AN/TRC-24  Remembered

 
   

   
 

Posted Wed 16 April 2008 10:05 AM
Got drafted 40 years ago and ended up in Fort Gordon trying to learn Radio Relay Carrier stuff. The Vietnam war was going on heavy and they needed a bunch of 31Ms real bad. The class cycles were several hundred strong lasting several months.

Forty years ago tubes were still around and transistors were just beginning to replace stuff. I would have to guess the MOS went away with the progression of technology, but am curious how it happened. Anyone have of answer?

Back then Gordon was some place. The wooden barracks were run down and the roaches were large enough to carry away a roll of toilet paper. Hope things a improved a bit since then.

rickrick19466

Posted Thu 17 April 2008 06:42 AM
31M as you know it does not exist.The concept of communications have changed. I taught the 31M course for a while. Remember Moran Hall,Willard Trng area and Site 3?
I started as a 293.17 Airborne signal which was the old designation for 31M back in 1958. We had AN/GRC-10and TCC-3. Going to a leg unit later we used AN/TRC-24 and AN/TCC-7.
Later AN/GRC-50 and then the MRC-103's.
Like the other post said it is now 25Q. I retired a long time ago so I don't even know what the equipment looks like.  You should have seen Ft Gordon in 1958. Student Company #4 and #32

SigVet

Posted Thu 17 April 2008 10:10 AM Thanks guys for responding. My memory is fading faster than the technology. I wish I could remember the nomenclatures for the equipment. The AN/GRC preface is familiar but from there on the model name and number is a blur. SigVet with you teaching the stuff you should have a real good grasp of it.

I guess what I really enjoyed the most were the antennas. Remember those batwing reflectors and what it took to get those things up in the air? I remember those classes where the insturctor went over and over the importance of getting it staked out correctly before pulling the thing up into position. Someone usually got the cable measurements wrong and the antenna would be pulled past vertical and all hell would break loose. I saw one of them pulled over too far and the whole thing came down into a pile of bent pipe and broken batwings. Like I mentioned earlier, the army was pushing hard to get us through those classes and off to Nam. Nobody was sent back a cycle so the not so smart ones graduated with the smart ones.

As luck would have it they sent me to Korea instead of Nam where PCM was being used. Not sure what it stands for (Pluse ???? Modulation)but it used a horn shape looking antenna. It must have been up there real close to microwave.

Oh well, it's fun remembing.

SigVet, I don't know what the area was called in Ft. Gordon where we were at. I'm sure all the old WWII barracks where the classes were given are long gone, but it was real close to "Riot City". This was a place where they taught riot control to the MPs. Remeber that place? This was 1968 time frame. Maybe 8640916 knows about Riot City.

rickrick1946

Posted Thu 17 April 2008 10:10 AM
Thanks guys for responding. My memory is fading faster than the technology. I wish I could remember the nomenclatures for the equipment. The AN/GRC preface is familiar but from there on the model name and number is a blur. SigVet with you teaching the stuff you should have a real good grasp of it.

I guess what I really enjoyed the most were the antennas. Remember those batwing reflectors and what it took to get those things up in the air? I remember those classes where the insturctor went over and over the importance of getting it staked out correctly before pulling the thing up into position. Someone usually got the cable measurements wrong and the antenna would be pulled past vertical and all hell would break loose. I saw one of them pulled over too far and the whole thing came down into a pile of bent pipe and broken batwings. Like I mentioned earlier, the army was pushing hard to get us through those classes and off to Nam. Nobody was sent back a cycle so the not so smart ones graduated with the smart ones.

As luck would have it they sent me to Korea instead of Nam where PCM was being used. Not sure what it stands for (Pluse ???? Modulation)but it used a horn shape looking antenna. It must have been up there real close to microwave.

Oh well, it's fun remembing.

SigVet, I don't know what the area was called in Ft. Gordon where we were at. I'm sure all the old WWII barracks where the classes were given are long gone, but it was real close to "Riot City". This was a place where they taught riot control to the MPs. Remeber that place? This was 1968 time frame. Maybe 8640916 knows about Riot City.

rickrick1946

Posted Thu 17 April 2008 11:44 AM
I taught antenna erection the last part of 67 and the first part of 68 in the Student Officers Basic Course. Went to Nam in Feb 68. Pulse Code Modulation is what you were talking about.
The antenna with reflectors were 45ft and you really did have to get it right using the gin pole. I never dropped one. I had a lot of experience putting those things up in some narrow and difficult places, especially in Germany.
The horns you referred to, are with the AN/GRC-50 or the AN/TRC-24 with F band or J band. You can use it with Vertical or Horizontal polarization.
I can't believe I still remember some of this stuff. I retired 30yrs ago.

SigVet
 
Posted Thu 17 April 2008 02:34 PM
SigVet: You remember stuff real good. I guess we called it the "Angry50". The antenna launcher for that system was awesome! I have some pictures of this stuff in my photo galleries, but Military.com said they are having problems making them show up in my personal profile so just maybe a direct url will get you close to my galleries. http://photos.military.com/community/Military/popular/all#114369971_3Ch2u

If that doesn't work go to "Community" to "Photo Center" to "Today's popular photos -today-all time" click on all time and then go to the second page and there's a picture of three Korean Katusas. That photo should take you to my galleries (3) where all the Ft. Gordon and Korea pics are.

Another way to get to the galleries is smugmug.com and search "camp coiner".

rickrick1946

Posted Thu 24 April 2008 09:14 PM
Reading a few comments about memories of Ft Gordon, I was wondering if anyone spent time in Tile City, you remember, the hold over company located in the WWII POW camp made out of tile blocks? Spent some time there in 65 waiting for my security clearence to arrive so I could finish the secure half of training on the old KL-7s and KW-7s. Everyone there was waiting for something and until it arrived, it was shite details all around the post.
I thought I was learning a MOS there but when I arrived at my first duty station the first thing SFC Jack Jackson said to me was, "forget everything you learned at Gordon". I did. Strange though that in 65 when I was in school it was the old WWII two story barracks, when I returned in 1983 for the advance course my barrack was brand new BUT!!!!! it was sitting exactly in the spot where my old barrack was in 1965.

SignalSgtWilliams

Posted Fri 25 April 2008 12:54 PMReading a few comments about memories of Ft Gordon, I was wondering if anyone spent time in Tile City, you remember, the hold over company located in the WWII POW camp made out of tile blocks? Spent some time there in 65 waiting for my security clearence to arrive so I could finish the secure half of training on the old KL-7s and KW-7s. Everyone there was waiting for something and until it arrived, it was shite details all around the post.
I thought I was learning a MOS there but when I arrived at my first duty station the first thing SFC Jack Jackson said to me was, "forget everything you learned at Gordon". I did. Strange though that in 65 when I was in school it was the old WWII two story barracks, when I returned in 1983 for the advance course my barrack was brand new BUT!!!!! it was sitting exactly in the spot where my old barrack was in 1965.

I got to Ft. Gordon in the summer of 1968. I'm not familiar with Tile City. It may or may not have been there at the time. My introduction to Ft. Gordon was their in/out processing Tent City. No kidding they had us in tents for about a week and a half. Those hot Georgia summers days with its afternoon downpours made tent city a sweltering hell. From there it was into the WWII two story bararcks. Life there wasn't much better. Everything was run down and warn out. Most of my 31m classes were also given in those barracks converted into class rooms. The only thing that made those barracks bareable were huge free standing fans. They moved the 100 degree air from one side of the class to the other.

Upon graduating from signal school it was back to Tent City for another week or so, but this time the seasons were changing to wet and cold. Georgia is a beautiful state, but you can have its weather.

I have a few photos of
Ft. Gordon back in '68. Getting to my galleries does't work anymore here in my profile. Go to http://www.smugmug.com and search (signal school ft. gordon) You'll find my gordon photos.
rickrick1946

 
         
 

 
 

   
         
   

HOME