Expat Canuck

Hi guys I have a question to current or recent tankers.

How much do your hear in regards to engine noise in modern tanks when you have all your ear protection on? What about the cannon? Can you hear anything at all going on outside one you are all buttoned up?

Is it next to nothing other than comms or is it loud as hell? Can you tell me the answer and to what tank you operated or are operating now?

Thanks guys, even though I'm technically ex armoured I don't think the Iltis counts even if they did give me a black Beret.

tankervet

I guess it depends on what you compare it to. I know this is a bs answer but its true. It's pretty loud in the Abrams, but not really due to engine, more the hydraulics. When the tank fires its suprisingly not that bad. More of a concussion type thing. You can sometimes hear when someone outside the tank is yelling, but its mostly due to it being picked up in the boom mic attached to your cvc, or helmet and transmitted through the intercom. The coms are can be turned up as loud as you would like and all the way up to too loud. Hope this answers your question.

Expat Canuck

It does for the Abrams, how about with your headset on, still loud then? I know these are silly questions and the reason is even more silly, a debate on a modification that is trying to imitate real world gear but hey if we want to know we need to ask.

thanks for the reply

tankervet

I dont understand your question. Our headsets and our cvc/helmet are the same thing. What I stated previously is with the "headset" on. Without the helmet on its a very very loud, highpitched, roaring sound. Firing the main gun would probably cause hearing damage without hearing protection ie our helmets on.

Also I did'nt read your question correctly earlier. You asked if we could hear anything outside the tank while buttoned up. No. With the hatches closed you cant hear anything short of your wingman firing his main gun.

Expat Canuck

Okay thanks now I know for that tank.

Have you operated any others?

Thanks again!!

gunnut

I have a simple question: is there climate control inside the tank?

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"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

braindead

excess HEAT escapes through long tube , accompanied by loud boom.

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soutie

as a foot soldier we always thought you tankies used double glazing

tankervet

braindead is on it. The climate control consist of hot air escaping through openings in the turret. Thats about it. The SEP has something thats supposed to be a climate control system but I assure you its just for looks.

bolo121

must be interesting when all that metal gets heated up by the desert sun

gunnut

Ouch, I figure with a 1500hp turbine there'd be at least a small AC onboard.

RustyBattleship

Well now, I hardly qualify as a current or recent tanker. But I still want you to know what it's like inside an M-41 Bulldog.

Or outside.

Or, "Hey? Whatcha say?"

That opposable 6 cylinder Cadillac Continental engine would put a jet engine to shame. It was turbo charged and you could tell it was. It had two mufflers on back but there might as well not be any at all. I have been up a valley with a maintenance crew for refueling and could hear them a mile away (still had time to finish my letter home). It sounds like air in the amount of the Holland Tunnel going through.

Inside, the turret crew could hear each other, sort of. The only way the driver down below could hear us was with a headphone set, and then just barely.

The Army had done away with the football helmets so we just turned our Ridgeway caps backwards and crushed our headset bands over them (that's how you could always know who a tanker was by the side crushing of his Ridgeway). We bought a bunch of Jet Pilot helmets but the ear phone connections were not compatible with our chest sets (that could switch from on to off to intercom or to radio). And the unit didn't like the idea of us chopping up existing headsets to make them fit.

So when ever possible we drove in "Administrative" position of the turret reversed and the tube (gun barrel) clamped down. That put the TC directly over the driver then and we could signal him the old fashioned way by whacking him on the right or left shouder for a turn or right on top of the head for a panic stop.

Oh. We did have air conditioning. At the top of the turret roof in the rear bustle was a mushroom-shaped armored cover that housed a fan. A medium sized fan set on EXHAUST only to evacuate smoke and fumes that were not drawn out by the bore evacuator when firing the main gun.

And then that "artistic" extra bustle on the back was a sheet metal storage box (why they never remove it for movies baffles me. It's only held on by four 3/8" bolts). The top was a hinged lid and inside that box with the sloped sizes was another square box with no lid. Nobody ever knew what it stored until one day as we were changing the oil in our THREE oil bath based air cleaners. A 5 gallon can fits well in that box - on its side. Which means if the cap isn't on tight, well, you can figure the rest out.

Ah. The good old days.

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Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

adroth

I've seen CVCs with Bose ear pieces. Are these the noise cancelling variety?

tankervet

Sure, Lol. I dont know to be honest. I guess so. All of our CVC's are bose now. (M1 Series). Actually no there not noise canceling. They have the mic in them that amplifies the sound so that you can hear someone talk while you have your cvc on but no noise canceling.

Expat Canuck

Rusty, thank you very much for that post. I found it informative and entertaining.

Do you have any more good tanker stories? Please please post them!