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4/73 (Sphinx) Bty

Oakley

Clanker
I am looking for infomation on this Bty. I am currently serving within the RSigs and looking to re-trade. I am already aware that you can join from any arm, go on attachment and dont have to re-badge to be a memeber. However, like most people i am sure that we all went into opur jobs blind, glossed over by recruiters who have slots to fill, and i want to go into this with eyes wide open. I am after real hard facts, not rummours or hearsay on the following:

1. Rates of pay as a RA Spec Op (pay band high or low)
2. quash rumours that the BTY is to be disbanded, reroled etc
3. Rates of promotion
4. Bty day to day routine
5. Working enviroment (the lads i may be working alongside is it clicky or all get on)
6. frequency of tours

Any other real infomation members of the Bty may be able to give me of relevences. I have already loked at the website and although it has some very good infomation, it dont really cover all the bases.

Any infomation will be of a great help

Cheers
 
1. High.
2. Rubbish.
3. Difficult to say - all OPs troops are hard for promotion if you're just a run of the mill OP dude. There are some very competent people in there...
4. Train, fizz, try to avoid the hierarchy.
5. Can't answer as to what it's like these days.
6. There's always something going on!

I know we have 2 members of 'LATEO' here on ARRSE (at least) so they'll be all over this like a rash - never miss a trick.

As an aside, have you considered 148 NGFO Bty RA if this sort of thing flicks your switch?
 
Info some 10 odd years old but.....


1. Depends on what you consider high
2. Not a chance
3. Promotion can be quite good as rank means little, a patrol is run by a Sgt (more often a full screw though) the rest are more often or not all ncos, this is becuase if you are good enough to get in, theres a fair chance you already got promoted before arriving.. Don't be suprised to find a lance jack as 2ic with a full screw as radio bitch, positons are determined by exoerience and capability
4. Not that different that any other regt, don't expect black boiler suits and helo abseiling, they have vehicles that need cleaning and stores to sort. One thing is they work as patrols and sort the patrol kit out, when thats done they usualy go for a run then knock off
5. EXTREMELY cliquey, as said they work, eat, drink, fart in patrols. Once "badged" don't count on a friendly welcome, it can take up to a year before you will be accepted.
6. They get about, but as small units


If you are R Sigs and fancy a change have you not thought about 18 Regt ?
 
Quality, this is the sort of stuff i was looking for. I had considered 18 Sig Regt, if that is what your talking about, but did the look at life and is is far to clicky there. Dont really appeal to me. As for 148 NGFO i aint really looked into that, but could be another option. But i am really intrested in 4/73.
 
Oakley said:
Quality, this is the sort of stuff i was looking for. I had considered 18 Sig Regt, if that is what your talking about, but did the look at life and is is far to clicky there. Dont really appeal to me. As for 148 NGFO i aint really looked into that, but could be another option. But i am really intrested in 4/73.
Take my advice and don't join Spec Obs. CRA's love Guns not OPs. I remember when the OPs were first formed, very professional as they still are. If you want promotion then join a field gun battery where life is fast and rewarding. If you want to be an infanteer then join the Infantry. There's no point joining a sub unit where you have to wait to be accepted, life is too short for childish attitudes like that. Good Luck :D
 
I've met these guys when i was on live firing at otterburn with 3PARA Ithink these guy's or their parent unit 5 regt royal artillery do their lance jack cardre there and i tell you what for artillery bod's they're a completley different breed i'd even go as far as to say better blokes than those wannabes from 7RHA and 29CDO but overall yes the blokes are great not very clicky but no one really is no more but i think your best bit of advice on this forum is your man Currywurst_Mayo
 
I worked extremely closely with a couple of lads from 4/73 on ops in Kosovo early 2000. Very, very knowledgeable and proffessional, and with a wide range of skills (more than just the obvious).

They were a pleasure to work with and also an eye opener as I didnt know they existed prior to my deployment.

If thats the route you want to take, then go for it, but from what little the lads revealed be prepared for some tough times during initial selection and subsequent training.

MnDJ
 
cheers for the advice lads. It is much appreciated. Like i said, at the moment i am looking into a new line of work. Im sure you all have your opinion of the Signals, but its not for me anymore and i am going to enter my new job wise to as much as possible. The feed back is great, be it posative or negative about 4/73. Thanks to you all.
 
mate fiar enough but I would like to point out tht the grass is not always greener, a guy in my bty came out of juniors thinking he was an infanteer, hated the RA and wanted a transfer, everyone tried to talk him out of it, suggested para/commando/OP troop and the then 50 missle Defence Force thingy.

Nope having none of it, infantry was the way ahead and he rebadged RRF, less than 2 years later he was out as he didn't realise what the job really was, last seen in the MOD Plod
 
Hey Up.

Did their annual test week with them for a giggle whilst in their TA equivalent. It was a bit emotional at times (a lad from 21 jacked the excercise), but the lads were great to us and their was only minor p-taking / stab-baiting. Great bunch. Friendly.

I say Go for it mate.
 
The_Viper said:
Hey Up.

Did their annual test week with them for a giggle whilst in their TA equivalent. It was a bit emotional at times (a lad from 21 jacked the excercise), but the lads were great to us and their was only minor p-taking / stab-baiting. Great bunch. Friendly.

I say Go for it mate.

annual test week ????

Are you talking Ultimate Aim (which is 3 weeks) or Selection Test Week on week 3 which involves a week navexing around Otterburn ?
 
Not sure. It wasn't ultimate aim, so it may have been the second one. We arrived from the HAC OC's test week end, drove to SW Scotland (at a time which unfortunately co-incided with winter) the ex was already underway when we got there. Anyhow we were there for a weekish.

As I say top boys.
 
wellyhead said:
mate fiar enough but I would like to point out tht the grass is not always greener


Yeah but have you served in a sigs unit?

Go for it mate, a change is always a good thing, do it before you get too old though. Any unit that works in small teams is going to be cliquey and you will always have to make an effort to fit in with the culture to be accepted by the guys you will be working with.

I cant give you any advice on the unit but I would say have a good think about what the job actually involves before comitting yourself. You cant change your career too many times.

At least in the arty there is a wide variety of roles under one umbrella.

Are you going to re-badge or are you going to volunteer as a scaley? My advice to you would be to get on another corps promotion ladder as soon as possible. The signals always try to claw back people from wherever they have escaped to. Most out of job tours like PF, the det, even 22 SAS are only temporary and RSMCM div will have you back at 3 div putting tents up quicker than you can say 'this is ****'.

Isn't there some rupert at every unit now whos job it is to give people a heads up on other roles in the Army? HR officer or something? Have a chat with him/her.
 
SG

Agreed, I woulldn't wish the scaleys on my worse enemy but if you have built up a career its hard to swap out like that

FTR Joining 4/73 as non RA will mean doing the course as a scaley but rebadging RA on completion, there was an RLC type on my course and he got in. However he didn't get on well with his patrol (nothing to do with being RLC mind) and binned it. However he was kept on in the RA and turned up at my old unit by coincedence

I would NEVER disuade anyone from going for it, even if you fail you will be better for it
 
Welly - it was an annual roll-out ex in Scotland...not the end of the patrol course so Viper might be wrong in calling it a 'test' exercise...more like a taceval. VERY emotional weather if I remember correctly.
 
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