[Milsurplus] [ARC5] Off topic German and US Tank Radios

[Al Klase]

I too, would like to know more about this.  I did some research on the 
subject while setting up the WWII commo display at the Radio technology 
Museum at InfoAge.

The U.S. Army Signal Corps took a considerable, but calculated, risk in 
committing to FM and crystal control.  All indications are that this 
payed off big time.

FM exhibits the capture effect.  A desired signal, just a few dB 
stronger than interference or noise, completely silences the receiver:
            - Virtually eliminated ignition noise problems.
             - Eased frequency reuse issues.  Another user 20 or so mile 
away can use the same freq., without causing problems.
             - Make the system much harder to jam.

Multi-channel crystal control:
             - The "tank sets" were push-button radios.  This eliminated 
the need for a dedicated radio operator.
             - The radios in the M-4 Sherman (SCR-508, /et al/) were 
mounted at the back of the turret, just behind the tank commanders position.
             - He could talk to his group on one channel, and quickly 
change to any of 9 others to coordinate with other units.
             - Many configurations included a second receiver to 
monitor, say, higher command.
             - Oh yeah, the system included an intercom, so the crew 
could communicate internally in spite of the din.

Some anecdotal stuff that needs to be confirmed:
             - Many of the German tanks used gasoline powered Maybach 
engines.  Under some circumstances they had to shut the engine down to 
hear over the radio noise.
             - A lot of units only had transmitters in the command tank, 
everybody else just followed orders.

It's clear to me that superior radios often made the difference when 
faced with an enemy in mechanically superior tanks.  You just dispatched 
a couple of M-4's around the side where the armopr was thin.

Al

Part of the proof is that crystal controlled FM became the dominant 
mobile communications technology in the post-war era.

On 1/6/2012 7:09 AM, Mike Hanz wrote:
> That's a salient question, John.  "On a clear day", conditions may have
> favored one or the other, but there are some interesting boxes in my
> jammer collection that could turn the entire battlefront into comms
> chaos for the Germans, being as how they used AM radios and we used FM,
> which was not bothered by wideband noise.  The NDRC Division 15 Summary
> Report on WWII Countermeasures has a fairly decent rundown on the
> effectiveness of jamming both German and Japanese voice traffic, but
> unfortunately I gotta get going for a medical appointment.
>
> 73,
> Mike
>
> On 1/5/2012 10:43 PM, J. Forster wrote:
>> I think you first have to define "best". Best in what way?
>>
>> -John
>>
>> ===========
>>
>>
>>> Very good question.  Anyone know more?  Reference(s)?
>>>
>>> Dennis D.  W7QHO
>>> Glendale, CA
>>>
>>> ****************
>>> On Jan 5, 2012, at 7:32 PM, Robert Eleazer wrote (in part):
>>>
>>>> By the way, one thing I have never read is how German and Amercian
>>>> tank
>>>> radios compared in terms of effectivness.
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-- 
Al Klase - N3FRQ
Jersey City, NJ
http://www.skywaves.ar88.net/