Wireless training films?

Discussion in 'Wireless' started by TheBOBs, Aug 29, 2017.

  1. TheBOBs

    TheBOBs Member

    Are there any surviving training films, that talk about the proper use of radios. Are there any radio chatter recording of Army transmissions during the Normandy campaign? Are there known BBC recording for July 1944?

    V/R
    Chris
     
  2. BC610E

    BC610E Junior Member

    Hi Chris,

    Most of the films on military radio that I have seen on YouTube, etc are mostly American and are often specific to particular radio systems, I've also seen training films on Morse Code, also American.

    As regards recordings of radio messages, I have seen that question asked frequently by people wanting a realistic "feel" to vintage radio equipment, often in a restored vehicle, but I've never seen any positive replies. If you think of the bulky equipment needed to record something like a BBC war correspondent's report then any tactical radio recordings become even more unlikely. State of the art, more portable, American wire-recorders were scarce but they did find their way into the field, some being used on large aircraft to record UHF voice signals from agents in enemy-occupied countries.

    If you could indicate what you need the recordings for, it might narrow down the field a little. I do have a "script" from a British 1944 radio deception operation carried out as part of the D-Day landings and that uses authentic procedure and callsigns. I suppose a group of people could re-enact that operation, with some editing for your requirements. Just a thought!

    Cheers

    Roger
     
  3. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Rather unusually, The History of the 15/19 Hussars 1939-1945 includes an appendix that gives a flavour of wartime voice procedure. On the offchance it's of some help, here it is:
    Voice procedure 1.jpg Voice procedure 2.jpg
     
    TheBOBs and Owen like this.
  4. BC610E

    BC610E Junior Member

    Excellent stuff, idler! Certainly a lot less stilted than the "script" I have and the comments like "resigned voice" give a better flavour of the "real thing".

    Judging from the comments about "A" and "B " sets they were using Wireless Sets No 19, which have a VHF transceiver for inter-vehicle comms and a short-wave transceiver for command purposes, plus an intercom for all crew stations.

    Roger
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2017
  5. TheBOBs

    TheBOBs Member

    Roger, and Idler,

    Thank you for this info! It will be used to run w38 sets 18 and 19. At a reenactment. I wanted to better understand war time radio procedures better. This way we will use proper verbal communication. I can take this and run with it a little bit.
     
  6. Trackfrower

    Trackfrower Member

    Chris,

    try VMARS website and 19set yahoo group.
    If you have a working radio, you may need a licence... RSGB

    Lawrence

    G7KLR
     
  7. TheBOBs

    TheBOBs Member

    Yup all run in the states, Vis CB tranfers
     
  8. Trackfrower

    Trackfrower Member

    Shame.
    Mind you, I did that a few years ago. REGRET IT NOW THOUGH.

    L
     
  9. BC610E

    BC610E Junior Member

    As Lawrence said, you will need a licence to actually use the sets on the air and VMARS is a good place to find help in getting your gear operational. VMARS have a vintage radio net on 3615 kHz AM most breakfast times and on weekend mornings. You mention CB radios, which would work OK over the short ranges you're likely to be using. What I have seen is a hook-up from an audio source (nowadays an IPad would be great) to the speaker(s) of your radios. You could simulate radio traffic, interference, jamming etc by mixing in real signals recorded off air with your scripted speech.

    When I've exhibited working gear I usually tune into a Morse station or something like RAF Volmet, the visitors aren't too bothered with content, usually they are more interested in the age of the gear and where we got it. One good source of Morse signals that you can configure yourself is the G4FON Morse training program, which has variable speeds and can simulate chirpy signals, intereference and fading.

    Anyway, there's a small market out there for realistic radio chatter so good luck with the project. If you want the "scripts" I have I can let you have copies. They cover "Operation Accumulator" a spoof landing to the west of the D-Day beaches. You can find details on:- Operation Accumulator

    Cheers

    Roger
     
  10. Sheldrake

    Sheldrake All over the place....

    Brilliant! One of the vulgar fractions in action.

    Not sure that the signals wing RAC Bovington would approve.
    It is the same psuedo security of crossing the iron after the blue that assumes the an eavesdropper can't read a map. This was 1945 and little likelihood of retaliation

    Artillery voice procedure is different. Fire orders are repeated back and made in accordance with Fire Discipline, the language of fire control. It isn't wartime, but I recorded 1980s artillery voice procedure for the start of WW3 here.
    and here with young Sheldrake as a CPO under instruction.

    These were made in a battery command post with the regimental net on loudspeaker. You can also hear responses from the guns from the gun tannoy telephone. Two other nets are manned by signallers whose voices you hear. One is the battery net with which the BC and OPs can communicate to the battery. When Calls sign 29 (CS 29) issues his fireplan he orders call signs 21 and 22 to adjust targets with c/s 2 which they will do on C/s 2's battery net. The regimental tech net is a regimental net which allows what might nowadays be called "bandwith" to pass techncial information such as the registered grids of the targets adjusted by 21 & 22 with 2. This was a command post exercise the brush with unreality is the order to prepare 100 rounds per gun HE. That could have taken far longer than 20 minutes and involved moving and unboxing over eight tons of HE rounds for a six gun battery.

    In the 1980s we used NATO Fire discipline rather than wartime which can be found in Pam 3 Part I, ‘Fire Discipline and Observation of Fire’, 1942. or here FIRE DISCIPLINE
    It still gives a flavour of the kind and pattern of artillery communications as a regiment fires and moves.

    Slidex was in use in 1944 Slidex

    Most people are aware of the "Bogus" maps printed pre D Day with the locations printed with code names. This was standard practice for operations. I attach a couple of sheets for Op Goodwood. One to encode a place name one to decode.
    code names.jpg code names2.jpg code names3.jpg code names4.jpg
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2019
    ecalpald and timuk like this.
  11. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    HOW RADIO WORKS 1943
    (US 1943 Film - approx. 10 mins)



    WWII RADIO OPERATOR VACUUM TUBE TRAINING FILM 77564



    Learn to Send Perfect Morse Code by Hand - Vintage Training Film (Ham Radio / CW)

     

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