Multichannel Radio Communication Within the Army

Combat communications equipment is a highly specialized weapon in its own right. USASRDL has been an important factor in the development of combat communications and in the establishment of an industrial design capability for such equipment. An example is given by tracing the growth of Army multichannel communication systems from the radio-link equipment of the Tunisian campaign, through ``backbone'' radio relay employment exemplified by radio sets AN/TRC-1, AN/TRC-24, and AN/TRC-29, into tactical-mobile systems giving area coverage using AN/GRC-50, 53, 59 and 66 equipment. Important milestones of concept and technique changes illustrate the continued progress towards reliable tactical radio communications.