[Milsurplus] PRC-16

[WA5CAB at cs.com]

Mike,

Well, as ETCS Ring used to holler at us on occasion, when in doubt RTFM.  TM 
11-288 covers AN/PRC-16.  And as you say, G-8/GRC was not a component (I've 
had several G-8's and G-8A's - similar in appearance to the GN-58-A but closer 
to the G-3B/TRC-7 - Output 6V/2.5A and 400V/0.070A).

MT-673/UR is a flat plate with four J-hooks.  I've never actually had one 
either.

"P" in AN/PRC, meaning Portable, was supposed to mean one man (or one PC 
woman) could carry it and operate it while carrying it.  AN/PRC-47 should have 
been AN/TRC-nn.  Or, given that it had a vehicular variant, AN/GRC-nn.

Although not supplied with the set, if you put a sling on an AN/PRC-16 one 
man could carry it and talk while doing so.  Antenna mounting wouldn't be very 
convenient and if he were smart, he'd ditch the MT-673 of course.  

There's no indication in the TM as to what the MT-673 was intended for.  
However, there is historical precedent for installing battery operated radios in 
vehicles (including small boats and landing craft) and not operating them off 
of the vehicle's electrical system (if it had one).  AN/VRC-3 in M5A1 Stuart 
comes to mind.  And of course, if that was really the intent (and the hard mount 
implies it), then AN/PRC-16 should have been AN/VRC-nn.  Armchair 
quarterbacking 55 years on is such fun.  :-)

Sorta related comment on packboards.  With the exception of AN/TRC-2 (and 
probably something else I've forgotten), if needed for the transportation of 
radio equipment, they were apparently requisitioned from Quartermaster stores.  
SCR-509 and SCR-609, for example, were normally transported on them.  But they 
aren't on the item lists for the radio sets.

In a message dated 6/17/2005 11:27:22 AM Central Daylight Time, 
kk5f at earthlink.net writes: 
> Add to that the mounting for the RT-70/GRC and/or CY-590/GRC, the 
> MT-673/UR.  Only with the MT-673 did the set become a PRC-16.  I've never seen one of 
> these mountings in real life. 
> 
> The MX-898/GR is described in the manual (TM 11-284) for the GRC-3 to 8, 
> where the RT-66/67/68, CY-590, and G-8/GRC handcrank generator are shown (in 
> addition to the RT-70 setup already mentioned).  None of these configurations 
> (including the RT-70) had "PRC" designations.  The G-8 was not used with the 
> RT-70.  I've never seen a G-8/GRC in real life.
> 
> I don't think that a PRC designation implies that the PRC-16 was intended to 
> be a backpack set, any more than, say, the PRC-47 was.
> 

Robert Downs - Houston
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