Blown Away...

[ElroyJetson]

The PRC-152 and its relatives can be considered to be generally in the 15,000 dollar per radio price range.

What most of us would call modes or signalling formats, such as AM, FM, narrowband FM, SSB, various trunking protocols, etc, Harris calls "waveforms" and a PRC-152 can pretty much do anything you can dream of as long as the software development team was tasked to write the code for it. They even have 7/800 MHz as an option and P25 trunking is an available waveform. (Phase 1, definitely, not sure about Phase 2.)
And of course, it's a Type 1 encryption capable, Controlled Cryptographic Item. (CCI) Which means you the civilian can not own or possess one by law. There may be some exceptions.

Fully optioned, it'd be pretty much the ultimate hand-held radio, but it's a big one!

I'm reasonably certain that internally it's a software defined radio platform.

It has two relatives, the RF-310M-HH and the RF-7800M-HH. The 310 is capable of Suite B cryptography (everything BELOW Type 1 classified encryption modes) and the 7800 is non-encrypted. Otherwise the capabilities are similar. Yes, both these models are legal for a civilian to own but you are of course still fully responsible for complying with all FCC rules and regulations.

I quickly found a listing for RF-310M-HHs available for sale in the US. Got a spare 7 grand burning a hole in your pocket?

If I did they'd have one less for sale right now.

Want one for less? Well...I don't think ebay has a specific Afghanistan/Pakistan/Syria marketplace but if they did....

I don't think the US ever sold/gave/transferred any Type 1 cryptographic items to the Afghans, but they certainly provided them with the
RF-7800 and/or RF-310 types.

If you really wanted one...I'm sure that some enterprising Afghans have caused some of those radios to appear on the black or at least grey market. But the legal question is....is it really stolen (foreign) government property if the government that purchased it no longer exists in any form? I say, who are you going to contact to arrange for the return of it? That office is empty...maybe to the bare walls. Maybe even burned out. Maybe it even exploded.

 

[TDR-94]

The PRC-152 and its relatives can be considered to be generally in the 15,000 dollar per radio price range.

What most of us would call modes or signalling formats, such as AM, FM, narrowband FM, SSB, various trunking protocols, etc, Harris calls "waveforms" and a PRC-152 can pretty much do anything you can dream of as long as the software development team was tasked to write the code for it. They even have 7/800 MHz as an option and P25 trunking is an available waveform. (Phase 1, definitely, not sure about Phase 2.)
And of course, it's a Type 1 encryption capable, Controlled Cryptographic Item. (CCI) Which means you the civilian can not own or possess one by law. There may be some exceptions.

Fully optioned, it'd be pretty much the ultimate hand-held radio, but it's a big one!

I'm reasonably certain that internally it's a software defined radio platform.

It has two relatives, the RF-310M-HH and the RF-7800M-HH. The 310 is capable of Suite B cryptography (everything BELOW Type 1 classified encryption modes) and the 7800 is non-encrypted. Otherwise the capabilities are similar. Yes, both these models are legal for a civilian to own but you are of course still fully responsible for complying with all FCC rules and regulations.

I quickly found a listing for RF-310M-HHs available for sale in the US. Got a spare 7 grand burning a hole in your pocket?

If I did they'd have one less for sale right now.

Want one for less? Well...I don't think ebay has a specific Afghanistan/Pakistan/Syria marketplace but if they did....

I don't think the US ever sold/gave/transferred any Type 1 cryptographic items to the Afghans, but they certainly provided them with the
RF-7800 and/or RF-310 types.

If you really wanted one...I'm sure that some enterprising Afghans have caused some of those radios to appear on the black or at least grey market. But the legal question is....is it really stolen (foreign) government property if the government that purchased it no longer exists in any form? I say, who are you going to contact to arrange for the return of it? That office is empty...maybe to the bare walls. Maybe even burned out. Maybe it even exploded.

The RF-7850M-HH supports L3HARRRIS's 128/256 bit CITADEL and AES 256 bit encryption.

The PRC-152 only supports P25 trunking. None of the other waveforms, that these radios support ,are "trunking "waveforms.

Suite B has been superceded by the CNSA (Commercial National Security Algorithm) Suite.

 

[TDR-94]

AN/PRC-152 is the military's designation for the radio. L3HARRIS's internal designation was the RF-300M-HH. The AN/PRC-163 was the RF-335M-STC. It was a similar thing with Thales. The AN/PRC-148 was the PRC-6991. The AN/PRC-148 (JEM) was the PRC-6999

 

[WRMR482]

Hey there guys- I have a few of the reproduction variants of the MBiTR radios (148, 152, and 152A GPS) but they’re no longer making the 117G versions and so I have taken it upon myself to make a few different Manpack variants myself using my 3D printer and various radio equipment (LoRa for text and gps/blueforce tracking, and SDR’s/WideBand Mobile Radios ranging from simple single band analog or dmr varieties to full blown multi band/broadband versions with HF, VHF, and UHF capabilities in DMR, analog, and network varieties with power levels ranging from 20w-50w- I have the stl files ready and will be making models of the 117G, 117F, and 155 varieties- if anyone is interested in acquiring one, lemme know what kind of capabilities you’re interested in being able to use and I’ll work up an estimate/consultation report for lead times and cost- just lemme know on Facebook/Instagram at 10X Ranch Safari Club or by email to JLP.10X.PBA@gmail.com. Thanks and have a great day!

 

[TDR-94]

The MBITR designation only applies to the Thales handheld variants. The L3HARRIS PRC-152 handheld variants are not MBITR's

 

[rescuecomm]

Perhaps the MBITR acronym is now slang for any of the current portable mil radios with that form factor. I see that the PRC-163 has the twin antenna ports.

 

[TDR-94]

"MBITR" is specific to Thales.

The ability to have 2, independently controlled, Nets/CH's simultaneously operating in a single radio, was a specified requirement going forward for many of the next gen military tactical radios.

Along with larger displays. That's why you see dual antenna connectors on the Thales "MBITR 2" and the L3HARRIS PRC-163 and manpacks from them and others like Collins Aerospace.

 

[ElroyJetson]

I just read the article concerning some radio replacement programs: The relevant passage:

Special Operations Command awarded Harris RF a $400 million maximum-five-year contract Tuesday for a capital equipment replacement program that aims to swap out Special Operations Command's legacy AN/PRC-148 Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR) and AN/PSC-5D Multi-Band/Multi-Mission Communication Terminal with the newer Harris AN/PRC-152(V) 5/6, AN/PRC-152A(V)1/2, and AN/PRC-117G (V) 3(C) software-defined radios.

 

[TDR-94]

That is an old article from 2012. Those radios listed, for the most part, have been or are currently in the process of being replaced.

These are more recent articles. Seems the Thales PRC-148 (JEM) is really the only one SOCOM will continue to use, for the time being, with the new L3HARRIS Falcon IV PRC-163 and PRC-167 manpack radios.

USSOCOM Orders L3Harris AN/PRC-163 Tactical Radios - Overt Defense

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

Clear Communications in the Shadows - Armada International

 

[TDR-94]

SOCOM's requirements led to the creation of the PRC-148 (MBITR) and, for the most part, the creation of the U.S. based Thales Communications. Early versions still had RACAL labels. The "BIG" Army was the next to adopt them and naturally, do to it being the largest branch of the U.S. military, was the largest user of them. The other U.S. military branches followed suit shortly after.