Sigs and his radios

Artist · Post by **Artist** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 9:26 am

Nomad

Help me out here. I was sure the old heavy duty lump of sh*t called an A14 was called an A14?!?

It had these here square plastic rechargeable batteries sand in colour.

Weighed a ton and was a bugger to set up.

Anyone for Slidex? Move to grid 4 tonner, with a sailer, tuesday.

O the joys of teaching a bunch of totally unintrested hung over bootnecks on a monday morning. Telling them "It could save your life oneday" didnt seem to produce the desired effect. "F*ck of sigs" was the normal response. Don't get me started on Batco, the bloody thing never seemed to keep the same rules from day to day. Guniea pigs is the word that springs to mind. You looked right dashing with a green "handbag" over your very fetching webbing, with an A41. stuck anyold how in your bergan with the two extra batteries. (the whip anttena could have a booties eye out dead easy)
Carrying your SMG. SLR's were heavier for Gods sake! And this "keen" young officer turning round saying things like "Come on sigs, keep up old chap. Were only 400 feet short of the summit" (Everest that is!)

Various thoughts would course through your head. Most concerned themselves with rusty barbed wire and "keen" young officers nether regions" I allways liked the C42, stuck in the back of a FFR, bored out of your tiny mind. It was hell..........Well maybe not

MY, but we look back now and laugh. The "keen" young officers do anyway. Personally I don't. When you can use a mobile phone that weighs as much as a Packet of 20 king size ciggies and talk to the world it does make you wonder why the clansman range is still used.

A16, as said a cracking good un, Squirt box and done in 30 seconds.

Aye Artist

harry hackedoff · Post by **harry hackedoff** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 6:23 pm

Heyup, sigs, what`s happenin?
It`s not just that Clansman series are out of date, they`re bloody expensive as well. Get down to Tandy, you know it makes sense.
How would the days when"No comms is good comms" fit in with today`s Personal Role Radios, where everyone can talk to eveyone else in the troop?

Hackedoff out.

Aye,

Artist · Post by **Artist** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 7:01 pm

Harry

Daughter worked at Tandy, Hench Computor.

It is a wee bit sad that pusser still uses an out of date radio system when most Blokes have a mobile in there left pocket that can get better comms than sigs.

Hullo all stations this is zero, radio check over. Contact wait out.

Or, Hi there love am in a firefight at the minute will call you back after it's over, love you lots, "sigs"

Aye Artist

exvmremf · Post by **exvmremf** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 9:45 pm

Steve,
What happened to Chalkie McPhail, the most unlikely signaller ever!!!!

Artist · Post by **Artist** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 9:54 pm

I think (but don't quote me on this) the horrible little man runs a few cish and fhip vans in the Falklands!

I do remember someone telling me that he was done for "streaking" past the sigs store in CTCRM one monday morn! Although knowing McPhail he was probably trying to sneak back to his grot after a weekend of excess.

Aye Artist

exvmremf · Post by **exvmremf** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 10:37 pm

I wish I'd known. I was down south with SAMA in November, I would have got a fish supper and done a runner to pay him back for dropping me in the siht with Peter the purple people eater on Salisbury Plain 1980!!!!

Artist · Post by **Artist** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 10:48 pm

That sounds like McPhail all right.

I remember the dreaded "haircut" most blokes who shave there head dont look to bad after a few days. He just looked bad at first and even badder as it grew back! As long as his arse pointed down it was going to happen to him first.

Aye Artist

Noddy Dunne · Post by **Noddy Dunne** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 11:07 pm

I do beleive the radio in question was an A41 - lovely heavy valved piece of kit, that took an hour to tune - wasn't I glad when the clansman came in, much better spare batteries to carry!

By the way, i'm a Radio Amateur now, boy wouldn't loved to of had some of the kit we use now when I was in, as small as yer nokia phone, and twice as much fun!.

Artist · Post by **Artist** » Sun 01 Jun, 2003 11:21 pm

No Noddy not an A41 I knew them things only to well.

This thing was an HF set not VHF. Weighed more than an A41 and was a hateful bit O kit. I was sure it was called an A14. Me brain cells must be playing up. It's begining to annoy me now because it was a nasty shitty peice of kit I never took to. It took two/four? plastic batts that had the life expectancy of a chocolate fireguard.

Ayw Artist

barryc · Post by **barryc** » Mon 02 Jun, 2003 11:16 am

Yep A14, followed from the A13, both HF sets using Nickel Cadnium rechargeable batteries, the A13 also had the generator for some poor mug to hand pedal when the battery went flat, as it usually did after a minute or two. Part of the problem was ignorance about the batteries, after years of A41 and A40 over-size Ever Ready batteries or lead acid jobs for the C11 or C42. Even have vague memories (Owdun or JR may know) of the 62? set, ops with the HF set on a GS carrier and No 2 with a 12v 22 lead acid battery on another carrier. Coiming under effective enemy fire, ops ran left, battery carrier ran right, connecting lead rips off... no comms just when you needed it.

Barry

Chester · Post by **Chester** » Mon 02 Jun, 2003 11:57 am

Found this on a pongo website, is this the offending item ?

SR A14

Voice AM and FM systems used for RM Commando and Parachute battalion joint operations.

Frequency range from 2 to 8 MHz free tuning. Tuning points at 2.5 kHz intervals. 9 pre-set crystal controlled frequencies in 2 to 4 and 4 to 8 MHz ranges.

Power was from four 12V NiCd batteries, providing 40mA receiving or 1.1A FM, 1.2A AM Low Power or 4.8A FM, 5.8A AM High Power transmitting and lasting approx 20 hours LP or 7.5 hours HP.

RF output is 2W LP or 22W HP.

8ft rod voice antenna gave 8 mile (12 km) LP or 15 mile (24 km) HP range. Dipole skywave antenna gave 200 mile (320 km) range. 27ft end-fed and quarter-wave end-fed antennae were also available.

Unit is 11.75 x 5.25 x 16.25 in and weighs approx 35 lb. Batteries are each 2.25 x 3.75 x 3 in, weighing 1 lb 14 oz. Batteries charged by hand generator or from 12V/24V DC source with BCC 501 12V/24V Charger or from 300W and 1260W Field Charging Sets with Charging Set Regulator and BCC 501

Shoulderholster · Post by **Shoulderholster** » Mon 02 Jun, 2003 4:10 pm

Chester
Well done mate thats the very fellow we are talking about.
SH

Artist · Post by **Artist** » Mon 02 Jun, 2003 7:30 pm

Cheers Chester

Saved me thinking I was delusional. Anyway I hated the bloody nasty horrible lump of crap!

Will stop hunting through all the old aide memoirs and driving gruppenfueruer up the wall. "I left it here woman! I know I did"

Aye Artist

Andy O'Pray · Post by **Andy O'Pray** » Tue 03 Jun, 2003 3:43 am

Bloody signallers! No wonder you were always coming to the HW's to relay for you.

Aye - Andy.

Standing by for incoming. But it was true.

Artist · Post by **Artist** » Tue 03 Jun, 2003 12:38 pm

Andy

Only came to you lot for the Egg Banjos and a mug of java. It was HW thing I reckon, all that spare time you had must have been the reason.

It was you lot wanting sigs to go to the world service so's you could check on the pools results on saturdays that I remember. (bunch of betting mad sods so you where)

Aye Artist

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