, NSN 5820-00-409-4213. Ref.#28,#30 Again, a military, PRC marked HT-220 has never been found. But the commercial HT-220 is one of the most common radios of this type to come from military service. They were used by every branch of service, in every conceivable application, in dozens of it's various physical forms. We've just never found one that said PRC-101 on it! Note the price of this radio! At a time when the cost of a PRC-77 had dropped to around $1200.00. The Motorola HT-220 is possibly the most prolific model ever produced by that company. Introduced around 1969, it would be the mid 80's before production ceased. The different variations and options can fill a book, and it's history, several volumes. It was the standard for comparison, by all other manufacturers, and still today, enjoys extreme popularity. It had most empressive specs in it's day, and no slouch by today's standards either. Less than .1 microvolt sensitivity, and less than 10ma of current drain in standby. It could be had with up to five or more channels, at up to 4 watts output, there was absolutely nothing on the market to compare with it. Like ARC-5 command sets of post war years, the HT-220's boards and parts would be used as the heart of numerous other commercial, and Ham radio sets. Even a synthesized Ham version would be produced, though not by Motorola. But all things must pass, the HT-220 was eventually replaced by the MT-500 in both civilian, and government use. And though this radio tried to emulate all the finer points of the HT-220, it never received the same fond admiration. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com References: #28) Federal Logistics Data on Compac Disc(Fed Log).1995 #30) Associated equipments technical manual *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; #Dennis, I sort of have mixed feelings about commercial dealers in the group. I am very new to the group but it seems like a pretty good group of folks just interested in swapping equipment and info on military commo equipment without any financial interests, real unusual these days! On the other hand, I have heard through second hand sources that there was fiasco about a year ago at DRMS where Controlled Cryptographic Items were being mistakenly sold at public auctions. The typical government knee-jerk reaction to this would probably have been to destroy anything with a FSC of 5810,5820,5830, etc. rather than sell it on the surplus market. This may explain the absence of commo equipment on the DRMS lists lately?? So, with this in mind a few select commercial dealers in the group might not be a bad idea. BTW has anyone else heard of the incident I am referring to, or was I given bad info? Jeff ed) while it is true that some small items are trickling through the system, it is for the most part, hit & miss accidents. The total destruction began in ernest just after Oklahoma City, and it extends to just about every item of electronic equipment, but not always due to any government mandate. We must remember, the personnel running the DRMO at every military installation are technically inept people. They are for the most part, clerks, and auctioneers often times contracted to do this job. As a result we see them going overboard in an ernest attempt to comply to rulings, perceived or otherwise. I/E when only about 20% of the meters in any equipment are actually radio-active, rather than be wrong, they just pull them all. If all tactical radio equipment is to be destroyed, well a TA-312 kinda looks like a radio, and it's green, crush it too! This is a very touchy subject with me, and all other members of this group, and I do not wish to start any debate, or lengthy discussion. Suffice to say, it's stupid, waist full, etc. etc. And I don't know what, if anything can be done about it. It just goes along with everything else our government does that is equally stupid, waist full, etc. etc. Personally, I think we should fire every government employee, elected or not, having a rank high enough that he's allowed his own desk. Then start over. One thing I do plan to do before admitting any prospective commercial dealer to the group, is to post their application, to see if any members have had any experience with them, good or bad. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Dennis, Does the PRC-28 qualify as a mystery radio? Besides the frequecy range it is quite a bit different from a PRC-10. What do you know about the PRC-28? Tom ed) I think it does. I don't know shit about it either, but I do have one, that's a starting point. So everybody that knows ANYTHING about the PRC-28 let us know. Also, if you know anything about the GRC-13, or 14 we need to know. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dennis: I do enjoy the humor parts of the newsletters! I recall one newsletter where someone was complaining about the humorous content of the Clinton Jokes...hey, everybody's gotta whine about something! It's his loss if he doesn't want to get your newsletter! Thanks...Doug kb7rky *********************************************** ON THE COMMERCIAL FRONT; Haney Electronic Company: J-45, leg iron CW keys, Correct for BC-1306, GRC-9, GRC-109, and PRC-47. These are new old stock units most still in original packaging, several contract dates from 1968 to 1980's. They include cord CD-201A with PJ-055B connector. The member price is $20.00ea, plus shipping. ed) except for the cord, the J-45 is identical to the KY-? used with the latter model equipment like the GRC-106. AS-2975, PRC-70 dipole antenna kit. Unused Similar to that use with the PRC-74 differing mainly in the balun it uses. The member price is $25.00ea, plus shipping ed) as the freq range of the PRC-70 is 2-79mc, and it's output 50ohms, these antennas should be good for just about any portable radio application. Quoted prices are good to group members only. To place an order contact Steve Haney at , If you have trouble with this address, try , or call 817-496-3346. ed) I've known Steve for several years, and have conducted numerous transactions, including trades, with him. You can deal with him in total confidence. The prices he has quoted us are well under that you'd expect to pay elsewhere, even at a hamfest, especially that of the J-45's. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The below equipment has become available via two estates. I expect to go up and inspect the property next month, maybe sooner. If you have any interest in this stuff, let me know, and what you'd expect to pay for it, & I'll haggle with the estate executor. Dennis MUCH OF THE FOLLOWING HAS MANUALS BC 640 system NOT GREAT CONDITION ANOTHER SYSTEM JUST LIKE IT IN GOOD CONDITION BOTH COMPLETE WITH MANUALS BC640A tx type 5031A AMP PN6A (COULD BE PN3A OR PN8A) OUTPUT 5001 DRIVER 5001 OSCILLATOR PN9A 5001 MODULATOR PN10A 5001 CTL PANEL PN11A 5008 POWER SUP PN12A 5008/9 2ND PWR SUP SAME PW CONTROL PN13A 110K RBA SYSTEM CFT 46154 PERCISION APP 5" O SCOPE 5003A POWER UNIT RA-42-B RECTIFIER ASSOCIATED REASEARCH VIBROTEST UNIT J1195/GRC46 INTERCONNECT B KAAR ENG 25E RECIEVER S# 985 PA42B RECTIFIER 2- FIELD COMMUNICATIONS SETS BC 610E HALLICRAFTER TRANSMITTER BC939 TUNER MANY TU51 TUNING UNITS BC 939A TUNER RA 62B RECTIFIER 3 - R11A T11B T11A 3 - R32 REC STILL IN BOX SPARE PARTS PP112/ ?? KIT STILL IN BOX ASSORTED TUBES 2 - SW225 SWITCH 2 - BOX OF 4 (I THINK) TYPE 207 TUBES UNE UNOPENDE BOX RADIOSOND 2 - DYNAMOTOR MODEL MAR NAVY XTALS CY684 SPARE PARTS KIT KAAR TRANSMITTER SERIES 19 RADIOTELEPHONE RDR RADIO REC EQ CRV46283 REC IN TRANSIT CASE WITH MANUAL MILITARY 8MM MOVIE CAMERA KODAK SW225 SWITCH SIGNAL CORPS SLSC RADIO FILTER HALLICRAFTER SX 62 NO CASE STANDARD SIGNAL GENERATOR 805C LAMPKIN 105 RECIEVER EICO 955 CAP TESTER TS47A TEST OSCILLATOR LAJ4 AUDIO OSCILLATOR 2 - GONSET CAP COMMUNICATOR FR4-U FREQUENCY METER 2 HALLICRAGTERS SPLATTER GUARD I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH MUCH OF THIS EQUIPMENT SO PLEASE EXCUSE TYPO'S OR BAD DESCRIPTIONS. PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE I WANT TO BE FAIR TO THE FAMILY *********************************************** HUMOR; THE TRAFFIC JAM A guy is driving along the freeway in Los Angeles, and as he reaches downtown, he finds himself in the middle of a massive traffic jam that is blocking up five different freeways and sending lines of cars back for miles in all directions. After a while, he notices a guy walking from car to car down the freeway, stopping and talking to people through their car windows. When the guy reaches him he rolls down his window and says, "Hey! What's causing all this delay?" The guy on the freeways says, "Well, you're not going to believe this, but OJ Simpson has sat down in the middle of the freeway intersection up there, and he's totally distraught, and he says there's no way he can ever pay the $35 million he owes the Goldmans and the Browns, and so he's threatened to douse himself in gasoline and light himself on fire if people don't give enough money sufficient to cover the cost of the judgment. So I've taken up a collection to try to end the traffic jam." "How much have you gotten so far?" "About ten gallons." ---------------------------------------------------------- A farmer buys several pigs, hoping to breed them for ham, bacon, etc..... After several weeks, he notices that none of the pigs are getting pregnant, and calls a vet for help. The vet tells the farmer that he should try artificial insemination. The farmer doesn't have the slightest idea what this means but, not wanting to display his ignorance, he only asks the vet how he will know when the pigs are pregnant. The vet tells him that when pregnant, they will stop standing around and will, instead, lay down and wallow in the mud. The farmer hangs up and gives it some thought. He comes to the conclusion that artificial insemination means he has to impregnate the pigs.So, he loads the pigs into his truck, drives them out into the woods, has his way with them all, brings them back and goes to bed. Next morning, he wakes and looks out at the pigs. Seeing that they are all still standing around, he concludes that the first try didn't take, and loads them in the truck again. He drives them out to the woods, services each pig twice for good measure, brings them back and goes to bed. Next morning, he wakes to find the pigs still just standing around. One more try, he tells himself, and proceeds to load them up and drive them out to the woods. He spends all day shagging the pigs and, upon returning home, falls listlessly into bed. The next morning, he cannot even raise himself from the bed to look t the pigs. He asks his wife to look out and tell him if the pigs are playing in the mud. "No," she says, "they're all in the truck and one of them's honking the horn." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Turmoil rocked Heaven this morning as allegations arose that God had an affair with a former worshiper.The scandal was begun when a 21 year old woman, known only as Mary, claimed that she had given birth to God's "only son" last week in a barn in the hamlet of Bethlehem. Sources close to Mary claim that she "had loved God for a long time", that she was constantly talking about her relationship with God, and that she was "thrilled to have had his child." In a press conference this morning, God issued a vehement denial, saying that "No sexual relationship existed", and that "the facts of this story will come out in time, verily".Independent counsel Kenneth Beazulbub immediately filed a brief with the Justice department to expand his investigation to cover questions of whether any commandments may have been broken, and whether God had illegally funneled laundered money to his illegitimate child through three foreign operatives know only as the "Wise Men". Beazulbub has issued subpoenas to several angels who are rumored to have acted as go-betweens in the affair.Critics have pointed out that these allegations have little to do with the charges that Beazulbub was originally appointed to investigate, that God had created large-scale flooding in order to cover up evidence of a failed land deal. In recent months, Beazulbub's investigation has already been expanded to cover questions surrounding the large number of locusts that plagued God's political opponents in the last election, as well as to claims that the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gommorah was to divert attention away from a scandal involving whether the giveaway of a parcel of public land in Promised County to a Jewish special interest group was quid pro quo for political contributions. If these allegations prove to be true, then this could be a huge blow to God's career, much of which has been spent crusading for stricter moral standards and harsher punishments for wrongdoers.Indeed, God recently outlined a "tough-on-crime" plan consisting of a series of 10 Commandments", which has been introduced in Congress in a bill by Rep. Moses.Critics of the bill have pointed out that it lacks any provisions for the rehabilitation of criminals, and lawyers for the ACLU are planning to fight the "Name in Vain" Commandment as being an unconstitutionalrestriction on free speech. -------------------------------------------------------------------- >From a radio program, a true report of a happening in Michigan, USA. A guy buys brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee for $30,000 and has $400+ monthly payments. He and a friend go duck hunting and of course all the lakes are frozen. These two Atomic Brains go to the lake with the guns, the dog, the beer and of course the new vehicle. They drive out onto the lake ice and get ready. Now, they want to make some kind of a natural landing area for the ducks, something for the decoys to float on. In order to make a hole large enough to look like something a wandering duck would fly down and land on, it is going to take a little more effort than an ice hole drill. Out of the back of the new Grand Cherokee comes a stick of dynamite with a short, 40-second fuse. Now these two Rocket Scientists do take into consideration that if they place the stick of dynamite on the ice at a location far from where they are standing (and the new Grand Cherokee), they take the risk of slipping on the ice when they run from the burning fuse and possibly go up in smoke with the resulting blast. So, they decide to light this 40-second fuse and throw the dynamite. Remember a couple of paragraphs back when I mentioned the vehicle, the beer, the guns and the dog? Yes, the dog: A highly trained Black Lab used for retrieving, especially things thrown by the owner. You guessed it, the dog takes off at a high rate of doggy speed on the ice and captures the stick of dynamite with the burning 40-second fuse about the time it hits the ice. The two men yell, scream, wave arms and wonder what to do now. The dog, cheered on, keeps coming. One of the guys grabs the shotgun and shoots the dog. The shotgun is loaded with 8 duck shot, hardly big enough to stop a Black Lab. The dog stops for a moment, slightly confused but continues on. Another shot and this time the dog, still standing, becomes really confused and of course scared, thinking these two Nobel Prize winners have gone insane. He takes off to find cover... under the brand new Cherokee... with the now really short fuse burning on the stick of dynamite. BOOM! Dog and Cherokee are blown to bits and sink to the bottom of the lake in a very large hole, leaving the two candidates for Co-leaders of the Known Universe standing there with this "I can't believe this happened" look on their faces. The insurance company says that sinking a vehicle in a lake by illegal use of explosives is not covered. He had yet to make the first of those $400+ a month payments. *********************************************** (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 are included. For more information conserning this group contact Dennis Starks at, military-radio-guy@juno.com)