The AN/PRC-150(C) Falcon II Manpack Radio, is a tactical HF-SSB/ VHF-FM manpack radio manufactured by Harris Corporation.[1] It holds an NSA certification for Type 1 encryption.[2] The PRC-150 is the manpack HF radio for the Harris Falcon II family of radios, introduced in the early 2000s.
| AN/PRC-150 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Manpack tactical radio |
| Service History | |
| Used by | United States Army, US Marines |
| Conflicts | Iraq War, War in Afghanistan, |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | L3Harris |
| Specifications | |
| Frequency range | 1.6-60 MHz |
| Transmit power | up to 20 watts |
| Modes | FM (VHF), AM, AME, SSB, CW |
| Encryption | NSA Type 1 algorithms (Top Secret and below) |
The designation AN/PRC translates to Army/Navy Portable Radio Communications, according to Joint Electronics Type Designation System guidelines.
Users
editThe AN/PRC-150(C) radio is currently in use with the United States Army, United States Special Operations Command[3] as well as within the US Marine Corps and United States Air Force.
The PRC-150 is particularly popular for use in dismounted reconnaissance units, such as the US Army's Long Range Surveillance units (now deactivated), IBCT Dismounted Reconnaissance Troops (DRT) and IBCT Infantry battalion scout platoons. This is due to the fact that the PRC-150 can achieve Beyond Line-Of-Sight (BLOS) communications over 1500 km away in a radio/antenna package that can fit inside an assault pack. When used with a tactical laptop, such as a Panasonic Toughbook, the PRC-150 can be used as an HF IP data modem for text messaging, email, and multimedia file sharing, important for transmitting reports and photographic imagery collected by a recon unit.
It is being phased out in favor of the newer AN/PRC-160, the manpack HF radio for the Harris Falcon III family of radios. The PRC-160 is lighter and smaller than the PRC-150, and is capable of 4th Generation Automatic Link Establishment (4G ALE) and up to 10x faster data speeds.[4]
Specifications
edit
General
edit- Frequency Range: 1.6 to 59.999 MHz
- Net Presets: 75, fully programmable
- Frequency Stability ±0.5 x 10–6
- Emission Modes: J3E (single sideband, upper or lower, suppressed carrier telephony), H3E (compatible AM single sideband plus full carrier), A1A, J2A (compatible CW), selectable; F3E (FM)
- RF Input/Output Impedance: 50 Ω nominal, unbalanced
- Power Input: 26 VDC (21.5 to 32 VDC)
- Data Interface: Synchronous or asynchronous (RS-232C; MIL-STD-188-114A)
- Dimensions (with battery case): 10.5W x 3.5H x 13.2D inches (26.7W x 8.1H x 34.3D cm)
- Radio Weight: 10 lb (4.7 kg) without batteries.
- Model: RT-1694D (P)(C)/U
Receiver
edit- Sensitivity SSB: –113 dBm (0.5 μV) minimum for 10 dB SINAD
- Audio Output: 15 mW at 1000 Ω to external handset
- Squelch: Front panel adjustable, active squelch selectable
- IF Rejection: Greater than 80 dB
- Image Rejection: Greater than 80 dB (First IF image)
- Intermodulation Distortion: –80 dB or better for two –30-dBm signals separated 30 kHz or more
- Overload Protection: Receiver protected to 32 VRMS
Transmitter
edit- Power Output: 1, 5, 20 watts PEP/Average -1/+2 dB (1, 5, 10 watts FM)
- Audio Input: 1.5 mV at 150 Ω or 0 dBm at 600 Ω for full rated output
- Carrier Suppression: Greater than 60 dB below PEP output (J3E mode)
- Undesired Sideband Suppression: Greater than 60 dB below PEP output
- Spurious Outputs: –50 dB relative to rated output, except harmonics which are –40 dB (Greater than 20 kHz from Fc) Minimum for fo = 1.6-30 MHz
- Antenna Tuning Capability: OE-505 10-foot (3 m) whip (1.6 to 60 MHz), RF-1936P (AS-2259) NVIS (1.6 to 30 MHz), RF-1940-AT001/RF-1941 dipole
Environmental
edit- Test Method: Per MIL-STD-810E
- Immersion: 3 ft. (0.9 m) of water
- Operating temperature: –40 °C to +70 °C
HF Features
edit- Encrypted Data HF: MIL-STD-188-110B App. C (9600 bit/s and 12,800 bit/s uncoded), App. B 39 tone (to 2400 bit/s), Serial Tone (to 9600 bit/s), STANAG 4285 (2400 bit/s), STANAG 4415 (75 bit/s), STANAG 4539 (9600 bit/s), FSK (600 bit/s)
- VHF: FSK (16 kbit/s)
- Automatic Link Establishment (ALE): STANAG 4538 FLSU, MIL-STD-188-141B Appendix A with Appendix B AL-1 LP, including the Scope Command telephony call type
- Frequency hopping: Serial Tone ECCM
- Vocoder: HF LPC-10-52E (600/2400) MELP (600/2400), VHF: CVSD
- Data Link Layer Protocol (ARQ): STANAG 4538 (3G), pFED-STD-1052
VHF Features
editCOMSEC Interoperability
editANDVT/KY-99, ANDVT/KY-100, KG-84C, KY-57 VINSON (VHF), CITADEL (NSA approved exportable COMSEC)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Harris Corporation Awarded Contract With a Potential Value of $422 Million For Falcon II AN/PRC-150(C) High-Frequency Tactical Radios". Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2007.
- ^ "AN/PRC-150(C) Advanced HF/VHF Tactical Radio System" (PDF). Harris Corporation. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
- ^ Defense Tech: SOCOM's New Radio Archived May 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical (PEO-C3T) > Organizations > PM Tactical Radios > Helicopter and Multi Mission Radios". PEO C3T.