[Stcroix] New Ground Team Radio Kit

[Micah Valine]

Good afternoon, St. Croix Squadron,

I have some exciting news for all St Croix Communicators and Ground Team Members. Back in January, we were approved by MNWG and CAP NTC to receive a new ground team kit containing six of Civil Air Patrol’s next generation VHF radios. I just received notice that our kit has shipped and I am optimistic that it will arrive in time for us to use them on our May UBX on May 24th.

The current Comm Table of Allowances (TA) for these radios is significantly lower than the number of EFJ handhelds out there and we are fortunate to be one of the squadrons assigned a new kit. It is a credit to all the STX seniors and cadets who have worked so hard on Ground Team qualifications over the past couple years that were recognized at the Wing level to receive priority access to this equipment.

The EFJohnson portable radios we have been in service for nearly 20 years. Even though they are still functional, they are no longer supported by EJF, and parts are becoming hard to find. A few years ago, CAP’s National Technology Center (NTC) developed requirements and put out requests to several manufacturers. Ultimately, the Motorola APX 4000 was chosen as CAP’s next-generation portable radio and they have been slowly trickling out to Wings and Squadrons ever since. Along with new digital and security features, a much more sophisticated battery and charging system, these radios have also been assembled by NTC into ground team kits (picture below). Among other advantages, this will allow MNWG to more easily utilize these kits from the squadrons entrusted with them in a mission environment or for special events like Encampment.

[radio kit.jpeg]

Respectfully,

1st Lt. Micah Valine
St. Croix Composite Squadron Emergency Services Officer
Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary
(M) 612.383.8387
https://www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com
https://www.mncap.org

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