As Ironbound Concepts linked the other day- You’ll need Google Translate, but it’s a great, realistic account of Small Unit communications from a ground unit perspective, being one pieced together with what they have versus what they want.
8 thoughts on “An Inside Look at Small Unit Communications from Eastern Ukraine”
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This reminds me of an old circular I have: TC 24-18, Communications in a ” Come as You Are War”. The circular attempts to address problems that arise when there are shortages of comms equipment or mismatched equipment.
An excellent inside view! Thanks for all the information you share.
Sorry, did you mean 24-12?
No, it’s an old training circular TC 24-18 dated Mar 85. It’s “a handbook of helpful information and methods for providing essential communications support in the face of shortages in communications equipment”. It has strategies for using older equipment with newer equipment and getting the most out of existing assets. It has useful diagrams. for example, there are a couple of diagrams on communicating AM to FM with a retransmission station in between.
There are 9 chapters in the TC covering equipment of the day including FM, AM, NRI, wire and cable; even a chapter on alternate means of comms.
The picture in BB’s shared article showing the older looking field phone being used with a newer looking radio made me think of this TC I had in a box with my other FM’s.
I guess the biggest take away with the information presented in the TC is knowing your equipment and its capabilities.
I was having a senior moment. FM 24-12 seems to cover the same material as the TC except it’s much more extensive.
The info in that TC appears elsewhere though- the USMC antenna handbook talks a bit about it, and a block of instruction used to be given by the Commo Section at RSLC.
Basically, its a plan for S6ers to press aging equipment into service if need be. A lot of that knowledge is definitely lost amid the ‘modern’ security protocols-
But a contemporary plan like the one in Ukraine, of COTS gear and aquired .mil stuff, would look a whole lot like this. And I bet the same lessons would need to be re-learned…try though we might to mitigate.
I need to download that USMC manual!
Ask and you shall receive, Brother.
Interesting article on the Ukraine situation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/on-the-frontlines-in-ukraine-a-technological-gap/2015/08/31/8a62a94c-4b7c-11e5-84df-923b3ef1a64b_story.html?utm_term=.85c544cf5a04