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Backmail #43:
(21 pages) Index; GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why, When, Where Part I, An Interveiw
With Bob Olsen, by Pete McCollum GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why, When, Where
Part II, Descriptions, & Observations of the RS-1, GRC-109, & GRA-71 By
Pete McCollum with Further Comments by Dennis Starks GRC-109/RS-1; What,
Why, When, Where Part III, History ? by Pete McCollum Dispelling The Myths,
Part I, by Dennis Starks GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why, When, Where Part IV;
Dispelling The Myths, Part II, by Dennis Starks GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why,
When, Where Part V; Dispelling The Myths, Part III, by Dennis Starks RS-1/RS-6/GRC-109;
Serial Number Info
GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why, When, Where Part I, An Interveiw
With Bob Olsen, by Pete McCollum Foreword, We will begin this series with
an interview conducted by Pete about a year ago. The second part will
contain a detailed description of the radios, along with some observations
& peculiarities of the set Pete has documented. Pete has spend a considerable
amount of time & effort in the last couple of years tracking down all
the possible information he could on the RS-1,6, & GRC-109, PRC-64 & various
other Special Forces & CIA type equipment. Though I usually start a series
or article with the historical background, this time I will finish with
it. Part III will be an attempt by myself & Pete to date & document the
history of these sets. As we have differing opinions, this may turn out
to be interesting. The next series will be on the RS-6 which may in fact
become heated, as the theories, rumors, facts, & fiction are separated.
The RS-6 will follow the RS-1/GRC-109 because there are some interesting
similarities. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com
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Part I, An Interveiw With Bob Olsen, by Pete McCollum
Following is an interview with Bob Olsen, from a phone conversation in
August,1996. Bob is a retired CIA veteran and Signal Corps radio operator.
I met Bob last year at a reunion of folks who used to live on Saipan (in
the Mariana Islands, near Guam). In the 50's and 60's, Saipan was a CIA
training base. Trainees would be flown in from various Asian countries,
trained, then sent back to spy on the Communists and other groups that
CIA was interested in keeping track of. I was born there the year after
Bob left. Among other things, Bob trained recruits in how to use the RS-1
radio set. --------------------------------------------------
P: What do you recall about 'when & where' the RS-1
equipment was used? B: Well, we used it in the old days, you know, we
didn't have satellites in the sky and all that. So when we needed to get
information out of a country, we had to find somebody that was willing
to go back in and send it out or bring it out, either for nationalistic
reasons or for money. I worked with some people from Tibet. These guys
couldn't read or write their own language, they had no skills at all,
but they were really sharp. I taught them all about 12 WPM of code, and
we had to teach them a cryptographic system. Someone else taught them
the paramilitary stuff - jumping out of airplanes and all that. So, my
job was teaching them communications. In this group [of guys from Tibet],
four of them were Buddhist monks, and two traders that used to ride in
and out of Nepal on yaks. We've got to train them, then drop them in with
the RS-1 gear. We had GN-58 hand-crank generators, and also power supplies
to go with the equipment. The hardest thing to teach them was security
- how to take care of their cryptographic gear, not get caught, how to
not do any operating in a building where they'd be dimming the lights.
Basically we taught them to use the GN-58 more [often than the AC power
supply]. But security was a hard thing to get across to them, they really
just didn't understand that. [Anyway,] these guys all went in and every
one of them came up on the air. I was down on Saipan and Taipei waiting
for them to come back - they were dropped in from 15,000 feet out of a
B-17. But basically, what we used that equipment for was clandestine work
- send'em in with a signal plan and a whole gunnysack full of crystals
- they didn't work the same frequency too often. P: Do you recall about
what year that would have been? B: They were dropped in in '57 - the last
year I worked with [the RS-1] was '58. People would say they can't learn
code, but you have to live with them, day and night. And we did - we actually
slept with them in their quarters, and we had an interpreter. But, you
don't know if they would get in there and then someone would pay them
more money, or they would get killed, or something, and you would never
hear from them again. So it got kind of nerve- wracking, you work with
somebody for 5 or 6 months, you get attached to them. P: What years were
you on Saipan? B: [From about] 1953 and '54, and we left in '58. P: You
had mentioned to me last year that you had to modify crystals and such?
B: Yeah, we had the little [FT-243 crystals], and we'd take them apart
and etch them. You could also grind them on a plate of glass with jeweler's
rouge, and if you get them too high, you could bring them down a little
bit with a little India ink. I did a lot of that - had to get a lot of
crystals ready for a run. P: So somebody else would decide what frequencies
would be used? B: Well, we had an operations man in the Commo group, and
he'd come up with a signal plan: when he [the agent] would come up [on
the air], and how often, and what frequency. We didn't want him to sit
on one frequency. P: Do you remember any maintenance problems with the
RS-1, or things that were unreliable? B: No, I don't. You know, the fact
that we dropped those things out of airplanes, and everything else, and
still had 'em work, it speaks pretty good for 'em. I used the RS-1 on
several training missions - they were the old staple. P: Did you use the
key that's on top of the transmitter [RT-3], or did you send a separate
key with it? B: No, we used the key on top of it. We had no frills on
it - we taught 'em to tune it up and use the GN-58 or the power supply.
P: Did you ever work with any aircraft radio gear? B: I was a CW operator
all through WWII for the Air Force in India. The first good radio that
came out was called an ART-13 Collins 10-channel. After WWII, in Korea,
we still had them laying in a motor pool. I was a Commo sergeant in a
signal company. This stuff was all laying in a motor pool - the [SCR-]399
with a BC-610. I'd go down to the motor pool with a fifth of whiskey and
I could get a whole truck load of stuff. I was trained in aircraft [radio
equipment] maintenance at Scott Field, Illinois, but I leaned toward the
operating side - I was a high-speed operator. A lot of my friends at CIA
where old-timers from OSS; although I wasn't with them until the latter
part of the Korean war. The ol' CIA was a good outfit. There are bums
in everything, but most everybody was trying to do a good job. I think
as a whole we did. We pulled off some pretty cagey deals, but that's the
only way we could do it in those days. So, I take it with a grain of salt
when I hear these reporters bad-mouth the thing, you know? When I was
on Saipan, I was basically involved in training, although I did install
a big monitoring setup there, with two 10 KW Collins 10-channel transmitters,
and three hundred-foot towers. I got hooked into that - I'm basically
not an engineer, but the engineer they had his time was up, so sure enough,
the Chief of Station says "you're it". I *worked*, trying to dig footings
for 100-foot towers through the coral. Old Ely Popovich was an old WWII
man that they dropped into Yugoslavia - he was a demolitions expert. I
finally ended up with him coming out there with black powder, and blowing
footings for all my towers and guys. P: What kind of receiving equipment
was on Saipan as part of that station? B: We had SP-600's, and Collins
51-J's. And we had some of those old 342's that come out of the 399 units.
I was in Tokyo when the Korean war broke out, and I got the first SP-600
that was built. The old Chief Signal Officer, he was a Major-General,
he got 'em for me. Every time MacArthur flew, I maintained solid communications
with him. Everywhere he went, I worked him - when he went down to Wake
and got fired, worked him when he was going home, and the guy that come
over to settle the peace treaty, and they passed each other in mid-air.
They couldn't work each other, so I sat there and relayed between the
two airplanes for about two hours. CIA picked me up the last year I was
in Tokyo, and I worked out of Yokosuka with them. I met an old guy there,
Admiral Ueda [or Wada?], he was a communications officer for the Japanese
Navy. He was in Washington when MacArthur was a 2nd Lieutenant - that's
how old he was. I used to do a lot of procurement for the outfit. We'd
go on these trips to different electronic firms, trying to buy stuff.
One of them was a clandestine radio [Don't know which model Bob was referring
to here - he told me that there were reliability problems with it], and
batteries - we were trying to get batteries that weren't ages old. In
the Signal Corps, the batteries had been sitting on a shelf for 6 or 7
years, and you'd have to take a wheelbarrow-full of batteries to operate
an SCR-300. So, we got to talking [Bob and Admiral Ueda], and he had a
son that was the same age as me who was killed in a Japanese submarine.
But, he was retired when the war broke out, and they called him back in.
He was an interesting old guy - I learned a lot from him - I learned to
respect the Japanese. ****************************************************
GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why, When, Where Part II, Descriptions,
& Observations of the RS-1, GRC-109, & GRA-71 By Pete McCollum with Further
Comments by Dennis Starks Descriptions, ------------
The RS-1 consists of: - Receiver RR-2. Tunes 3-24 mhz
in 3 bands: 3-6, 6-12, and 12-24 mhz. Tube complement: 1T4 RF amp, 1L6
converter, 1T4 455 khz IF (two), 1U5 detector/audio, and 1T4 BFO/audio.
The 1L6 tube seems to be somewhat hard to find, and is in demand because
it was used in certain models of the Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio. It is
believed that a 1U6 would work in place of the 1L6, but 1U6's are rare,
too. Size: 8.625 X 5.5 X 5.438 inches. - Transmitter RT-3. Tunes 3-22
mhz, xtal control, accepts crystals with 3/4" pin-spacing (i.e. FT-243),
or 1" pin-spacing. 15W maximum output. Tube complement: 6AC7 oscillator
and 2E26 final. Size: 8.625 X 5.5 X 5.438 inches. - Power supply RP-2
or RP-3. Input is 75-260 VAC, 40-1000 Hz; with switch- selectable input
voltage and a meter to indicate the current line voltage. The RP-3 is
bigger, and allows operation from 6 VDC using a vibrator circuit. Uses
a 0B2 as a regulator for the receiver's B+. The GRC-109 is the Army adoption
of the RS-1, and consists of receiver R-1004, transmitter T-784, and power
supply PP-2685 or PP-2684. The RS-1 and GRC-109 are identical except for
labeling, although all known T-784's have a connector for a Burst Coder
(GRA-71) on the front panel. This difference is an "MWO" (Modification
Work Order) on the T-784. The T-784 characteristics are described in NSN
5820-00-892-0880. Cost:$532. The R-1004 characteristics are described
in NSN 5820-00-892-0882. Cost:$1122. The units are waterproofed and tested
for 7.5 PSI. There is also a GRC-109A set, which is a later model which
has a different case with hasp-type lid fasteners, instead of thumbscrews;
and there is a carrying handle built into one side. It also has some cost-saving
design changes: for example, the window for the tuning dial is a part
of the front-panel casting, instead of being a separate screw-on piece.
The non-A model is more 'attractive'. The GRA-71 is a device that allows
the user to record a message composed of dits and dahs onto a small tape
cartridge, then the message is 'played back' at a rate of about 300 WPM,
and electrically keys the T-784. The purpose is to 'burst transmit' a
message, so that the bad guys don't have enough time to RDF your location.
Also, the burst message is not copy-able unless you are able to record
it, then play it back at a reduced speed. A few other radios (such as
the PRC-64 and PRC-104) support the GRA-71 also. Apparently some GRA-71's
were made with non-Roman letters on the coder wheels, for use in S.E.
Asia. Some general notes and observations: ------------------------------------
The PP-268x/RP-x power supply, in combination with
the 'lampholder adaptor', allow the GRC-109/RS-1 to be operated from AC
mains practically anywhere in the world. Physically, you can plug into
either US-style AC outlets, or into round-pin (European-style) outlets.
The round pins can be unscrewed and inverted to change the diameter of
the pins, plus the rubber plug is somewhat flexible to allow changing
the spacing of the pins. One part of the lampholder adaptor can be used
to get power from a standard light bulb socket, or from a bayonet-style
bulb socket. Radio Shack sells a Euro-to-US AC plug adaptor that can be
used if you don't have the 'lampholder adaptor'. Electrically, the PP-268x/RP-x
units accept a wide range of voltages and frequencies. The R-1004/RR-2
and T-784/RT-3 are also designed with flexibility in mind. Note that with
the exception of the burst-keyer connector and the power supply connectors,
everything uses simple binding posts for electrical connections. I believe
that this was to facilitate emergency hookups for antennas, headphones,
etc. (also, these types of connectors allow the front panel to be water-tight
more easily) For example: I can imagine an operative in some low-budget
east-Asian hotel room, with his RS-1 set plugged into the bare bulb socket
hanging from the ceiling, the antenna wire draped across the curtain rods,
and the ground wire clamped onto the cast-iron radiator (the wire and
clamp is included with the GRC-109 set). Discovering that his headphones
are missing, he uses the TL-29 knife (also included with the GRC-109 set)
to cut the handset off of the telephone, strip the wires, and connect
it to his RR-2's 'Phones' binding posts. This would be a messier task
if the radio had something like a 1/4" phone jack to deal with. In case
the code key on the T-784/RT-3 is damaged, there are binding posts for
you to connect a substitute. It seems that Admiral made most/all of the
GRC-109 and RS-1 stuff, and that Oklahoma Aerotronics made the GRC-109A's.
The "A" models seem to all have an A-suffix on the serial number, and
they have snap-type lid fasteners instead of thumbscrews. All (?) T-784's
have been modified as per "MWO 11-5820-474-35/1", which is described in
the GRA-71 manual as: "Modification of Radio Set AN/GRC-109 to make it
compatible with Coder - Burst Transmission Group AN/GRA-71". Presumably,
this MWO was to install the connector on the T-784 that mates with the
GRA-71. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes on the GRA-71 (from the manual): - TM 11-5835-224-12:
"Coder - Burst Transmission Group AN/GRA-71", dated 27 May 1964. Bill
Howard has a copy of the manual that Stenographic Machines sent to the
government - it is spiral bound, and dated 1-Jan-1964. - Manual mentions
that info is copyrighted by Stenographic Machines, Inc. They are the original
maker, but Arvin made the low bid on the second lot. - Alternate nomenclature
(used by Stenographic Machines) for the pieces are as follows: MX-4496
CO/B-8 MX-4495 CO-3B KY-468 KE-8B MA-9 CA-3B MX-4498 KA-3 - The manual
specifically mentions the T-784/GRC-109 transmitter - it does not say
that the GRA-71 can be used with any other radio. - The "IDY" button sends
out a continuous stream of "dots" at 300 WPM. It apparently is the same
on all units, *not* a unique identifier signal. - The 'handle extension'
on the MX-4496 is supposed to be opened while in use, to allow you to
more easily and smoothly operate it. - The tape in the MA-9 is designed
to be replaceable. It contains 12.5 feet of 3M Type 428 "Instrument Grade"
recording tape. - The tape moves at 4.5" per second, dots are 3.3 ms,
and dashes are 10 ms. - Transistors in the KY-468 are 2N207, 2N492, 2N884,
2N799, 2N887 (SCR), and 2N1377; a total of 13 transistors and 1 SCR. -
The MX-4498 contains a converter for changing 6.3 VAC into 12 VDC. Notes
on the GRA-71 (from Bill Howard): As to the AN/GRA 71 Code Burst Transmitter.
I first came in contact with these sets when the 100th MTC in Louisville,
Ky put on a training exercise for the Ranger Infantry Company in Pontiac
Michigan in the late 1970's. Each patrol was equipped with an AN/GRA 71
and was at a separate table. The controller put out various models such
as tanks, railroad tracks with a train, etc. The patrol had to observe,
click out a message and at specified times, transmit the message (probably
used PRC-104's). This was received at the company on a special receiver,
decoded, and the information transmitted to the Corps G2 (that was me).
We then posted the information to the situation map and at pre-determined
times, we conducted a "briefing for the Corps Commander" and allowed the
patrols to observe the briefing. They all learned how critical their information
was to the intelligence effort. I wes interested in the AN/GRA 71 and
wrote to the manufacturer, Stenographic Machines. They wrote back that
they were the original maker and when the contract was put out for bid
for a second batch, Stenographic Machines was not the low bidder. They
were kind enough to send me a copy of their instruction manual with the
caveat that it was protected property and could not be copied or reproduced.
They also said that from time to time, people found parts of the set in
flea markets and wrote to them asking for information or repair parts,
etc. of which they had none. Compiled by: Pete McCollum 3810 Whisper Hollow
Dr. Colo. Springs, CO 80920 719-548-3525 MCCOLLUM@SSDEVO.ENET.DEC.COM
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further Comments; The price & NSN number information
Pete includes above, is quoted from Ref.#1, which also includes a price
of $1007 for the completed set, & notes sales to both the Department of
the Army, & Navy. This is also the source for the water pressure test
figures. The GRC-109(A) defers from the standard model mainly in the case
as Pete describes. This (A) is usually referred to as "Armored Plated"
because the difference does not stop with it's hasp fasteners, nor the
carry handle. The case thickness of the (A) models is much thicker than
that of the early variant, with a corresponding added weight. It is this
added weight that makes the set less desirable. At least on some variants
of the (A) model, the lids are not made of cast aluminum, but a high impact
plastic or bakelite type material. Additionally, the (A) models set's
have the code burst capability without the need of the MWO. While Pete's
comments on the clandestine purpose & use of the GRA-71 are indeed true.
This was not the primary mission of the set as it applies to use by the
military. Here, the goal was frequency congestion, & conservation. To
better understand this problem an understanding of the general SOP of
isolated base camps in Vietnam. In Ref.#2 the writer describes his duties
as a Special Forces radioman, & tells us something of their communications
plans & operations. It was required to make twice daily reports of the
camps activities, the morning began with a transmitted weather report,
& reception of any incoming traffic, in the afternoon Situation Report(sitrep),
in these most the activities of the day were reported, including any enemy
contact(which took place every day). It might also include a after action
report(AAR), which would be the results of any offensive actions undertaken.
All this message traffic was encrypted using "one-time pads". In the case
of the sitrep, & AAR, this process could take hours. And in the event
an unexperienced, fresh out of school CW operator(as most were), could
take a couple more hours to complete the transmission. All this same time
numerous other detachments are waiting to send their traffic, also contending
with erratic propagation. So we can immediately see the advantage to being
able to transmit an hour long message in a few minutes, regardless of
the expertise of the sender. Even after the advent of SSB/voice and it's
widespread destitution and use in the field, the code burst transmissions
were continued into the late 70's because of the extreme difficulty in
encrypting voice transmissions, the time required to submit reports, and
with the impracticality of TTY systems in small front line combat units.
It must also be remembered that code burst or high speed code transmissions
are not a late innovation of the 50's or 60's. In fact it predates TTY,
and saw widespread use in WW-II by high power stations before the advent
of TTY. Today, front line units use notebook computers & packet to effect
these same ends. Starting only a couple years ago, the fazing out of all
TTY systems began, with their replacement mode being Packet. Ref.#1 also
list a cost to the Army for the GRA-71 as $759.14. A second model is also
shown as the M2000 also built by the Stenograph Corp, at the same price.
Lastly, it was most likely the PRC-74, & not the PRC-104 that Bill remembers
the training exercise with, past conversations with him on that subject
support this conclusion. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN
military-radio-guy@juno.com Referances; #1) Federal Logistics Data on
Compact Disk(Fedlog) 1995. #2) Tan Phu, Special Forces Team A-23 In Combat,
By Leigh Wade ***************************************************
GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why, When, Where Part III, History
? by Pete McCollum Dispelling The Myths, Part I, by Dennis Starks Foreward,
The below account, though very interesting, is full of inaccuracies that
are commonly believed by most persons with an interest in the GRC-109/RS-1.
Though they are for the most part minor ones, they do tend to minimize
the greater, true story, I/E Truth is greater than Fiction. Pete's material
is presented because it is the most widely believed. At the end of his
account, I will attempt to show the true origins of the set, & more accurately
date it's service in our history. Please keep in mind that much of the
information Pete presents here is accurate, & that only those topics address
in the closing segments "Dispelling Some Myths" need clarification. I
have included at the end of this story, all the reference material that
this data has been compiled from so that the reader might determine for
himself what is true & what isn't. While I had intended to conclude this
series with this segment. It became evident about half way through that
if all the references were listed, & all the evidence was presented, the
material was too long for a single post. Future chapters will attempt
to exactly date the entrance of the RS-1 into military use, then the GRC-109.
And maybe a closing with some of the heart wrenching stories that can
be attributed to the GRC-109 & it's life saving contributions to history.
Or at least re-writing it's history the way it should be, you deside.
Save this issue, and keep it handy as there will be constant reflections
back to it. Dennis Starks ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part III, History ? The RS-1 was developed for CIA
use around 1950 or so, and was used extensively in S.E. Asia. The U.S.
Army's Special Military Intelligence Activity issued the RS-1 to agent
handlers in Vietnam, starting in about 1961. Agents used letter drops
to communicate with their handlers, and the handlers used the RS-1 to
communicate with bases in Saigon, Hue, and Ban Me Thuot. Some agents used
small commercial receivers to monitor broadcasts from their handlers.
In late 1961, the CIA organized a number of 12-man Special Forces teams
to work with Montagnard tribesmen, and used the RS-1 for communications.
The Army's chief signal officer arranged for the RS-1 to be adopted for
military use and renamed the GRC-109. The GRC-109 was never adopted for
Regular Army use, probably because the transmitter was CW only. By late
1962, this Special Forces net had 24 stations. The '109 set in each "A
detachment" SF camp was kept in a sandbagged bunker, with several antennas
installed. The antennas were a target of Viet Cong raids, but for emergencies,
they found that a longwire buried 18" underground in bamboo pipes could
be used. Even though Special Forces had access to the latest high-tech
radios, by the mid-1970's many units had adopted the GRC-109 as their
primary long-range radio. It was rugged, reliable, and maintainable in
the field. Estimated dates are as follows: RS-1 1950-1962 GRC-109 1962-1969
GRC-109A 1969-1973 Compiled by: Pete McCollum 3810 Whisper Hollow Dr.
Colo. Springs, CO 80920 719-548-3525 MCCOLLUM@SSDEVO.ENET.DEC.COM Some
of the above info was gleaned from "Military Communications: A Test For
Technology". ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISPELLING THE MYTHS; Part I In the above account,
Pete's material has been obtained from two basic sources, references #3,
& #8(see below). Both these references contain inaccuracies, or in the
case of ref.#3 quotes taken out of context becoming inaccurate. To get
a compete, accurate picture of the lineage, & history of the GRC-109/RS-1
MANY sources must be combined. And in the case of ref.#8, unfounded material
can be presented without do research that will cloud history for ever.
After such inaccuracies are published it takes a near act of God to let
the real truth be known. Ref.#3 can be described as our bible of communication
equipment, procedures, & general history for the time period it covers,
and I most highly recommended it. But as with the Bible, you cannot confine
yourself to this passage or that, rather the entire thing must be absorbed
before a thorough understanding can be had. Also it must be remembered
that ref.#3 is an official U.S. Government document, & as such many things
were omitted or slightly modified at the time of it's compiling do to
the classified nature of some of the subject matter. Ref.#8, if you like
pictures, this & other publications by that author are OK. But the author
of this material has related to me several times,"I know nothing about
radios or technology" and this is obvious in his descriptions, comments,
& dates. In ref.#7, I expressed the great difficulty sometimes encountered
in trying to date equipment, I named the GRC-109 specifically. Also I
have made the past statement " I don't get all my information from one
book, but hundreds of books. I don't get my historical references from
one person or his war story, but hundreds of people & their stories. These
are all combined to get a greater more accurate account." You will all
now see why. IN THE BEGINNING: The Myth, The RS-1 was not developed around
1950 for CIA use. It's development began before the end of WW-II, originally
for the OSS, and with a specific application in mind. Pete's material
in this case is taken directly from ref.#8. In the following I will attemp
to disproove this myth, and I think you will all agree, and have a greater
respect for this set after you've seen the evidence, and know the real
truth. The Clues, #1) First and most obvious to any person that has ever
opened up a RS-1,or GRC-109. The technology used in these sets is of mid/late
WW-II vintage. #2) In ref.#3(remember that one! it's our bible!) the statement
is made, "The first U.S. Special Forces teams deployed to South Vietnam
had to use models of an agent radio used by the Central Intelligence Agency
[since World War II]". Pete used this same reference material, but must
have neglected to read the entire book, being content instead to just
look up RS-1 & GRC-109 in the index. #3) In ref.#2, the author describes
the GRC-109, "This radio had originally been designed during the later
part of WW-II especially for guerrilla warfare applications". Remember
that word "guerrilla". #4) In ref.#6, the author describes a receiver
that perfectly matches that of the RS-1, & it being the results of devepoments
made by their WW-II OSS R & D team, and is not known to exist elsewhere..
The Evidence, During WW-II, special operations (combat) groups were supplied
with equipment designed with goals sourly unsuited to their needs & the
environment they would be used in. These included such famous suitcase
types as the PRC-1, & SSTR-1(much later, if at all) which had been developed
with one major objective in mind, effectiveness with maximum conceal-ability.
Though they were most effective for their intended purpose, their short
comings for the job at hand were immediately apparent.(ref.#5,#6) The
most famous of these groups were OSS Detachment 101, and Merril's Marauders,
which later became Galahad. The operational theater of these particular
"guerrilla" units was the jungles & mountains of Burma, described by Winston
Churchill as "the most formidable fighting country imaginable" . The advantages,
of concealment in a suitcase or loaf of bread under these conditions can
be readily observed. However other equipment available to them was equally
unsuited for use by these relatively small commando units. This would
include the TRC-2, TRC-10, & SCR-284, etc, all of which when provided
with all the components of a system, where too large, heavy, and still
only marginally capable of surviving such a harsh environment. Actually,
the PRC-1 could be described as a stripped down, repackaged TRC-10.(ref.#4,#9,#10)
There is a lot of dogma, no, bill shit running around about the radios
the above units used, as perpetuated by one noted author/expert. But it
is not within the purview of this article to dispell those, one myth at
a time please! Suffice to say, what they had was either too fragile or
too big & heavy. They needed something better, smaller, lighter, & tougher
than what they had available. Inter the RS-1, surely not designed to be
concealed in a loaf of bread, or suitcase, not much need to be water tight
at 7.5psi. It fits none of those design requirements so arduously arrived
at by those early pioneers. No, it had a different intended role in life,
one born from the hard won experiences of their commando/guerrilla units
in combat. The Proof, While alone, the below evidence would not be conclusive
of anything, but when combined with the above, what we've learned in the
last week, & common sence. I think you'll all agree. "A note on RDR: Some
RS-1 sets have a small "RDR" stamped in the middle of the larger knobs.
Should I assume it's the same outfit?" The above was received from Pete
shortly after posting the SSTR-1 series. Remember RDR? They are the company
involved in the development & at least small scale manufacturing of the
SSTR-1, among other sets, for the wartime OSS. Remember this from ref.#5?
"RDR and Irving Weiss continued to serve as one of our contractors, and
[helped develop late equipments]" Or this from ref.#6? "design which kept
the tuning capacitor and coils all on one sub-assembly for greater stability.
Also, the range was increased, tuning 2 through 24 mhz or thereabouts."
Nothing in war time or even postwar inventory, either of the OSS or any
military group matches the above description, other than the RS-1! While
I do not believe it was used during WW-II, the possibility does exist.
I do believe it was born out of lessons learned, & later used after the
war exactly as the PRC-6, GRC-9 and many others were. Some of you might
think I'm splitting hairs here, what's the difference "developed 1950"
or during WW-II? If you can't see the difference already, I can't explain
it. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com
Referances; #1) Federal Logistics Data on Compact Disk(Fedlog) 1995. #2)
Tan Phu, Special Forces Team A-23 In Combat, By Leigh Wade #3) Military
Communications: A Test For Technology, The U.S Army in Vietnam, by John
D. Bergen, CMH Pub 91-12 #4) Military Radio Data, Vol. I, PRC Designated
Radio Equipment, by Dennis Starks #5) Military Collector Group Post, Nov.25/97:
The SSTR-1; From the Horses Mouth Part II, Reflections Concerning The
SSTR-1, By Dean Cortright #6) Military Collector Group Post, Nov.26/97:
The SSTR-1; From the Horses Mouth Part III, Further Reflections Concerning
The SSTR-1, By Dean Cortright with editorial comments by Dennis Starks
#7) Military Collector Group Post, Backmail #29: AN Type Numbers Versas
RT Type Numbers, & Some URC Questions, by Dennis Starks #8) CIA Special
Weapons & Equipment, by H. Keith Melton. #9) Time Runs Out in CBI, by
Romanus & Sunderland, CMH Pub 9-3 #10) The War Report of the OSS, by Kermit
Roosevelt #11) Vietnam, A History, The First Complete Account, by Stanely
Karnow *******************************************************
GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why, When, Where Part IV; Dispelling
The Myths, Part II, by Dennis Starks Part III of this series left off
with a more accurately date of the inception of the RS-1, thus pushing
back it's actual use in the field by at least four years. The next significant
date in it's time line is as follows from Pete's account, "The U.S. Army's
Special Military Intelligence Activity issued the RS-1 to agent handlers
in Vietnam, starting in about 1961", and is followed by, "In late 1961,
the CIA organized a number of 12-man Special Forces teams to work with
Montagnard tribesmen, and used the RS-1 for communications". All originally
from ref.#3, & included in ref.#12. Before we look into these dates, let's
first take a look at the time line of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. 1945,
*Early in the year, operation "Deer" began with an OSS team para-shooting
into North Vietnam to provided assistance to Ho Chi Minh's guerilla activities.
Had the personal sentiments & reports of these men been heeded in the
United States, the next 30 years could have been avoided.(ref.#3,11,13)
1947, *The "Marshal Plan" is born. *France ask's for & receives permission
to use both WW-II, & NATO U.S. lend lease equipment in Vietnam.(ref.#11)
1949, *$15 million U.S. dollars are earmarked for use by French forces
in Vietnam. By 1953, $2 billion had been spent. *A $75 million dollar
Presidential "slush fund" is created to support clandestine activities
in Indo China.(ref.#11) 1950, *Eight U.S. C-47 transport planes are despatched
to Vietnam.(ref.#11).*The U.S. establishes the "U.S. Military Assistance
Advisory Group, Indo-China" to monitor the distribution & use of U.S.
materials to the French. *3500 radio sets, along with advisers are sent.
*Saigon ACAN station is installed. (ref.#3) 1951, *France receives more
American transport planes & equipment.(ref.#11) 1953, *The French accept
$500 million in U.S. funds to continue the struggle.(ref.#11) 1954, *By
this date U.S. had spent over $2.5 billion to finance the French effort.
*American aid to France now amounts to 80% of their expenditures. *Captain
James McGoon "Earthquake McGoon", is one of two Americans killed at Dienbienphu,
while flying supplies in an unmarked U.S. transport plane to French forces.
*Millions of Vietnamese refugees, mostly Catholic, are evacuated from
North Vietnam, handled by the U.S. Navy.(ref.#11) *$300 million in U.S.
funds are provided to the Diem government. *American Advisory Group Begins
to train & advise Vietnamese forces.(ref.#3) 1955, *The French begin to
withdraw from South Vietnam do to dissatisfaction with what they consider
insufficient U.S. financial aid. *U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group,
Cambodia is formed. *Direct aid to the Saigon government is well underway.(ref.#3,#11)
1956, *In April, the French withdraw from Indo-China is completed along
with all the best American Assistance equipment. *U.S. Military Assistance
Advisory Group, Vietnam is formed, replacing the old "Indo-China" Group.
(ref.#3) *350-man Temporary Equipment Recovery Mission(sent to salvage
radio equipment left behind by the French) act covertly as advisers to
the South Vietnamese Army.(ref.#3) *Michigan State University is contracted
to train, advise, & equip the Civil Guard.(ref.#3) 1958,*The U.S. supports
the new Anti-Communist government of Laos. (ref.#11) 1959, *Major Dale
Buis, & Master Sergeant Chester Ovnand are killed by communist guerrillas
at Bien Hoa, thus beginning the "Vietnam Era". (ref.#3,#11) *As a result,
over 230 commercial SSB transceivers are ordered to provide voice communications
linking these far flung adviser detachments, useable by themselves being
unskilled in CW.(ref.#3) 1960, *The Village & Hamlet Radio System is began,
augmenting systems set up by Michigan State. *The commercial SSB radios
ordered as a result of Bien Hoa are installed, until this time communications
were maintained with nine CW base stations.(ref.#3) 1961, *Combat troops
are deployed to South Vietnam disguised as advisers.(ref.#11) *Civilian
Irregular Defense Group Program is begun.(ref.#3) 1962, *American Military
Assistance Command is formed, advisers now number 12,000. Strategic Hamlet
program begins picking up were Michigan State University left off, further
implementing the Village & Hamlet Radio System . *The "Hay Day" of the
GRC-109 begins. (ref.#2,#3) 1963, *Control of Special Forces & their base
camps is transferred from the CIA back to the Army.(ref.#2) *$500 million
dollars is spent this year, American advisers now number over 15,000.(ref.#3)
The above is presented to illustrate the long time evolvement of the U.S.
in Indo-Chinese affairs. By way of financial, clandestine, & "Military"
aid. In the following, the reader must remember several things. CIA operational
control of U.S. Army Special Forces did not begin in 1961 with the Strategic
Hamlet Defense program. In fact the entire concept of Special Forces was
conceived by the OSS MANY years before. As such it is ludicrous to believe
that use of the RS-1 began with these Special Forces "A" teams in Vietnam.
Beginning in 1949, both CIA, & "Military" Intelligence networks had been
set up and in operation in Indo-China, this includes Vietnam, Cambodia,
Laos, Thailand etc. And at various times, & places, these were not just
clandestine Intelligence networks, but actually engaged in training, advising,
& combat(though the later not officially). What do you think they were
using for communications? Reading the above time line, with a little common
sense should answer that question. The RS-1! Heres just a small bit of
evidence that can push back the date of Army use of the RS-1. While I
was on my hamfest tours, putting on displays last year, a long time acquaintance,
Wayne(N0TE) noticed the GRC-109 I had on display. Wayne had been a long
time Civilian Employee of the Army, though getting much info out of him
about his job capacity has been fruitless, I have been able to pry from
him the fact that he's been stationed all over the world in close proximity
to various Special Forces activities. Upon seeing the GRC-109 he became
quite talkative telling me of his using the set one time. This was while
on maneuvers with a unit of the Kansas State National Guard in 1960. This
particular unit was a reserve detachment of Special Forces. He had been
forced into the job of the units signalman. He could not tell me if the
radio he used was an RS-1, or a GRC-109 but that s doesn't really make
any difference. The important point is, it was in the hands of a "reserve
unit in 1960". One that was still being issued M1 Garands, 1903 Springfields,
& BAR's. It should be noted that reserve unit's, especially Nation Guard
units, are only issued equipment WELL after regular Army units have been
supplied with them, along with quantities of extras. So then the RS-1
must have been in widespread use long before this time. In contrast, reserve
units were still being issued PRC-6's,10's, GRC-9's, & 109's in 1970(&
later), five years after their replacement began in regular Army units
by the PRC-25, 77, 74 etc. In ref.#3,#12 we find, "The U.S. Army's Special
Military Intelligence Activity issued the RS-1 to agent handlers in Vietnam",
Pete's date of 1961 is derived from a report submitted on that date that
describes MI activities UP TO THAT DATE. These activities were on-going
long before then. Then we see in Pete's account (ref.#12) " The Army's
chief signal officer arranged for the RS-1 to be adopted for military
use and renamed the GRC-109"(this took place in approx 1962), the later
quote is both incomplete and inaccurate, it should have included "The
Army lacking a lightweight, patrol radio"(ref.#3). Even with this last
part added, the statement is inaccurate, the signal officer did not arrange
to have the GRC-109 adopted for this purpose, it is obvious the set was
and had been in use by the Army for many years. The reason the RS-1 was
officially adopted, & given the standard AN type designation of GRC-109
is because this action greatly simplified the already horrendous, yet
growing supply and logistic problems associated with it's support, and
that of thousands of other items of equipment. And it cleared the way
for larger quantities of the set to be acquired & supported. If you'll
note, the GRC-109 was adopted BEFORE operational control of Special Forces
in Vietnam was transferred back to the Army(1963). "The GRC-109 was never
adopted for Regular Army use, probably because the transmitter was CW
only." This statement from ref.#12 contains a quote from ref.#3, along
with the last added comment by Pete (the author of ref.#12). Included
in the last Part II of this series was an explanation of the use of the
GRA-71 code burst generator as it applied to the military, there was also
a personal account of it's use in the late 70's. All involved the use
of CW, thus the inaccuracy of the author's comment can readily be seen.
The quote from ref.#3,(The GRC-109 was never adopted for Regular Army
use), and included by Pete in his account cannot be explained. But it
is wrong! In this part of our series, I have made an attempted to show
the long time connection of the RS-1 with the U.S. Army, and the real
purpose of it's official adoption as the GRC-109 which merely simplified
continued use. The next & final segment will attempt to document the further
exploits of the radio in the hands of our military. And provide some more
proof for the speculation I've presented here. Dennis Starks; MILITARY
RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com Referances; #1)
Federal Logistics Data on Compact Disk(Fedlog) 1995. #2) Tan Phu, Special
Forces Team A-23 In Combat, By Leigh Wade #3) Military Communications:
A Test For Technology, The U.S Army in Vietnam, by John D. Bergen, CMH
Pub 91-12 #4) Military Radio Data, Vol. I, PRC Designated Radio Equipment,
by Dennis Starks #5) Military Collector Group Post, Nov.25/97: The SSTR-1;
From the Horses Mouth Part II, Reflections Concerning The SSTR-1, By Dean
Cortright #6) Military Collector Group Post, Nov.26/97: The SSTR-1; From
the Horses Mouth Part III, Further Reflections Concerning The SSTR-1,
By Dean Cortright with editorial comments by Dennis Starks #7) Military
Collector Group Post, Backmail #29: AN Type Numbers Versas RT Type Numbers,
& Some URC Questions, by Dennis Starks #8) CIA Special Weapons & Equipment,
by H. Keith Melton. #9) Time Runs Out in CBI, by Romanus & Sunderland,
CMH Pub 9-3 #10) The War Report of the OSS, by Kermit Roosevelt #11) Vietnam,
A History, The First Complete Account, by Stanely Karnow #12) Military
Collector Group Post, Dec.1/97, GRC-109/RS-1; What,Why,When,Where, Part
III, History? by Pete McCollum #13) The Secret Story of the OSS, author
I forget. **************************************************************
GRC-109/RS-1; What, Why, When, Where Part V; Dispelling
The Myths, Part III, by Dennis Starks Included in last part of this series
was a lot speculation into the use of the RS-1 by the military attempting
to push back their offically desclosed usage dates. And concluded with
a rebut of the statement "The GRC-109 was never adopted for Regular Army
use".(ref.#14) I contend that he RS-1 had been in use by the Army for
a long time, & that it's adoption as the GRC-109 was just to simplify
and expand it's continued use. I will here attempt to present some evidenced
to prove this speculation, & disprove that final statement. Also I will
show evidence towards the long standing connection of RS-1 with the military
both before & after 1961, and it's re-designation as the GRC-109. To conclude
the series, there is also contained here some of the documented historic
accounts of the GRC-109, I truely wish there were more. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The GRC-109 was never adopted for Regular Army use".
NOT! (ref.#3,#12,#14) Let's look at the manuals, TM11-5820-474-14, May
18, 1962. Radio Set AN/GRC-109. Note the date on this manual! Also that
it contains 6 changes already. The official adoption date of the GRC-109
is sometime between mid 1962, & early 1963. It would have taken some months
(at least six) to compile the data, check for errors, and publish this
material. This would place the adoption date no later than mid 1961, then
theres the changes (4-6) that it contains which would push this date back
even further. Also note that the Strategic Hamlet program initiated by
the CIA, & utilizing units of the Army Special Forces officially began
in LATE 1961(and they were using the GRC-109 then). FM24-24, May 20, 1977,
List the deployment of the GRC-109 for,"Special Forces, & forward area
patrols". Are we to assume that Regular Army units do not have "forward
area patrols"? I'm afraid there are a lot of veterans that would fight
you over this assumption! This manual supersedes FM24-19, November 1966,
I do not have this issue, it would be interesting to see if the GRC-109
is listed there, & if so what it say's. FM24-24, Dec. 1983, Duplicates
that material of the 1977 edition. TC24-24, Oct.3 1988 also includes a
description of the GRC-109, but omits the deployment information. GRC-109
in print, Ref.#1 shows sales of the GRC-109 to both the Army, & the Navy
with a set cost of $1007 dollars. Ref.#3, quote, "Since the Army lacked
a lightweight patrol radio that could transmit over long distances, the
chief signal officer arranged for the agency's RS-1 to be adopted for
military use". Again, are we to assume that only Special Forces has long
range patrols? Or a need for a "lightweight patrol radio"? Prior to 1965,
sector & subsector adviser groups had been issued old but reliable HF
Morse codes sets, but a shortage of qualifiad operators prompted the Electronics
Command to order them new portable SSB sets then being tested by Special
Forces, the FRC-93. (ref.#3) Resent History, Today we find in our collections,
both RS-1's, and GRC-109's that are stenciled "SET-1", "SET-2" etc, usually
up to #3, & if your lucky some unit markings. These unit markings are
not always that of Special Forces units. You will also find GRC-9's and
other HF radio sets stenciled in a similar fashion. 1984 began the large
scale disposal of the GRC-109 by the government via DRMO sealed bids.
In the Spring of 1988 a fair size lot (over 200) of just the transmitters
& power supplies were auctioned, everyone wondered where the receivers
were! In the Summer of 1989, we saw complete sets of both the RS-1, &
GRC-109 being auctioned off in good sized quantities. It should be noted
that in all these cases, the lots were composed of a Duke's mixture of
BOTH the RS-1's, & GRC-109's combined in the same lots with similar quantities
of each. I watched these sales transpire, powerless to participate do
to a lack of sufficient funds. (for proof of this, see ref.#15) What conclusions
can we draw from this? We have both RS-1's, & GRC-109's both stenciled
with SET ID's, & unit markings, we also have quantities of each being
sold together from the same source. We have the eye witness account of
it's use by the Nation Gaurd in 1960, we also know that far flung military
adviser detachments were stationed all over Indo-China, not just Vietnam,
at least since 1955. Thus I would think that our conclusion would go like
this: Though the RS-1 had been in use by the U.S. Army for a considerable
time, 1961 saw it's official adoption as the GRC-109. This because of
the extreme, & growing supply and logistics problems do to the continued
military build up in Southeast Asia, combined with an ever expanding need
for the set. Adoption of the RS-1, with a standard AN/GRC-109 designation
greatly simplified support of the system through normal supply channels,
thus insuring it's continued use in greater quantities with minimized
difficulty. Existing RS-1's remained in inventory and continued to serve
along side it's GRC-109 counterpart, or at least contributed to our nations
strategic reserves possibly as late as 1980. I/E, the signal officer did
not have the RS-1 adopted because of the need for a "lightweight patrol
radio", they already had them, they just didn't have enough, or the support
lines set up for more! It should be clarified that the Special Forces
were not, & are not a section of the CIA. They are a part of our military
structure, simply utilized by the CIA from time to time. Nor is their
logistic support the responsibility of the CIA, as such CIA supply channels
simply augmented those of the military at times when needed. Some More
History of the GRC-109, In ref.#16, The author conducted some rather in
depth interviews with radioman, and technicians in Vietnam concerning
every facet of electronics being used in the war. He included in his interviews
several Special Forces signalman from both "A", and "B" detachments. They
reported their admiration for the GRC-109 which at the time was still
their mainstay radio. They also had received a couple weeks before PRC-64's,
their preliminary test with the radio were favorable in CW, but phone
had not been tried, reports from higher echelons were more glowing. Some
units had also begun to receive PRC-74's(formerly the Huges HC-162D),
complaining about it's weight & the battery it used. Other radios reported
on in the hands of these units were the URC-11 for fighter strike control,
PRC-25, FRC-93(Collins KWM-2A), HT-1, TR-20, plus the GRC-26 in the "B"
detachments. It can be seen that the conditions, and equipment in these
"A" camps had improved considerably since 1963 as reported in ref.#2,
when only the GRC-109, HT-1, TR-5, & the PRC-10 were available. By early
1966 the prevalence of voice FM and SSB radio is the theater began to
adversely affect the CW proficiency of signalman. Determined that such
a fate not befall Special Forces signalmen, their radio officer, Maj.
Anthony J. Scibilia, required that the net to the "A" detachments be operated
during certain hours on Mores code equipment only, the remainder of the
day, new SSB voice radios could be used. When in March 1966 a large North
Vietnamese force attacked the A Shau Special Forces camp in I Corps, Major
Scibilia's concern proved prescient.(ref.#3) Having lost communications
and power facilities except for a single GRC-109, and a hand-crank generator
when the enemy overran a section of the camp, the camp's radioman had
to send out his distress call by Morse code. For two days, as relief forces
fought their way to the camp, only the uninterrupted reception of Morse
code transmissions monitored by the "C" detachment in Da Nang enabled
the relief forces to ascertain that the 200 American, and South Vietnamese
soldiers in the beleaguered camp were still holding out.(ref.#3) Is your
GRC-109 still just a really neat little black box? Or is it, as I have
said many times, a physical part of our history? Is it yet apparent why
we must know every little detail about the use of this equipment? The
following was included in Pete's account(ref.#12), it is entirely correct,
and compiled from the same source, he just left out some of the best parts.
To maintain their flexibility, the Special Forces took the radical approach
of scrapping high-performance technical equipment for it's less efficient
predecessor. Throughout the Vietnam War, the Green Berets were issued
a succession of sophisticated long range portable radios to meet the special
needs of their far flung teams. But by the mid-1970's many Special Forces
units throughout the world had adopted as their primary long-range radio
the 1950's-vintage Morse code set they originally took to Vietnam. The
radio was sturdy and simple to repair. Most important, it would work with
a variety of power sources, including a hand-crank generator. (ref.#3)
To understand the plight of these Special Forces teems with regard to
this "succession of sophisticated" equipment, the reader must understand
the that traditionally Special Forces have been our test bed for new fangled,
experimental gadgets, as was first outlined by me in ref.17. These gadgets
never had the logistic support needed to keep it operational in the field
nor was it repairable by anyone other than the engineers that developed
it. Nearly all required the use of special batteries which couldn't be
obtained, and no alternate power source could be had. None were repairable
under combat conditions even after completion of their experimental stage,
and adopted as standard items. All this time, their lives depended on
the precarious operation of this equipment. Thus the "old reliables" were
kept around long after their gross obsolescence, just in case. I most
sincerely hope that this series has presented to you enough information
on these most noted radio sets, that you might truly appreciate their
contribution to us, our history, and those men that used them, keeping
their stories along with our history alive. Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO
COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com Referances; #1) Federal
Logistics Data on Compact Disk(Fedlog) 1995. #2) Tan Phu, Special Forces
Team A-23 In Combat, By Leigh Wade #3) Military Communications: A Test
For Technology, The U.S Army in Vietnam, by John D. Bergen, CMH Pub 91-12
#4) Military Radio Data, Vol. I, PRC Designated Radio Equipment, by Dennis
Starks #5) Military Collector Group Post, Nov.25/97: The SSTR-1; From
the Horses Mouth Part II, Reflections Concerning The SSTR-1, By Dean Cortright
#6) Military Collector Group Post, Nov.26/97: The SSTR-1; From the Horses
Mouth Part III, Further Reflections Concerning The SSTR-1, By Dean Cortright
with editorial comments by Dennis Starks #7) Military Collector Group
Post, Backmail #29: AN Type Numbers Versas RT Type Numbers, & Some URC
Questions, by Dennis Starks #8) CIA Special Weapons & Equipment, by H.
Keith Melton. #9) Time Runs Out in CBI, by Romanus & Sunderland, CMH Pub
9-3 #10) The War Report of the OSS, by Kermit Roosevelt #11) Vietnam,
A History, The First Complete Account, by Stanely Karnow #12) Military
Collector Group Post, Dec.1/97, GRC-109/RS-1; What,Why,When,Where, Part
III, History? by Pete McCollum #13) The Secret Story of the OSS, author
I forget. #14) Military Collector Group Post, Dec.8/97, GRC-109/RS-1;
What, Why, When, Where Part IV; Dispelling The Myths, Part II, by Dennis
Starks #15) Fair Radio Sales catalogs, WS-84 catalog supplement, WS-88
Summer catalog supplement, WS-89 Fall catalog supplement. #16) Magazine
article, Electronics Magazine, May 16 1966, Vietnam Electronics in the
war, by John F. Mason. #17) Military Collectory Group Post, Backmail #29,
TRC-77,Good Radio,Wrong Time. by Dennis Starks ***********************************************************
RS-1/RS-6/GRC-109; Serial Number Info Pete has been
collecting serial numbers of RS-1's, RS-6's, GRC-109's for some time,
along with some misc other data. This all to further attempt do document
the origins, use etc, of these sets. If you have any of the above, it
would be nice if you'd jot down all the serial numbers & manufactures
data they contain, & send them to him at the address below. He will also
send you the data he has thus far compiled on request. Thanks, Dennis
Send info to: Pete McCollum 3810 Whisper Hollow Dr. Colo. Springs, CO
80920 719-548-3525 MCCOLLUM@SSDEVO.ENET.DEC.COM
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