[Milsurplus] Chinese 6M- packset, the 884

[Meir-WF2U]

Mike,

No surprise there, as production usually continued a while because some
equipment was supplied to client countries outside the core Warsaw pact
countries when it was being phased out in the USSR and the Warsaw-pact
frontline military. Usually the so-called third world countries received
technology a generation or two behind the current Soviet technology.
These countries are slow on the intake of newer technology and have the
tendency to retain the old for a long time, especially for non-elite troops.

Should have mentioned that the R-107T with the digital display was called
the R-107T Digi because there was an electronically similar R-107T with an
analog frequency readout. 

73, Meir WF2U
Landrum, SC


-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mike Morrow
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2008 12:48 AM
To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Milsurplus] Chinese 6M- packset, the 884

Meir wrote:

>The R-10*M series was replaced by the mid-60's in the Soviet Union/Warsaw
>pact by the R-107,

Hi Meir,

I will always defer to your well-established knowledge of this equipment,
and in fact I have no opinion contrary to yours.  I would only remark that I
have three R-105M and one R-109M units, and two of those four units have
markings inside which indicate 1969 as year of manufacture.  They were well
obsolete by 1969, but were still being made in large numbers, apparently.
One of my R-105M units was a US soldier's bring-back from Iraq in 1991.

>In the early 70's the R-107 was replaced by the R-107T, all solid state and
>with digital frequency display, same power and frequency coverage as the
>R-107.

I've always admired the R-107 series, but they seem to have had far less
distribution than the older R-10xM sets even long after the R-107 appeared.
The only all-solid-state Soviet gear that I have is the R-148, R-126, and
R-855, but maybe one day I'll come across an R-107 of some flavor.

>To sum it up, in the 70's which these Chinese sets are from, The R105
series
>sets were obsolete for a long time and the R-107T was in use in the
>Eastern-Block countries.

Still, the R-105M seems had a long (but hard to explain) service life even
though more modern stuff had been fielded many years earlier.

>IMHO the R-107T is far superior to the CHICOM 884...

Not even a bit of doubt about that.  BTW, I just checked out a Type 884 unit
against an AN/PRC-77, and found that the highest frequency that the Type 884
could be set to and still communicate with the AN/PRC-77 is about 50.35 MHz.
The Type 884 has no squelch and no volume control.  IMHO, the very cheap
headset and microphone assemblies would not have survived long in combat
use.  And why were the Eastern and Chinese block so fond of the complex, yet
awkward, Kulikov-type copies of German WWII antennas?  The U.S.
"measuring-tape" style of portable radio antennas were far simpler, cheaper,
and easier to make and, most importantly, use in the field.  I carried an
AN/PRC-25 in U.S. service in 1972 and I'm glad I didn't have to deal with a
Kulikov.

>BTW I had so much Russian HF stuff to carry home from the big
>Friedrichshafen hamfest in Germany in 2000, that I didn't buy a nice R-107T
>set complete with all the accessories, for $100...

Now you're bragging!  :-)  (envy!)

Mike / KK5F
______________________________________________________________
Milsurplus mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1213 - Release Date: 1/7/2008
9:14 AM
 

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. 
Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.17.13/1213 - Release Date: 1/7/2008
9:14 AM