Signals of the Front
[Placeholder museum] Demonstration collection with sample catalogue information; not a verified real-world museum. Field radios, backpack transceivers and manpacks from 1938 to 1962. Every set in this museum has been opened, documented and — where possible — brought back to life on the air.
The catalogue
1943 · Galvin
SCR-536 “Handie-Talkie”
The first true handheld two-way radio issued to infantry. Five tubes, a collapsible antenna that switches the set on when extended, and an operating philosophy of beautiful simplicity.
1942 · Pye
Wireless Set No. 19 Mk III
The workhorse tank radio of the British and Commonwealth armies. Three sets in one chassis: an HF set, a VHF B-set for troop chatter and an intercom amplifier.
1939 · Telefunken
Torn.Fu.d2 Backpack Transceiver
German infantry pack set, built with the obsessive mechanical quality of prewar Berlin. Dial mechanism runs like a lens focus helicoid.
1951 · Stewart-Warner
RT-77/GRC-9 “Angry Nine”
Cold-war era portable HF station famous among partisans, expeditions and, later, ham radio field day operators. Hand-cranked generator optional but strongly encouraged.
1944 · Ever
Wireless Set No. 38 Mk II
Lightweight infantry walkie set with a chest harness, throat microphone and an antenna that never survived contact with a hedgerow.