IRAQ WAR: He has a convoy - but no CBs U.S. Lt. in Iraq asks public help

The Commercial Appeal ^ | 11/02/03 | Bartholomew Sullivan

[GailA]

FYI

[pierrem15]

I thought the Marines had a procurement "bypass" that let their commanders get civilian equipment (like the Jerry cans they got) off the shelf without a lot of red tape.

[Husker24]

Whats a Jerry Can.

[pierrem15]

I spelled it wrong: it's "Gerry". 'Thought I had seen it with a "J". Should have checked.

[dts32041]

five gallon fuel cans.

[Libertina]

A group in WA is sending things over this next week. I'll email this request in and see if we can include some CBs.

[concerned about politics]

Lt. Thomas 'Hud' Moore, commander of a detachment that carries heavy tanks and gear from a base in Kuwait into Iraq, is asking for a holiday gift for his troops: Citizens Band radios and antennas so his unit can communicate while on the road.

What the....
Give them the damn C.B.'s, Rumsfield! They shouldn't have to ask for charity for crying out loud !
If we "can't afford it", then cancel some stupid useless liberal social program and get those folks what they want!!

[RaceBannon]

Good Grief!! No Radios???

[Nebr FAL owner]

A five gallon gas can originally a German army item with a 5liter capacity . It was found to be a better design than what the Allies were using & they decided to "borrow" the design.

[steplock]

Thinking back to 12 years in the marine corps which included traveling by convoy many times....

This story is more of leftist crap.

the Communication truck carries the radio equipmemnt and the same for certain other vehicles. Why only them? Well.... this letter is the main reason why.

Jerks like the letter writer would be blazing away on the air waves along with all his "buds" jamming the communications channels with useless BS if not totally compromising the convoy by giving away their position or other intelligence information --- such as this letter!

This letter is a wonderful piece of intelligence for those who wish to KILL AMERICANS. Great propaganda tool also!

Thank you you worthless POS! What's your IQ? 50? maybe?

[concerned about politics]

Jerks like the letter writer would be blazing away on the air waves along with all his "buds" jamming the communications channels with useless BS if not totally compromising the convoy by giving away their position or other intelligence information --- such as this letter!

Wow. That's enlightening. You're right. Good point.
Bump to your post!

[_Jim]

CB and 'CB Frequencies' (27 MHz - where a simple 'quarter wave whip is 9' or 108 inches and 'base load' antennas can be picky - and ignition noise and power line noise can be a problem as well) are really a bad choice ... better to use something in the VHF or UHF bands - like those 'Motorola type' radios mentioned in the article ...

[dts32041]

Doesn't need radios,lead vehicle, trail vehicle, commanders vehicle recovery vehicle. Only ones that need radios, put radios in al vehicles and it sounds like you have a bunch of magpies.

This officer whining for somethig he really doesn't need or want

[El Gato]

CB and 'CB Frequencies' (27 MHz - where a simple 'quarter wave whip is 9' or 108 inches and 'base load' antennas can be picky - and ignition noise and power line noise can be a problem as well) are really a bad choice ... better to use something in the VHF or UHF bands - like those 'Motorola type' radios mentioned in the article ... Some of those would be usefull of course, but CBs are non line of sight, at least to a point and depending on the state of the ionosphere (which is "messed up" at the moment). CBs are often designed to be mounted in a vehicle, and most Army vehicle have at least the provision for an antenna mast. Still they could probably use the little handhelds for truck to truck communications and continue to use the radios the Army provides for links back to base and to the destination as well. While it's not Texas, distances are pretty long in Iraq and the line of site limitation could be a problem.

[El Gato]

Thinking back to 12 years in the marine corps which included traveling by convoy many times....

With a bunch of Jihadies shooting at you along the way at radom times and from random locations? The FRS radios another poster suggested don't carry all that far and would be useful for truck to truck coms.

He's an officer and in charge, He's there, and has been for over 6 months, you ain't and presumably haven't been, at least this go 'round.

[fire_eye]

This story is more of leftist crap.

Yeah - it's unbelievable enough that that was my reaction also.

But if these guys really can't get radios over there... either
(a) it's a supply problem, in which case, somebody in the supply chain ought to get court-martialed, or
(b) the military is underfunded, in which case we should start hanging "Progressives" from lampposts (Back! Back! Form a single line! There's plenty to go around - You'll all get your turn...)

[Texas_Jarhead]

hmmmm... something not right here. Unless things have changed I do not think that it is SOP for each vehicle to have a radio. Lead, rear, and command. Of course, I'm not in country so I could be wrong.

[GailA]

CB radios are not dependent on transmission towers/repeaters like 2 way radios are, that much I do know. I don't think 2 way transmission towers/repeaters would be in abundance in Iraq. I don't have a clue as to range on a CB, but on a good 2 way radio transmission for dash mounted systems is about 20-30 miles. Not sure what the range for a 2 way hand held unit is.

2 way radios operate on higher frequencies than CBs do.

Those little hand held units that we see on the market that are the size of small cell phones have a range of about 2 miles and operate on lower frequencies than 2 way radios. Haven't a clue as to range on those CB units mounted on/in the dash like truckers use.

Those large convoy trucks should be equipped with dash board mounted 2 way radio systems as standard equipment.

But there again they DEPEND on 2 way radio transmission/repeaters towers for relay of transmissions.

[GailA]

They probably have 2 way radios in most of the big trucks. BUT there again the problem is LACK of Transmission/repeater towers to make them work right. Dash board mounted systems have a greater range than hand held 2 way units.

[Prodigal Son]

Unless things have changed I do not think that it is SOP for each vehicle to have a radio.

Aye, these guys are HET drivers from the sound of it (and from what they're hauling). I know it's been five years since I got out but it would've been unusual for every truck in a convoy like that to have a radio. I was never in a unit where the support platoon had radios in each HEMTT or Five Ton.