What should I look for when buying used Harris RF-7850m-hh?

[chanrobi]

Found a couple of these used/surplus and would like to buy one, asking about $3.2k usd

I mainly planning on using it for sota/pota, hitting repeaters/ham radio use, will these work well for this purpose? The seller claims the cps software is readily available (is this true?). Expensive?

I use 152/117g at work and just wanted something nice to play with during my off time and I figured I might as well get a green one to go with my collection. I already have a TCA prc152 so i'd like to get a genuine article. Do these have issues with HUBs that I need to look out for?

 

[TDR-94]

The RF-7850M-HH/RF-7850V-HH and RF-7825M-HH don't use a HUB or require TYPE-1 Initialization, like the AN/PRC-152(C)/AN/PRC-152A or the RF-310M-HH require to be fully functional.

The RF-7850M-HH has a very diffetent UI than the AN/PRC-152 and RF-310M-HH. There are many software versions of the RF-7850M-HH and certain SW versions and options may require certain versions of the CPA. The RF-7850M-HH doesn't support 12.5Khz NFM in VULOS and you can only use NFM in P25, if you can find an RF-7850M-HH with the P25 option enabled.Many don't have it and it can only be purchased from L3HARRIS with an approved Premiere account and it isn't cheap! Also keep in mind that many of these being sold as surplus come from the former ANA and were seized by the Taliban takeover, so who knows what purchasing one of these is helping to fund.

 

[TDR-94]

Programming cables/adapters will be difficult if not nearly impossible to find, so you would have to either purchase one from L3HARRIS (several hundred $$$) or make your own. If you need a particular SW version or option, that will also cost you extra.Unlike many public safety radios, SW (firmware) versions are not free and are serialized to each radio and SW versions are several hundred dollars to purchase and that's only if you have an approved Premiere account. Being that the RF-7850M-HH only holds 25 presets, you can easily just program them by hand, once you get the hang of the UI.

 

[chanrobi]

Thanks TDR-94. Don't have to worry about HUBS.

On the spec sheet I am confused it says "narrowband" from 30-512mhz and then "wideband" from 225-512mhz.

My understanding is that most amateur repeaters use "wideband" (although it is not defined exactly what this means?)?

Sounds like a Harris premiere account isn't easy to get a for a regular joe?

 

[TDR-94]

Narrowband selection also depends on the mode, not just the frequency range. 12.5Khz NBFM is selectable in P25 mode from 30-512 Mhz. It's not selectable in VULOS mode from 30-512Mhz. . Premiere accounts aren't intended for "regular Joe's" and you have to apply for approval and have a valid .mil email address or an approved business email address. L3HARRRIS reviews each individual account request. It's not an automated process. If approved, there is usually a several thousand $$ required yearly account fee and a minimum order requirement of $500 per order.

 

[chanrobi]

Narrowband selection also depends on the mode, not just the frequency range. 12.5Khz NBFM is selectable in P25 mode from 30-512 Mhz. It's not selectable in VULOS mode from 30-512Mhz. . Premiere accounts aren't intended for "regular Joe's" and you have to apply for approval and have a valid .mil email address or an approved business email address. L3HARRRIS reviews each individual account request. It's not an automated process. If approved, there is usually a several thousand $$ required yearly account fee and a minimum order requirement of $500 per order.O

Oof ok thanks this info. I'm sure work has an account but I doubt they'd entertain a personal account lol

Had a quick look for programming cables and it seems supplynet has one for $195 USD, unsure of software sigh.
The one thing I do like about this radio is that it does not beep when transmitting in PT mode ... unlike the other ones i've used with type 1 crypto

 

[TDR-94]

With the RF-7850M-HH you can enable the PT override beep or disable it. The SupplyNet cable is an aftermarket cable.The OEM L3HARRIS cable was around $400 the last I saw. The SupplyNet cable might require you to wire it up for USB programming and add the USB connector. It looks like it's a pre-wired cable, which means it might just have the bare wires on one end. You may want to contact SupplyNet to confirm if it's a pre-wired cable or if it's a finished USB programming cable.

 

[surfacemount]

Narrowband selection also depends on the mode, not just the frequency range. 12.5Khz NBFM is selectable in P25 mode from 30-512 Mhz. It's not selectable in VULOS mode from 30-512Mhz. . Premiere accounts aren't intended for "regular Joe's" and you have to apply for approval and have a valid .mil email address or an approved business email address. L3HARRRIS reviews each individual account request. It's not an automated process. If approved, there is usually a several thousand $$ required yearly account fee and a minimum order requirement of $500 per order.

When I applied, the application wanted serial numbers of my radios.
Considering you won't know the pedigree of yours... (shrugs)

 

[chanrobi]

When I applied, the application wanted serial numbers of my radios.
Considering you won't know the pedigree of yours... (shrugs)

Decided not to buy these from that particular seller. Will have to wait for a private seller perhaps or someone a bit more trustworthy.

They couldn't even answer some basic questions about the radio which means they have no idea what they are selling for the most part, and the implications of such lack of knowledge ...

 

[TDR-94]

When I applied, the application wanted serial numbers of my radios.
Considering you won't know the pedigree of yours... (shrugs)

Radio platform software and options files are typically serialized to each individual radio and they also like to check the "history" of the radios beforehand. Usually, if you didn't originally purchase the radio directly from them, they won't deal with you.

 

[surfacemount]

Radio platform software and options files are typically serialized to each individual radio and they also like to check the "history" of the radios beforehand. Usually, if you didn't originally purchase the radio directly from them, they won't deal with you.

Interesting.
I used to manage about three hundred of a specific harris product (or three). We had one software package for programming the mission plans, and one piece of software to reinitialize all of them. We never dealt in serial numbers. They weren't cloned, all of them had individual serials in their firmware.

 

[TDR-94]

Interesting.
I used to manage about three hundred of a specific harris product (or three). We had one software package for programming the mission plans, and one piece of software to reinitialize all of them. We never dealt in serial numbers. They weren't cloned, all of them had individual serials in their firmware.

Ok, you are referring to the programming software and the "special" encryption key file used to initialize TYPE-1 radios. I'm referring to the Platform software (firmware) package and the Options files that are serialized to each of those radios.

 

[TDR-94]

How often did you have to load the 'split' to re-initialize the TYPE-1 radios? Was it s frequent occurrence?

 

[surfacemount]

I don't recognize the term 'split'. On the one system, certain things we had to send back to our depot. Perhaps that was one of them?

 

[surfacemount]

Ok, you are referring to the programming software and the "special" encryption key file used to initialize TYPE-1 radios. I'm referring to the Platform software (firmware) package and the Options files that are serialized to each of those radios.

It's been about two years, but we would get a secure shipping box from Harris. It would be brain dead. (We would verify it was completely empty).
We had a special disk you loaded onto a dongled laptop and then via usb to the top connector, not the front. You dragged it onto the BLACK in the file tree, and it loaded to the radio. You power cycled the radio, then you did the crypto init, and then you did the mission plans in bulk, but you had to then go hand jam the front of the radio. There was one file if you loaded it twice it bricked the radio. I couldn't take my notes with me when I left or I would go get them.
All I know for sure is that it wasn't a file per serial number, that set of software worked on all the manpacks we were accountable for. As big as that organization was, perhaps it was a special order? They definitely could have demanded it lol

 

[TDR-94]

I don't recognize the term 'split'. On the one system, certain things we had to send back to our depot. Perhaps that was one of them?

Yeah, that might have been a level 3 maintenance requirement.

 

[TDR-94]

It's been about two years, but we would get a secure shipping box from Harris. It would be brain dead. (We would verify it was completely empty).
We had a special disk you loaded onto a dongled laptop and then via usb to the top connector, not the front. You dragged it onto the BLACK in the file tree, and it loaded to the radio. You power cycled the radio, then you did the crypto init, and then you did the mission plans in bulk, but you had to then go hand jam the front of the radio. There was one file if you loaded it twice it bricked the radio. I couldn't take my notes with me when I left or I would go get them.
All I know for sure is that it wasn't a file per serial number, that set of software worked on all the manpacks we were accountable for. As big as that organization was, perhaps it was a special order? They definitely could have demanded it lol

Ok, yeah, I know the process you are referring to. That dongle/PC would most likely have had a 'Classified' classification because of the file it contained for the initialization of the radios. With the AN/PRC-152 radios there were also 3 other types of files that had to be loaded into the radios, in a specified order, to update the platform SW (firmware) and to add waveform/options. Typically, the radios would also require re-initialization to complete the whole process in order to validate the SW files.Two of those 3 files were specific to each individual radio and if they weren't loaded in the correct 'specified' order, could also result in "bricking" the radio and require level 3 maintenance or require a trip back to L3HARRIS.

 

[TDR-94]

Of course, with the RF7850M-HH, there is no TYPE-1 initialization like there is with the AN/PRC-152 or even the RF-310M-HH. However, the firmware and waveform/option files are still specific to each individual radio.