[Milsurplus] BC-611 (WasTBY on Saipan '44 ?)

[David Stinson]

I think the BC-611 was a little ahead of its time.
The adjustments to get it running well are quite "picky,"
especially the antenna tuning.  A change of a quarter of
an inch in antenna extension- easy to do when you're
maneuvering- makes a large difference in receiver sensitivity.
Get the antenna tuning off just a little and it goes deaf.
The front end really isn't up to strong signals, like someone
within a hundred yards.  The battery connections go intermittent
easily, especially in a wet environment.
The "F" model bottom is a real kludge and temperamental.
A front-line tech with 90 days of training in repairing
radios hadn't a prayer of keeping them in "top shape"
for very long, which was probably
the reason they got a bad name.

All that being said, they stayed in service for a long time,
when you consider their use by non-US countries.
That they lugged them around Europe into the 1960s
and bought loads of repair parts
says the 611 must have worked at some level.
The techs either learned some "tricks" or they set up
a system to keep them rotated to the rear, replacing
failed units with refurbished ones quickly.

73 Dave S.

P.S. to Mike:  I'd bet the MAB would compare favorably with the
BC-611 for range, due to the more efficient antenna,
and because the lower-sensitivity is less likely to
overload at short ranges- a big problem for the 611.
I think the MAB would score better than the 611 on
reliability because of its less intermittant-prone construction,
but behind the 611 in practicality because of all those
damnable cables in the way, plus the aforementioned
large but unwieldy antenna.
They would probably feel as did users of the BC-222
who would throw away the stupid tangle of seperate mic and
earphones in favor of the handset normally used with
the BC-322 (I have two photos of this, one an
actual combat photo from Italy).