[Milsurplus] "Yasme - The Weil and Colvin Expeditions" book

[Hubert Miller]

When I recently re-upped with ARRL I ordered a book, 'Yasme - The Danny Weil and Colvin Radio Expeditions".  This book combines a number of ingredients that appeal to me:
Pacific islands, classic ham radio, world travel to then - exotic and remote places. It is a large format paperback, $25, profusely illustrated with photos. I reckon I will receive more
enjoyment from this book than for any $25 I have spent in recent history. Thinking, I would have to say, back to the  Oregon State Fair in summer, for equivalent  value - for - dollar.

Military radio connection, for some of these email groups:
Lloyd and Iris Colvin were very active in the ham MARS program in postwar Japan.
Also this intriguing mention, of which I had not before known anything:

"Lloyd received an Army commendation for some of his CANOL - related [ that is, Yukon oil pipeline project ] 'in connection' ( he later said ) 'with the planning and providing of radio
transmitters for Army Intelligence scouts who were landed by submarine on certain of the Aleutian Islands during the period in which many of the islands were occupied by the
Japanese enemy. In connection with this work I made several hazardous airplane trips in the Aleutian Islands. through fog and blind flying conditions, to obtain the equipment and
coordinate radio transmissions by these army scouts to Navy communications located both on ships at sea and on land. Immediately prior to the departure of the Intelligence scouts
on their assigned mission it developed that the Army frequencies which the transmitters were designed to work on were not satisfactory for communication with the desired Navy
stations.
I worked all night long grinding new quartz crystals to the required frequencies and making other necessary changes in order that fulfillment of the mission would not be delayed.' "

End quote. Quoted material punctuation and capitalization exactly as original.

Comment: very puzzling. I have to wonder, how much if any of this was Colvin's "tooting his own horn". The oil pipeline project would seem to have no connection to the Aleutian
campaign, so why the mention? Landing people on Japanese - occupied Kiska and Attu would seem to be suicidal, so I suppose this means nearby  islands, for observation, "coast
watching". When I read this paragraph, my mind immediately went to the Navy CMS radio, but....for the Aleutians application, I think maybe only 4 - 5 sets would be all needed,
and it seems there are more CMS radios than that still around. It occurs to me that the Navy TCH would be very usable for this application. In other posts I have maintained that
the TCH would have been better than other coast - watcher radios which were used, such as the Australian 3BZ.
As for "grinding crystals overnight", well, I don't know if I buy that. This requires some experience and some experimentation. It's not like doing some hurry - up soldering job
overnight.
Puzzling.

Danny Weil passed away 1993. his wife 1998. A good looking couple, and they must have been fun people to be around.
-Hue Miller
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