[Milsurplus] 884, 102E sets

[Hue Miller]

Marty, my first reaction to your post was "of course
they used the 884 set". Why wouldn't they - they
didn't have a lot of alternatives. I recall a photo i saw
in a newsmagazine from 1980s. Showed 2 4-5 man
patrols, one USSR, one PRC, in a mini-shoving match
on a frozen lake. Seems the two patrols had 
encountered each other on contested border territory.
My thoughts at the time were, obviously the Russians
have an advantage in a purely shoving and pushing.
Also, i would think a shoving match among well-armed
men would not be a good idea. I noticed that one of 
the Russkis is wearing one of those R-105 type things.
None of the Chinese has any radio. Never thought about
that before; a bit odd? 
Chinese radio has THE military look and to me, very 
interestingly it shows the bootstrapping of Chinese 
industry. The fittings are obviously wimpier than radio
equipment from the other major players - would stand
a lot less dropping, sliding around in the back of a truck,
parachute drops, and so on. Also - my belief - there's 
always some kink or Achilles Heel. I think of my Chinese
shoes that lasted forever but inexplicably had water-
permeable soles. Or the Chinese shoe strings Teflon
coated. Or the pellet gun that bent on the first use. Or
the DB-25 connectors in a military (non-digital) radio.
But they have ramped up swifly since then. Truly an
admirable story. I still wonder though, about a concept
such as a "Chinese aircraft carrier".  -Hue