Thank you. I only saw them as a cadet in the late 1990’s, but some of our prior service infantrymen had experience with them and I wasn’t sure how widespread their use would have been.
5th ID was low on the priority list for new equipment. I’m sure that the usual suspects: 82nd Airborne, 7th & 25th Light, USAREUR, got them many years before 5th did, if 5th ever even got them.
I wonder if anyone else other than SF used the PRC-71. It was used in conjunction with the DMDG to send burst messages.
Maybe the early LRSUs used it when they were first stood up in the mid 80’s. By the time I got into LRS in ‘94 we primarily used the PRC-104 with the DMDG. Due to mission profiles, you were operating outside the ranges of the FM radios and had to use sky wave for most comms.
I still remember the formula for cutting the V shaped directional antenna to the correct length for each frequency.
And some code as well, for that matter. Oh, and the tri graph…
234 divided by freq for a quarter wave length antenna. That got real fun for building when the night monster came out and you had to go to lower frequencies… 
And I’m not even a commo dog.
I remember cutting antennas so long we’d have the new guy go around the corner or down the stairs. Told him to hold both antennae and pull taught. Then we’d crank the generator. 
@Apache26 where were you a cadet at?
West Point
@Apache26 what year, I’m Citadel 2017
I’m a 2002 grad.
@Apache26 sending you a pm
Thank you
Stik, I have three more questions for you.
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Did you every see anyone in the Army using the small plastic med kit with the nylon pouch? I know they were standard issue to the USMC, but by the late 1990’s/early 2000’s I used one occasionally as a waterproof container for a notebook, pens, etc. and I periodically saw them in use on LBE’s.
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Likewise, were the large SAW drum pouches popular in the late 1980’s as an admin pouch? When I went through officer basic, everyone had a SAW pouch to hold notebooks, pens, Leatherman tools, gloves, etc. After that, I was issued MOLLE but anytime I go back to a battle belt/LBE rig, I have some sort of admin pouch.
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How often did you guys play the Van Halen song “Panama” when deployed to Panama? I’ve always wondered if that was on a continuous loop during Just Cause.
You just got back from CSTX? Didn’t they tell you that 1st Army’s SOP for us is one of those SAW pouches for our notebook? Oh, and gloves of course. Worn on your hands. Very important.
I had the med pouch back in the day as well.
Many of you young guys missed out on the plastic ear plug case hanging from the pocket flap button on the BDU’s. With a regimental crest attached to it, no less.
Hey, yes, I got back on Saturday. I believe 1st Army’s standards are a bit more loose right now. As long as we had an issued rig, we were good. Most of our OC/T’s were wearing the grey digital FLC’s they were issued. I wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those, but I didn’t want to be too flamboyant with my personal OD battle belt rig. So I wore a standard OCP TAP Rack, with a SAW pouch, of course.
My gloves tend to stay in the pouch. I hate wearing gloves in the field unless I’m doing land nav through Benning’s finest groves of wait-a-minute vines. I refuse to shoot with full fingered gloves on as well. I guess I don’t make a picture perfect O/C.
I still keep one of those med pouches fully stocked with first aid items on my seasonal ALICE pack loadout.
My small part of the world answers.
1, the med kit… I carried one because I bought one. They were not standard Army issue, and I was never too keen on only having a single field dressing in the compass/first aid pouch. I do recall seeing one or two around, but not many.
2, I saw far more of the SAW Drum pouches as the SAW came into service. It was a great carry all pouch. Never carried one myself, but if a guy could acquire one…
3, VanHalen “Jump”… don’t know about that one. I was off active duty and in the Guard by that time and a rookie Deputy Sheriff in LA when Just Cause went down. My old unit went, but I didn’t. I missed the party.