[Milsurplus] Crated Aircraft - painted aircraft ID on radios

[Bruce Gentry]

Jeff's theory is correct, at least in the Vietnam war. However, with the 
tenor of those times and draftees or first term enlistees doing the 
grunt work on the equipment, it was actually far worse. We became fairly 
proficient in removing "custom" paint markings and decals and forging 
them onto benchwarmers. Serial number tags were switched as well, and 
depot maintainance "pride" decals were clandestinely acquired from 
sympathetic colleagues finishing their enlistments  in the stateside 
depots to apply to rigs in theater. This was especially common on 
aircraft being sent for overhaul or battle damage repair, or being 
shipped back to the states for retirement in national guard units. 
Actual battle damage  also gave us a way to get rid of  benchwarmers, we 
would swap all the undamaged modules in the shot up rigs  with 
troublesome ones. NOW you know why a well worn PRC-25 or R-390 you 
bought in 1975 had serious and difficult problems in every module.

       Bruce Gentry, KA2IVY

On 5/12/17 10:41 PM, Jeff Kruth via Milsurplus wrote:
> I was re-reading some of the posts about why specific aircraft numbers 
> were painted on certain radio gear, and read the speculations as to 
> why this might be.
> I have a surmise: The crew chief, when turning in his gear for routine 
> maintenance or repair, wanted to be sure he got his unit back. He 
> didn't want someone elses sour tuner, or cranky receiver, intermittent 
> transmitter, etc. If he had a piece of gear that was issued to the 
> aircraft, and worked well when operating, he wanted it back when 
> repaired, rather than get someone else's problem child issued to him. 
> A painted number on the case would help prevent that.  Having had a 
> lot of surplus stuff over the years, I have found manufacturing 
> defects like cold solder joints (found one recently in a pristine 
> ARC-5 rx), etc that would make for intermittent gear, seems repaired 
> but craps out again in the field, to be returned to depot for repair, 
> etc.  Maybe just marking their territory, like dogs.
> YMMV
> 73
> Jeff Kruth
>
>
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