[Milsurplus] Merrill's Marauders comms

[David Stinson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hue Miller" <kargo_cult at msn.com>

> The PRC-1 of course did not have legs; nor was
> it really rugged enough to survive jungle use. The TRC-10 packaging of
> essentially the same radio WAS rugged enough, but there is no "shelf
> for the telegraph key".....a book I cited previously
> has the author complaining that the handcrank had to be cranked at
> a steady speed on both transmit AND receive: you only need to do
> that where the receiver is powered by the handcrank, ...
> I am not convinced that the Marauders used anything other than the
> good old BC-654 - or should I say, "284 Set". It seems to me, so-called
> memories are partially mistaken, here.

I agree, Hue; very unlikely it was PRC-1.
I don't think I've ever seen a PRC-1 with fungicide.  
The suitcase would have lasted about a week in the jungle.... 
Maybe.

There is one other set that fits all this, is more the size he speaks of,
is documented as having been supplied in limitied numbers to the P.I. 
and was available before the SCR-284 and certainly before the TRC-10:
The SCR-288.    Could it be his memories "meld" both the earlier sets,
then become confused when presented with photos of the late TRC-10?