Show us your field radios!

[carrabassett]

Speechless! What an amazing collection! Thanks so much for showing it to us, great reference.

[blademan]

Those are some amazing radios. Robin those are awesome. The Dav-2 and MAY is on my want list. Nice seeing all the accessories. 

[dustin]

On 4/5/2013 at 9:55 AM, BC312 said:

 

The correct handie talkie for air sea rescue and for AAF and airborne ground to air use would be the AN/CRC-7 VHF survival radio. The BC611 is AM and would have to be VHF to comunicate to aircraft. As qoted by Military radio Historian Dennis Stark. The AN/CRC-7 was also popular with fighter pilots of the time and airborne.

 

I missed this comment until revisiting this thread, and momentarily forgot again to respond. There is a lot of misinformation drifting around on the net about the AN/CRC-7 with dates as far back as 1942. The reality is that it was not finalized in development and placed in production until 1945, entering service in 1946. Though you are correct in about communication between aircraft and was in part in its design emphasis, also it had the capability for homing, like the BC-778. Rescue organizations in Asia and the Pacific often included the BC-611 in rescue assemblies (air droppable) so that they could talk to stranded parties, it was not carried as standard in an emergency kits. The AN/CRC-7 was designed to be part of standard assemblies. As an example , in 1946, the BuAer revised Tech Orders for one (AN/CRC-7) to replace the radar reflector in both the PK-1 pararaft kit and for inclusion in multi-person life rafts. I wouldn't say "popular" as stark stated, but rather it was the authorized standard substitution. It had a very specific VHF universal emergency frequency that was integral, the BC-611 used crystals and changeable, which could easily be useless as the frequencies need to match. Also had a very short range. The CRC-7 was designed to over come these deficiencies but met the basic design of the compact nature of the BC-611, a base type of influence. Essentially it was a Gibson Girl in compact form but with the added luxury of two-way communication. It had the ability to make immediate communication between the SCR-522 VHF (or equal) set in aircraft. The AN/ARA-8 homing adapter can home onto the CRC-7. As a comparison, the BC-611 had a range of about 2-miles, the CRC-7 could reach as far as 40-miles. It was soon superseded by the AN/PRC-17, very similar concept but square in shape. Then it too was replaced by smaller technologies starting with designs such as the AN/CRN-16 then evolving into the URC line and others to the modern era.

[Alamo]

Some nice pieces..

[punched primer]

My nos Bc1000,  never saw another documented USMC BC1000 before..great thread here! Love those radios

[punched primer]

My 1943 bc611 and RBZ..

[punched primer]

Here is a rare U.S.M.C. Paramarine ~ BC 721 glider radio. Dated May 20, 1942. U.S.N. Department Bureau of Ships. I believe this is an experimental radio for the Paramarine's Glider program that was short lived. 

Any additional information is appreciated,  thx guys...