[Milsurplus] Holiday Puzzle

[Mike Morrow]

>Look at  http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/WashingtonDC/korean.html

>(Squad Leader) and tell me what radio he is  carrying

There's absolutely no doubt that it depicts a model of the BC-611
that is earlier than the BC-611-F (no external audio connector base
plate at the bottom).  The only oddity is that the conical antenna
cover has not been stowed on the base to which it would be screwed
after it is removed when the antenna is extended.  The stowage base
is clearly visible on the top of the radio near the bottom of the
antenna...pretty good accuracy of the radio depiction!

>It would appear to be a BC-611 but surely the PRC-6 would have 
>been in use  by then, 1950-52.

It would have been very inaccurate to have shown an AN/PRC-6.  I
have never seen an AN/PRC-6 with an order number earlier than 1951,
which makes it doubtful that there were many AN/PRC-6 units in
Korea at all before the cease-fire.  The AN/PRC-6 is likely
very very late Korean War era, if at all.

On the other hand, the SCR-536 (BC-611) could be found in use past
the mid-1950s.  I have a depot-reconditioned BC-611-F that is in
NOS condition, with a date of "APR 56" stamped on it.

The vehicular gear of the AN/GRC-3, 5, 7 series was state-of-the-art
for Korea, and seems to have appeared in in 1949.  However, there
was much use of the WWII era SCR-508 and -608 gear.  The backpack
sets AN/PRC-8, 9, and 10 were also state-of-art for Korea, and
likely some use was actually made of these *very late* in the war.
However, the WWII SCR-300 (BC-1000) shown in frame 8 doubtless
was the most common portable FM set for much of the war.

It has often been remarked that the U.S. fought the Korean War
with WWII leftovers, from weapons and munitions to rations and
medical gear.  The same applies to radio too. 

For most US radio gear with JAN nomenclature, the component number
(rather than system number) in the ID is *usually* the best indicator
of chronology:

AN/GRC-3, 5, 7 series vehicular sets:  RT-66, 67, 68, 70 [1949]
AN/PRC-8, 9, 10 series back pack sets:  RT-174, 175, 176 [1950-51]
AN/PRC-6 handset:  RT-196 [1951]

Mike / KK5F
(If you know a veteran of the Korean War, let him know your respect
for his service.  No other group of war veterans in the US have been
so poorly appreciated for their truely thankless service.)