Updated: US Marines of a Tactical Air Control Party with the First Marine Division in combat at the Chosin Reservoir operating a GRC-9 transmitter-receiver. Note the weapon cleaning rod likely being used for a ground rod. GN-58 hand cranked generator, cold weather, possibly watching Marine Corps Corsairs rolling in on target: NK or ChiCom troops danger-close. Hopefully it got REAL HOT for the Reds in short order. Field day of the highest order, not fun. But I bet it did the job… The Marine holding the T-17 is likely a pilot from the supporting Marine fighter squadron. The Marines found that this type of assignment produced the best air-ground, close air support coordination possible. Thanks guys. Official USMC Photograph.
Later on……”With voice transmissions ruled out by distances, communications specialists must rely on continuous wave radio operation, using the International Morse Code. They must be able to receive and transmit at the rate of 18 words per minute, perform maintenance up to Third Echelon and even build a working set out of parts at hand. Other team members must be able to work at least five words per minute and know how to set up and operate a radio. Workhorse of the Special Forces is still the dependable Angry Nine, officially the AN/GRC-9.” Special Warfare U.S. Army, Chief of Information, U.S. Army 1962.
Below is my “GRC-9″ set up on the Pacific beach at Spooner Cove near San Luis Obispo CA during less stressful times. (Actually, it is a GRC-87 – do you know the difference?) We were running “Coastwatcher Ops” and transmitting Bikini Reports back to a TCS set at Camp San Luis Obispo acting as Net Control. This was during the Military Radio Collectors Group meeting in May 2010.
AN/GRC-87 on the Beach. N6CC
The distance from here to KG6UTS at Camp SLO NECOS was 9.2 Miles over hilly, rocky terrain. From here to N6IHU was 3.3 miles and N6IHU to Camp SLO was 5.8 miles. N6IHU was running another GRC-9 in a portable configuration however he was using the DY-88 Dynamotor power supply. Under the conditions at that time (appx 1000 hours local) the signal to noise ratio of received signals was 2 to 3 times better on the whip than the AT-101 wire which surprised us. It was running approximately northwest, broadside to Camp SLO, averaging about 6 feet off the sand. Comms with the 15′ whip antenna were Q5. I didn’t note the FoF2 critical freq at that time to see if the low wire would work in NVIS mode under those conditions. Apparently it was lower than our 3885 freq and/or the D Layer absorbtion was very high then. We ran the standard ground counterpoise, G-43 hand cranked generator and a battery for the receiver to save the “power supply”. The TCS was running a 30 foot inverted L and N6IHU was running the standard whip antenna. This setup would have been a very workable tactical circuit. Photo: Tim Sammons
Coastwatcher Ops Pacific: GRC-87 N6CC
Below is a typical mountain top campsite to cover all circuits. There is the GRC-109, GRC-9, PRC-47 and the mobile GRC-9 all on-line. However, looks like the flash caught the Midwatch off guard. Zzzzzzzz. Good thing the Sergeant wasn’t around!
Below is a shot of our Perimeter Defense Force checking out the Company Command Post. Note the GRC-9 AC Power Supply built in the .50 Cal Ammo Box on the ground. Provides all voltages from 120 VAC.
QSL Card; USS Pampanito SS-383 NJ6VT
Above: QSL Card from the USS Pampanito SS-383, moored in San Francisco near the Golden Gate bridge. I worked their ham station, NJ6VT aboard the sub on CW with my GRC-9 from our Forward Operating Base in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Her wartime Navy call sign was NJVT.
Below is another shot of the GRC-9 in the field using the 50 caliber AC power supply. “You have a strange rushing sound in your Transmit audio”….Yup….
Below is another shot while sending Ditties from FOB (Forward Operating Base) Margarita….The little AC power supply in the .50 Cal ammo can makes it convenient to work in camp. Especially when you bring the generator to run the Blender anyway!
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Would you believe a solar-powered GRC-9? Been there, done that. Here we are set up in the mountains west of Lake Tahoe at OP COMMANDO, monitoring kayak traffic 2000 feet below us on the North Fork of the American River. Panel charged the deep cycle battery which powered the sine wave inverter that powered the ammo box power supply which powered the GRC-9. Inefficient as hell but it worked!
Here’s another shot of that position – we also had a PRC-47 going on CW and LSB as well. There is the wreckage of a C-46 Commando somewhere within a mile of this location. Very dense forest in here. It’s on our list for a search expedition. This spot will make for a very good base camp.
Below is the GRC-9 at work down in the Commo Bunker sending out the nightly SITREP at Zero Dark Thirty
GRC-9 at work in the Commo Bunker
These are wonderful pictures. I should try and get something like this going in the Rochester NY area. These radios are just great when deployed in the field.
Rw
Hi Roy – Thanks! If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right!