Soviet radios, really this big?

[Tashtego]

[Lethaface]

The container also serves as the platoons vodka supply storage.

[slysniper]

The good news is, lay down behind that thing and you have instant cover.

Man, I sure would not wanted to be the Radio man, what a pain.

[Frankster65]

I was thinking "wow" when I was looking at those radios too. Got to be a strong man to carry that load.

[Battlefront.com]

Yup, the thing is massive. Though keep in mind that there's a lot of air space in this thing, so it's not quite as heavy as it might look.

Steve

[MikeyD]

The Germans had a similar looking radio box. The lower half, I believe, was for the battery. So top half - light as a feather - bottom half - like carrying lead bricks.

[Fernando]

It is an A-7 radio.

The radio was 15,5" x 13,5" x 7", so the wooden box was about 18" x 15" x 23".

http://www.rkk-museum.ru/WWII/WWII-3/images/250.pdf

In other words, it was not a small radio.

[Broadsword56]

I read somewhere about the manpack field telephone switchboard that followed US battalion commanders around -- it was enormous, too.

[Michael Emrys]

The photos I've seen of the manpac radios the US Army used in Vietnam weren't a whole lot smaller. I don't know how the weights compared though. As MikeyD said, most of the weight is in the battery.

Michael

[Ultradave]

The photos I've seen of the manpac radios the US Army used in Vietnam weren't a whole lot smaller. I don't know how the weights compared though. As MikeyD said, most of the weight is in the battery.

Michael

I lugged around a PRC-77 for a couple years and it was something like 15 lbs. That was bad enough crammed into a backpack. You'll hear them nicknamed phonetically (as in add an i in the middle and a k at the end and call them....)

(don't want to get censored).

But that thing looks uuuuuugly.

The PRC-77 was an updated version of the 25 that they carried in Vietnam so imagine the weight was similar. (he says without looking anything up :-) )

[agusto]

The good news is, lay down behind that thing and you have instant cover.

Man, I sure would not wanted to be the Radio man, what a pain.

Actually the real pain is that, with that thing on your back, it is like running around with big red banner saying "Shoot me! Shoot me! I am important, i carry the radio!". You cant even conceal your self in a cornfield in summer if you have to carry that thing.

[Ultradave]

And I imagine in the Soviet army of WW2 there weren't a huge number of those guys, making it even more important to get him.

[JasonC]

For that big backpack, you get all of 6 miles of range. Issued to rifle regiment HQ and artillery battalions. WW II radio technology was *primitive* beyond belief. Those super high tech US walkie talkies reached all of 1 mile. You can get superior comm equipment to best in the world military tech of that era at your sporting goods store for $29 - WW II capability stuff is relegated to children's toys.

[Bastables]

I lugged around a PRC-77 for a couple years and it was something like 15 lbs. That was bad enough crammed into a backpack. You'll hear them nicknamed phonetically (as in add an i in the middle and a k at the end and call them....)

(don't want to get censored).

But that thing looks uuuuuugly.

The PRC-77 was an updated version of the 25 that they carried in Vietnam so imagine the weight was similar. (he says without looking anything up :-) )

yeah I lugged 77's too before they finally started switching to SINCGARS and the older 25s were same size but did not have solid state (still vacuum tubes).

Neither of them are as big as that 40s soviet kit as they're small enough to begin issuing to section/squad level, Also I have the feeling that the soviet or german battalions/regt radios were not "man packs" and were more nice table top sets in tent's/buildings with all your logs and pencils. I don't think they were doing radio checks with that thing still strapped to a walking signaller. hell there is no visible connected antenna to that poor (CM) signaller.

[General Specific]

I mean, do the Russians have it bad? Yes. But what about the Italian radios?

The circular tube was installed as every radioman's personal halo (and targeting circle)

[Bastables]

For that big backpack, you get all of 6 miles of range. Issued to rifle regiment HQ and artillery battalions. WW II radio technology was *primitive* beyond belief. Those super high tech US walkie talkies reached all of 1 mile. You can get superior comm equipment to best in the world military tech of that era at your sporting goods store for $29 - WW II capability stuff is relegated to children's toys.

Eh most of the innovations (in VHF) have been based on weight savings, additional and more discrete channels (moving from 100 to 50 to 25 mhz and more range wwii:32-40mhz 60/70s 30-75mhz) which is a really a result of moving from vacuum tubes to solid state, and addition of "digital/on board processing. German 40's VHF sets have a range anywhere from 3 to 10km depending on power and antenna. The short range '44 dornetta radio for FO's and infantry Op's was only 4 kg. Compare with the PRC 77 inservice at the tail end of the the 70s through the 90s that weighed 6 kg with battery and had a range of 5-8 km (12km maybe with a 292 antenna at 31, 40 or 54 mhz) depending on using either a 3 foot or 10 foot antenna. 77 is a actual man pack radio as opposed to the lighter "fixed" dornetta with it's ribbon antenna.

Things like digital encryption, automatic channel hopping are recent "space age" capabilities (but are more about automated EW) but the gulf between radios of the 40's and late 20th century are not mind boggling vast in the same way that 40's lmg's are not flint spear heads to contemporary lmg's. maybe more the difference between M1 and contemporary assault rifles

Radios are radios, vhf is vhf, bigger antenna's and more power give you more range and readability

[LukeFF]

I was thinking "wow" when I was looking at those radios too. Got to be a strong man to carry that load.

At first, I thought that was a phone booth on his back.

[Vinnart]

Yeah, the first time I saw it I thought, “What the heck is he carrying, a mini frig” No wonder the soviets didn’t have too many of them. They are crazy big!

[Lethaface]

I mean, do the Russians have it bad? Yes. But what about the Italian radios?

The circular tube was installed as every radioman's personal halo (and targeting circle)

They are in CM:FI, actually :-)

[Der Alte Fritz]

Sure it is not a 6-PK radio

This is a battalion level set and you get a box with the radio in and another box with the batteries in.

[LukeFF]

Speaking of the Soviet radio model in CMRT: it has some really bad texture stretching issues on the upper half of the model, adjacent to where the dials and knobs are rendered. It makes an otherwise excellent-looking model look a bit ugly.