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                      Backmail #30

(12 pages) Index: Hand Crank Generator Storie's; by Hue Miller, & Dennis Starks LET'S TALK NAVY MAB,& DAV MU-MV-MW-MX? BC-639,& WHAT TO DO WITH IT. OPS SERIES,VILLAGE & HAMLET RADIOS, SYSTEM, & THE MAN THAT DESIGNED THEM *****************************************************

Hand Crank Generator Storie's; I once saw a photo once of a missionary with a scr-694 who supposedly cranked & opearated the radio all at once all by himself. now there's a godly man! ------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's no shit, I tried that with a GRC-9 on field day one year, it don't work worth a damn. I once cranked on a GRC-9 in the back yard while a friend called CQ, was realy happy he didn't get a responce, you really could feel it when the key closed! ------------------------------------------------------------------------

I once had an SCR-284 set up on one of my tours, an old fart come up & asked if it worked, I said sure. He said people were always bitchin about crankin on the things. I asked if he wanted to try it. He did, got to crankin, said "this aint that bad", I hit the key, it likta jurked his arms from the sockets. Another gen story come from CBI, were an over zealous young officer was constantly wanting to send messages. Each time, the Signalman had nasty things to say. They found a way for the #2 Signalman to be conveniently absent, the Leutinant not knowing code had to crank the gen. The traffic was cut in half from then on. Brits, Aussies, & Huns had the idea, lay down & pedal it. Poor dumb Marines didn't even have anything to hold their gens, depended on a handy tree, ever see the pictures of a pre-invasion bombardment? Aint no trees! Not many of them on sandy beaches either. A story related by Norm Champion of his days in charge of a forward fire control control station at Enchon, they were control Naval fire from Battle Wagons in the bay, 19 miles away. When they landed with their TBX they found a nice wooden post, they carried that post with them throughout their tour to strap their generator to. One big complaint from the field about the SCR-284 was the noise the gen made,"drew enemy gunfire", was there a simpler reason for this complaint? Hue ------------------- Dennis **********************************************************

Let's talk Navy MAB,& DAV-2! Now heres a couple of mystery radios. In general,it is most difficult to document the actual use of WW-II US Navy equipment,& with portable types even more so. In the case of the ART-13/ATZ/ATC,TCS,TCK,& to a lesser extent the TBY,& TBX,these radios we know a little about. Some combat photos,war time manufactures propaganda,etc,have survived to give us some clues as to who used them,where & how. But the DAV-2,& the MAB have escaped us. For those that are not familiar with these two radios,the MAB,& DAV-2 are low power(approx 200mw),AM phone transceivers that operated on a single xtal control frequency between 2.3 & 4.5mc. Both were very small back pack sets built by Communications Company Inc.(which later became known as COMCO). Both radio sets could be worn,& operated while strapped to either the users back or chest. The radios shared the same R/T chassic,internal power source,& external accessories. Manuals(at least for the MAB) were printed October of 1942,while (supplement) data for the DAV-2 can be dated October 1944. Though electronically these sets are very similar,cosmiticaly they are quite differed. The MAB is housed in a water tight Bakelite case,while the DAV-2 is contained in a waterproofed plywood cabinet. The DAV-2 also sports an internaly mounted direction finding antenna,thus it might be deemed a Marine Corps tactical equivalent to the Signal Corps combination BC-611 & AN-190,more on these comparisons later. Additionally the MAB is both contained in,& carried by way it's companion canvas pack/bag with intical straps. While the DAV-2 was carried by way of standard canvas straps having pelican hook type fasteners,these connected to "D"rings on the radios cabinet. If I were to do comparisons on all WW-II radio equipment Navy verses Signal Corps. The Navy would consistantly come out the winner. The same is true of the DAV,& MAB. When we compare the MAB to it's Signal Corps tactical equivalent(the BC-611) the following will be found. #1. Cost,the MAB would appear to have been much simpler to have originally built. Also field logistics(the most important concern of any piece of military equipment) were greatly simplified by it's use of accessories & parts that were compatible with other equipment of it's vintage. Not to mention field serviceability(yet). #2. The MAB boasted an RF power output of nearly three times that of the BC- 611. Additionally it used a far more efficient external antenna,& could be powered by a choice of wet or dry cell batteries. It was equipped from the beginning,with external audio & control equipment that allowed the use of headphones,PTT hand mics,& on/off controls. Only later models of the BC-611 were equipped for use with external accessories,& then no remote PTT operation was incorperated.And though the use of an external antenna was outlined in later manuals,this was a very duct tape & bailing wire type operation. #3.Field serviceability. The BC-611 was not at all a field serviceable radio. Even the simple changing of a tube was tedious at best. Changing channels required a host of xtals,coils,& capacitors be changed. Alignment of all these components needed be carried out in a complicated procedure requiring equipment specifically designed for that set & no other. This included a special alignment cabinet,drilled with holes in the locations of the various frequence determining components. Thus it would not be de-tuned when placed back in it's own metal cabinet. If the BC-611's antenna were broken or bent,the radio was effectively out of action if not destroyed. This because of it's dual role & very difficultly replacement operation. Lastly,the BC-611 used chassis contraction that was heavily dependant on fragile plastics,& incorporated a very complicated TR switch that was also prone to misalignment & breakage. While on the other hand we have the MAB. Tube replacement was a simple matter do to the accessibility of all chassis components. Changing channels required only replacing it's xtals,& not a host of other frequency sensitive parts. This because it's utlizing fully adjustable coils. Alignment was done with common test equipment that was also used with any other piece of radio equipment. No special alignment cabinet or fixture was required because of the chassis fully metal & shielded construction. No fragile components where used either in it's internal/electronic or cabinet manufacture. If you broke the antenna of the MAB you simply threw it away & got a new one when available. Until then,a long piece of wire could be used. #4. When comparing the DAV-2 with the combination BC-611/AN-190,all those attributes of the MAB also apply. In addition the DAV-2 had no very gangly, fragile, separated DF antenna. Though it is true that we can draw some good points of the BC-611,& some bad for the MAB/DAV-2, space & time do not permit here. I'll let you do this! And now for my questions, how, when, where, & by whom were the MAB/DAV-2's used ? The DAV-2,nothing is known of, or can be found in any dated written material. In the case of the MAB,very little is known. We do know that it was originally designed for use by Para-Marines,& it's manual clearly states this. It is often referred to as the "Para Talkie" & this point stressed by most unscrupulous dealers to demand more money for them, because anything Airborne demands a premium. However,this same claim can be made for the BC-611, which was originally designed for use only by Airborne troops, but as we known found it's way into firtualy every theater of war & possible application. We also know that Airborne Marines were very active in many small South Pacific island campaines,these usually as token support for our Australian allies. Shamefully though, history has neglected to save for use the details of these exploits. Instead,it has preferred to concentrate on the major campaigns of this theater like,Guam,& the . Philippines. But by this time,with the influx of the US Army, their equipment, etc,the individual equipment of the Marines become overshadowed. However, & ironically it is the Army that has saved for me the only (as yet) known historical reference to wartime use of the MAB. This by way of a photo showing an an Army intellegance officer/reporter,as he uses an MAB as a remote mic,to transmit on the seen messages to a remote studio,to be retansmitted as propaganda. I hope other have been more successful than I in their research & can share their info with use. A strange & somewhat mysterious ending for this story comes from the fact that for many years spanning the 70's & mid 80's,Fair Radio Sales had available both MAB's & DAV-2's at a cost of around $15.00ea. One day these radios just stopped being available, This in itself is not uncommon, as Fair often surprises us in this manor. But what happened to all those radios that Fair sold for all those years ? Why the sudden disappearance ? Today,complete,MAB's,& DAV-2's are of the rarest of WW-II Navy,or Signal Corps sets. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN STARKS ELECTRONICS,wholesale supplier of used communications equipment. **********************************

Dennis, I got one of those FAIR Radio MABs but it had the mike cut off. Where can I get a replacement mike. Do you have any of the Canvas bags left? I thought these sets were powered by batteries! am i wrong about that? Bill Howard ----------------------------------------------

Bill, the original mic used on the MAB is a standard Navy RS-38 . This was the Navy's equivilat to the Army's T-17,& they are functionaly interchangeable though they do not look the same. You can still find them at hamfest for a couple dollars each,they were also used on all types of postwar communications equipment. However most examples found are not marked RS-38,rather they have the Navy's component part number,or the original manufactures model number,so you need to know what one looks like. Fair radio had them until recently,but I notice in their(very desapointing) last catalogue,that they've(along with alot of other stuff) been dropped. For complete authenticity,the cord of the RS-38 is not required,as the mic head is hard wired to the radios cord(MAB). On some examples of the MAB,& all of the DAV's incountered,an in-line connector has been used allowing operation with an unmodifiad RS-38,or T-45 throat mic. The heaset used is the same as that for the RBZ,I/E CUP type phone elements & the nylon scull cap. HS-30 headphones have also been found in use (with the appropriate connector) on both the MAB & DAV. The antenna can still be found for both sets,& like with many items,they were untill the last catatogue,listed with Fair Radio. The extra canvas bags that I had,are now all happily parts of complete MAB sets. Until I found the originals for mine,I had to be content with a rather crappie substatute,a Claymore Mine bag. Both radios could use either a multi cell internal battery,or the more common internal wet cell battery,with companion vibrator supply clipped to it's top. I don't have either of these for the examples in my collection. In the hopes that Fair Radio has neglected to list these items do to their new(much hated) format,or because limited quantities did not warrant cataloging,I'll list below the last known accessories they had. Make your inquires both in writing & by telephone if you expect a correct response to availability. CCI-66081,telescoping antenna for either the DAV or MAB,$15.00(this item is listed in two places in the catalogue,with the MAB at $10.00,& with the antennas at $15.00) MAB transceiver,less mic,with tubes & schematic,$15.00 CTE49214,headphone elements only(these will have the required bastard connector required to use a HS-30 & it's in-line empedance matching transformer/adapter),$6.95 Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN STARKS ELECTRONICS,wholesale supplier of used communications equipment. ************************************

Dennis, Did not realize how rare these sets are! In addition to the unit that I traded you, I have an almost complete one (only short the power unit) including an original manual (date 1944, BTW), mike, headset, antenna, straps, and a spare chasis, less tubes. Would love to dig up more on its history. Glad that I saved this interesting set! 73 Joseph W Pinner Lafayette, LA KC5IJD EMail: kc5ijd@net-connect.net -----------------------------------------------

Joe, Long after Fair Radio ran out of the radios,they still had the vibrator power supplies,wet cell batteries,antennas & canvas bags(MAB),funny thing was none of these were advertized as belonging to the MAB or DAV. Maybe the next artical will be on the RBZ,another WW-II radio mystery,largly solved. MAB's themselves are not very rare,but complete sets are. An operational MAB can be assembled fairily cheaply from Fair Radio sets with cut off connectors(in fact,their connectors are not cut off but just the RS-38 mic,with ample room for replacement). But the canvas bag cannot be had to complete the set. A couple years ago,I lucked out,Fair had for many years,in a very small note in their catalogue some generic canvas bags. Only a partial number was given with them,but it sounded like it went to the MAB,so I ordered a few,what the hell,you can always find a use for a canvas bag. They turned out to indeed be for an MAB. What is most confusing,& has happined several times with radios that Fair Radio had large stocks of for many years. This when these stocks finaly sold out,it's as though all the radios desapeared off the face of the earth,never to be seen or heard from again. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN ***********************************

From: sarge@nist.gov (Brian Scace) To: military-radio-guy@juno.com (Dennis R Starks) Subject: Re: Revised backmail lsit I just printed it all and gave it a first quick read. The MAB/DAV stuff is fascinating. Just a thought on the existance of these radios: There has been a few articles in the various journels in the field of History of Technology regarding the immediate postwar divestiture of military equipment by the U.S. One thing that becomes clear is that significant stocks of equipment used in the Pacific Theatre, even the unissued stockpiles for the aborted invasion of the Japanese home islands, were destroyed or dumped into the sea. One of the effects of this policy is the comparitive rarity of many then common items of military issue, such as un-issued early pattern Marine HBT's, while Navy marked HBT's are still common. The Navy ones were not common overseas issue. Most stocks having remained stateside, they survived. I wonder whether the amount of MABs and DAVs that Fair and others picked up on indicates that these were stored stateside without a purpose, what with the disbanding of the Para-Marines and the intro of the BC-1000 late in the war to the Naval Services. I would suspect that may also explain the relative scarcity of complete TBX's, their having been in general use early in the island hopping campaigns. By the way, I was reading VanderGrif's after action report on Guadalcanal last night and found mention of the TBX as the common unit in use by the Corps in that campaign. I don't know if I'm just repeating what you already know, but I find this sort of history fascinating. I am ready for more info. P.S. So who the H--- did use the DAV, anyway? Thanks Again Brian --------------------------------------------

Thats the best kind of history there is. The DAV would have been used by the Marine Corps or other unit in the same way that the Army would have used a BC-611,& AN-190 loop antenna. Or later the PRC-6 & it's loop antenna. These rigs were used by forward teems to get some idea of where they were. Contrary to what's been said about useing them to DF the enemy,this is ludicrous. While I'm sure your suggestion of larg scale dumping dose have a beering on the scarcity of most all Navy equipment today,the MAB however was available early in the war(1942). It is it's use that can't be documented. As you pointed out with the TBX,why can we find referanse to it's use but not the MAB/DAV. Also true that the introduction of the BC-1000 would have limited the need for the MAB/DAV,but remember the BC-611 was being used right along side the BC-1000,& as we know the use of both these radios is well documented. I suspect we will learn more of all when we can find some historical documentations of the smaller scale Marine Corps actions that normaly took place in conjunction with Australian or other Alied troops ealiar in the war. Keep looking! . Dennis ************************************

MORE MAB FEEDBACK Boy, does this get confusing! Re: MAB: I have the unit, an original manual, the earphones (sans = skull cap) and an unattached RS-38 (they are "common" at Hamfests). My = intent of doing an article on it for Electric Radio has been stymied by = "no-one", including Fair Radio, having the ant. or vibrapak. I did make = these observations: The unit would have been a real bitch in anything = approaching jungle conditions. I live in a semi-tropical area, (Florence= AL, on the TN river), and I could well imagine trying to avoid heat pros= tration while wearing the skull cap -- as well as not drowning the earpho= nes in sweat! THIS IS WHY THE DESIGNS OF BOTH THE PRC-35,& 36 WERE DROPPED. ALSO THE REASON THE HS-30 HEADPHONES WERE OPTIONAL ON THE MAB. THE VIBRATOR POWER SUPPLY HAS BEEN EXTINCT FOR MANY YEARS,THE ANTENNA CAN BE FOUND AT A HAMFEST ONCE IN A WHILE,THIS WHERE MY LAST TWO CAME FROM. BESIDES,WHO SAID THIS HOBBY WAS EASY? IF IT WERE WHO'D WANNA DO IT? I determined that the snap-together connectors take only abt. 2 = pounds of direct pull to separate -- and only 1 pound of side jerk. Ever= y whippy limb around would cheerfully snag the dangling cords! Worse: on page 11, sections 4-1 and 4-2 of the manual, it mention= s a "rushing noise" in the earphones, when the Rx is on: this means the = operator would have been effectively deaf! Just from these three things you can see why the HT-type set would = have been far more popular, even tho not as effective, radio-wise. THIS ALSO TRUE,BUT AS WAS NOTED IN THE ARTICLE I SENT OUT,BOTH THE MAB/DAV HAD DISADVANTAGES,& THE BC-611 IT'S ADVANTAGES. THIS IS ALSO 1942,THERE IS ONLY ONE BACKPACK RADIO IN EXISTENCE THAT HAS A SQUELCH PROVISION,& IT'S NOT FIELDED IN ANY QUANTITY YET. THIS THE BC-1000/SCR-300 WHICH CHANGED TACTICAL COMMUNICATIONS FOR EVER. ALSO LATER VARIANTS OF THE BC-611 WERE ALSO MODIFIED TO USE A THROAT MIC & HEADPHONES. WHEN THE BC-611 & AN-190 WERE USED THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR MORE GANGLY THAN THE DAV. BY THE WAY THE MAB WAS COMPLETELY WATER TIGHT,THE BC-611 NOT. THE GERMANS DID THINK VERY HIGHLY OF THE BC-611,THEY MARVELED AT IT'S SIZE & MADE SEVERAL GLORIOUS WRITTEN REPORTS ON IT. THE JAPANESE ALSO GAVE IT NO BETTER PRAISE THAN TO CLONE IT AFTER THE WAR AS THE JBC-611. Make it four things: the radio-man was/is a good target. I'd like = to be able to throw the darned thing away from me if I's being targeted = too! Don't strap that bull's-eye to me! I KNOW VERY WELL, I WAS A RADIOMAN,& DID WEAR A TARGET ON MY BACK! THROWING IT AWAY ISN'T/WASN'T ALLOWED! About the C-434: TM11-5038 (Air Force TO16-30GRA6-5) is the 86 page= manual that covers this box (part of the AN/GRA-6 control system). The = "other" relay seems to operate off the 3v handset battery. I follow my = own advice: don't do nothin' till you get the manual! On the SCR-284 (BC-654): I regretfully sold mine for lack of space,= as well as not being able to answer the question of when I'd get around = to doing anything with it. I did observe that the 307 output tube has = the same pin-out as the 2E22 used in both the later BC-1306 (hav 2 1/2) = and GRC-9 (1 copy), but has differant characteristics. The question I = couldn't get KJ4KV Walt Hutchens (see Electric Radio #60 for his article = on it) to answer (maybe he wasn't brave enough, he's not good about answe= ring his mail anyway), was whether it would actually work -- the 2E22 is = far more plentiful than the 307 (of which I have one extra copy, untested= , got at Hamfest). I'VE NOT STUDIED THE SUBJECT, BUT I'D THINK LOOKING UP THE SPECS ON EACH TUBE,& THE WIREING WOULD ANSWER THAT QUESTION. WOULDN'T DO IT ANYWAY UNLESS THE 307 DID EXIST ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET. OUR PERVEIW IS NOT TO MODIFY A RADIO,RATHER TO RESTORE THEM. IT AINT THE 50/60's ANYMORE. I collect every vibrator I can get my hands on, esp. after I found = a vibrator tester at a Hamfest. They go dirt cheap, and don't take up = much space! I DO TOO,HAVE HUNDREDS OF THEM,& NOT A CLUE AS TO WHERE THEY ARE AT,OR WHAT I HAVE. AIN'T THAT AWFUL? To Dennis: I am sending (again) my obs on the GRC-109, since your = note on the juno fiasco. Is there an echo in here?! Sorry about that! 73 et CUL de N4TGC ERIC JONES eaj@hiwaay.net P.S. if everyone would put their e-address somewhere in their messa= ge my record-keeping would be a lot easier! thanx! WHEN I FORWARD MESSAGES & THE EMAIL ADDRESS ISN'T IN THE SIGNATURE I TRY TO ADD IT MYSELF. IF I'VE FORGOTTIN ON SOME,SORRY. IT'S NOT ON MINE BECAUSE THE ALLOWED DATA IS MAXED OUT,BUT TO RESPOND TO ME,ALL THAT NEED BE DONE IS CLICK REPLY. OR IN WORSE CASE,THAT'S WHAT YOU ADDRESS BOOK IS FOR! Dennis Starks; *******************************

From: Sheldon Wheaton To: Dennis Starks Subject: Navy model MU & siblings Hi Dennis, What in the heck are Navy types: MU-MV-MW-MX? I have a non-military tech manual printed by "Electronic Radio-Television Institute" in Omaha, NE, for the Marine Corps, which covers these units, but no pictures (does have schematic). Here are some specs listed: model freq color Navy type # MU 2.3-2.8 red CCI-43029 MV 2.7-3.3 white CCI-43030 MW 3.2-3.9 blue CCI-43031 MX 3.8-4.6 green CCI-43032 I don't have one, don't even know what it looks like. Any info? Sheldon KC0CW ------------------------------------------------

Sheldon These radios are all basicaly early MAB's. Externaly they are almost identical in appearance. However as you can see,they did not have the frequency coverage of the MAB. I/E four radios,all exactly alike except for frequency coverage were required to cover the same range as an single MAB Also the antenna that was used, had a fix tuned coil,were as the MAB's antenna was tunable via a base load coil. I think you can find a pixture,though a not very good one, in SHIPS 275,1944. If your not familiar with this pub, it's like a Navy TM11-487. Repo's are available from an eastern source,but I don't now remember who or where. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN **********************************

BC-639,& WHAT TO DO WITH IT. I picked up a lonesome looking old Signal Corps Radio Receiver BC-639-A at a recent hamfest. I had intended to part it out, but as usually happens, it looks restorable. The tag says: Type R.5032A Ref No. 10D/259 A(picture of a crown)M S/N 350. It has been modified for 110VAC and I don't know what other mods might be involved. Question 1) If restored, will this make a decent VHF receiver? Question 2) Are the parts available for restoration? Question 3) Anyone have a manual? Question 4) Who is the manufacturer? Dennis, I am still digesting your mail, and have read most of it looking for this information on this receiver and came up dry. Did I miss anything? 73s George KC5WBV George to answer some of your questions & elaborate a little further,here goe's. You receiver was originally built for England & lend lease,thus the British Crown emblem on it. Most likely the war ended & we were stuck with it,much to your present delight. It was used in conjunction with it's companion transmitter(BC-640) as part of numerous systems for the ground to air control of Fighter aircraft. The original power supply(I believe was the RA-42) was mounted separately & was about 4" tall,two variants exist that I know of,one has provision for minor voltage control & a panel meter,while the other does not. There where also several variants of the BC-639,including those that survived WW-II & the joint designation number system(AN/**). Later models will have provision for a squelch control(this usually a through panel screw driver adjustment),& these are the most desired sets. I don't now remember if the "A" model has this feature or not. They are not a particularly rare radio nor valuable,but this changes on a daily basis with the growing scarcity of all old equipment,& our running out of thins to collect. One nice thing about them,they are easily restored & completely repainted with their brass,removable control/panel markings. #1. If restored,I believe it will in time make a worth while addition to your collection. It's Performance will be adequate. & will provide reception of VHF/AM aircraft bands,2mtrs,& business band. Though AM is it's mode of operation,It will work FM quite well via diversity slope reception. #2.Parts are always available for a restoration project,provide your patient. & as I said The BC-639 is not presently a rare radio. #3.I may have a manual,I'll need to look,but if someone beats me to it,thats fine. #4.I Can't tell the manufacturer from the info given,maybe someone else can. Don't part it out! Never part out a old radio,you'll always be sorry. If a example should come along that looks more deserving,then use some parts from it if needed. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN ************************************

OPS SERIES,VILLAGE HAMLET RADIOS; THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXTRACT FROM A LETTER I WROTE TO KEITH MELTON IN RESPONSE TO HIS INQUIRY ABOUT A HALLICRAFTERS TR-20 THAT HE WAS GOING TO ACQUIRE FOR HIS COLLECTION. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO THE GROUP,& OFFER SOME EXPLANATION TO MY INTEREST IN PARA-MILITARY RADIO TYPES. & AS I'VE RECEIVED SEVERAL QUESRIONS ABOUT THE VILLAGE & HAMLET RADIOS. HOPE YOU INJOY. The TR-20 is part of a family of equipment referred to as the (OPS series),and model numbers on these are usually presided by that prefix OPS/TR-20.OPS stands for the "Office of Public Safety".This organization is known to have been a front for the CIA operating at least in South Vietnam(more latter)from approx 1962-1972. In approx 1962(official documents state 1964,but OPS equipment is known to have been built as early as 1962)an engineer then working for Radio Industries(at that time a division of Hallicrafters)named Paul Katz was sent to Vietnam under contract with the OPS.His assignment was to inspect local terrain,conditions,& requirements in order to design a radio system & the equipment to be used in it.This system,called the"Village & Hamlet"radio system,was intended to link all the small isolated communities providing both an early warning system & a means of communication for their"irregular"forces as well as the US Special Forces Teams assigned to them(as we know,these teams of US Special Forces were under the direct control of the CIA).The TR-20 was a portable set officially ment for use by the larger"Hamlet"in this system. Mr.Katz was presented with several design requirements for the radios that were to be used in this system,#1 the sets needed be sufficiently rugged,#2 had to be very simple for use by untrained personnel,#3 & most important,they had to be cheep!The radios he designed were basically re-packaged CB radio's already inproduction by Hallicrafters at the time.Latter examples in this series became alittle more exotic & specialized in design,some of these will be listed later. Mr.Katz worked for the OPS for quite some time,after the war he was a communications consultant for local government around Hawaii.Presently,as of a couple of years ago,it's reported he is back at work for the State Department. Though I had a line on him,& wished to make contact,this opportunity has faded.He has turned over all his personal papers to CMH,a though I'd love to have a copy of them time has not allowed me to pursue it. As stated,the OPS is only known to have operated in South Vietnam,however in the parts list contained in OPS series equipment manuals,the dual language stickers for the front panel controls were available in Vietnamese,Spanish,Tia,Cambodian,Arabic,& Hebrew.This lends suspect to influence in other parts of the world.Particularly as only very few examples of latter HF versions"might"have been sold commercially,& after the war(& the demise of Hallicrafters)only some HT-1's,HT-2's & some boards for FM-1's were ever surplased,these from bankrupt Hallicrafters inventory. It seems that after the war,most if not all of the OPS equipment found use in other US Government organizations with the possible exception of the Village & Hamlet Radios.Examples in my collection show use by US Forestry,Coast Guard,Navy,& ANCSA.The Village radio's may have been exempt from this duty as their band & mode were not compatible with any other service(this the only known gripe of the Green Berets)I/E 30-42mc"AM". More information on the TR-20,it's companion radios,& the "Village & Hamlet" radio system can be found in Military Communications A TEST FOR TECHNOLOGY The U.S.Army in Vietnam,by John D. Bergen,published by the U.S.Army Center of Military History (CMH PUB 91-12) & available from the Government Printing Office. As stated earlier,it's ironic that you should inquire of the TR-20.This because some time ago I wrote you wishing to discuss the possibilities of clandestine "Tactical" radio equipment.I/E the radio an agent might use to communicate to another agent with,in the field.It has been reported to me by a retired CIA instructor,that old Motorola "Dispatcher" series portable VHF FM lunch box type radios were use for training purposes in the early late 50's-60's.This might have been because of the limited range of the sets,thus suited for classroom/field instruction.However we must also note that these are voice only equipments,thus not suited for strategic,logistic,communications,or any type message traffic.And too the Motorola Handie though by todays standards was gigantic,in the late 50's it was possibly the smallest thing made.This same radio is known to have been adopted and used in other US Government organizations as the PRC-59 & PRC-61. I mention the Motorola set here only because it lends support to use of other equipment of similar type,however improved with time & technology.Inter the OPS series.It is known that Paul Katz designed the Village & Hamlet radio system & it's equipment.It is also known who he worked for.It's however not known how deep his involvement with the CIA was,or if it extended to more than just the OPS.I do know after conversations with Mr Katz's old friends,that the OPS was not all,& that he was at least responsible for the selection of other types of radio equipment both commercially available & customized types for particular applications.We will refure to all these sets as OPS Series as we know of it's existence & the Paul Katz connection,but we do not know the extent of eithers influences or authority.Remember this while reveiwing the list of Known OPS equipment below & the "Suspect Types". OPS series radio equipment is known to have been built,acquired,& distributed in large quantities by the CIA to various countries in an under the table fashion(thus the multi language labels on radios not commercially available).These radios were in most all cases intended to perform in a tactical role at a minimal expense(in comparison to other military/paramilitary equipment).Besides the marked & identified OPS radios listed,several other types were selected,only Motorola name has been identified by several sources so we can only make educated guesses as to wich ones. OPS/HT-1,30-42mc AM handheld,1.5*.Part of Village & Hamlet system. OPS/HT-2,same as above with the addition of a second band(VHF aircraft)* OPS/PC-230,VHF highband,FM backpack/vehicular/base.circa 1974* OPS/TR-5,backpack 5 watt,companion set to HT-1.circa 1964 OPS/TR-20,simi portable station,companion to above sets.circa 1964 OPS/TR-9,HF AM/CW backpack radio.circa 1968 OPS/FM-1,150-170mc,FM,2 watt handheld simi to HT-1.circa 1972* OPS/FM-2,30-42mc,FM,2 watt,identical to FM-1.circa 1972* OPS/FM-5,backpack version of FM-1.circa 1972* OPS/FM-7,backpack version of FM-2.circa 1972* OPS/FM-10,FM-20,known to exist. OPS/SBT-22,6 channel,HF SSB/AM/CW 20 watt backpack set.circa 1970* OPS/SBT-22-18,same as above except 18 channel,circa 1972.* OPS/SBT-100,100watt simi portable,HF AM/SSB/CW transceiver.circa 1972 OPS/HC-100,(Hallicrafters Ham Command 2 meter handheld FM)circa 1971. Suspect OPS series; Motorola SA-211,HF/SSB/CW backpack set,2 channel Xtal contr.circa 1969.(no commercial sales ever encountered,Motorola denies existence.)* CAI CA-32,identical to above.* Motorola HT-210,VHF FM HT,identical to commercial HT-220 except is Black. US Government sales only,known to be used in South Vietnam,circa 1970-80.Possibly replaced by MX-300R a member of the commercial MX-300(S)series circa 1980 THERE MUST BE MORE!Many Para-Military type radios have been encounter by,me or are in my collection that meet with Mr.Katz's original design parameters,& have no history of commercial sales.These however I've neglected to list here do to insufficient proof or suspicion.(*) denotes equipment in my collection. A special note on the Destruct Switch present only on early modles of the OPS equipment.The SOP of the various irregular forces provided with these radios,was that if radio communications were lost while on patrol they must return to base.As feu persons on these patrols wished to be there,the destruct switch provided a convenient way to lose communications.This switch reversed the polarity across the modulater,thus disabling both transmit & receive & destroying the board as it presented a dead short to it's circuits. Dennis Starks;military radio collector/historian.

 
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