[MRCA] Using FM sets in WW2 Vehicles

[MARK DORNEY]

Folks who “gut” the radios aren’t going to pay the price asked for working/restorable radios. They want something that looks neat, but definitely is cheap. Or they can’t find anybody that will restore their radio to original working condition.  The idea of hiding an FRS radio in a remote is a non-starter with the military vehicle folks.  Having worked tactical radios in service, I can tell you the only time we remoted the radios was when we were going to be in one place for a while. The remotes weren’t used if we were operating directly in our vehicles, and especially if we were on the move. And have you tried to find Korean War/WW2 remotes that hasn’t had there leads cut off?  Easier to find a radio.  And forget about any radios used by enemy troops. They are priced well beyond what 99% of interested parties are willing to pay for any radio.  Another reason an antique radio gets gutted is because the radio issued for vehicle use is not capable of operating on frequencies authorized for civilian use, and the vehicle folks want a working radio that looks and operates like original equipment that won’t get them into trouble with the law. I’ve also seen radios that get destroyed internally by the military before they are surplused. In that case, it really doesn’t matter if the radio is gutted or not, since it is damaged beyond repair before a vehicle owner ever sees it. 

The only military vehicle folks I’ve run into who routinely “gut” military radios are those who restore military aircraft. In that case, most of the 50-75 year old sets no longer are of any use in operating aircraft and won’t pass muster with the FAA. The aircraft folks want to save weight, and for some reason figure that the 2-3 lbs that the insides of these radios weigh (at the most) will somehow make a difference (absurd, I know, but that’s how they think ). 

Instead of avoiding military vehicle folks and coming up with ways Hams won’t have to work with them we should be helping them get licensed, getting their original equipment working and getting them 100% legal. Concentrate on bringing them away from the Dark Side of the Force. 

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 Feb 28, 2021, at 10:03 AM, Rob Flory <farmer.rob.flory at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> Mark,
> Rewind to the point where I said, "leave the radios intact".  My idea is to stop the people who are going to gut the radios, who way outnumber the ones who are going to get licensed and restore them.
> 
> RF
> 
>> On Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 5:55 AM Rob Flory <farmer.rob.flory at gmail.com> wrote:
>> There was some discussion of vehicle collecters wanting to make them play which is fraught with issues of licensing, hacking, low interoperability, etc.
>> 
>> SCR-610 has a remote, why not leave the radios intact and interface the remote with a hidden FRS set or something?
>> 
>> RF
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