Not long after ET used a modified Speak & Spell to phone home, select units within the US Army were using the OA-8990/P Digital Message Device Group (aka KY-879/P) to communicate.
I used the DMDG from the late 80s up until the mid-90s while assigned to both 3rd ID LRS and in 3rd SFG(A) on a SOT-A.
Manufactured by Racal Communications, it was a burst transmission device. Messages were formatted and encrypted via one-time pad and then entered into the device via the keyboard. The dot matrix screen could be backlit but was used only with caution so as not to give away the user’s location at night. Although, the nylon cover could be configured to partially conceal the screen from three sides, the glow reflecting off of the user’s face was noticeable, especially if he was wearing glasses.
The DMDG sent a digital burst signal when used primarily in conjunction with HF radios. Initially these were the AN-PRC-74 and 70, but I only ever used the device with the AN/PRC-104A and 132. It could also used with SATCOM systems such as the AN/PSC-3, AN/LST-5 and AN/MST-20.
In the photo at the top, you can see the cables used to connect the DMDG to the radio as well as an external battery such as the Magnesium BA-4386 (also used in the AN/PRC-77) which only provided about four hours of power.
The combination of burst transmission and HF comms was intended to thwart threat radio direction finding efforts but the baud rate was so slow (266.6 baud), messages took a really long time to transmit. At that speed, you could only transmit 27 characters a second on HF. For SATCOM shots, you could speed it up to 1200 baud but satellite time wasn’t as prevalent during the 80s and 90s.
During an International (NATO) LRRP exercise in the late 80s, I learned that the Dutch 104th Reconnaissance Co used the MA-4450 Message Entry and Read-Out Device. The MEROD looked like the DMDG, but offered onboard encryption.
By the mid-90s we began to transition to the AN/PRC-137 Special Mission Radio System which was much smaller and lighter than earlier radios and used a palmtop Data Messaging Device to transmit messages via a radio which could be queried by a base station for message traffic. When used for Special Reconnaissance missions this allowed to communicator to leave the radio a safe distance from the element. This combined with much faster data transfer rates greatly lowered the risk of threat direction finding.
The DMDG is now a relic of the Cold War. Today, handheld cellular devices provide more capability than we could carry just two decades ago. Communicators use a variety of multi-band devices which offer onboard encryption as well as data transfer rates high enough to provide live video feeds using waveforms which boast low probability of detection and intercept.
Centerline Systems is well known in the woodcraft community for their steel canteens. They designed their upcoming SHERPA Belt, Y-Harness and Padded Strap Wraps as a modular, minimalist way to carry equipment on the outside of your clothing under a variety of weather conditions and activities.
It’s great to see OTTE Gear back and they’ll be showing some of their classic designs as well as some new gear in booth #L212 at SHOT Show January 22-25. Visit shotshow.org for more details on the show.
The Go Sport Fin has a new boot fit fin design. As the name implies, SCUBAPRO new Go Sport Fin is designed for when you need a lightweight fin with a lot of power. Lightweight, comfortable, durable, and a fast and nimble performer, the Go is the ideal fin for diving, snorkeling and surface swimming.
Lightweight: When it comes to a premium light fin, nothing compares to the Go. With integrating high quality with lightweight. This translates into convenience and weight savings on the road, and comfort and ease of use in the water.
Super Comfortable: The Go Sport design combines the fitment benefits of an open heel fin. The replaceable self-adjusting bungee heel strap allows for a versatile fit — one diver can wear multiple sizes. The strap also makes it easy to don and doff the fin, and it fits comfortably against a booted heel.
Ultra Durable: While extremely comfortable, the Go Sport is also virtually indestructible. Its sturdy 100% Monprene construction avoids the problems of de-lamination, broken blades and torn foot pockets that tend to plague average thermoplastic fins. This enables the Go Sport to stand up to long-term, heavy-duty use.
High Performance: The Go fin excels in strength, comfort, and convenience, but where it really shines is in kicking performance. The Go is built with a 25° pre-angled blade with a central power panel that provides longitudinal rigidity and creates a channeling effect. Power bars on the underside of the rails prevent over-flex; this helps maintain the optimum angle of attack under high load conditions. The result: you get a lightweight fin that delivers speed, power, stability and maneuverability with a minimum of effort.
Travel-Friendly: Being lightweight is always a plus when traveling, but so is compactness. Go fins are designed to fit easily in IATA carry-on compliant luggage. Even better, they pack extremely well due to an innovative piggyback stack system. An interlocking tooth on one fin blade hooks into the second fin, and then the bungee strap from the second fin hooks the heel of the first fin into place. It’s a snug pairing that makes packing and traveling that much easier. The perfect addition to the SCUBAPRO fin range, the Go Sport dedicated travel fin is lightweight, comfortable and virtually indestructible.
This truly is one of the best fins I have ever used. It is very compact and light. It is great for morning PTs or when you have to carry fins out in the field. It can be used for over the beach or river and stream crossings.
Not only does Magnetospeed make the industry standard in barrel mounted chronographs, they regularly release products you’d never expect, like the new Riflekühl, a detachable barrel fan.
There isn’t much information on the Riflekühl yet, but they did say this about the batteries.
We wanted to clarify a few concerns about the battery life. The listed 3+ hours of run time, is the expected continuous on time from the included battery before there is any decrease in performance. After that the unit will continue to operate for several hours with decreasing airflow. Based on much of the testing we have done, which will be released in the future, we anticipate easily getting 50 “cooling sessions” out of the included CR123 Lithium before needing to be replaced. We appreciate all the interest and look forward to getting these on the market soon.
Look for the Riflekühl and other great stuff from Magnetospeed at SHOT Show.
Helikon-Tex® likes to keep its finger on the shooter’s pulse and are excited to introduce new equipment within their product range. In January at the Shot Show 2019, Helikon-Tex® will show many new products. These will include a whole range of innovative new shirts for tactical gentlemen in solid colors and plaid patterns, the Downtown backpack designed for covert urban operations, as well as their already well-known best sellers from their Range Line – Training Mini Rig made in a special new melange color option. Don’t forget to visit the Helikon-Tex® booth to see these and many more products up close and personal!
Shirts for the tactical gentleman
Helikon-Tex is bringing out new types of shirts presented in more convenient package that were designed specifically for guys looking for tactical features while maintaining a low profile look. Both Urban and Patrol line shirts are packed with functional carrying space, though the first one is much more discreet in the way it looks. “We at Helikon-Tex are shooting sports enthusiasts and we’re constantly discussing our products with guys who shoot a lot. We had feedback that some of them are looking for something more casual than a typical military shirt, but with all the tactical convenience. So, we create shirts not only to visit the shooting range, but to wear daily. That’s why we came up with an idea of the MBDU Flannel Shirt,” says Jedrzej Mieszczak, Helikon-Tex Executive Vice President.
New kind of shirt for shooters
Helikon-Tex MBDU Flannel Shirt®
A well put together tactical shirt guarantees you an advantage when you need to move dynamically while on a shooting operation but at the same time is comfortable and practical for day to day wear. The key and main innovation is the combination of civilian appearance and tactical features. You’re no longer limited to only wearing military-looking clothes as the MBDU Flannel shirt is the answer for anyone seeking functionality and a great look. The design is reliable in any tough situation: VersaStretch® side panels give freedom of movement in dynamic shooting, strength is evidenced by refined details such as Canadian style slotted buttons sewn with strong tape. Set of full-storage pockets is there to keep all the necessary gear right by your hand. Loop panels to let you personalize it to your needs. All above is accompanied by UPF50 sun protection. The MBDU Flannel Shirt is in the world of shirts like what the Abrams M1A2 SEP v4 tank is among armored vehicles.
Urban Tactical Shirt
Helikon-Tex Defender Mk2 City
Low profile and daily comfort. It’s pretty obvious that none of us like to wear shirts that only look good but leave no freedom of movement to manage your everyday tasks. That’s why Helikon-Tex produced a classical but still a functional shirt to wear on and off duty. It’s made with elastic fabric – a mix of nylon and polyester with additional spandex to make it even more comfortable. Two layers of pockets are placed chest-high to provide you with great access to your pocket book, credit card and everyday essential gear. A mesh underarm ventilation system is there to keep you cool, and thanks to a little loop between the pockets, you’ll have your sunglasses handy too.
Shirt for the tactical gentleman
Helikon-Tex Defender Mk2 Gentleman Shirt
If your tasks demand you stay unrecognized but fully prepared for action, we have something for you. A 100% low profile, elegant shirt that keeps all the tactical features while looking convenient and discreet. It’s made with a technically advanced polyester fabric that mimics thin cotton, dries quickly and keeps you cool. Full sized pockets and a sunglasses loop are there to provide you with everything you need at work and in formal meetings. The Defender Mk2 Gentleman Shirt looks great with casual pants and jeans and can be paired with a sports jacket. Long and short sleeve versions are available to cope with any conditions.
Backpack for the discrete operator
Helikon-Tex Downtown Backpack®
Part of being a discrete operator is blending into the crowd and your environment; it can often mean the difference between completing a mission and blowing your cover, that’s why we created the Downtown Backpack. It provides the tactical functionality you need to stay mission capable, but with a civilianized look that will keep you inconspicuous. Designed with a special compartment that holds a standard service pistol for quick draw accessibility, as well as internal storage for a laptop or other essentials, it’s the ideal choice for undercover operations. Available colors: Black and Grey.
Bestseller from Range Line in new colors
Training Mini Rig®
One of the Helikon-Tex products for shooters deserving the iconic status is the Training Mini Rig. Now available in nylon fabrics and melange colors like Melange Black-Grey, Melange Blue and Melange Grey. Whether you’re a professional competition shooter, a shooting instructor at a range, or just love getting out there and putting some lead downrange on your own time, being comfortable is important. That’s why – inspired by one of the most famous US tactical shooting instructors – we created the compact Training Mini Rig, which lets you carry important equipment more easily when you’re in the prone position, on the move, or taking up position behind a barrier. Having the Training Mini Rig, you’ll always have your flashlight or multitool at hand. Designed with numerous pockets for carbine and pistol magazines, a utility pouch for tackers or markers, exchangeable inserts, and even a small hanging pouch for a first aid kit, it’ll make you feel prepared and comfortable. We are sure that shooters in the US and around the world will be excited when they see the Training Mini Rig in these new colors.
About Helikon-Tex For over a decade, after Helikon-Tex was established, our business activity was mainly concentrated on military surplus sales. In 1999 we set a new development direction and decided to start our own military and paramilitary clothing production. We built our strength and gained experience by creating our own Research & Development department, consisting of shooting experts and former special forces soldiers, who designed with passion modern and specialized solutions that the military industry could not produce. And therefore, step by step, we turned into an ambitious manufacturer of tactical and outdoor equipment. We have our finger on the shooter’s pulse, and we appreciate innovations and introduce new product lines. Our clients receive the highest quality tactical equipment at a reasonable price.
The first thing I thought about when I heard about Watergen USA was Luke Skywalker from Star Wars’ Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, the moisture farmers. They lived on a desert planet, farming moisture from the air. The scene below is science fiction. Could we actually do the same?
Well, if you’ve ever owned a dehumidifier, you know it’s possible. What Watergen has done, is make it practical.
These systems allow users to generate potable water on-site, where it’s needed, chemical free. The water produced from humidity in the air is filtered and then minerals are added back into the water, resulting in the same taste, no matter where in the world it is produced.
What I find most appealing about Watergen’s offerings is that they cover everything from an individual home or office, to a mobile system, to even larger support for a FOB. What’s more, multiple systems can be added, based on the scale of the effort. All they require us a power source and conditions of 30% or more humidity. This can be found in just over 80% of the world’s land mass. Currently, Watergen systems are not intended for use at sea but work is being completed to facilitate this application.
Additionally, Watergen’s systems do not require trained water purification specialists and can be operated by anyone who can plug in a cord, or run a generator, for self-contained systems. They can be used by individuals, local, state or federal agencies, as well the military.
Preventive maintenance must be conducted twice per year which requires up to half an hour.
The patented technology is Israeli but the three systems Watergen offers are made here in the USA.
– A small home and office water generator, the GENNY, creates up to seven gallons (27 liters) per day.
– The medium scale generator, GEN-350 can produce up to 237 gallons of clean drinking water (900 liters) per day.
– A large-scale unit can extract up to 1,300 gallons (4,921 liters) per day. It is designed to provide water to approximately 2,500 people per day.
The Emergency Response Vehicle is a self contained mobile system which can be rapidly deployed to deployed organizations or areas with no no access to potable water such as communities with broken water lines or compromised water purification plants.
The systems have internal storage tanks but can be connected to external tanks or bladders.
Additionally, Watergen’s GENNY was selected for award of a 2019 Innovation Award from the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
