[MRCA] Backpack GPS receiver

[chancewolf at me.com]

Now that's pretty cool.  In the backpack GPS units I was only aware of the
Rockwell-Collins AN/PSN-8 (which I have an example of) and the Texas
Instruments AN/PSN-9 (which I've been trying to find for years) - and now
there's your Magnavox unit which likely predates both, though I bet it had a
different antenna as a packset initially.  

If you can find a date anywhere on the thing I'd be interested to know where
it fits in the development stream, and whether or not it was just submitted
as a prototype for a competition but not adopted, or maybe as LRIP for field
trials or something.  

All of my old GPS units with the Y2K bug will eventually resolve a position
if you leave them powered up long enough.  The worst offender was the
handheld Magellan Nav 1000M which I'd written off as incapable of resolving
a position - but then left it on for hours and hours and found out that it
did get a fix eventually (though as others have stated the date will be
wrong.)   By way of comparison,  that AN/PSN-8 resolved a position
relatively quickly.  I think the date may have even been correct.  

 

 

 

From: mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net <mrca-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf
Of Ray Fantini via MRCA
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2025 7:21 AM
To: mrca at mailman.qth.net; MMRCG at groups.io; milsurplus at mailman.qth.net;
Aerospace_Hardware_Collectors_Group at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MRCA] Backpack GPS receiver

 

Anyone who knows me understands that I don't only work in obsolete military
radios but also dabble in computers and other arcane devices. Picked up a
couple things at the Gilbert Red Ball show. One is a ADSID III seismic
sensor and that's an entire story on to itself but also picked up a old
backpack portable first generation GPS system. I think this is the military
version of the Magnavox MX5400 or maybe a MX6102 but have no real idea
beyond that. Unlike the older MX4102 terrestrial Navistar system I suspect
this is a GPS system being it has the 1575 MHz patch antenna. Its also
powered by a 5590 battery and comes all mounted up to a Allice frame. Anyone
have any ideas about this? Suspect that the old GPS systems had some form of
issue with date and year display but don't know if that will keep it from
displaying something. 

Attached are some pictures.

 

Ray F/KA3EKH

 

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