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Friday, May 13, 2016

Motorola FM VHF Radio Training (1971)


Motorola Radio Training

Motorola’s Manufacturing Plant Schaumburg IL

Type Of Activity
Technical Training
Location
Location
Schaumburg IL
Date of Activity
 Sep 19 1971 to Sep 25 1971
Coordinates
42° 4'5.20"N  88° 2'44.47"W

19 Sep 71 to Chicago IL-Motorola Radio  

I had been working on Motorola FM equipment for a number of years, all of my training had been on the job until 1971 when I was sent to Schaumburg IL to Motorola’s manufacturing plant to be trained on hand held FM radios and radio pagers.

Motorola’s Headquarters Schaumburg IL

WHCA used the Motorola brand exclusively for communications between the Secret Service, the White House Staff and WHCA our frequency spectrum was in the VHF range for these units.

We would use the P-33’s in all motorcade setups and all vehicles used by advance and staff. If the vehicle was assigned to the Secret Service they would receive a unit with Baker/Charlie frequency. The Staff would receive a P-33 radio on Sierra frequency.  

Motorola P-33 5w FM transceiver

The Secret Service Agents were all issued HT-220's on Baker/Charlie Frequency and certain Staff members would be issued HT-220's on Sierra. 

HT-220 1.5w FM Transceiver

The Staff frequency would also be set up with a Radio Paging system.  The Paging encoder would be set up at the switchboard at all trip locations or permanent installations. Any of the Staff and WHCA personnel authorized would receive a voice pager.

Paging system Encoder

Motorola  Page Boy radio paging unit

The San Clemente Detachment and CCT had hundreds of units that were used during Presidential visits or support on side trips for the Secret Service and the White House Staff.  This training would help us tremendously in our efforts to maintain our assigned equipment.

Since I had met and married my wife (Joanne)  while I was stationed in Chicago, I was pretty familiar with the area.  I was sent to this training with Bill Eadie who was also a CCT member.  We arrived at O’Hare and departed to check into our hotel.

The Motorola Plant was only two miles away from our hotel, so the next morning we started the week long class. We wrapped up training on Friday morning and was given a tour of the manufacturing plant after which we were released to return home. 

Bill and I departed O’Hare on Saturday to return to San Clemente