[GreenKeys] AN/MRC-32 RATT

[Duncan Brown]

Robert,

Thanks for your comments; I'll have to look for a copy of TM 11-487A. I 
was not aware of the "vehicle included" aspect of the "Mobile"  
installation designator.  In our company in Viet Nam (337th Radio 
Research Co., supporting 1st Inf Div), a lot of the shelters had been 
dismounted from their vehicles and were sitting on the ground or 
concrete pads.  Although we were supposedly a "tactical" company, I 
guess it made sense, if we were going to stay put in one place for many 
months (years?), to dismount the shelters and make the trucks available 
for other uses.

Our main TTY (landline) communications shelter was an AN/MSA or MSC - 
something; don't remember exactly.   I have searched for it on the 
internet, but have not been able to find anything like it.  It was a 2 
1/2 ton truck sized shelter, no windows, no tables.  It had four TT-4 
page printers, four KW-7 crypto units and four TH-5 modems all mounted 
in racks (half on each side).  It was always sitting on a concrete pad 
and snugged up against the comms/operations building.  Any idea what it 
might have been?

Some people seem to think the JAN system started after WWII.  I knew it 
started during WWII, just wasn't sure when.  I would love to have a 
wall-sized JAN nomenclature chart for the Museum.  Let me know if you 
ever come across another one!

Thanks,

Duncan



On 03-Apr-11 22:03, WA5CAB at cs.com wrote:
> Well, yes.  That's exactly what TM 11-487A says.  All of the hard data
> (either the manual on the set, or reference manuals) I have indicates that a
> specific vehicle is included in the list of components.  This is not the case
> with ARC, GRC or VRC.  Further, most (but not quite all) radio sets included
> in AN/MRC- sets were built for something else originally.  For example,
> AN/MRC-20 consists of an M38A1 carrying a large chest containing AN/ARC-3,
> AN/ARC-8 and AN/ARC-27, plus antennas and some interconnection (retransmission)
> boxes.
>
> Definition distinguishing between "M"RC and "V"RC is that in the first case
> the vehicle has no other purpose but to carry the radio equipment and in
> the second, but in the second case, the radio is intended or designed for
> installation in vehicles but the primary purpose of the vehicles is other than
> hauling the radio.  Now, it's a fine point as to what else you could do with
> the deuce-and-a-half hauling an SCR-399 or an AN/GRC-26.  But in a few hours
> you could dismount the shelter and go off and do something else with the
> truck.  Which was on the Unit TO&E as a one of several trucks, not as a radio
> station.
>
> One other comment, the JAN system first began to appear in late 1942.  I
> have a wall chart dated June 1943.
>