Evening star., 1925-05-05
CAVALRY PROVES
SPEED WITH RADIO
Field Station Set Up and
Messages Started in Two
and Half Minutes.
BY CARL III. BUTMAN.

hecent uefhonStrallOnS Oy the "a
U. S. Cavalry radio sections at the
Cavalry School, Fort Reilly, Kans., in
dicate that trained squads can set up
"a temporary field radio station and
start transmitting in two and a half
minutes. The tests, which were emf.
nently satisfactory. were staged to
ascertain whether a regimental radio
section could function efficiently dur
ing a 10-minute halt and get under
way again with the Cavalry column.
The field cavalry equipment com
prises an SCR 127 radio telegraph
transmitting and receiving set, de
signed for transportation on pack
horses. Under normal conditions it Is
good for a range of about so miles
with Is watts power. The generator
which is hand driven, produces $50
volts for the plate circuit and a lower
voltage for the filaments of the four
VT.2 tubes.
Each Regiment Has Four Units.
Each Cavalry regiment has four
radio units, one with each squadron
and two in the headquarters troop. Ir
describing the recent tests and the
training OF two squads for the demon
stration Lieut.. Mortimer F. Sullivan
of the I'd Cavalry states in a report
to the Cavalry Association that skilled
personnel is the first essential. The
individuals of the squad must be both
expert horsemen and radio men. The
training of the men In the mechanical
end as well as in the radio operation
Is very important feature in devel
oping speed. Incidentally the horses
must be especially trained. BY get
ting the men to work as two-mar
teams and by opposing two squads
against each other the drillmaster
succeeded in achieving the movements
of setting up and striking the station
in record time.
Each squad comprised a sergeant
an operator and assistant and -four
horse holders, who also assist in pack
ing and handling. Packing was taught
carefully. The generator and three
sections of the mast are packed or
one horse: the radio set box, battery
box and parts go on the second horse
and the tent, antenna bag. two mast
sections and tent poles are loaded OF
the third horse
Routine of Radio Drill.
When halt" and open station
are given, each man knows his duties
The squad chief dismounts, turns his
horse over to a certain horse holder
unloads horse No. 8, following which
he helps assemble the set and assists
the operator in erecting the mast
When all is ready he tunes his set to
the proper reception wave and listens
In to see II any one Is calling. After
that he tests the transmission side
adjusting 1t TO the proper wave length.
During this time the operator has dis
mounted and turned his horse over Il
a holder, unpacked horse No. 2, ar.
ranging the set and its parts, hooking
1t up. Then, with the sergeant, he
puts up the mast. He also has charge
of the log sheet.
The other men also work in pairs
Changes of duties during the drills
made each man familiar with the
whole procedure, except that only the
operator, sergeant and assistant op,
orator handled the set after it was
hooked up. However, all the men in
the two test squads were operators
some able to handle 80 words a
minute.
Both the riding and pack horses
were trained almost as scientifically
as the men. They first underwent
cross-country work without packs and
then with full packs, each cavalryman
In his position, three of them leading
the pack animals. Rough country
was traversed. Even the famous Fort
ANACS clluC was IicSOlldltu-
Each Man Has Special Job.
The complete drill includes circling
the horses as soon as unloaded, as
sembling of the set, erecting mast and
antenna, guving them, raising the
tent over the apparatus and rigging
the generator. which Is manned by
two of the horseholders as tuners.
A reverse procedure. all in quick but
orderly manner, when striking pro.
vides for disconnecting the set, pack.
ing IL and the accessories on the same
pack animals. Each man has his spe-
cial job and does 1t.
When operation with airp1anes is
anticipated two additional men are in.
cluded, a corporal, who operates a
Signal Corps 54-A receiving set, and
a panel operator, who signals to the
airmen by means Of white strips OF
cloth, known as Identification panels,
which are displayed on the ground 10
friendly planes. A wagon is included
in this outfit for carrying the extra