Hey all. Hopefully this thread hasn't died. I'm an 11B on one of the teams in Hagerstown, currently the RTO. I've been RTO for the past 4 years, and I really wouldn't trade it for anything else- it's a good feeling when we're in a hurricane and all the teams can't make comms except for yours
. Anyways, AT is coming up so I'm trying to get up on all my radio knowledge (again). Its tough because this stuff really is a perishable skill.
A couple of drills ago, our teams were being graded on our basic skills by the det LT- insertion, SILS, hand and arm signals, ANGUS, ect... To make a long story short, myself and the ARTO were running our RF-1940 antenna up, and the LT (who was fairly new to LRS) and the TL (also fairly new) were dumfounded as to why it took SO FRIGGIN LONG. Now there's always room for improvement, but the ARTO and myself can do it pretty quick. At least as quick as the 1940 could ever go up. It really made me realize how vulnerable the team is when doing a commo shot, and how much attention it draws.
I'd like to avoid the 1940 at all costs this AT. Avoiding the whip would be nice too, as it makes metal on metal noise that can be identified at a distance. Is there a field expedient method that would give similar capabilities? I've thought about rolling up some commo wire (or similar) into my ruck, and just unfurling it while doing comms. Would this would have to be cut for freq , or can the 150 tune to pretty much any length of wire? Currently have the 7-93 and FM 6-02 in hand, but no experience with field expedient methods.