Military Radios and History

Ten Technologies: A Brief Look at Military Evolution — Radio Equipment

from Armed with Science by Carla Voorhees

By Carla Voorhees,
Defense Media Activity

This is the second in a series of 10 technologies integral to the United States military since World War I.

Radio Operator, Cpl. John Robbins of Louisville, Nebraska, 41st Signal, 41st Inf. Div., operating his SCR 188 in a sandbagged hut at Station NYU. Dobodura, New Guinea. (9 May 43) Signal Corps Photo: GHQ SWPA SC 43 5901 (T/4 Harold Newman)

In the early twentieth century, radio was considered a wonder – it  allowed long distance communication without wires, known as “wireless telegraphy.” Morse code was transmitted via electromagnetic waves without the need to lay miles of wires. Although there were drawbacks to the initial technology, such as interference and a lack of security, the technology evolved into the radio we know today.

The Army Signal Corps is the best-known military developer of radio technology. A list of equipment used by the Army Signal Corps can be seen here.

During World War II, radio technology evolved from simply a wireless communications tool to a hybrid approach including teletype and telephone equipment. The Army-Navy Transportable Radio Communications system (AN/TRC) was a game-changer. It could be installed much faster and with fewer personnel than traditional wire-based systems and was small enough to fit into a truck and a trailer. AN/TRC could also transmit facsimile (fax) transmissions of text, pictures, and drawings.

Additionally, during WWII, a radio technology offshoot – RADAR (essentially a tiny Doppler radio) became a critical component in the development of the proximity fuse. This allowed shells equipped with RADAR to sense the target and detonate over the target, rather than on impact, improving the accuracy of artillery fire.

Radio continued to play an integral part throughout the Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War, and does so to this day.

Sources:

Regimental Division, Office Chief of Signal: Directory of SCR Items (February 1, 2008)

Signal Corps Regimental History: Radio Pre-Post World War I (July 28, 2011)

Getting the Message Through: A Branch History of the U.S. Army SIgnal Corps (1996)