I have not done reservist for almost 9 years cos living
overseas. So I don't know if PRC-77 still in use.
A heavy but tough signal set might be OK for signallers.
But I was a rifleman platoon runner, which means I have to route
march, charge hill, FIBUA, FOFO with the PRC-77. Sometimes all in
one night.
All the while I have to keep up with my PC, whom is leading from
the front. On top of this 14kg weight I have to carry the same
weapon and ammo load as the other riflemen plus a long antennae
which weighs almost another kg.
Though I was very fit but I remember one embarrassing occassion
where my PC had to pull me out of a comms trench as we were
assaulting all night and by daybreak we were all but dead
tired.
So it's useless to have a tough, heavy radioset unless you have a
really, really tough runner carrying it.
Another bad thing about being runner is that the first enemy sniper
bullet will be for the guy with the radioset. It is harder for
enemy snipers to identify who the officer is. That's why in Vietnam
some soldiers carry their radio upside down with the (short)
antennae pointing down.
