Who remembers the TA-312 field phone? I was ADA and it was a must! What are your stories?

I was part of a MASH unit and then a CSH, we used these phones in the hospital. It was a challenge to string the wire between all the sections while we were setting up. Then of course there was the person who had to man the switchboard. I was so glad when we finally got 'real' phones!! Thank goodness for our comma team and the signal unit!

I still use the TA-312 PT at Military function. i use it to show kids and adults how we used to communicate in the 60s thru the 80s. They get a kick out of talking on the phones. Right now i have 7 working phones and and one spare.
i wouldn't trade them for the world. We used to set them up in the military for OPs .
Good conversation pieces.

Here's a memory. Our platoon just got a brand new PSG, who sat behind an MPI desk for years and totally lacking in field craft. I mean he wanted someone to bring an iron/ironing board to the field, in Grafenwoehr, so we could have press/starched uniforms. I was a PFC at the time. Now keep in mind all the sqd/tm ldrs and most everyone else in my PLT deployed to Desert Storm, this PSG found himself in a cushy desk job.

So we're in our positions, range cards, everything is set, our sq ldrs have already come out and check us out, we're good to go. Here comes the PSG, to our position asking us the usual questions, 'what's the mission, what's our job, max effective range of our weapons' etc etc. Meanwhile I'm noticing he's got this object he's twirling in his hand and notice it's a arty simulator. I looked at him and said "Sergeant, you might not want to play with that, it can go off with a good static discharge", oh it's a dud he's says.

I even overheard my sqd ldr tell him to put it down as well. What has everyone been told about UXO in the field, don't touch it right? So we all get called in for a mission recap, we're all sitting around eating our MREs, my sqd ldr looks at me and nods his head and I already knew what he wanted me to do right as the PSG was giving his saftey brief for the next training mission, so I got the sim wired it to the TA-312, took it out 50 yds and waited for the nod from my sqd leader.

Was I wrong to handle the simulator, yes, but I was going to get a lot of satisfaction. So on the signal I wound up the magneto and BOOM. PSG freaked got up and started yelling "contact 100 yds to my 3 o'clock", the sqd ldrs quickly calmed him down. He wanted to know what was that hell was going on. My sqd ldr proceed to tell him "that was the ground burst simulator M115A2 you said was a dud." After he calmed down, sort of, he wanted me counseled, was going to recommend me for Art 15, matter a fact he wanted the whole platoon under investigation. But that's another story.

Wow! You took it back with this one. Lol! I remember running the lines for these things all over the place when I was in the field. We had to check the lines every morning. Good times!

Does anyone remember the TA-312 incident with the 82d Abn Div in the 90’s? The would use them in Prop Blasts (the airborne version of Spur Rides for the Cav). They would attach a 312 to a free standing metal door frame that was placed directly in front of the “Board” and you would “Stand in the door!” (to simulate preparing to be the first jumper in an aircraft, back when we stood in the door). That required you to grip both sides of the door frame and “lean out.” Where upon you would be asked a battery of questions to see if you were worthy of being a true airborne trooper. Wrong answers were rewarded with… you guessed it probably, a crank of the 312 for a duration set by the Board. Which of course shocked the daylights out of the guy in the door. Never hurt anyone long term that I ever heard of, but did leave you feeling numb. It worked out fine, just like blood wings, until we reached the politically correct era and the 82d was brought up on hazing charges and made the front page of the Army Times.

I remember both the TA-312 and the TA-43.

My favorite memory of the 312 was when a wire got cut (truck drove over it in soft ground) and when the wire was being repaired, someone else who didnt' know made a call "raising the hair" of the repairman.

Anyone remember talking to family from overseas via MARS? Dad is Marine vet so had no problem with the shortwave talk...'Over' after each sentence.. but Mom had a helluva time...Dad,' okay..now say 'over'.. ' Mom... 'Why?... I don't get it?.. You hear this Shelby? Your Dad keeps saying I have to say 'over' but you can hear me right?'.. Dad.. laughing.. "right.. but now say 'over'.. so he knows to talk back." Mom." But he's listening now... okay!... dammit.. OVER!'.

We had one in every bunker at our division base camp (Bearcat) in Vietnam, connected to one of four sector CPs (our base camp was very large). Each CP connected to switchboards that gave them access to DTOC, DIVARTY, et al.

One of the popular myths of the time was that you had to whistle into the handset to get the attention of the switchboard operator. Funny, or was it true? Did whistling really help? Well, if nothing else, it gave you something to do while you waited...