[MRCA] PRC-25's converted to PRC-77's: (was Re: CH-54 -> CAP Radios 50 years ago)

Thu Sep 5 05:36:03 EDT 2019

No experience in the CAP, but as an ROTC cadet from 2001-2005, the PRC-77
was still the mainstay “training aid” for tactical ops.    Having been
thoroughly checked-out and qualified on my PRC-25 by the 51-Meg gang at
Dayton the previous two years, I (naively) volunteered to hump that heavy
piece of metal all over Fort Custer and Fort Lewis in the summer.  I sort
of lost interest in using it after that... weird.

We also had a box of PRC-127s in the back of the supply cage that never saw
the light of day.  According to folklore, they had worked at one time, but
the supply system in Cadet Command was so broke it was just easier to keep
broken equipment on hand them than turn them in.

A year after graduating and commissioning my platoon was tasked with
supporting cadet training over the summer of 2006.  At one point while
drawing supplies, I walked through the secure storage area of the
warehouse, and found crates upon crates of PRC-126s ready for issue to the
cadets that year.  I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of the
lighter-weight equipment the younger trainees were blessed with after my
time.

A year after that I was in Afghanistan, and our comms equipment was
significantly more advanced.

So, that’s my contribution to the “PRC-77 college days” thread.

73 from merry old England,
M/kc8kbk

On Thu, Sep 5, 2019 at 4:33 AM Gene Smar via MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net>
wrote:

> Gents:
>
>
>
>      [I’m adding this email to the string so it’s all in one place.]
>
>
>
>      Thanks to all who sent cards and letters regarding my posting about
> CAP/PRC-25 at college.  Seems these two items often came together for our
> enjoyment in our youth.
>
>
>
>      But let me apologize for not being clear.  The radios, frequencies
> and callsigns we used during the helo landings all belonged to Army ROTC at
> Lehigh University.  I was told at the time that Joplin Blend was used to
> designate ROTC units.  I am also very familiar with CAP’s 11 meter and 2
> meter freqs.  In fact, I had an old Lafayette Electronics CB radio
> (probably hollow state) in my dorm room for CAP nets on 26.620.  I was able
> to get the unit to operate on that freq by interchanging the transmit and
> receive crystals for channel 10.  It seems that 26.620 MHz =  27.075 MHz -
> 455 kHz on receive.  I’m not sure how the transmitter freq was arrived at
> inside the radio.
>
>
>
>      Finally, for those who asked, I won’t be able to attend Gilbert this
> year.  It’s the same weekend as my 50th anniversary high school class
> reunion.  I’m anxious to see what these old people look like after all
> these years.
>
>
>
>
>
> 73 de
>
> Gene Smar  AD3F
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
> *On Behalf Of *Tim
> *Sent:* Wednesday, September 04, 2019 12:11 PM
> *To:* Mkdorney <mkdorney at aol.com>
> *Cc:* MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net>; Mike Morrow <kk5f at arrl.net>
> *Subject:* [MRCA] PRC-25's converted to PRC-77's: (was Re: CH-54 -> CAP
> Radios 50 years ago)
>
>
>
> Hi Mark - That's very interesting! I've never heard of that.  Do you have
> any details on how, why or where this updating was done?
>
> In service, did you ever use a radio tagged PRC-25 with a KY-38 for
> example?
>
> I would agree that it's likely the US gave older PRC-25's to various
> allies later on..
>
>
>
> Thanks..Tim
>
> N6CC
>
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 3, 2019 at 10:35 PM Mkdorney via MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net>
> wrote:
>
> We had sets in the late 1990’s in 10th Mountain Division that still had
> their AN/PRC-25 data plates on them, but had been updated to AN/PRC-77
> standard ( this was just before SINGARS radios replaced all our Vietnam
> Vintage stuff). I would guess that the scarcity of seeing AN/PRC-25 sets
> now is that unless it was sold to allies, in storage or just plain missed,
> most of those sets were upgraded to PRC-77s in the 70s through the 90s.
>
> Mark D.
> WW2RDO
>
> “In matters of style, float with the current. In matters of Principle,
> stand like a rock. “.   -   Thomas Jefferson
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Sep 4, 2019, at 12:19 AM, Mike Morrow <kk5f at earthlink.net> wrote:
> >
> > Gene,
> >
> > I was a CAP senior member in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Arkansas,
> and had some sort of card as a communicator.  About all I did technical was
> set up temporary antennas on 4630/4627 kHz for the HW-18-1 two-channel USB
> transceiver we had at an encampment at Blytheville AFB in 1970.
> >
> > I don't recall any CAP allocations in the 30 to 76 MHz coverage of the
> AN/PRC-25.  Even if there were, and even though the Army had quickly
> transitioned to the AN/PRC-77 after 1968, I don't think there were many
> AN/PRC-25 sets available to the fringe groups associated with the US
> military.  But maybe so...the Army ROTC armory at Georgia Tech in 1970 had
> some AN/PRC-25 sets in addition to several hundred fully functional M14
> rifles, most without the full-auto selector installed.  (The Navy ROTC
> there had only M1903 30-06 rifles, and I don't think Air Force ROTC had any
> weapons.)
> >
> > The Heath HW-18-1 and the Colins KWM-2A on 4630 kHz, VHF-AM aircraft
> radios, and the odd CB set with crystals for 26.62 MHz were the only radio
> gear in Arkansas CAP that I recall.  We had in our stores about a hundred
> useless T-278/U VHF-FM high-band transmitters for the old AN/VRC-19 set,
> but nothing else.  We'd have been fascinated by access to an AN/PRC-25.
> >
> > That's why it surprises me to hear of CAP use of VHF tactical FM sets,
> and also of the use of military-style tactical callsigns outside the CAP
> norms of calls like "Razorback 17" (an Arkansas CAP station, of course).
> >
> > Mike / KK5F
> > (For no good reason except nostalgia I recently bought for a few bucks
> an almost pristine unhacked HW-18-1 on 4585/4582 kHz, including its scarce
> manual.  It's an interesting efficient design that uses 17 active devices
> in 12 tubes and gets 200W PEP input from two small 6GE5 Compactron finals.
> It uses no relays, not even for antenna switching.  It sold alone with no
> power supply in 1968 as a kit for $120 ($885 in 2019), or factory built for
> $180 ($1325 in 2019).  Weren't those the good ol' days!
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Gene Smar via MRCA <mrca at mailman.qth.net>
> >> Sent: Sep 3, 2019 9:21 PM
> >> To: 'MICHAEL ALUZZO' <bellgrove2 at aol.com>, "'B. Smith'" <
> smithab11 at comcast.net>, mrca at mailman.qth.net
> >> Subject: Re: [MRCA] CH-54
> >>
> >> Gents:
> >>
> >>    "IGMR" brings back memories for me about my first encounter with a
> Prick 25.  Back in 1972-ish, I was the Commo Officer for CAP Squadron 305
> at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, where I was an EE student.  Our
> squadron was asked to provide flightline service for Army ROTC Rangers one
> Saturday during the fall of that year.  PANG were sending Hueys to our
> football fields over the hill from the main campus to pick up the Rangers
> at zero dark thirty and take them to IGMR for a day of Ranger "play", then
> return them more or less safe and sound that evening.
> >>
> >>    We arranged with the local FD to have a foam fire truck, ambulance
> and other apparatus on site for the arrival of the Hueys.  The Rangers were
> on the field as well, somewhat awake after breakfast.  Also on site were
> about a half dozen of us CAPers.  A couple of guys were at the far end of
> the field where the first helo would touch down; others were near the
> emergency vehicles; and I was on the sidelines between both crews.  We all
> had PRC-25s, to talk amongst ourselves on the flightline.  I also had a
> second -25 set on the air-to-ground 35 MHz (I think) PANG channel used by
> the helos.
> >>
> >>    At some point after sunrise we heard a low rumble off in the
> distance.  After a few minutes the ruble turned into the familiar
> whop-whop-whop of a stick of 10 Hueys approaching us from the west (from
> IGMR.)  As they made their final, they turned back to the west and split
> into two sticks for landing.  They hovered about a half-mile away from the
> field at maybe 500 feet.
> >>
> >>    I got a call over my -25 something like, "Joplin Blend Six this is
> Tango Six.  Pop smoke for our landing.  Over."  I answered, "This is Joplin
> Blend Six.  Wilco.  Out."  I hit the PTT on the other -25 and asked the
> touch down crew to set off one of the ROTC-provided smoke canisters.  They
> did.  It was green - on a football field!
> >>
> >>    My ATG radio blared, "Joplin Blend Six, do you have any other color?
> Over."
> >>
> >>    "This is Joplin Blend Six.  Negative.  That's all Army ROTC gave
> us.  Over."
> >>
> >>    "This is Tango Six.  Figures.  Out."
> >>
> >>    The two sticks landed quite professionally on the fields.  They were
> loud.  Twenty minutes later, after the ROTC Rangers were loaded on board,
> my radio opened up once again, "Joplin Blend Six, this is Tango Six.
> [Something about requesting permission to get on our way.]  Over."  I hit
> the PTT, "This is Joplin Blend Six.  Clear for takeoff.  Will maintain
> emergency equipment at this location for twenty minutes after your
> departure.  Over."  "This is Tango Six.  Roger. Out."
> >>
> >>    And in 60 seconds only the rumbling from their rotors was left to
> remind us of their brief visit.
> >>
> >>    Later, near dusk, we were back on the same field, fire apparatus at
> the ready, when my -25's squelch opened up with, "Joplin Blend Six, this is
> Tango Six.  We will be doing an assault landing.  Over."  I didn't want to
> show my ignorance so I hit the PTT and said, "This is Joplin Blend Six.
> Roger.  Out."
> >>
> >>    The next three minutes scared the bejesus out of me.  (Remember:  I
> was not yet 21 years old and had never served in uniform.)  What we all
> witnessed was two Hueys begin rapidly circling directly overhead at fifty
> feet, rolled onto their sides so their guns (Ma Deuces?) were pointed down
> at the LZ.  One orbited clockwise, the other the other way.  The noise was
> deafening.  These two gunships continued this maneuver as the ten original
> helos skimmed slowly across the ground at a foot above it in two sticks
> while the Rangers jumped out of both doors onto the playing field.  Within
> a couple of minutes the entire airborne group was on its way back to IGMR.
> >>
> >>    I got on the -25 one final time and said, "Tango Six, this is Joplin
> Blend Six.  Will maintain emergency equipment this location for twenty
> minutes after your departure.  Over."  The PANG lead helo radio'ed, "This
> is Tango Six.  Roger.  Thanks.  Out."  And that was the last time I used a
> Prick 25 until I bought one of my own in 2004 or so.
> >>
> >>    Next time you see me, ask me about my CAP use of PRT-4's and
> PRR-9's.
> >>
> >> 73 de
> >> Gene Smar  AD3F
> > ______________________________________________________________
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