VK5YA
vk5ya.com

Tim

Collins HF Communications Console associated with the "Tels 49/66"
project refers to a specialized military or defense communications
system deployed in Australia.In Australian defense terminology
(specifically within the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and
Australian Army), "Tels" stands for Telecommunications. The designation Tels 49/66 specifies a dedicated project or
equipment modification lifecycle. Government procurement
contracts from the early 1970s
identify this system under the "Tels 49/66 Project,"
which included the acquisition of 3-year maintenance spares and custom project modification kits.
Veteran radio technicians from units
like the RAAF RADS (Radio School) track these specific system
schematics as part of Australia's mid-to-late 20th-century tactical high-frequency (HF) network footprint.
Collins Radio Company was historically
the primary contractor providing the
high-stability single-sideband (SSB) HF equipment and integrated
audio control consoles utilized in these installations.