[Milsurplus] Command Set ReceiverCoffee-Grinder

[Michael Tauson]

On 11/9/06, Neil Barnett <neilba at clear.net.nz> wrote:

> A second notion that I put forward for frequency changing was that it
> might have been for tactical reasons, ie. pilots at briefing time might be
> instructed to change their receivers every 15 minutes of the flight and the
> frequencies to be used would be the sequence XXXX, YYYY, ZZZZ,
> and so on, so that an enemy monitoring the flight commander's orders
> about compass headings and other sensitive stuff would hear at most
> 15 minutes worth and then would have to tune around for the new
> command frequency. Its difficult for an enemy to plot your course when
> you're doing that and flying a zig-zag course as well.

Where this fails is in the fact that the pilots didn't have control of
the transmitters' frequencies.  Further radio discipline would include
not airing that information since all the aircrews would have
foreknowledge of the flight plan.

On the other talon, the earlier Command receivers did have a tad bit
of drift which lead to the NRL experiments with the crystal controlled
receivers and A.R.C.'s development of the stabilized ARC-5 receivers
which were lock tuned.

BEst regards,

Michael, K3MXO/KH6