View Full Version : Commo Stories
05B/18E is an interesting MOS. Sometimes we experience things just as interesting as the "fun & Games" of the others. Your stories are welcome and wanted. Let me start with "commo in the south."
In 1969 I was participating in an FTX just west of Pinehurst. I was due to make a commo contact and was, alone, getting ready to set up. It was cold and raining and I saw a woodshed which would give some shelter from the rain. I was using the PRC-764 so no generator man was needed. Just as I got set up there was a knock at the door. It opened and I saw four of the biggest shotgun barrals in the world looking me right in the eye.
One man sayrs "BOY, what are you doing here?" I explained that I was on a military exercise and we had permission to use the land. He replied that the "land" didn't include that building. He told me to pack my shit and git and forget anything I saw. Only then did I notice the shelves lined with 1 gallon milk bottles filled with a clear liquid.
Kyobanim
05-13-2004, 08:03
LMAO! I love reading your stories. Have to clean my monitor off everytime I see one.
CommoGeek
05-13-2004, 08:35
Not sure that mine would compare but here goes.
JRTC: The Base and the EMS guys built an"emergency SATCOM antenna" out of a couple of coffee cans, some spare coax, and the ubiquitous 100 mph tape and proudly displayed it with our E&E gear. I think we fooled every non-commo guy with that one. It took a week for them to realize that they'd been had and we never saw the staff guys again.... :D
Moving out across Camp Blanding near the DuPont site (if you remember the Fox show "Boot Camp" you saw DuPont with all of the white sand from titanium and phosphate mining) and seeing a fire up ahead. We go into a security halt and one of the guys creeps up there and then comes tearing back to us telling us to do a 180 and meet up on the hardball. We move out the 200m or so and ask "Okay, WTF is your problem?" The fire was from our local pagan group and they were dancing and chanting and what not. We set up our comm site elsewhere.
Deployed to LATAM, being bored with the 00-0400 shift and manually scanning the FM freqs when you come upon some American voices in helicopters for about 30 seconds or so describing LZ's and flight paths and wondering what was that all about. Knowing that your TF's aviation assets are parked for the night.
Listening to 5, 10, or 15 MHz for hours on end. When you go grab some chow you can hear in your head "At the tone the time will be XXX hours, YYY minutes coordinated universal time. Beeeeeeppppppp." AND it doesn't go away!
When the Army first introduced the tactical FM radios into Germany there was a minor glitch. The squelch activation signal was onb the same freq as the Bundesbahn switches. They had to be recalled for an emergency MWO.:eek:
A friend of mine, George Allen, in Germany used to have a regular routine when he set up. He would stalk around the site and sight through his hands like a movie director. He would explain that the signal would bounce off of this mountain, glance off of that and then roll down the valley to the receiving station. He was a real ham and even convinced some unsuspecting team members.
OTOH if you choose a site properly, surroundimg hills and structures can attenuate and reflect signals making RDF more difficult for the enemy.:lifter
Has anyone noticed the preponderance of Commo men on recon teams, including Plaster. That's because the "Echo" can truly "SHOOT MOVE AND COMMUNICATE".:cool:
This isn't a story as such but I try to get at least thread going per week, so here goes.
Being a close friend of Marconi, the most modern means of communications I witnessed while in the Army was a demonstration of autodin and autovon. These used automatic switching and relay technology which was the precursor of today's cellular systems. The A-Team still relied of HF and burst transmissions.
Just prior to ETS I used to sit around and chew the fat with my operators. I told them that the day wasn't too far off when the CEOI would look like a time table for COMSATs and they would have small, portable sattelite communications systems permitting direct links all the way to the Pentagon, if needed, and they would get timely intell and even data transmissions. My dream has come to past, what are yours.
This isn't a story as such but I try to get at least thread going per week, so here goes.
I participated in a discussion yesterday about "old" vs. "new" communications technology and how to use various combinations of the two. It reminded me of this thread.
I'm bumping your thread, QRQ 30. I enjoy the stories.
I am still waiting for the "Buick hood ornamant" comm system like Kirk's LOL
This isn't a story as such but I try to get at least thread going per week, so here goes.
Being a close friend of Marconi, the most modern means of communications I witnessed while in the Army was a demonstration of autodin and autovon. These used automatic switching and relay technology which was the precursor of today's cellular systems. The A-Team still relied of HF and burst transmissions.
Just prior to ETS I used to sit around and chew the fat with my operators. I told them that the day wasn't too far off when the CEOI would look like a time table for COMSATs and they would have small, portable sattelite communications systems permitting direct links all the way to the Pentagon, if needed, and they would get timely intell and even data transmissions. My dream has come to past, what are yours.
My dream is a satcom radio and ant, under ten pounds capable of transmitting 50 watts with a battery life of 10 day's, capable of talking to every radio in the military. And make it bravo proof.
While I'm dreaming I'd also like a chain of command that doesn't demand 24 hr voice and data comms.
Definitely a nice dream Max... Though I'd simply settle for a few more decent WB channels.
Back in February 1979 I led a Marine Corps Comms detachment in Northern Norway on a NATO Exercise. Had a horrible time with the HF (Aurora Borealis was amazing), so we had to use it in a point to point mode to contact the Royal Marines. When my Puerto Rican operator from the Bronx tried to raise the Brits so I could arrange a meeting, he looked at me in a more confused than normal manner and muttered something about the "Captain's boots". I turned away to light a smoke, trying to figure out what he had been told. I spun around and asked "did he say that the Captain was OOT and ABOOT? He though for a minute, brightened up and said "yessir, that was it!" I smiled and told him to reply back for their Captain to return my call.
As I walked down the hill side I noticed Martinez staring at me, in wonderment. "That was their Sergeant Major on the hook. He is from Scotland". "Sir, what has that got to do with anything?" he exclaims. I I snubbed out my butt and explained that the Sergeant Major was stating that his Captain was "Out and About" - their way of saying he was screwing off someplace." Well sir, if they would just keep to speaking in English......"
Semper Fi!
Dino
The Reaper
09-16-2006, 20:45
Dino:
Do not post again till you reread your registration notice, and read all of the stickies, rules, and intros.
You have failed to complete your profile, introduce yourself in the proper place, or in short, do any of the things we ask new members to do before wading into a conversation.
TR
While I'm dreaming I'd also like a chain of command that doesn't demand 24 hr voice and data comms.
+1 Total 100% agreement!
Don't these guys realize that even if the equipment was 100% operational sometimes I just need to take a nap!:p
Monsoon65
09-30-2006, 14:33
We did a field exercise in Mena, AK in 1992. We had two GRA-4 poles set up with 500 foot long wire antennas in the antenna field. Normal operating procedure.
We had an extra one set up closer to our tents. Normal antenna pole, but this one had an outdoor color TV antenna on it, a rotor controller and the civilian white TV antenna wire leading into our tent.
+1 Total 100% agreement!
Don't these guys realize that even if the equipment was 100% operational sometimes I just need to take a nap!:p
GBNT baby. :D
deanwells
10-23-2006, 02:03
My dream is a satcom radio and ant, under ten pounds capable of transmitting 50 watts with a battery life of 10 day's, capable of talking to every radio in the military. And make it bravo proof.
While I'm dreaming I'd also like a chain of command that doesn't demand 24 hr voice and data comms.
I couldn't agree more. Wait let me add....A command that actually sleeps and doesn't call you when nothings goin on or needs a report you sent 3 times already...
Man is it time to wake up already:( :(
Ret10Echo
03-08-2007, 09:03
Operation Frozen Trojan, Quebec Province, Canada: Did the usual movement away from the patrol base to make my HF shot. Found a suitable location and the security guy and I start getting gear out. Mind you the snow is pretty deep so everything is balanced on snowshoes to keep it from disappearing. Just as we get most of the junk out and are going to start stinging antenna wire, the Canadian OpFor on snowmobiles come bombing up through the forest. We pancake and wait for them to move on, but no dice, they are hanging out. Not close enough to notice but too close to be tromping around. Contact window is fast approaching so we gotta do something. Figure we can string the antenna a couple inches above the snow with a counterpoise and at least receive the BTB. Making like moles we manage to crawl around and get everything hooked up and running to receive. End up having to do the same thing to get the shot out…OpFor sat there for about two hours. Needless to say T.S. wasn’t too happy when we finally got back to the patrol base waaaaay late….but hey, I kept you out of the corridor….
Aoresteen
03-19-2007, 15:50
Operation Frozen Trojan, Quebec Province, Canada: ..... Contact window is fast approaching so we gotta do something. Figure we can string the antenna a couple inches above the snow with a counterpoise and at least receive the BTB.
Great contact! How far was the shot? Did you get a signal report?
Ret10Echo
03-20-2007, 08:48
Great contact! How far was the shot? Did you get a signal report?
I'd like to say it was some tremendous distance shot, but it was much worse. It was about a 30 - 50 km NVIS shot. Aurora Borealis was killing us the whole time so, as always, the exercise was a massive COMEX in sub-zero temps. Gotta love 10th Group!:D
BMT (RIP)
03-20-2007, 09:41
Team in A-stan made a shot back to Md with .5 watts.
BMT
Ret10Echo
03-21-2007, 05:20
Low wattage propogation is an excellent feature of newer technology. With the 20W 104 we worked a Kurdistan - Devens multihop shot... It is a wonderful thing.
Hmm... Well I just QSL'd a message from the AOB as I sit here on radio watch. That's my story...:cool:
82ndtrooper
04-02-2007, 18:30
I threw a PRC-77 out of the second story window one night at Bragg and almost clobbered the DIVARTY CQ which was our 2nd LT at the time. Does that count as a "commo story" ?
The Reaper knows him well. :D
82ndtrooper
04-03-2007, 10:27
Dis U get a QSL?
QSL was loud and clear 5x5. As I remember, it was so loud the entire battery got to hear the transmission. :D
2018commo
04-19-2007, 13:50
Quebec Five One this is Quebec Five Two we have a Bear, I spell bravo echo alpha romeo, in our site, please advise, over. Quebec Five Two, leave the bear alone do not mess with the bear, all scheduled contacts will be alibi-ed. It was cool, rainy hump down a mountain in Pisgah and we had just set up the jungle antenna, commo hooch and had lunch. In the days of C-rations and having to humping 2 PRC 74’s, 2 PRC 77’s the hand crank generator, that clunky old coder-burst (GRA-71) and lots of batteries we ate tuna (aka bear attractant) as it came in a small can. The bear came at the right time, as I remember we were cold, tired and on each others nerves. The bear paid us little attention sniffed around a bit and left. When it rambled off we all had a good laugh, and fell in line like a team should. All but one of us was a private; bless that E-7 for putting up with us! A ranger (forest) came through later, asked how the fishing was and if we were messing with his bear! We had been warned about the ranger as we were next to a trophy trout stream. All and all the FTX was great, I and cherish those memories.
We shouldn't let this thread die....
Ok an old timers story.
I am one of the few guys that didn't make the trip through the gorge at Pisgah. Hard to believe but here is what happened.
A little background on my self first. I had been a ham since the age of 12. I love making antennas and had my swr meter and field strength meter with me at all times.
Started out the exercise making 100% commo. Now this seemed to be contrary to the desires of my instructors, God knows why because they told us that they wanted us to make commo. Guess they just didn't want anyone to make 100% commo and make the exercise look too easy.
So the instructors had a solution (don't they always!), seems there was one spot that was really difficult to make commo from. Rumor was it was a magnetite deposit. I don't know about that. But they were right about one thing - it was a signal sink hole. At first I didn't believe them when they put me there and told me "now try to make commo from here". I figured it was just BS, nope it wasn't ... I tried seven different antennas from there. Got the 109 so loaded up that the gen guys turned three shades of red just trying to keep the rpm up.
Anyway the last thing the instructor said to me before leaving was "don't interfere with the other teams - I know a 109 tuning up on the air anywhere"....
Sounded like a challenge to me :D
Took a little listening to figure out the other teams contact schedules. But finally got the matrix done, then figured out who the lead teams were. I decided to be fair that I would only mess with the top three teams. Just enough to make it interesting.
So a feature of the 109 was that the receiver could actually function as a VFO for the transmitter. It required a 455 kc offset and you had a delay from transmit to receive then but for my use it didn't really matter.
We were right near the ham bands so I decided to use a phony ham call sign as my stalking horse. I would tune up off the targets teams contact frequency and then sweep slightly across as I transmitted, This did two things. One it was no longer the crystal controlled radio tuning up dead on frequency and two it is harder to copy through that swishing interference.
Well the instructors left me on that site the rest of the FTX. And I didn't get top honors for commo but I sure had a lot of fun.
Then came graduation day. I walked up and received my certificate from the same intstructor that told me he could tell a 109 tuning up anywhere. On my back to the seat (with my certificate firmly in hand) I said, "CQ CQ de W4XXY yep I can tell a 109 tuning up anywhere".
The whole class cracked up - final score Instuctor 1 Student 1
We had a place like that near Lenggries For some reason the newbies were sent there.:D
BMT (RIP)
03-30-2008, 11:56
1955 Ft Knox 3d AD. We had a Counterfire Squad in our 4.2 plt. Five real great guys.
BN Commo Sgt was teaching commo procedure's. He had told them over and over never to cuss on the radio.
Point's to Timken and said " put out a net call".
Timken " FORESKIN, FORESKIN this is Peter" Poor guy almost lost it!!
BMT
In 1980, the 3/325 PIR participated in the Reforger excersise which was also the first time the 82d had participated in an excersie on the European continent since right after WWII. I was the BCs RTO carrying my PRC-77 / KY-38 with the big black gun key to set the cypher key. Three extra BA-4386 Magnesium Batteries, a Bayonet Bag, one c-rations worth of stuff, a rubber poncho with a poncho liner, and two extra pairs of socks. We didn't have mountain rucks, we only had the medium ALICE pack and frame so, things were a bit tight in the ol ruck sack. Heavy too. As the BC's pack mule, I learned that chasing the man with a map, made me his beast of burden.
That eavening, we stayed in some german's barn were I set out to put up a feild expeidient 292 outside but, was having trouble with throwing my canteen high enough to reach the limb I wanted for my anteena. Then some guy, he looks like he just popped out of a Guns & Ammo mag, comes along out of nowhere and says, "hey, you need a hand". I said sure. So he opens the trunk of his car and pulls out a wrist rocket with a big Zebco reel attatched to it, takes the two ounce weight thats attatched to the fishing line, puts it into the pouch, and shoots this led weight to the highest limb. I knew then that I was in the presence of a true commo god....
Anyway, we completed the ant., ran the coax back into the barn, set up the 77 & KY-38, and made commo with all our outstations. He showed me the rest of the contents in his trunk which included a PRC-74 and kit bag, his leg key and the rest of his paraphenalia which we talked about some. Then I asked him, "what are you, CIA? He laughed and said no, 10th Special Forces Group. He said, well kid, gotta go. I knew then that I was not worthy....
A minute later, my BC pulls up, says he wants to talk to his line companies, he looks at the ant, and says "hey, good arm". I took him into the barn and he made commo to all his outstations. He then payed me a compliment about being a good RTO and I was hooked.
Many years later, I used the same technique with my students out in Camp Mackall. They thought I was a commo god. Actually, I just had a good teacher.
Sometimes the smallest things leave big impressions....jd
Judgeroybean
06-28-2008, 00:59
I was in Norway for 2 mos., Feb/Mar. , in 82. We did tons of skiing, including trying to do a 100K ski in 5 days, pulling polks loaded down with 2 commo sets including TWO gens-not my idea, and the mandatory 4 rations per day per man. It had rained just prior to us starting out (how the hell it rains in Feb above the A-circle beats me), and then the temp dropped to below zero, so we pretty much skated.
Near the end on the 2 months, we split into 4 man teams, plus a Norwegian SF type guy, can'y remember what they were called, but he had a 1/2 sleeping bag, uninsulated boots so he had to stomp his feet everytime we stopped, and 100% alcohol for his stove. Naturally, we let him use our stoves and drank his fuel.
Anyhow, we were to set up on a hill above a Marine encampment, and send intel back to the B team on the Marines movements, etc. I was sharing a snow cave with my medic, Johnny B. One morning I had to get up about 0300 to rcv a msg. I ski'd out to my antenna, got under a poncho, and froze my ass writing with my pencil stub. Ski'd back to the cave, put some water on the stove to make cocoa, and set about decrypting the msg, and dreaming about that hot hot cocoa. Just as I finished the msg, Johnny moved in his fart sack, spilling my just now boiling water all over me, my fart sack, and my one time pad.I didn't know whether to cry, or kill him!
We were ordered to "raid" the Marine's on our last night. Me and Johnny were to go inside their camp, gather any intel we could, and when we returned we would all shoot from the woods and ski like hell outta there. Once we inside the camp, a guy came out of a GP large to take a piss. We were wearing winter whites and told him we just came in from a patrol, and sure could use a smoke. We bummed some smokes, got to talking and he told us the tent he was in was the CP. We then continued on and were challenged, finally, by a guard. We told him we didn't know the password because we just got in from a patrol, and acted pissed that he would challenge 2 NCO's. He told us the pasword and we continued on, getting some bs intel along the way. On our way out, we couldn't resist, so we each popped a smoke grenade right near the flap of the CP and ran like hell, as out cohorts opened up from the treeline.
My msg the next day included vehicle numbers and the password, and we heard those Marines caught hell for it.:D
Bushmaster
12-07-2009, 22:55
I am not sure if this "qualifies" as a "fun and games" story but when I think about my times in the q-course and some of the fun I had, this usually comes to mind:
First let me set the stage. I went to the Q-course as a young CPL\E-4 with 12th Group after being in the Marine Corps Infantry for 3 years. I had no idea about the Army since I did not have to go to Army basic and just kind of followed along with some of the senior NCO's in my class.
I had made it through SFAS, AMIC , and Phase 1 with no problems and for the most part, the Echo Phase 2 went well, but for some reason about 10 of us did not make the cut in our FTX at Camp Bullis so we were recycled. Having 10 guys fail Phase two seemed to be a high number, I never figured out if there was a reason for it, but the cadre decided that they were going to keep all of the recycles together as a team for the FTX at Camp Bullis the second time around. That was probably not a good idea because we had some guys that were too smart for their own good and well, I just didn't know any better.
Some of the guys lived the "if you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin motto" and I just followed their lead. We didn't do anything really crazy, we just pushed the envelope a little.
During the 10-12 day FTX, it seemed the Cadre would go out of their way to resupply us with a new case of MRE's just before they gave us marching orders to relocate to a new grid. The added weight of a full case of MRE's along with all the 104's, 70's, G-76 and batteries we carried sucked, but so goes the life of a commo guy. Some of our smart guys figured out that soon after we left, the cadre would send out someone to move the water buffalo to our new AO. One of the guys on the "recycle" team (we called him Tostie and he was a group rigger before becoming an 18E) came up with the idea to put our MRE resupply on the water buffalo. So soonafter we got our marching orders the next time, we went down and tied several cases of MRE's up under the water buffalo with 550 cord and threw some mud up under it so that it would not be noticed.
Our movement this time was several klicks since it was deer season and we had to move to the other side of the post where hunting was not allowed. Along the way we got a ride in the back of a truck from some old farmer. The cadre probably would not have approved, but they didn't catch us.
We got to our new AO pretty quick compared to the other teams who humped the entire way and waited for the water buffalo to arrive. We then went down and got our chow that the cadre had unknowingly hauled to our new location for us. :)
Bushmaster
12-07-2009, 23:09
How many 18E's went to the "Bulverde Crossing" during their FTX at Bullis?
This is getting VERY interesting, being I was cadre on the echo committee when they went to Bullis (87-91).....we did do pisgah a few times also when A/C was scarse.........keep the stories coming guys.....:D:D
I do remember some of the ....er...antics.
Bushmaster
12-08-2009, 08:00
This is getting VERY interesting, being I was cadre on the echo committee when they went to Bullis (87-91).....we did do pisgah a few times also when A/C was scarse.........keep the stories coming guys.....:D:D
I do remember some of the ....er...antics.
So what is the "statute of limitations" for Q-course antics? :D
So what is the "statute of limitations" for Q-course antics? :D
Ya have to turn in your leg key...ooops, we did already.
LOL....I'm sure it wasn't any worse than when I went through.....any more...and I plead the 5th:rolleyes:
TOMAHAWK9521
12-08-2009, 12:44
JRTC '96: Our TOC was too far for FM voice shots and we didn't have SATCOM because our birds got scooped (as usual) by someone higher up the food chain, so I opted for taking the 104 and 1-time pads. I could have used voice with the 104 but the team was carrying so much crap already and I didn't feel like packing more 5590's on top of a KY-57 encryption device.
Making my contact times and breaking out the traffic was no big problem. However, when my team reached the LZ for exfil from the exercise, the exfil birds from the 101st refused to land their Blackhawks due to risk of brownout. (Side note: A JRTC TAC flew a Huey into the LZ shortly after. The pilot got out and looked around and then got back in and flew off. The aviation asset got fried for failing to exfil my ODA. It didn't help us on the ground but we were glad to see they got hammered for deserting us.)
Anyway, we now had to E&E to another site for exfil, during which time I had to keep checking for updates. We were deep in a pine forest with no settlements around and had to keep on the move to avoid compromise. I looked around and took note of the trees. I shoved my SOG bowie into the soil, wrapped a wire around the base of the blade and then grounded the 104. I then took my Spyderco and stabbed the biggest pine nearby and ran a wire from the knife blade to the antenna post on the radio. As luck would have it, my handsets failed (back then we were still getting AD's leftovers) so couldn't send any voice traffic. Remember that I had my modified leg key in the ruck, I told my TS and the TACs that we were still in business. I had modified the leg key by splicing a 1/8" commo plug into it, all you needed was a Walkman headset or ear buds to plug into it. It allowed the sender to tap away and receive either voice or code.
We had a relic of a commo chief on the B Team who was also a ham operator so I knew he would be able to break out my traffic. The team as well as the TACs were fascinated as I silently tapped out our traffic in plain text (it was JRTC and even the TACs didn't want me to waste time tri-graphing everything) and then listened to the B Team's voice traffic in real time. Packing up after each shot took less than a minute and we would move to the next contact site. This went on for most of the night until we finally reached the ever changing pickup site. Looking back, I had KL-43Cs but those damn things weren't reliable and took forever to get our traffic through.
Vannuatu 1999: Again, SAT not available to us lowly guard guys. Not sure if any of you other guys had problems with the vegetation, topography and soil content of those islands scewing with FM comms, but although I had a decent jungle antenna up at our base camp, my success with maintaining contact with the range or other outlying areas was spotty at best. One instance in particular that I recall was when the TS and warrant were driving around the area and giving tasks to us to take care of while they were gone. During our conversation I kept losing them for what I could only conclude to be bad ju-ju. Frustrated, I took another ASIPs outside, and utilizing that wacky commo voodoo, tapped into a coconut tree. Again the team was stunned when I stabbed my bowie into the tree, ran a wire from knife to radio and continued the conversation with our TS. If I lost them, I'd disconnect from the tree and hook up to the jungle antenna, and vice versa.
2018commo
12-08-2009, 13:10
So what is the "statute of limitations" for Q-course antics? :D
Depends on whether you got caught fishing, or just got caught with the trout...
When I served with B-36, my team was on stand down. I was on radio watch in the TOC when a recon team made contact in War Zone III. Immediately LTC Lunday, MAJ Nunemaker and SGM Hillman were there looking over my shoulder. As the team E&Ed away a young 2LT, who was strap hanging behind the SGM, ordered me to go to the mess hall and fetch him a cup of coffee. I was incredulous that he would even dare to issue such an order and I told him so.
The 2LT reached up and fingered his “butter bar” as if that gave him the authority. SGM Hillman stepped in at that point and said, “Young LT that bar covers about one inch of your collar, it doesn’t cover you’re a**! That is the sergeant’s job”. He handed the LT his coffee cup and said, I’ll take mine Black”.