Military Collector Group Post:

                      BACKMAIL #31

(3 pages) Index; PPS-4??? GRC-164??? ***********************************************

PPS-4??? Dennis, Have a question for you or for the group: Anyone have any idea what a AN/PPS-4 is worth? I got one sometime back and may donate/trade to the local mil museum or trade elseware if not wanted there. 73 Joseph W Pinner Lafayette, LA KC5IJD EMail: kc5ijd@net-connect.net FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW,A PPS-4 IS AN EARLY MANPACK RADAR SET PRIMARILY DESIGNED TO DETECT MOVING GROUND VEHICLES & PERSONNEL. IT & IT'S SUCCESSORS THE PPS-5,6 WERE ALSO FOUND USEFUL IN VIETNAM LOCATING THE ORIGIN OF INCOMMING MORTAR FIRE. DON'T NOW KNOW JUST WHAT ONE OF THOSE THINGS WOULD BE WORTH. i PURCHASED A PPS-6 FROM A TEXAS DEALER AT A KANSAS CITY HAMFEST A COUPLE YEARS AGO FOR $75.00. THE ONLY ONE HE HAD LEFT WITH HIM WAS HIS DISPLAY ONE. SO HE PROMISED TO SHIP ME ANOTHER SOON AS HE GONE HOME,NEVER GOT IT! MILCOM HAD THEM A YEAR OR TOO AGO FOR AROUND $150.00,SO I'D GUESS THIS RANGE. IF YOUR TAX MAN & A DEDUCTION ARE INVOLVED THEN A LITTLE MORE! I'D LIKE TO WORK SOMETHING OUT WITH YOU ON IT,IF I GOT ANYTHING YOU WANT. WOULD LIKE TO SET IT UP IN THE WINDOW (NEXT TO ALL THE OTHER GREEN GOODIES) TURNED ON. DRIVES THE TRUCK DRIVERS NUTS! ALSO MAKES IT A LITTLE EASIER TO GET OUT ONTO THE HIGHWAY. IT'S A 45 MPH SPEED ZONE HERE BUT THE AVERAGE SPEED IS 70. DENNIS ****************************************************************

GRC-164?? Dear mil. radio answer man- Dennis, your batting 100 percent, let's see what you got on this one! GRC-164 aka "Crash radio:. Putty gray and the exact same size as a PRC-25. 3 channel crystal controlled and works on 12 D cells. 2 of the 3 channels on my radio are marked 121.5 and 243.0 Is it true that this radio was used on larger naval aircraft as a survival radio. It is stickered from North Island NAS. Can't find anything in my Army LOAPS communications manual for GRC-164. It uses a HS 250 handset and also has built in speaker. No antenna for it but has a screw thread antenna mount for some type of whip antenna. This is a mystery? Can you fill in any blanks. Got a TM or Navair manual #. Waiting to hear what the answer man can give me. Danny Cahn --------------------------------------------------------------

Can't somebody come up with some easy questions? Like Dennis,how many teeth you got? Or what's you favorite color? Or how long s your %$#)? These are nice easy questions! Answers None,None(I'm color blind), None of your damn business! Don't know shit about the GRC-164. Did a little checkin. Fedlog 95 list the US Navy as the only user, with an original cost of $5390.00, with a differed cost of $1900(I think this is a value they place on things when they become dated equipment). The manufacture was MESC of Ft Wayne Ind. As for it's use as a Naval large aircraft survival radio? I don't think so. Look at the thing! #1)the use of "D" cell batteries. Sets of that type need batteries capable of operation at full power even after extremely long periods of storage, & environmental conditions. No "D" cell ever made, or in any form could produce these required goals. In addition the military has traditionally shy'd away from the use of discreet cells in it's front line equipment. Even in the very few cases they were used,it short order "packaged types" replaced them. This for several reasons, those listed above plus the fact that they are not dummy proof I/E + & - are not included in our 26 character alphabet,& when we are hard pressed to find operators that even know these,the problems are evident. Second, the friction contacts between each individual cell are a constant source of trouble. These in a radio where human life is at stake? Again, I don't think so. #2)The radio has a built in loud speaker! For many reasons this would disqualify the radio for it's supposed purpose. How many military radios do you know of with built in speakers? Damn few. For good reason, here are only a couple. A) we need not broadcast to a football field our presents. B) In all types of military radio equipment, power supply conservation is of utmost importance. This is especially true of emergency or any other battery operated equipment. The circuits to drive a loud speaker would require nearly as much power from the batteries as the radio would use during transmit. The US military is in fact so concerned about battery conservation that they use 2 watt FM back radios when other countries use 5 & up. !0 watt class SSB radios where elsewhere 20 watt plus sets are in use. They buy 2 watt commercial radios for general use, while the commercial equivalent radio is a 5 watt model. There are other reasons for RF power limitations but I best stop before this book gets to many pages. C)The added weight of the speaker & it's asso circuits. #3)The GRC designation would indicate the radio was intended to serve a ground role. Though this is indeed not a etched in stone rule, when combined with the above the prognoses looks even worse for our supposed purpose. The radio probably used an H-189 handset & not a H-250(these are a late enovation of the last ten years). The only thing that makes sense about the radio is it's screw mount antenna. I could speculate as to what the radio might have been used for, but my fingers are gettin tired, & I think I'm gonna take a nap. Maybe somebody else can shed some light on it for you. Hint! Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com ***********************************************

(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)