Radio 135: |
The RA135 is a radio small
enough to fit in a pocket on your combat harness. It has
a relatively short range and is used mainly for
communication between men of the same team. It is usually
carried by one man in each 3-man group.
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Range: |
3 km |
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Weight: |
1 kg |
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Frequencies: |
6 pre-programmed channels |
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Battery life: |
15 h |
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Radio 180: |
The RA180 is a larger radio that you attach
to the frame on your backpack. It has two different types
of antenna with varying ranges, and the antennas and
other gear are stored in a bag on one side. It is a
digital radio with pre- programmed channels. It has a
secure mode, in which the radio jumps between various
channels very quick (several times per second), which
means that the radio is very hard to detect or jam. It
also has a special network setting so one radio can relay
signals from other nearby radios, forming a network. Such
a network can be very large and widespread, permitting a
range much larger than for a single radio in standard
mode.
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Range: |
4-12 km |
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Weight: |
12 kg |
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Frequency: |
30-76 MHz (2320 channels) |
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Battery life: |
10 h |
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Radio 195: |
The RA195 is a large radio, somewhat similar
to the RA180. It is equipped with a standard antenna,
which isn't used very often. Instead, you normally use a
dipolar antenna (basically a long wire) that you attach
between two trees. The dipolar antenna has a much longer
range, but weighs more and takes more time to set up. For
this reason you normally set up the dipolar antenna in
your main base for the duration of a mission, and use the
standard antenna when on patrol or ambush. When equipped
with a dipolar antenna, the range of the radio is almost
unlimited, since the low frequency waves bounce off the
atmosphere. With the right weather conditions, you can
send up to several hundred kilometers.
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Range: |
10 km (standard antenna)
500 km (dipolar antenna) |
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Weight: |
20 kg (including dipolar antenna) |
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Frequency: |
2-30 MHz |
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Battery life: |
4 h |
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Phone 390: |
This is wire-based system, consisting of two
phones connected with a double signals wire. This may
sound primitive, but it is very usefull in your main
base. In your main base you generally have a sentry
located about 200 meters away, who watches over the
incoming trail. From the base to the sentry you drag out
the wire, placing it in the snow, and connect the two
phones at each end. This is a great way of maintaining
contact with the sentry, since it is a two-way system
(like an ordinary civilian phone). Each phone has it's
own powersupply (the little cylinder shaped box) from 2
AA batteries. The system is very battery efficient and
does not emit any radio signals, which is a great
advantage compared to radio equipment, since it can not
be detected by the enemy. |
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Text and
encryption: |
There are two systems for sending
and recieving text messages, the DART 380 (top)
and the KV-DART 301 (bottom). The DART 380 is
used with the RA180, and the KV-DART 301 is used
with the RA195. The systems are similar, both
having a keypad and a display window, weighing
around 2 kg each. With these you can type and
store text messages, send and recieve messages,
as well as encrypt and decipher text. You can
also use them for various mathematical
calculations. When sending a text message that
you have made you can use a special burst
function, so the text is sent in less than one
second, making it very difficult for the enemy to
locate the transmitter. |
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Satellite phone: |
This is a small lap-top
sized phone used for satellite communication. It is very
easy to use and takes almost no time at all to get
operational. It is also very robust - there are rumors of
one being run over by a snowmobile and still working. It
uses digital communication with an orbital satellite, and
is therefor not affected by terrain, weather and
atmospheric conditions in the way ordinary radio
equipment is. There are currently not very many of these
in service, since they are very expensive (wouldn't it be
better to scrap the Navy and give all that extra money to
us in the Army?). |
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Power
generator: |
This is a gasoline powered
generator, which uses ordinary gasoline mixed with 2 %
oil. The tank holds 1 liter of fuel, which is enough for
about 2 hours of continual usage. It weighs 6 kg and
makes quite a lot of noise while running. It has two
different settings, either 150 W or 300 W. You only use
this when in the main base, where you hook it up to a
battery charger (see below). A good way of reducing the
noise is to dig a small hole in the snow where you place
the generator. |
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Battery charger: |
You hook this up to the
above mentioned generator. It is used to recharge all
kinds of batteries, for equipment such as radios and GPS.
It weighs around 5 kg, and you only use it in the main
base. |
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GPS: |
This is a standard hand held
GPS (Global Positioning System), used to find your exact
location. It is very small and light, weighing around 200
g. It isn't used very often since Arctic Rangers are
expert map readers. It is used mainly when travelling in
very bad weather, such as heavy fog or snowfall, which
make it difficult to find surrounding landmarks for
reference. It is also very usefull when calling in
indirect fire support from mortars, since it increases
the precision. |
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Laser
rangefinder: |
This is a device that looks
a lot like a binoculars, and has a 7X zoom. It uses an
invisible laser to meassure distances with very high
precision. It can measure distances up to 9995 meters (6
miles) away. It has a function so you can disregard
signals bouncing from bushes and other obstacles that are
between you and the point of meassurement. It weighs 2 kg
and is kept in a small storage case for protection. It is
battery powered, and you can make up to 600 measurements
before having to change the battery. |
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Night vision: |
There are two main types of
night vision equipment used by Arctic Rangers, goggles
and the SPAN 6. The goggles are the standard type of
goggles that you attach to your helmet, and are almost
only used when driving vehicles at night. The SPAN 6 is a
monocular (for one eye only) system with a 6X zoom. It is
used for static work, such as by the sentry at the main
base or when performing ambushes at night. |