[Milsurplus] Question on USMC 1942 tactical radio gear

[Mike Morrow]

Dave wrote:

>... SCR-288 was deployed to the Pacific theater and I
>have no doubt the USMC got hold of some.

Hi Dave,

The type of action described in the recollections of the fighting at Guadalcanal make me think that something more portable than the SCR-288 was being used.  Something battery-powered.

>I don't have anything first-source concerning the SCR-194
>in the Pacific, though I do not doubt it. 

One would think that the USMC's native TBY would actually be superior overall to a Signal Corps BC-222 (SCR-194).   But at least either was totally battery-powered.  The SCR-194's antenna would be a bear to use while moving through the jungle.

I suppose there's some possibility that a MAB/DAV-type MF/HF set may have been used.  What really intriques me is the veteran's reference to "SCR" for his radio, from which I may be wrong in assuming the set was some sort of Army Signal Corps set. 

I suppose it was a long time before SCR-300 (BC-1000) sets showed up in the Pacific, certainly not in August 1942 anyway.

It's hard to tell anything about the type of gear from just a couple of short references.  "SCR" could have been a shorthand term for radios the troops used during training that was retained later in combat, regardless of what set was actually in operational use. 

73,
Mike / KK5F