pjsm37 wrote:Yes, It has quite a few CB units added into it. Only one seems to be original in that its a military unit from around the 50's
Okay...30 years of AF communications experience speaking here. If there are/were any CB radios installed in the truck, they weren't "military." The Air Force did not use Citizens Band communications because the frequencies were reserved by the FCC for
private citizens to use. Any use by military agencies would have constituted a major breach in communications security.
If there is a genuine
military radio that "looks like" a CB, it is most likely an FM non-tactical unit (CBs were AM). Most of these were Motorola 3-channel radios and were used for coordination purposes between maintenance shops and their service vehicles, base taxi services, Security Police communications, and tower communications for flight line vehicles. These were low-powered units, often with a range of 1/4 mile or less. A hand-held Motorola HT-220 "brick" had more power when fullly charged.
The base Non-Tac Radio Manager was responsible for issuing radios as required, assigning frequencies for each network, maintaining a record of what radio was assigned to whom, maintaining a stock of spare units and coordinating repair of malfunctioning units, etc.
This job was normally an "additional duty" assigned to one of the more senior Operations NCOs, and I happened to be "lucky" enough to find it on my plate at 3 different bases. Nothing like pulling a 12-hour night shift in the base communications center and then having to spend another 3 or 4 hours listening to some Lt or Capt trying to explain why his radio doesn't work right and demanding a replacement. (One female Lt actually removed the battery from hers and demanded a replacement "immediately." The one she was turning in was black, just like all the rest, but she wanted a pink one! I plugged a new battery into the one she was "turning in," conducted a radio check with the command post, pronounced it "fivers" and handed it back. I think the commander had a couple of "words" with her while I was snoozing the afternoon away.
)
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