[Milsurplus] Radios in movies

[Ray Fantini]

Think that both the SCR-270 and there SCR-584 went to other collections. It was a sad day when they lost the facilities at Linthicum. I have not been to the new site in Hunt Valley.

Ray F/KA3EKH


From: Gene Smar <ersmar at verizon.net>
Sent: Friday, December 5, 2025 12:23 PM
To: Ray Fantini <RAFANTINI at salisbury.edu>; Hubert Miller <kargo_cult at msn.com>; 'milsurplus at mailman' <Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Radios in movies


THE SCR-270 from Opana Point had been on display outside the Electronics Museum near BWI Airport until the Museum relocated north of "Boolimoor" a few years ago. Not sure if the RADAR is still with the museum.

73 de
Gene Smar AD3F
Sent from my Radio Shack TRS-80 model 100 laptop

On Fri, Dec 5, 2025 at 12:16 PM, Ray Fantini via Milsurplus
<milsurplus at mailman.qth.net<mailto:milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>> wrote:

Its Friday so not a lot going on at work today so I can waste time with this subject! Best and worst movies, think maybe the best and worst movies regarding technology may be the same subject! The Michael Bay 2001 Pearl Harbor has to be maybe one of the worst films ever in terms of realism, equipment and any attempt at historical accuracy. Least they got the date right. Where the 1970 "Tora Tora Tora" may be one of the most historically accurate and is worth the watch just for the scenes of the SCR-270 installation and operation.  The SCR-270 is a key technology that is mostly forgotten today with maybe two or three still in existence.  In Tora Tora Tora you see the 270 equipment shelter and the antenna structure clearly, learn of the difficulties of getting it to the right location and problems integrating new technology into existing C&C structures. The later Pearl Harbor flick has some stupid composite shot allegedly at the Navy base showing a PPI display that did not exist in 1941.

Another favorite is the 1981 Wolfgang Paterson "Das Boot" that has a great recreation of a type 7 U-boat, not much in the way of radios but several scenes with the four rotor Naval Enigma machine.  If you want the full experience watch the original German language version with the subtitles.

As far as "Fury" thing goes, come on man, it's a Brad Pitt movie! By its very nature its got to have a lot of "Chick Flick" comopnets. I watch this stuff to see the hardware, the story is always so-so.  The running Sherman M4A2 tanks and what may be the only running Tiger (131) in the world deserve some credit.  Many of the modern movies today have much better props then the stuff in the old days, Tora Tora Tora used a lot of AT-6 that were repainted to look like Japanese aircraft.

Last thing on the subject before I stop wasting everyone's time on this. The 2019 " Midway " was ok I guess, but for some weird reason every time the showed a radio close enough to recognize it was a British R-1155

Anyone else notice that?



Ray F/KA3EKH




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