tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post3323265717931035153..comments2023-10-30T06:31:05.501-07:00Comments on MilPub: SIGINT - Backpack StyleFDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-80548468213116017992017-09-17T21:51:44.209-07:002017-09-17T21:51:44.209-07:00I've noticed that pound-cake is still a viable...I've noticed that pound-cake is still a viable currency both in military and in Boy Scouts...me...not a fan of pound cake...I would've traded it for the cinnamon roll. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-73804698868622943902017-09-16T11:00:02.273-07:002017-09-16T11:00:02.273-07:00I wish I'd had you in my platoon, sheerah; I a...I wish I'd had you in my platoon, sheerah; I always seemed to get cinnamon dust roll and I hated it only slightly less than the rest of my outfit. Now...pound cake? I'd have sold my sister for a frigging pound cake.FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-49338964373303279382017-09-15T11:39:57.712-07:002017-09-15T11:39:57.712-07:00Thanks Sven for that link. Great ideas all.
Th...Thanks Sven for that link. Great ideas all. <br /><br />The US software defined radio system, JTRS, started development back in the mid 90s. But it had a lot of birthing pains and wasted $ billions. Although they have delivered some small segments of their original concept: the PRC-155 manpack and the PRC-154 handheld. Many of the early design specifications were scrapped for now as being too costly. Perhaps they will incorporate them later. I do not know if they ever considered your concept of also incorporating DF of enemy transmitters within their normal comms.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-3078443581179405992017-09-15T11:18:48.341-07:002017-09-15T11:18:48.341-07:00Thanks Sheer. Will try to do more, but first pers...Thanks Sheer. Will try to do more, but first person accounts are sometimes hard to come by.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-11885370888423783772017-09-15T08:21:56.746-07:002017-09-15T08:21:56.746-07:00Mike, thanks so much...great story, and nice filli...Mike, thanks so much...great story, and nice filling in details (and yes, walking is good for the soul as well as the body ;) ))<br /><br />Also, I remember back when I had c-rats...<br /><br />friend (vet): "here's sheer, try this..." <br /><br />me: "what is this?"<br /><br />him: "C-rat...here, use this, a lot easier to open than that tab."<br /><br />gives me a can opener...and what I opened up was a whole lot of NOPE!<br /><br />So, to all of you who've had C-rats my sincerest apologies...none of that was edible except for the canned cinnamon roll...and that...yeah, that was more of a "fine, I'll choke this down." <br /><br />But the rest of it...other than the crackers...oh hells no.<br /><br />Today's MRE's are a veritable feast compared to c-rats.<br /><br />Anyway, I always like first person accounts...I consider it prime source material, and quotable. Hope you do more like this Mike.<br /><br />Again, thank you very much!<br /><br />sheerahkahnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-13659123161609959382017-09-15T03:39:48.468-07:002017-09-15T03:39:48.468-07:00BTW, Mike;
http://defense-and-freedom.blogspot.de/...BTW, Mike;<br />http://defense-and-freedom.blogspot.de/2016/11/software-defined-tactical-radios.html<br /><br />There are sooo many things that COULD conceivably be done with SDRs.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-3171395048186986022017-09-15T02:05:02.374-07:002017-09-15T02:05:02.374-07:00You need modern digital radios to make do with the...You need modern digital radios to make do with the bandwidth; they are much more bandwidth-efficient with their compressed emissions. They can transmit a minute of spoken voice in fractions of a second, dispersed throughout the minute in tiny busts. The delay cannot really be noticed.<br /><br />Digital transmission protocols (yes I know, radio transmits with waves and is analog by nature, but the digital data is in the variations of the carrier wave) practically always use confirmation messages (ACK/NACK). <br />A packet of data may not be received, but then the next packet that's received will hold enough info about the earlier packets that the receiver will automatically transmit a 'not acknowledged' message to call for a repeat transmission of the missing packet(s). <br />So essentially every digital radio comm is two-way, even if the user at the listening end does not send intentionally.<br /><br />The interesting thing about software-defined radios is that their peak emission power is much greater than their normal operation emission power. To me this indicates that hardware-wise they may have the potential for occasional employment as a jammer within their radio band(s).S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-19171530115317260632017-09-15T02:01:53.900-07:002017-09-15T02:01:53.900-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-22813508375942784082017-09-14T08:54:35.280-07:002017-09-14T08:54:35.280-07:00Sven -
I like the concept. The ability for the E...Sven -<br /><br />I like the concept. The ability for the ELINT system you mention to show communication interaction would be negated by a broadcast system where the lower echelons only listen and do not transmit in response. But the system you envisage is still well worth development.<br /><br />Battery resupply has always been a major issue. Fuel cells and solar are the answer. Solar was used, unofficially, in the march up to Baghdad in 2003 using commercial off the shelf systems. But I understand that the CERDEC, the Army Comm-Elec engineering arm developed rucksack solar kits. And fuel cell replacements for radio batteries are being developed there. Jammers, as you know, would need a much larger power supply.<br /><br />mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-22768109123150467042017-09-14T00:12:28.680-07:002017-09-14T00:12:28.680-07:00I once saw an illustration that's perfect to s...I once saw an illustration that's perfect to sell ElInt: It showed a map with overlays that did not only depict triangulated positions of emitters, but alson connecting lines that showed documented communication interaction. <br />One is able to immediately see Bn and Coy command posts (well, their emitters) on such a map. Even with emitters spaced to the CP by 800-1,000 m that delivers a very good impression of what and how much is out there. Any attempt to fake this would have to be very elaborate.<br /><br />Just imagine what could be done in an army equipped with good software-defined radios. Every single backpack radio with integral nacigation could serve as a EW node,both for triangulation and jamming. They would merely need to have the software, suitable antenna setup, processing power, memory and battery supply. Battery supply is the only real bottleneck that's left, and fuel cells seem to work fine when it's not too cold.<br /><br />Reliable accurate precision navigation, radio links and a common time giver (usually that's the GPS signal) would be required, though.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-64657274123762351182017-09-13T19:50:40.252-07:002017-09-13T19:50:40.252-07:00Thanks Sven -
Couldn't find any data on weigh...Thanks Sven -<br /><br />Couldn't find any data on weight but it has got to be much less heavy than the 100 pound DAG-1 he humped on Okinawa. Plus performance has to be improved a hundred fold.<br /><br />The networking between forward units giving a collaborative position fix would have been great to have back in 1945. And the on-the-march monitoring using just a PDA. <br /><br />I suspect though they got a lot of these ideas from the amateur radio world. Lots of amateur RDF orienteering going on, foxhunting they call it, Mostly in your part of the world, but there have been some competitions here.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-54480645764588103062017-09-13T07:36:18.646-07:002017-09-13T07:36:18.646-07:00This might be relevant to your interests
http://w...This might be relevant to your interests<br /><br />http://www.chemringts.com/products/electronic-warfare/resolve/manpack<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnNLT4Ta9M0<br />http://www.militarysystems-tech.com/files/militarysystems/supplier_docs/EW%20Manpack%20Brochure.pdf<br />http://www.chemring.co.uk/media/press-releases/2016/29-09-2016.aspx<br />S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-33462768357109466222017-09-11T09:13:52.661-07:002017-09-11T09:13:52.661-07:00Yeah, I can't recall anyone offhand who would ...Yeah, I can't recall anyone offhand who would willingly eat the ham-and-eggs. C's were never fine dining but there is a circle of Hell all its own reserved for that shit. The "Beef with Spiced Sauce" was pretty vile, but nowhere near as nasty as the ham-and-eggs. Even warmed up that stuff was inedible.<br /><br />Speaking of warmed up, an old GI trick was using the cardboard box the C-rat came in to heat them. You opened the main meal but left the lid attached, put it back in the box, punched holes in the bottom for draft, then lit the box. When it burned down the can would be, at least, semi-warm which beat hell out of cold spag'n'balls...<br /><br />I seldom ran into LRRPs in the 80s. I recall a couple of encounters that gave me the general impression that the things required a LOT of water which, for an earthpig was a no-go. I vaguely remember thinking that as a meal they were OK but principally because they weren't C's rather than any virtue of the meal itself...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-33351180249532539582017-09-08T17:04:44.481-07:002017-09-08T17:04:44.481-07:00FDChief -
Your "lack of interdiction" c...FDChief -<br /><br />Your <i>"lack of interdiction"</i> comment is on point. Considering our troops in Afghanistan that is.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-91049813614350934212017-09-08T17:03:03.216-07:002017-09-08T17:03:03.216-07:00PS -
I seem to recall that the super gross choppe...PS -<br /><br />I seem to recall that the super gross chopped ham and eggs were many times left uneaten also. The freeze-dried LRRP rations were a bit better than C-Rats unless you you got stuck with the Chili. It was all beans and they stayed crunchy no matter how long you soaked it.<br /><br />But they all were probably a hundred times better than the 'goldfish loaf' that my great uncle Dinty cooked for the doughboys in France in 1918. Or better then the 'red death' corned beef, or the original SOS that used the dried and heavily salted chipped shoe-leather beef.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-2375948914541181802017-09-08T16:50:57.831-07:002017-09-08T16:50:57.831-07:00S O -
Thanks for that link. I spent some TAD tim...S O -<br /><br />Thanks for that link. I spent some TAD time in Huachuca, but it was much later than that 1960 article. mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-34684787071438653402017-09-08T16:41:55.472-07:002017-09-08T16:41:55.472-07:00The 'Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits' jingl...The 'Shave and a Haircut - Two Bits' jingle was popular down here before the war. <br /><br />Lots of inflation going on then. He should have got his hair cut at the base. I thought every unit back then had an amateur barber moonlighting.mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-22078635057389356642017-09-08T16:36:32.835-07:002017-09-08T16:36:32.835-07:00Walter Olin -
He says after multiple complaints t...Walter Olin -<br /><br />He says after multiple complaints to HQ they did get one meager resupply. The G2 sent out a single ten-in-one ration parcel dropped by an OY (Stinson L5?) observation aircraft. Much better than the ham & limas he said but only lasted one meal. They were moved shortly afterwards. mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-87039651351473849712017-09-08T16:27:27.523-07:002017-09-08T16:27:27.523-07:00I updated the post adding more on North China afte...I updated the post adding more on North China after VJ day. My 93 year old was not the only guy there. He tells me he and his RIP platoon were only a tiny part of a massive effort to repatriate the Japanese in China.<br /><br />mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-71661495369926230042017-09-08T14:38:47.562-07:002017-09-08T14:38:47.562-07:00The U.S. ground forces (Army and Marines) have alw...The U.S. ground forces (Army and Marines) have always had issues with supply forward of brigade/regiment, largely because 1) the S&T assets are concentrated at Division and higher. My airborne infantry battalion had an "S&T platoon" in the HHC under the old M-series MTO&E, but when we went to the J-series ("light infantry") most of the wheeled vehicles went away, including the M35 2.5-ton trucks in the S&T outfit.<br /><br />So as you note, mike, everything ran on rails until Division (or the beachhead). Then you were lucky if your 1SG could scrounge up a jeep or something to get back to the log drop and get whatever he could carry. The guys in the individual rifle platoons were almost always short of food and water; even ham and motherfuckers were better than nothing...<br /><br />I think things are better today (for one thing, we haven't bothered to piss of anyone who could do any sort of real supply-interdiction since 1945...) but the lack of resources below Brigade is still there.<br /><br />Little independent companies and platoon-sized outfits had it even worse, because typically they were assigned to some higher element but opconned or attached to one of the maneuver units that promptly forgot about supplying them. No wonder these poor ratelos were so desperate...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-39252414761470093942017-09-08T12:04:42.791-07:002017-09-08T12:04:42.791-07:00They kept the spirit into the 60's
http://blo...They kept the spirit into the 60's<br /><br />http://blog.modernmechanix.com/the-armys-electronic-magic-shop/?Qwd=./PopularMechanics/4-1960/army_magic_shop&Qif=army_magic_shop_0.jpg&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=XL#qdig<br />S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-65299317597309743242017-09-07T10:30:30.592-07:002017-09-07T10:30:30.592-07:00Ya, I suppose that "scroungers" might be...Ya, I suppose that "scroungers" might be a semi-deliberate policy option. Basically, the higher tiers spend their energy getting the stuff to the beachhead rather than spending their time worrying about post-beachhead logistics.<br /><br />In Canada, we don't have the tradition of an over-abundance of supplies. Hence, while we do have unit scroungers, small unit logistics gets quite a bit of attention as everyone tries to make do with what (relatively) little that shows up.<br /><br />Of course, over-abundance also applies at the personal level. I recall a story in pre-D Day England. An American soldier gets a haircut and is told that the price is the equivalent of a nickel. The Yankee obviously thinks the price is too little and tosses the barber the equivalent of a quarter. Later, a Canadian soldier shows up for a haircut and gets charged a quarter. He then beats up the barber because he figures he was ripped off by a factor of five! Aelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788190394672505925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-35106608640662243952017-09-07T09:08:19.377-07:002017-09-07T09:08:19.377-07:00Nice story. Ham and limas had not gotten any bett...Nice story. Ham and limas had not gotten any better by 1970 in Korea.<br /><br />Walter OlinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-77735304789297947032017-09-06T09:48:53.447-07:002017-09-06T09:48:53.447-07:00Ael -
A boon IMHO, at least back in those days. ...Ael -<br /><br />A boon IMHO, at least back in those days. The enormous wartime procurement system provided for a wealth of 'beans, bullets, and bandages' for the war effort. A great job was done also in shipping and top-level distribution from the armament factories and farm fields to the rear echelons in Europe and Africa. But somehow that distribution system occasionally shortchanged some frontline units, especially independent units, cats and dogs they were called. <br /><br />Witness to that is the enormous stockpiles of supplies (41 million tons) sent to Normandy and Cherbourg, but some of it sitting on the beach due to lack of transport. <br /><br />The amphibious landings in the Pacific experienced some of the same issues. Ship to shore logistics went fine, but many units in combat had to use their own S4 or quartermaster troops to retrieve their supplies from the beach supply depots. AMTRACs, although primarily used to overcome reefs in the initial landings, also proved critical in delivering supplies to the frontlines through enemy fire. A small unit like a Radio Intelligence Platoon had no such option available. They depended on their daddy, the G2, for resupply.<br /><br />Even in the 60s and 70s during my time, scrounging was a tradition. Bragged about. A thumbing of the nose to 'red tape' bureaucracy. But in todays world, I would hope many of those supply distribution problems to the lower levels have been solved. If that is true I would guess scroungers are a drag on the system as you mention. mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09123137206598163451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-8105380476020032122017-09-06T06:47:27.557-07:002017-09-06T06:47:27.557-07:00Great story mike! I wonder if unit "scrounge...Great story mike! I wonder if unit "scroungers" were more a boon or a drag on the US military. I can see how easy it would be to be forgotten. However, I can also see all sorts of problems with stores that tended to evaporate.Aelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788190394672505925noreply@blogger.com