[Milsurplus] New video - 13 mnutes

[Ray Fantini]

I am always up for  watching videos on YouTube! But I do have a question about the use of the SCR-508 and its use in Operation Torch in North Africa. My limited understanding was that the SCR-506 (BC-652 and 653) being a HF AM set was replaced by the SCR-508 (BC-609 and 603) with its improved semi VHF and FM modulation.
Always speculated that for use in North Africa the older 506 would have been used being it was already out in production and in the field along with SCR-193 and 177 (BC-312 and BC-191) sets? And the Newer better FM sets were only just being deployed?
By the time we get to the Sicilian and Italian campaigns and defiantly by the time of Overlord but not ready for deployment during Torch.
There is a relevance to all this. In the military vehicle preservation world there has been some controversy over the appropriate radios for things like M1A1, M3A1 Scout Cars, M2A1 or M3 Halftrack and M29 Weasels along with M2A3 tanks.
One school of thought is it has to be a SCR-508 in one of its many configurations or its not correct, the problem is that the SCR-508 family of radios is just about useless in today's world. Where as the SCR-506 HF AM can be used on the modern Ham bands.
In the world of military vehicle collectors and restorers you have two groups, one group that stuffs the appropriate radio according to documentation on the vehicle regardless of its functional state, some go so far as to strip out the guts of the radios and stuff in things like CD players. The other camp are into functionality, we not only want it to look good but also preform somewhat along the lines of what it was intended to do.
One of my favorite justifications for the SCR-506 is that it's what we started the war with. OK, by the end of the war FM was king but in the beginning of the war the AM was all that was in the field. Also have to admit that I have always had a warm spot in my hart for the SCR-506 after reading in the 1948 CQ Surplus conversion manual that the SCR-506 was basically five hundred pounds of nothing.

Ray F/KA3EKH

________________________________
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net <milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Mike Feher <n4fs at eozinc.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2026 12:36 AM
To: 'Charlie L.' <mjcal79 at gmail.com>; milsurplus at mailman.qth.net <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] New video - 13 mnutes


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Great video, Charlie. Thanks for sharing. 73 – Mike



Mike B. Feher, N4FS

89 Arnold Blvd.

Howell NJ 07731

908-902-3831



From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net <milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Charlie L.
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2026 10:24 PM
To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Milsurplus] New video - 13 mnutes



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUhTYz5QkQU



Thoughts?



Charlie, W4MEC in NC

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