MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, MAR.3/98 INDEX: TO MILITARY HOT SHEETS! OFF THE SHELF PRICK's; PART VIII, Conclusion By Dennis Starks NEW MEMBER; Dave Prince MEMBERS WRITE; ON THE COMMERCIAL FRONT; HUMOR; *********************************************** TO MILITARY HOT SHEETS! ATT MANAGEMENT: Again you are running an ad listing my name, phone number, and address. This time on your web sight. Again I ask you to please stop! I never placed such an ad with you, nor am I even one of your subcribers. The fax I sent you on this subject a couple weeks ago went unanswered, and evidently unheeded. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com The above has been sent twice to Military Surplus Hotsheets, G & S Publications Wellborn, TX. Before this, several letters were written, and one fax sent. All in regard to an unauthorized ad they periodically run bearing my name, phone number, and address. Not once has a response of any kind been received, and the ad seems to still be running. Please note, I have never placed an ad with these people of any kind, I've only ever even seen their publication once. Then upon seeing the type advertizing in it, pitched it in the trash! I now have a two foot stack of letters here, each containing $2.00 along with a request for a catalog that does not now, nor has ever existed! What to do next???? Dennis *********************************************** OFF THE SHELF PRICK's; PART VIII, Conclusion By Dennis Starks Throughout this series I've made comments to the fact that numerous commercial radios saw extensive use buy the military, even in their unchanged civilian form. Here we will take a closer look at these, and ponder over the question, were they adopted too? As has also been noted, even though an official military designation was granted to many of these radios, in most cases, no examples have ever been found with the appropriate markings, thus it is entirely possible that these too were adopted, and we just don't know it, and in fact, they may well be some of the missing pieces to our puzzle. The Motorola HT-200. Yes this one was adopted in both it's highband(PRC-91/RT-918), and lowband(PRC-97) versions. But there was also a UHF version that saw extensive use by the military. Could this variant have been a PRC-98, or 89? It is possible, as we have absolutely no info on these two missing numbers. The Repco model series 10-8. This one two was adopted in it's VHF/highband version as the PRC-91, and later as the PRC-97. But there were both UHF, and lowband versions of this radio. Both these too have been encountered in military service. Could these have been adopted as the PRC-89,92,95, or 98? We saw in the case of the PRC-91, that the Motorola HT-200 was adopted to augment stocks of the Repco version. We see also that the HT-200 lowband was adopted as the PRC-97, could it be that the Repco lowband existed as the PRC-97(A) as took place with it's highband twin(PRC-91A)? It would seem that if the highband version of this radio was more desirable to the military than it's Motorola equivalent, then the same would be true in the lowband model. The Motorola HT-220, and HT-210. The HT-210 variant is identical to the HT-220 except that it's color is black. Both these radios were used in great quantities by the military in both their VHF, and UHF models. And of course the HT-220 VHF was adopted as the PRC-101. But no documentation exist that might show the adoption of the UHF versions. Could they have been the PRC-98, 100, or 102? Neither do these numbers as yet exist in our PRC genealogy. The Motorola MH-70 line. By all accounts, even those of Motorola affectionates, this was a horrible radio. It was hugh even by late 1970's standards, fragile, hard to service, or maintain, and had an internally housed battery that could not be replaced in the field. But the military did use them, in both their high, and lowband models. The later being the most common. It was the first known radio to use a shortened helical rubber antenna(though still about 2ft long) as standard on the lowband version, greatly improving antenna performance. Motorola MT-500. As mentioned before, this radio was developed to improve on, and replace the HT-220 series. Today it's VHF, and UHF versions are the most common radios of this type to come from military service, many thousands are still in use. They have enjoyed the longest running history in military use of all the radios in this series. Yet not one version of it's hundreds of variants are known to have been adopted as a standard military item. The Motorola MX series. Built in lowband, highband, and UHF models, this radio was Motorola's top of the line from approx 1978 till 1990. It saw extremely wide spread use in every branch of the Government, both military and civil. It was the first Motorola design to use plug in modules, allowing simple field repair. The variants of this radio, like others from Motorola, could fill a book. During it's life span, it was surpassed only by the MT-500 in the numbers used by the government. And like the MT-500, there is no record of it being adopted. MX-S series. Externally these radios are identical to standard MX's right down to there model numbers. The only outward indication of it's uniqueness is a small red "S" close to it's antenna mount. Internally the difference is hard to see by the untrained eye, but these are programmable radios, vice crystal control, and the first ever to be built by Motorola. It was this radio, specially built by Motorola, that accompanied the first HAM in space aboard the Space Shuttle in the late 70's. An article to this effect can be found in the archives of QST were the radio and it's operator were the cover story. Unlike other radios in this series, very, VERY few saw service in civilian life. This due to it's extreme cost, approaching $3000 dollars or more dependant on the options included in the radio. The most impressive of these options was Motorola's DES voice encryption system. Still the standard today, most MX-S series radios, either had this option in place, or could easily be fitted with it. While it's true that Motorola did allow for use of it's DES system in other radios of it's manufacture, including the MT-500, the MX-S series was by far the most common radio found with this capability until the introduction of their Saber series of radios, which are the current top of the line. MX-R series. These radios are internally the same radio as the MX-S line. Externally however, they are completely different. The "R" designation standing for Ruggedized, the cabinet is larger than the "S" versions and constructed of a rubberized plastic, being a solid black in color. They were used extensively by U.S. Air force missile launch crews, and their elite security forces. Some of these units are often referred to as "The Down Under's", in this area of the country. The term coined from their responsibilities involving the security of missile silos, and underground complexes. A special converticom(mobile console) was designed by Motorola for these radios that basically converted it for use as a mobile, or simi-fixed station. It was constructed of cast magnesium, and mounted to a bulk head. These converticoms have never been found in civilian use, and appear to have been strictly a military item. Both the MX-R and S series suffered from one major ailment, they were extremely power hungry. Even a large capacity battery that rivaled it's radio in size, would not allow dependable operation through a 8 or 9 hour period. This problem was so acute that Motorola made available to the military, a special holster to carry a second battery. Both the MX-R, and S radios are now being replaced by Motorola's newest top of the line radios, the Sabre series. This radio does not appear to have been adopted as a standard type either, though it is now in extremely widespread use by every branch of the Government, both Military, and civilian. To compound our frustration, each of the above radios was available in a portable/lunchbox type configuration. The Motorola's included the PT series, PT-300, PT-500 etc. The Repco's, a Portacom. All are known to have been used by the military with great regularity, but none known to have been adopted. And too, since the early 60's, General Electric has always manufactured a rival radio to counter that of their major competitor, Motorola. In nearly every case, the GE version was more advanced, and militarily desirable than it's Motorola counterpart. And though each of these GE built models, even to the present day, saw widespread use by the military. Not one was ever adopted, in any form, unlike Motorola's. Hmmm? To close this series, here are some completely unaccounted for PRC numbers. There is no reason they can't be accounted for, one way or another. See how many of them fit in nicely with those that have been discussed in this series. PRC-11, PRC-12, PRC-13, PRC-18, PRC-19, PRC-22, PRC-27, PRC-31, PRC-42, PRC-43, PRC-44, PRC-45, PRC-48, PRC-50, PRC-51, PRC-52, PRC-54, PRC-57, PRC-60, PRC-69, PRC-76, PRC-79, PRC-87, PRC-92, PRC-95, PRC-98, PRC-100, PRC-102, PRC-107, PRC-115, PRC-120, PRC-121, PRC-122, PRC-124, PRC-125, PRC-131, PRC-137, PRC-141>173, PRC-175>183. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com *********************************************** NEW MEMBER; Dave Prince My name is Dave Prince Amateur Radio Callsign VK4KDP. I live between and on the outskirts of both Brisbane and Ipswich in Queensland Australia. My interests are collecting, restoring and public display of military radio and signalling equipment from all branches of the Services and from any era up to present day. My collection is called the BRISBANE MILITARY RADIO COLLECTION and the ultimate aim is to have the equipment on permanent display in a Museum. I also restore military vehicles, particularly Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) or as they are known by Ausssies, BLITZ's. I have a Chev 3 Ton 4x4 with GS body and my latest is a Chev 8cwt 4x4 Heavy Utility Wireless (HUW which will be fitted out with original radio equipment and gen set, etc. Thanks for the invitation and cheers, -- Dave Prince VK4KDP davprin@gil.com.au Brisbane, Queensland, Australia *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; #Great stuff on the off the shelf series! The B-K LPH series radios once listed a 2.5 watt version without keypad in their commercial catalog but I have never seen one. The main difference with the military seems to be frequency coverage as the commercial version will not accept programming for lower than 150mhz-much to the flustration of a lot of hams in public safety. The Calif. National Guard bought a few dozen B-K' s that were for use on military frequencies but had a frequency hop mod done by Transcrypt. The ones I saw carried no military numbers and only a model number from Transcrypt so I think they were actually purchased under state contract. They also had a permanently open microprocessor so the frequencies could be changed from the front panel at any time. They reportedly had problems with the freq. hop mode and then switched to Motorola Saber handhelds. The B-K series of handheld radios has become standard for U.S. Forest Service and many fire agencies. This is a mixed blessing to those of us in smaller agencies since the feds have priority on parts orders and the rest of us take leftovers. I've been waiting 3 months for my latest order. Take care. Ken ed) The 2.5 watt versions, less the keypad, are known to have been used in great numbers at least by the Air Force. Also the VHF, and UHF versions of both the Bendix King, & Motorola Sabres. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I just received an article praising the German Unimog as one of the best military vehicles ever made. From my limited experience I would tend to agree. He keeps comparing it to the Ford GTB. What the heck is that? The only Fords I can think of are the early Jeep which I think was called a Bantam and the M 151. Thanks again for all your efforts for the group. Its nice to know there is still technical interest in green radios out there. Ken Sakamoto ed) the WW-II Jeep versions were the GPW, MB. Though Bantam was the original designer of the Jeep, they received only a token order of 200 units. These are reported to have ended up in Russia in lue of tanks. Bantam was then to go on and built some of the Jeep trailers. They got a real screw job! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dennis- In the next group post can you put out a message for information for the website that list all the upcoming hamfest and swap meets. Someone in the group must know of the this site. I have accessed it before but cannot find it again anywhere. Danny Cahn DanielC411@aol.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For those of us interested in what is going on, at least what "they" tell us is going on...... Here are a few 'net links: Navy Status: http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/news/.www/status.html Gulf Status: http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/news/in-gulf.html Pac' Status: http://www.cpf.navy.mil/pages/factfile/cpftoday.htm Lenox *********************************************** 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Just another offer received, again, don't know this guy. Dennis #I have a TS-34 military oscilloscope with manual dated approx 1944. This is a relatively small scope if you are not familiar with it and I'm told it was the first triggered scope. It is funtional. Any interest? Arnold P Stein, apstein@aol.com *********************************************** HUMOR; A rabbi is sitting on an airplane next to a Korean guy. After they have been flying together in silence for a while, the rabbi leans over and says, "You know, I've never forgiven you Chinese for what you did at Pearl Harbor." The Korean looks shocked and replies, "What the hell are you talking about?!?!? It was the Japanese the bombed Pearl Harbor, not the Chinese. And besides, I'm not Chinese or Japanese, I'm Korean!" The rabbi says, " Korean, Japanese, Chinese, what's the difference?" A little while later, The Korean man says, "You know, I've never forgiven you Jews for sinking the Titanic." The rabbi looks confused and mad and says, "What are you talking about? The Jews didn't have anything to do with that! An iceberg sank the Titanic!" The Korean guy replies, "Iceberg, Goldberg, Greenberg, what's the difference?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Three blondes died and are at the pearly gates of heaven. St.Peter tells them that they can enter the gates if they can answer one simple question. St. Peter asks the first blonde, "What is Easter?" The blonde replies, "Oh, that's easy! It's the holiday in November when everyone gets together, eats turkey, and are thankful..." "Wrong!," replies St. Peter, and proceeds to ask the second blonde the same question, "What is Easter?" The second blonde replies, "Easter is the holiday in December when we put up a nice tree, exchange presents, and celebrate the birth of Jesus." St. Peter looks at the second blonde, shakes his head in disgust, tells her she's wrong, and then peers over his glasses at the third blonde and asks, "What is Easter?" The third blonde smiles confidently and looks St. Peter in the eyes, "I know what Easter is." "Oh?" says St. Peter, incredulously. "Easter is the Christian holiday that coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover. Jesus and his disciples were eating at the last supper and Jesus was later deceived and turned over to the Romans by one of his disciples. The Romans took him to be crucified and he was stabbed in the side, made to wear a crown of thorns, and was hung on a cross with nails through his hands. He was buried in a nearby cave which was sealed off by a large boulder." St. Peter smiles broadly with delight. The third blonde continues, "Every year the boulder is moved aside so that Jesus can come out... and, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A few years ago, Charlie Brown and the "PEANUTS" gang made a new friend who developed leukemia in an animated special entitled, "WHY, CHARLIE BROWN,WHY?" Recently, MetLife has put out a series of instructional pamphlets which feature the "PEANUTS" gang dealing with such issues as the loss of a loved one, writing a will, and dealing with a permanent disability. Now that Charlie Brown is dealing with important issues, how about some "PEANUTS" specials for the kids of the '90s? * We could learn about VD in, "IT BURNS WHEN I URINATE, CHARLIE BROWN" * Chuck and the Little Red-Headed Girl find out about unwanted pregnancy in, "DAMN STRAIGHT IT'S YOUR BABY, CHARLIE BROWN!" * Is Linus gay? Find out in, "IT'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF LOVE,CHARLIE BROWN" * See how the "PEANUTS" gang deals with date rape in, "NO MEANS NO, CHARLIE BROWN! * Discover a father's forbidden love in, "IT'S OUR LITTLE SECRET, CHARLIE BROWN" * Franklin speaks! The "PEANUTS" gang gets a lesson in Ebonics in, "IMO BUSTA CAP INYO ASS, CHARLIE BROWN!" * What goes on in the mind of a serial killer? Discover the inner workings of Pig Pen's twisted psyche and meet his murderous alter ego, "Mr Clean" in, "GOD CALLED THE TRAILER PARK AND TOLD ME TO DO IT, CHARLIE BROWN" * Charlie Brown peddles his body for crack money while stealing Social Security checks and boosting automobiles in "BLAME IT ON THE MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!" *Snoopy deals with his shortcomings after being neutered in, "WHY DID YOU CUT MY BALLS OFF, CHARLIE BROWN" *Marcy and Peppermint Patty explore their special feelings for each other in "YOU MOW THE GRASS,AND SO DO WE,CHARLIE BROWN" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ditsey Baummortal went duck shooting with old Uncle George Terwilliger. A flock of ducks flew overhead and Uncle George took a potshot at them and one fell down on the beach--dead. Ditsey walked over and looked at it. "Hey, Uncle George," he said. "That was a waste of ammunition to shoot that duck. The fall alone would have killed it." -- "Senator" Ed Ford *********************************************** (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) *********************************************** --------- End forwarded message ----------