[Milsurplus] "The Coastwatchers" question

[Ken Gordon]

On 7 Apr 2024 at 3:15, Hubert Miller wrote:

> 
>     "The Coastwatchers", Cdr. Eric Feldt, 1946: The 1939 radio
>     `3B´ required 12 to 16 porters. The heaviest piece was the gas
>     engine generator, 70 lbs. Naval Intelligence foresaw these points
>     as future handicaps and drew up plans for a new radio, but when it
>     was received, it was considered similar but not as good as the 3B.
>     "The Air Forces developed independently what we wanted, and
>     eventually we were able to obtain it and even supply it by
>     parachute to coastwatchers. In the meantime, however, the 3B was
>     our mainstay."   Question: what were the two radios, RAN and
>     RAAF, that were developed to follow on and possibly replace the 3B
>     ? -Hue Miller

I read that book many years ago. I was pretty certain that all the gear descrobed in that book 
was designed and made in Australia.

As far as I knoiw, there never was a piece of U.S. made gear that was the "3B".

As I remember it, there was an Australian rig named something like the "3B". It may have 
been related to a radio-set designed to be used in the outback to connect homes to 
"civilization". I read a fairly long article about that some time ago.

Perhaps the "3B" was a development of that?

Ken W7EKB