MRC-117
as of Easter 2021,, not functional .. yet
Three of us have the complete radio set,
MINUS some of the cables,
HELP HELP we need the books to help make
cables
left to right the 400hz supply, the Band Pass filters ,,, 3
each 618-t3, the one in the middle is a spare , to the right is the back
of the antenna tuner
here is the only TO I have on the mrc117,
its only covers the mechanical mounting to the truck , no electronics
TM
11-2300-370-15-1.pdf
LOOKING FOR MANUALS FOR THE MRC-117 RADIO SET , if you have any knowledge of the 117 radio set , any parts, pieces, cables, connectors.. ANYTHING please contact Any of these three people , k0ip(*)k0ip.com or k5urg(*)yahoo(d)com or w1nzr(*)cs(d)com.... WE are attempting to resurrect these radios, we have VERY LITTLE documentation. A Wiring diagrams would be a great help, pinouts for the plugs, WHATEVER you know about will add to our knowledge base and help get get this radio on the air.. Here are books we are desperately looking for TO 31R2-2-141 ORG MAINT MANUAL - AN/MRC-117 RADIO SETS TO 31R2-2-152-1 CY-6177/GRC DEPOT SUPPORT, GEN SUPPORT TM 11-5820-672-35-2 DIRECT SUPPORT, GENERAL SUPPORT FOR C-7186/GRC this is the control box just below TM 11-5820-672-35-3 DIRECT SUPPORT, GENERAL SUPPORT FOR PP-4721/GRC This is a Power supply AGAIN ANY INFO WILL BE GREAT.. really anything will help |
The control box ,,, |
The radio system left to right the 400hz supply, the Band Pass filters ,,, 3 each 618-t3, the one in the middle is a spare , to the right is the back of the antenna tuner  |
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Radio Set AN/GRC-158 ??? |
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 Here is some links about the Army in Germany some history, search each page for MRC to find the mrc117 info
USAREUR Units - 2nd Sig Brigade |
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Below are a two letters I received from users of this radio system
This is a letter received by me in 2014.. From Jim WA9Z
I hope you enjoy his story and his information ..
John,
Stumbled into your 618 page.
We had a version of the 618 that was badged the
AN/MRC-117.
A pair of 618T-3's with supplies and autocouplers mounted in a housing
that was bolted in a Dodge Power Wagon extended cab pick-up.
A quick change console was mounted behind the front set of seats, so an
operator could use the rig in the back seat.
So we had two separate rigs, a pair of 32' whips, or dipoles in a go bag.
We used them in part of the EusCom Command Network in Europe from 1976-1984.
I was radio tech that made sure the messages got through.
They could bust any 20M pile-up to the states, or be an absolute bitch when they
didn't work.
We weren't allowed to leave the equipment in the trucks off mission, so you can
imagine the
problems I had with cables and connector pins.
I used to put 3 antenna sections on the truck and work 20-15-10M mobile when
driving site to site.
Our mission was very narrow in scope and I remember learning that less than 100
of these rigs
were ever built in this configuration.
We had 3/4 ton Dodge Power Wagons with camper shells instead of the
International trucks depicted in this photo.
Two separate vehicular charging systems. The factory 12V system and a 28V 100
amp Leece Neville alternator
to a couple of batteries in the bed.
It's crossed my mind to build a nostalgia rig. Everything shows up from time to
time in the
usual places except the cab console and the rack. I think the rack might have
been stripped from donor planes.
Glad to see I'm not the only one willing to endure such pain to launch an HF
signal.
Jim WA9Z
==================================================================================================================================
A story from Richard Brown
I operated the mrc-117 in Germany as signal support to 501st ADA (special
weapons) 1975-78.
Started with the IH crew about, and then had the equipment transferred to a new?
Dodge crew about,
with a fabricated
metal rear cover.
Got sent TDY to Rein Main AB in 76? For a DS/GS maint course on it for some damn
fool reason. All USAF manuals
on the component boxes. Open book test, because the various components were
bunged together for a mobile truck.
Detent tuning from a remote control in rear seat. It could be disconnected, and
run thru a removing cable 50? Feet.
Tuning freqs, was done by switching on and off a series of ground connections.
Also mode selection, USB, lsb and cw.
Selecting a freq on detent switches on console, then keying the Mike, the xmcvr
would tune, send rf to auto coupler to
tune it. Console had 2 controls for the two radios, but a selected radio would
be transceive, and the other rec only. But
you could swap radios.
School had USAF instructors and manuals. Class had 6
students, 3 AF, 3 Army (2 warrant officers
and me a spec5) Final test, open book, schematic troubleshooting, searching thru
open manuals. I was the only Army to
pass course.
Never did anything to radio system on site except, monthly op 2x
hours drive off kaserne, with crypto, 2 ops,
rifle with ammo. Nike here luftwaffe flakrakette battery, fixed system. They
kicked us off the radar sight, the first time we
keyed 100w hf within 10 feet of the radar dishes.
Stopped going out, removed the
console into the frc-93 room, and did
the 2 hrs with the same operator. Or used it to monitor international sw bcasts.
Hated the EUCOM nuke net operators.They had a fixed station detent tuned radio, and we had one two, but we could
never
get spot on due to carrier freq being
off under 1kc and they kept telling us to tune to them, and we would try to tell
them,
the radios couldn't correct. 5th Sig or
higher decided the trucks we better used by another unit, and we got a junker
Trc133a as a replacement. Deuce equipment van,
5 Collins kwm2a's 2 with dc power supplies, old vacuum capacitor tuner,
and whip
antennas facing front, 1 1kw pa, and 3 ac
power only radios, for parked ops to tackle hf antenna kits, an trailer
with2
5kw ac generators. Parts missing because site
chief and supply didn't do proper inventory. Crystals in plastic xtal
case,
missing bits from 5 antenna kits. Cab sides rusting
out. The old tuners broke, and deadlines the vehicle, obsolete. P* contest
between 5th Sig, EUCOM, and
FT Monmouth supply over parts. Wandered off a bit.
==================================================================================================================================
Here's another ham that used this radio when in the military ... around
1968-71 Dave
K1WHS
I wish I could point you to some equipment & documentation on the MRC-117,
but all I have is a story.
Around 1970, I was a captain in the US Army Signal Corps serving in Germany in
the 8th Infantry Division.
My unit was the 8th Signal Battalion and we provided division level
communications for the division.
There had been much unrest in the Middle East. At one point our paratroop
brigade was all loaded on C-130s and
ready to drop into Lebanon for a hostage rescue plan. Marines were enroute from
the USA. This was all done in secret.
The emergency was de fused and we never went, but a need was seen for us to have
some wider comms than what was
normally provided. The 8th Signal Battalion was issued one brand new MRC-117 SSB
radio system. At the time, I was
the battalion S-4 and ran the supply and maintenance stuff including the signal
shop. Our commander normally would have
put the MRC-117 into A Company, who ran all the HF communications, but he was
afraid that "those goons will break it
in no time flat" He told me to keep the MRC-117 in the Signal Shop and make
sure it was always in good shape. What a
great ham radio I had! It had two 618Ts with a big console in the back seat of
the IH truck. You could remove the console
very easily and remote it with some supplied cables up to a few hundred feet
away from the truck. I remember one field problem
where we put the console inside my tent and I was able to cruise the ham bands
from my tent! I remember at some early
morning staff meetings when the commander asked about the MRC-117 and I told him
it was working great and I had worked
a bunch of Russians on SSB. His eyebrows went way up. I explained that it was
ham radio and not to worry.
If anything went wrong with the radio, we had to bring it to the big depot at
Pirmasens near the luxembourg border. I recall
one time it broke, and I checked it out using the manuals provided. I found a
bad 24 vdc can relay contact in the receive section.
The relay had a set of unused contacts, so I just rewired it and it worked fine.
I did all that work in my apartment after work! That
radio was a very fantastic piece of gear, and the antenna tuner worked very well
as I recall. After a frequency change, you keyed
the mic and the RF tone went for a second or two as the tuner re matched things
and then you were ready to go. There was a 15 ft
whip and a 32 ft whip, plus an N connector for a dipole fed with coax. Every so
often, we would back the truck out of the garage
bay and set up the 30 ft whip and run the radio to make sure it was working just
fine. It even had a telephone connection on the
control panel as I recall, so you could patch in phone calls. I don't have many
pictures from those times. I doubt that I have any
shots of that MRC-117, but it was my Go-To radio when I was DA1OL in Bad
Kreuznach in West Germany.
second email,
I was in Germany from 1968 thru early 1971. I was in the 8th Signal
Battalion that entire time. The place was Bad Kreuznach
and the 8th Infantry Div HQ. I had many jobs, but I spent the most time as the
battalion S-4 Supply & Maintenance Officer. I am
pretty sure that the MRC-117 appeared in early 1970 or possibly late in 1969.
When I left the unit in 1971, the MRC-117 was
sitting in the truck bay in the signal shop. My replacement was not a ham. He
had no clue and I am sure that the MRC-117 was
never used for hamming again. There was one other ham in the unit. He was a
Sergeant and had a Swan 500 or some such rig. I had
no ham gear so the 618T was my "personal" ham rig!! I never told any other hams
what I was running whenever I used it.
In the grand scheme of things, I did not run it all that often, but it sure was
sweet whenever I did use it. I worked many hams stateside
on 20 meters around 14.205. At that time, all the UA hams used Box 88 in Moscow
as their QTH.
There was a big Army signal depot in Pirmasens. I got a neat guided tour of
it. All the techs were Germans. The GIs swept the floors.
The manager was a German ham. He was very nice to me when he found out I was a
ham.
He gave me some vacuum caps to build a KW amplifier. He gave me written
permission to take the parts out of the depot. I wish I could remember his
call!!
73
Dave K1WHS
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