MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, FEB. 9/98 INDEX: MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part IV, by Dennis Starks ODDBALL RS-1 TRANSMITTER; By Pete McCollum HUMOR; ***************************** MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part IV, by Dennis Starks WAR IN EUROPE WINDS DOWN, Operation Overlord, the cross channel invasion of Europe begins the end of hostilities in this theater. At the same time, the saga of the Pogo Stick begins to fade. The new SCR-300 FM set had been stockpiled in preparation for this offensive, and sufficient quantities were on hand for all combatants, U.S. and Allied alike. Even though the SCR-511 was still with the troops and still fighting on, all eyes now are trained on the infantry's newest tool of war. No longer would the Pogo Stick be featured in after action reports, instead we must look deeper to find the needed references to prove it was still in service. Places like area commander's supply and logistic reports, orders for batteries, etc. Here, the BC-745 is listed many times, usually along with intense frustration on the part of area commanders do to the extreme shortages of all their "Mighty Mite" radios, and repair parts. On the other hand, reports of the Army's new "Handie Talkie" (SCR-300) now filled official and civilian reports. It success is constantly compared to existing equipment, both Army and Navy, foreign and domestic. Even the other FM portables will feel the pinch of this new kid on the block. But at least they will survive. However deserving the praise was that was given to this new little radio set, it was all blown way out of proportion. But it was good! And it would change the worlds concept of a front line tactical radio, and set the stage for ALL such equipment to this day. SERVICE IN THE PACIFIC, As the war in Europe begins to wind down, the worlds attention shifts to the problems in the Pacific. The Pogo Stick was here too. Before VE Day, or even operations Overlord and Torch. And here too it made a significant impact with it's users. Used much the same way as it had been in the North African, and European Theaters, the SCR-511 had so far been about as good a portable radio as they could get. Here, not even the Navy was exempt from it's use, in early June 1943, a hurried transfer of equipment from the Americal Division Pacific, to the Navy took place that consisted of 8ea SCR-284's installed in Jeeps, 2ea SCR-299's, and 20ea SCR-511's. What was this ergent transfer of equipment for? We can only guess. One thing is for sure, this quantity of medium and long range equipment would supply a fair sized force, and this does not include equipment that had been transferred shortly before. By the end of 1943, the SCR-300 would make it to the theater in sufficient quantities to start making it's impact on operations. In a letter dated 31 July 1943, from Brig.Gen. Ankenbrandt, Chief Signal Officer, U.S. Army Pacific, to Brig.Gen. Lanahan, Chief Signal Officer Allied Expeditionary Force Europe, Speaking of the SCR-511: "We received a report through Navy channels that this type set is no longer in production and is being replaced by the SCR-300", "If such is the case, I would like to render a protest right now, because VHF sets (such as the SCR-300) do not work well in dense jungle operations and a set of the portability, frequency range, and power of the 511 is definitely required for this type operation." (Ref.#7) But we know the Pogo Stick remained in service long after this if by no other evedence than it's manuals which are dated July 1943, order dates on surviving equipment of 1943(there could be a years difference from the order date to the delivery date), and MFP(anti fungus preparation) stamps dating into late 1944. We know also that at least to some extent, the radio survived to be used after the war as will be seen later. DOWNFALL OF THE HORSIE TALKIE, Regardless of the sentiment of it's using troops, several factors combined to contribute to the death of this odd but heroic little radio. It had served under the most adverse of conditions, in capacities it had never been designed to undertake, but it had served well. It's time had just come, through no fault of it's own, but it is easy to see why. First was it's distinctive silhouette, and high physical profile. This from reports submitted from the campaign in Northern Italy: "carrying the SCR-511 bestowed a special hazard, for [the Germans keep a sharp lookout for radio antennas and shell every one they see]"(Ref.#7) But this was not the first experience with this problem. In North Africa, even users of the relatively low profiled BC-620 and 659 had to adopt extraordinary measures to keep from falling prey to this practice. Forward observation post, and beach parties had to dismount the transceiver from it's normal position atop it's battery box. They then tethered the two together end to end, and would drag them through the sand with a rope. But with the BC-745 there was no simple answer, the operator was required to expose himself to enemy fire to simply transmit, as it's PTT switch was located high up on the radio, and there was no provision for remote control. Second, the general demise of HF/AM as used for short range communications, combined with the extreme frequency congestion, and interference. You must realize the multiple thousands of frequencies are required for the offensive operations of any army. Multiple contingents of each the Navy, Artillery, Armor, Aircraft, Infantry, Airborne, Engineers, Support, etc, all must compete for limited frequency spectrum. Then when we consider a multi-national force, it's hard to comprehend the extent of their difficulties. VHF/FM reduced this problem both by expanding the frequency spectrum, and by virtue of the Capture Effect inherent with FM. The latter reduced interference, and allowed units to share frequencies with little ill effect. Whatever advantages HF/AM had, whether in the jungles or on the beach, they were rendered impotent in light of the above. Many other similar radios developed before, during, and after WW-II would suffer the same fate for the same reasons. Third, the fragile war-industry machine back home, and the fact that the maker of the BC-745, was also the parent company of the BC-611, and the SCR-300 which had stolen the lime light. It would be near impossible for this relatively small company and it's contractors to keep up production of all these radio sets. Also the immensely complicated logistics problems associated with the support of any item of combat equipment in the field would be greatly simplified by eliminating the SCR-511, which could be supplanted in most if not all applications by other equipment still in the system. To name just a few, the BC-1000, 620, or 659 could replace it in it's short range roles, and the SCR-694 was now available, which could better serve when longer ranges where necessary as required by Airborne, Mountain troops, or Battalion and above command levels. But the Pogo Stick had left it's mark. Twenty years later, design engineers feverishly trying to develop a new squad radio would have it thrown in their face's by impatient "old school" commanders that still had the old Guidon Set fresh in their minds. (Ref.#11) So the next time someone tells you "the BC-745 was only used in training," you can tell them with total confidence, "Your full of shit!" Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com References; #1) MYSTERY RADIO; BC-745/SCR-511, PART I, by Bill Howard MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.14/98 #2) Military Intelligence, a Picture History, by John Patrick Finnegan. #3) TM 11-227, Apr.1944, Radio Communications Equipment; Signal Communications Directory. #4) TM 11-487, Oct.1944, Electrical Communications Systems Equipment #5) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Emergency, by Dulany Terrett #6) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Test, by Thompson, Harris, Oakes, and Terret #7) U.S. Army in WW-II, The Signal Corps: The Outcome, by G.R. Thompson, and Dixie Harris #8) TM 11-245, Radio Set SCR-511, 30 July, 1943. #9) QST, Sept. 1944, The U.S. Army Signal Corps. #10) Post WW-II mystery manual, date and history unknown, cover missing. #11) History of the Squad Radio, by Marvin W. Curtis ECOM-4451, Nov. 1976 #12) SCR-511 DISCUSSION; by Lenox Carruth, & Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JAN.15/98 #13) MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part II, by Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, FEB. 6/98 #14) MYSTERY RADIO; The BC-745/SCR-511, Part III, by Dennis Starks MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, FEB. 7/98 ***************************** ODDBALL RS-1 TRANSMITTER; By Pete McCollum ed) A realy oddball RS-1 transmitter has survaced thats got us stumped. It's been government modifiad to operate on a single band, 1.5-1.8mc, read on & see what you think. RT/A-3, part of BN-2 -------------------- Two examples of this unit are known to exist. It is an RT-3 transmitter with the following modifications: - The tuning chart plate has been replaced by a plate that reads "RT/A-3 PART OF BN-2 TUNING RANGE 1500-1800 KC". The original RT-3 ID label is still there. - The band switch has been removed, and replaced with a screw that plugs the hole (to keep the unit watertight). Inside, all of the bandswitch components are gone. - A fixture has been added to the FT-243 crystal socket: it allows a crystal to be installed in the horizontal position, laying across the BN-2 label plate. The original crystal socket is still usable, and the second socket (for crystals with wider-spaced pins) is still there, also. - The antenna tuning cap has been replaced by a dual-section 365 pf unit, with both sections wired in parallel for a total of 730 pf. The cap looks like a commercial broadcast radio type, with a compression trimmer on each section. To mount the cap, three holes were drilled and countersunk in the front panel. The original watertight shaft bushing has been mounted upside-down on the top of the panel, and there is a rubber washer under it. This allows everything to remain watertight, but allows the new cap to mount close to the panel. However, the ant. tuning knob is now higher above the panel than the original. - There is a schematic (marked "RT/A-3 TRANSMITTER") glued to the inside of the case. Many points in the schematic have a small hand-drawn check-mark next to them - it's as if the technician was checking off the mods as he did them, then he glued the schematic in the box when he was finished. - According to the schematic, the ant. current indicator is a #43 lamp, instead of a #47. Also, the parallel resistors are a much smaller value. Most of the rest of the circuit is the same - although the plate-tank is a toroid transformer (two separate windings), and the oscillator tank is also a toroid (single winding). These new toroids are about 1" diameter, and are mounted on plastic studs with nylon (?) screws. - The outside of the case and lid has a 2"-wide yellow stripe painted on it. - The original code-key is there, and works normally, although the unit was adjusted so that the contacts were closed all the time. So, the unit would transmit a carrier as soon as it was powered up. One important question is: what is a "BN-2"? Since the RS-1 and RS-6 sets use a very 'obvious' system in their nomenclature, I'm assuming that the letters BN stand for something. Dennis Starks suggested that it might be "BeacoN", or "Beacon, Navigation". To support this theory, consider the following: Many types of aircraft in the 1950's were equipped with navigation equipment that tuned the area of the broadcast band; such as the ARN-59 which tunes 190-1750 KC. So, the RT/A-3 could have been used by clandestine teams in remote areas as a way of providing a navigation beacon for supply air-drops, or to mark a temporary airstrip. The RT/A-3 would have been very familiar to the agents who were already trained in the RS-1. Because of the crystal-socket modification, it could have been delivered to the field with a crystal already installed (a wide variety of frequencies may not have been needed for a beacon that was used only occasionally, and the signal could be 'hidden' in the AM BC band). With the key 'locked down', it would be easy for a single person to set up and operate the transmitter with a GN-58 generator. The January 1998 issue of "Air & Space" magazine has an article about the CIA's air operation in Tibet in the late '50's. The author mentions a case where a C-130 was returning, low on fuel, and the pilot needed to find an emergency airstrip in Thailand that had "only a non-directional radio beacon". The RT/A-3 could fit a situation like this. Pete McCollum mccollum@ssdevo.enet.dec.com ***************************** HUMOR; Kids Answers on Test Questions A teacher forwarded this list of comments from test papers, essays, etc., submitted to science and health teachers by elementary, junior high, high school, and college students. As she noted, "It is truly astonishing what weird science our young scholars can create under the pressures of time and grades." "H2O is hot water, and CO2 is cold water" "To collect fumes of sulfur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube" "When you smell an odorless gas, it is probably carbon monoxide" "Water is composed of two gins, Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is pure gin. Hydrogin is gin and water." "Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes and caterpillars." "Blood flows down one leg and up the other." "Respiration is composed of two acts, first inspiration, and then expectoration." "The moon is a planet just like the earth, only it is even deader." "Artificial insemination is when the farmer does it to the cow instead of the bull." "Dew is formed on leaves when the sun shines down on them and makes them perspire" "A super saturated solution is one that holds more than it can hold." "Mushrooms always grow in damp places and so they look like umbrellas." "The pistol of a flower is its only protections agenst insects." "The skeleton is what is left after the insides have been taken out and the outsides have been taken off. The purpose of the skeleton is something to hitch meat to." "A permanent set of teeth consists of eight canines, eight cuspids, two molars, and eight cuspidors." "The tides are a fight between the Earth and moon. All water tends towards the moon, because there is no water in the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight." "A fossil is an extinct animal. The older it is, the more extinct it is." "Equator: A managerie lion running around the Earth through Africa." "Germinate: To become a naturalized German." "Liter: A nest of young puppies." "Magnet: Something you find crawling all over a dead cat." "Momentum: What you give a person when they are going away." "Planet: A body of Earth surrounded by sky." "Rhubarb: A kind of celery gone bloodshot." "Vacuum: A large, empty space where the pope lives." "Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or negative." "To remove dust from the eye, pull the eye down over the nose." "For a nosebleed: Put the nose much lower then the body until the heart stops." "For dog bite: put the dog away for several days. If he has not recovered, then kill it." "For head cold: use an agonizer to spray the nose untill it drops in your throat." "To keep milk from turning sour: Keep it in the cow." ------------------------------------------- Henry Ford dies and goes to heaven. At the gates, the guy tells Ford,'Well, you've been such a good guy and your invention, the car, changed the world. As a reward, you can hang out with anyone you want in heaven.' So Henry Ford thinks about it and says: 'I want to hang out with Adam,the first man.' -- So the guy at the gates points Adam out to Ford. When Ford gets to Adam, Ford asks 'Hey aren't you the inventor of woman?' Adam says: 'Yes.'Well,' says Ford, 'You have some major design flaws in your invention : 1) There is too much front end protrusion 2) It chatters at high speeds 3) The rear end wobbles too much 4) and the intake is too close to the exhaust.' 'Hmmmmm..' says Adam, 'hold on'. So Adam goes to the celestial computer, types in a few keystrokes, and waits for the results. The computer prints out a slip of paper and Adam reads it. He then says to Ford, 'It may be that my invention is flawed, but according to the stellar computer, more men are riding my invention than yours.' -------------------------------------------------------- I visited an American supermarket. They have so many amazing products here. Like powder milk. You add water and you get milk. And powder orange juice. You add water and you get orange juice. Then I saw baby powder. And I said to myself, what a country! I'm making my family tonight! -- Yakov Smirnoff ***************************** EDITOR; Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com