Field Radios used in TV Series Combat!?

[KC1THE]

Not sure where to post this so I thought I’d try here first.

Does anyone know what hand held field and back pack radios were used in the 1960’s TV Series Combat!?

I searched around but could not come up with any specific references.

I see a reference on Wikipedia for an SCR-536 hand-held radio transceiver which looks close to the one Sgt. Saunders used. It was mass produced in July 1941.

The Combat! TV Series was set in France and took place right after the Normandy landings (IIRC) so the timeline of this model might be close.

SCR-536 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I don’t know what the backpack field phone model is and could not find any references for what was common during that time period. Perhaps the SCR-300 Radio Backpack?

SCR-300 WW2 Radio Backpack: The "Walkie Talkie" That Shaped the War

The development of the U.S. Army’s “Walkie-Talkie” SCR-300 WW2 radio backpack was a game-changer for frontline troops.

warfarehistorynetwork.com

SCR-300 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I loved this show as a boy growing up in the 60’s and these radios bring back a lot of nostalgia.

 

[K8EAA]

The hand held radios look like the ones I had years ago. They were a PRC 536. Put them on 75 meters and they worked great. The back pack radios look like PRC77. You can still get these radios but good luck with the batteries.
Both radios use tubes.

 

[prcguy]

The handheld is a BC-611 and part of the SCR-536 radio system. It was the first handheld ever produced and made by Galvin Manufacturing which later became Motorola. Many of them were surplused on 3.885MHz in the 80m amateur band and they work quite well.

 

[KC1THE]

Thanks for the info @K8EAA and @prcguy. I did not see the 'Like" button for some reason under your posts.

 

[kb1fua]

the like button is gone from all of the entries...

 

[N6CC]

The handheld is a BC-611 and part of the SCR-536 radio system. It was the first handheld ever produced and made by Galvin Manufacturing which later became Motorola. Many of them were surplused on 3.885MHz in the 80m amateur band and they work quite well.

prcguy is correct. Further, the hand-held "Handy Talkie" operates on HF with Amplitude Modulation, the backpack SCR-300 "Walkie Talkie" operates on VHF with Frequency Modulation. So they cannot communicate with each other on both counts. Did the series ever "imply" that?
A great TV series!

 

[KC1THE]

Interesting comment at the bottom of this article supporting your comments:

Checkmate King 2, This Is White Rook, Over

"Cage, why doesn't this damn walkie talkie ever work?" The characters (L to R): Lt. Hanley, Kirby, Cage, Littlejohn, Doc and Se...

altefritz.blogspot.com

AnonymousAugust 21, 2020 at 7:20 AM
The American SCR-536, better known as the BC-611 walkie talkie, has about 1/4 watt power and its range, at best, it about a mile. The Signal Corps portable radio that did work well was the SCR-300 FM radio but not often seen in movies. The '611 is iconic in movies but not up to the tasks indicated So, yes, they don't often work..... (ref: Signal Corps in WWII, Vol. 4)

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