In homage for Armistice Day,
it is integral for our current society to pay respect to those who have given
their lives for us now here. It is therefore important, to know exactly how
they operated and what technology, materials, equipment that soldiers and critical
personnel, would have used, during these critical times of conflict and
disaster.
From this moment onwards, the technology flourished and by 1912, commercial and military ships carried both transmitters and receivers, allowing remote two-way communication in close to real-time with out-of-sight ships. It has even been argued that many of the people who survived the Titanic’s sinking (this same year) were able to do so with the aid of Gugliemo Marconi’s radio equipment – our first example of one major disaster urging on the progress of emergency communications.
As
radio equipment became more powerful, compact and easier to use, smaller police
vehicles had two-way radio communication equipment installed. Installation of radio
equipment in aircraft also allowed scouts to report back observations in
real-time, not requiring the pilot to drop messages to troops on the ground
below or to land and make a personal report. In 1933, the Bayonne New Jersey
police department, successfully operated a two-way system between a central
fixed station and radio transceivers installed in police cars, allowing
immediate police response in emergencies. This concept developed during World
War II, where the walkie-talkie manifested. Hand-held radio transceivers took
the world by storm, and were extensively used by air and ground troops across
the world. They were originally developed by Galvin Manufacturing Company
(forerunner of Motorola), and entitled the SCR-300.
The necessity for a handheld walkie-talkie became apparent, especially in the midst of the battlefield. Thus, Motorola designed the AM SCR-536 transceiver in 1951 and named it the Handie-Talkie (HT). The terms are often confused today, but the original walkie-talkie referred to the back mounted model, while the handie-talkie was the device which could be held entirely in the hand. Both devices used vacuum tubes and were powered by high voltage dry cell batteries.
Such a tumultuous history the two-way radio has flourished – from a German physicist, a soldier’s backpack to a modern model with GPS, Man Down and Waterproof capabilities! Today's mobile two-way mobile radio equipment is so integral to those facing life-threatening situations as part of their day-to-day job, which means the current models have had to adapt to all sorts of extreme features. From better battery life, excellent audio quality, emergency alert options and many more benefits of a modern two-way radio, our forces and military V.I.Ps can really rely on this form of communication.
Of course, now, with the new
I-phone 8 launch, it is impossible to not feel technology is running away with
itself and so even MORE significant to remember the journey of the two-way
radio. From the new I-phone’s dual cameras, dramatic lighting effects and
facial landmarking features – it perhaps appears to the average leman that the
Two-Way Radio may be out of its depth, so to speak. However, this is very far
from the truth. Modern characteristics of intelligent two-way communications,
is a reliable option for those in a position where coverage, areas of limited
signal and loud environments are a MUST for their ultimate survival in a
turbulent working environment.
Consequently, this article
looks at how the two-way radio has developed through the turbulence of disaster
and war-time conflict – growing from the necessity to communicate in critical situations
and now considered “one of the most important bits of kit” for the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards. Warrant
Officer 2 (WO2) Paul Jones, of Merthyr
Tydfil said: “It takes five weeks to complete a basic radio operations
course in the Army, but to be fully geared up on all the communications kit it
can take up to three years.” This certainly shows how tricky and complex radio
operations can really be, but also how vital the equipment is for the World’s
military, police and general critical communications.
 |
The
soldiers from 1st Queens Dragoon Guards, who recently returned home,
commemorated a decade of tours around the world, Photo: WalesOnline
|
So, where did it all begin? If
your brain has dug out and dusted off a well-hidden ‘pop quiz’ answer… then
sorry to disappoint, but no, the year is not 1907. Although a common
misconception, this year was actually when the two-way telegraphy traffic across
the Atlantic Ocean was commercially available – not invented. It was in fact in
the late 19th century, in 1888 to be precise, when Heinrich Hertz discovered
the movement of electrical waves without the use of wires. Ernst Alexanderson
then came along and developed the first high frequency generator which allowed
us to physically transmit speech. As this was done at the request of Reginald
Fessenden, his National Electric Signalling Company was the first to jump on
this intelligent communications band wagon and make long range voice
transmissions.
From this moment onwards, the technology flourished and by 1912, commercial and military ships carried both transmitters and receivers, allowing remote two-way communication in close to real-time with out-of-sight ships. It has even been argued that many of the people who survived the Titanic’s sinking (this same year) were able to do so with the aid of Gugliemo Marconi’s radio equipment – our first example of one major disaster urging on the progress of emergency communications.
 |
An image of Artie Moore, a
Welsh wireless operator, who heard a distress signal for the RMS Titanic before
news of the disaster hit the UK in 1912, Photo: Martin Wade
|
Although, there was a hole in
the works – metaphorically speaking – as these first radio systems could not
transmit voice. Instead operators would use Morse code. On a ship, the radio
operating officers (sometimes shortened to "radio officers")
typically had no other duties than handling radio messages. Yet when voice
transmission became possible in the early 1920s, dedicated operators were no
longer required and two-way use became more common.
It was 1923 when Senior
Constable Frederick William Downie of the Victoria Police, Australia, first
developed the truly mobile two-way radio. They were the first in the world to
use wireless communication in cars, putting an end to the inefficient status
reports via public telephone boxes which had been used until that time. The
downside was the first sets took up the entire back seat of the Lancia patrol
cars, but this disadvantage was rapidly superseded with the fact that they could
be quickly directed to crime scenes.  |
Frederick Canning, Frederick Downie and Charles Murray, Wireless Patrol,
1923
|
 |
M 11-235 manual.
Scanned and uploaded to English WP by LuckyLouie
|
The necessity for a handheld walkie-talkie became apparent, especially in the midst of the battlefield. Thus, Motorola designed the AM SCR-536 transceiver in 1951 and named it the Handie-Talkie (HT). The terms are often confused today, but the original walkie-talkie referred to the back mounted model, while the handie-talkie was the device which could be held entirely in the hand. Both devices used vacuum tubes and were powered by high voltage dry cell batteries.
 |
| M 11-235 manual. Scanned and uploaded to English WP by LuckyLouie |
Such a tumultuous history the two-way radio has flourished – from a German physicist, a soldier’s backpack to a modern model with GPS, Man Down and Waterproof capabilities! Today's mobile two-way mobile radio equipment is so integral to those facing life-threatening situations as part of their day-to-day job, which means the current models have had to adapt to all sorts of extreme features. From better battery life, excellent audio quality, emergency alert options and many more benefits of a modern two-way radio, our forces and military V.I.Ps can really rely on this form of communication.
Resound is lucky to
have, two ex-military personnel as part of our technical engineering team, who
have both provided an insight into the importance of mobile two-way radio.
Dan Fidler, Resound’s lead engineer said: "As
a radio maintainer in the U.S. Air Force I was responsible for looking after
many types of radios. To name a few we operated radios for troop communications
via walkie talkies that could be programmed via PC or manually using front
panel buttons and a screen. We used vehicle mounted radio palettes that were
capable of not only AM and FM but also HF communications in mountainous terrain
or austere environments, where weather couldn't be allowed to interfere with
the transmission or reception of mission critical messages. I've also used
ground to air radios that could be used to communicate with aircraft either
prior and post departure from an airfield or on approach. And finally, I've
used radios that combined ground-to-ground, ground-to-air, and satellite
communications depending on the aerial used, configuration, and mission
requirements. Today's military radios are developed to suit the war fighters
needs in any environment and mission needs."
Stephen Mozelewski, Resound’s technical engineer, also said: “I was working
with the U.S. Military as a Radio maintainer for over twenty years, so it was
extremely integral for me – as it was my responsibility to keep them operating
for field work. I travelled all over the world working on tactical radio
communications as well as Air Traffic Control and Global HF systems.”
 |
Dan
Fidler, Lead Engineer and Stephen Mozelewski, Technical Engineer
©ResoundLimited
|
From the Titanic to World War Two fighter planes, it is important to never skimp on the technology that has been designed to provide us with the opportunity to save lives.
Email or contact us on our social media pages if you are specifically interested in the launch of our New Solutions Centre – using mail@resound.co.uk or connecting with us via our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn links below.
Don’t skimp on technology! Over and out.
Vikki Jenner
Resound Limited.
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