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Posted: 6/15/2011 3:18:41 AM EDT
[#1]
Those are front line radios, indeed the 152 is essentially brand new. It's unlikely you could get one, even if you could get one legally neither Harris nor Thales would provide you the software necessary to program it. Indeed Harris controls each copy of the software based on the serial numbers of the radios it is authorized to program (not sure if the same is true of Thales, not that it matters).
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Posted: 6/15/2011 3:27:45 AM EDT
[#2]
Of the two, I have only seen MBITRs from time to time at individual sale, unless you are a GSA buyer. The 152 is newer and still replacing ASIPs in service, so I would not expect to find any.
An MBITR would be fun for civilian use, but the cost/benefit ratio would be steep. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 5:44:31 AM EDT
[#3]
Because of the Crypto capability, not going to happen.
However, I head Harris produces neutered versions of some radios for sale to other countries. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 6:02:26 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted:
Because of the Crypto capability, not going to happen. However, I head Harris produces neutered versions of some radios for sale to other countries. There are non-crypto (or non-Type-1 crypto) versions of both, I believe, for export purposes. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 6:05:12 AM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
Those are front line radios, indeed the 152 is essentially brand new. It's unlikely you could get one, even if you could get one legally neither Harris nor Thales would provide you the software necessary to program it. Indeed Harris controls each copy of the software based on the serial numbers of the radios it is authorized to program (not sure if the same is true of Thales, not that it matters). I don't recall software being required to program the 152, though I'm sure it's possible to do so that way. They're programmable from the front panel. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 9:03:50 AM EDT
[#6]
You are correct about them being front panel programmable. MBITR also. There is an export version of both radios.
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Posted: 6/15/2011 9:18:27 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
You are correct about them being front panel programmable. MBITR also. There is an export version of both radios. That was the feature I liked most about the 152 –– the ability to do most of what you could with a 117f in a handheld (lower power, obviously). I believe they were also building in a wireless clone capability as well, use one radio to program multiple radios with no cables. Personally, I would think the export models would be better –– I think that proper commercial crypto (and Harris certainly knows how to do that) would be adequate for communications security, though I have not used the export models of either radio. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 12:05:50 PM EDT
[#8]
A Chinese company is making functional "replica" 148s as a more basic two-way radio in either VHF or UHF bands
(example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bFzgYIaVe0) You could buy a lot of amateur radio (or business/LMR) communications capability for what a 148 or 152 would cost. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 12:07:07 PM EDT
[#9]
I didn't think i could find a 152, but I have seen 147's before. Must of been the ball-less (minus crypt) version. What about buying through a Gov. Contracting company? I work for a DHS secured company. We even built their new "holding" room at the International airport here in Atlanta. Not sure if being a affiliated with the Gov will get me anywhere or not though.
Even if it is the non crypto export version. where do I buy them? I need about 20-30 units. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 12:09:34 PM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
I need about 20-30 units. 
Out of curiosity can you tell us what the usage is? Maybe there are some non-military alternatives that would cover your needs at a fraction of the cost. Last I knew the MBITR's were something like 5 or 7 thousand dollars each. Here's the Thales unit... https://secure.thalescomminc.com/cart2/catalog.asp And here's the Harris... http://www.rfcomm.harris.com/capabilities/tactical-radios-networking/an-prc-152/default.asp Probably have to purchase directly from Thales or Harris, as almost all of their sales go directly to the gov I doubt they have a dealer system. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 12:30:23 PM EDT
[#11]
You talkin one of these? This one is mil-issue. Yep they're programmable through the front panel. I programmed one of the local repeaters on the one I use for work. Sorry about the rotation. I'll fix it after work.
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Posted: 6/15/2011 1:35:19 PM EDT
[#12]
http://www.bhigear.com/radios.aspx
never ordered from them before that being said, while the 148s are VERY capable radios... you're still running a big HT there are better options out there for people who don't need it to do VHF low AM, UHF AM and UHF SATCOM, plus FM, and a boatload of other options, all in one unit
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Posted: 6/15/2011 1:39:51 PM EDT
[#13]
Quoted:
http://www.bhigear.com/radios.aspx never ordered from them before that being said, while the 148s are VERY capable radios... you're still running a big HT there are better options out there for people who don't need it to do VHF low AM, UHF AM and UHF SATCOM, plus FM, and a boatload of other options, all in one unit Better *NOT* be doing satcom off an MBITR. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 3:28:18 PM EDT
[#14]
as it stands, I've got about 20 guys, in 4 plants, all within a 15 mile (usually less) radius that need to be capable of communicating. Cell phones are a hassle and are expensive, and most commercially avaiilable radios either don't have the range, are too bulky, or we get cross traffic from everyone and their grandma.
We had custom FCC licensed crystals cut and installed in some higher end Moto. hand helds. and they were good for intr-site comms, but they are all on their last leg. They also didn't really have the range I needed. we could talk within about 8 miles or so, depending on what part of the plants we were in. but with the 2 new plants the men are at, we need something longer reaching. I only asked about the MBITR setup becuase I assumed with them being milspec they could handle the abuse my guys put on gear. any suggestions? |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 3:45:04 PM EDT
[#15]
NO handheld radio is going to make it 15 miles. You need a repeater if you need that kind of reliable communications range. Mobile radios with on-vehicle (or fixed base station) antennas could probably make the 15 miles over reasonable terrain.
Any number of reasonably rugged Land Mobile Radio service radios are available that would be suitable for you. If you have a licensed frequency you're already way ahead of the game, you just need some new radios to use on that frequency. Icom, Vertex, Kenwood, Motorola all make good radios, at $250~$500 per radio instead of $7000~$8000 per radio. For the cost of a single MBITR you could buy the repeater that you really need to make your communications work. Depending on your budget and available facilities and connections, you could probably find a reasonable intermediate location to put up a repeater which would give you the coverage area you need. If you don't already have a license for a repeater system, that would need to be added on. Depending on the system design and frequency bands, licensing, etc, you could also have local site comms at each site and then the repeater for full coverage, if that would be useful to you. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 3:46:12 PM EDT
[#16]
You need a repeater on a tower and some commercial HT's. This can be set up fir way less than these USGI rigs.
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Posted: 6/15/2011 4:00:03 PM EDT
[#17]
hmm, is it possible ot make a mobile repeater (I'm new to all of this stuff, so pardon if this is a dumb question) on a vehicle? We have 4 company trucks that stay at each of the job sites. could a repeater be mounted to each of these to give the boost needed to reach all of the sites?
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Posted: 6/15/2011 4:10:06 PM EDT
[#18]
You need to get a repeater in a probably central location among your sites, at some kind of elevation. Tower, building, mountaintop, etc. A mobile repeater is possible but won't really do what you need it to do, unless you're parking it on a mountaintop, or the top floor of a really tall parking garage, during the workdays.
You could probably rent repeater access from another LMR user/dealer in your area, or maybe work out some kind of sharing arrangement with an existing repeater owner. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 6:08:03 PM EDT
[#19]
Quoted: You need to get a repeater in a probably central location among your sites, at some kind of elevation. Tower, building, mountaintop, etc. A mobile repeater is possible but won't really do what you need it to do, unless you're parking it on a mountaintop, or the top floor of a really tall parking garage, during the workdays. You could probably rent repeater access from another LMR user/dealer in your area, or maybe work out some kind of sharing arrangement with an existing repeater owner. there is probably already coverage of where you want to operate - I know we had a large shoot that required a longer range VHF channel to keep the buses in contact to and from parking - the other guy helping me with our comm plan is a radio dealer and found another dealer in the area who had an open channel on his repeater. This was in Lancaster County PA - not exactly inner city  renting repeater space and using handheld VHF radios will be simpler and cheaper- and will work 100x better
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Posted: 6/15/2011 10:47:03 PM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
Quoted:
http://www.bhigear.com/radios.aspx never ordered from them before that being said, while the 148s are VERY capable radios... you're still running a big HT there are better options out there for people who don't need it to do VHF low AM, UHF AM and UHF SATCOM, plus FM, and a boatload of other options, all in one unit Better *NOT* be doing satcom off an MBITR. Why not? |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 10:52:56 PM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
http://www.bhigear.com/radios.aspx never ordered from them before that being said, while the 148s are VERY capable radios... you're still running a big HT there are better options out there for people who don't need it to do VHF low AM, UHF AM and UHF SATCOM, plus FM, and a boatload of other options, all in one unit Better *NOT* be doing satcom off an MBITR. Why not? Not certified for it, and for good reason. |
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Posted: 6/15/2011 11:22:02 PM EDT
[#22]
Actually there is another option which might be interesting.
Do you need continuous coverage over the entire area, or do you just need coverage at each of the facilities? You could put a small, low power/limited coverage repeater at each facility and link them together via an internet link (or point-to-point radio linking). |
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Posted: 6/16/2011 8:56:28 AM EDT
[#23]
Quoted:
as it stands, I've got about 20 guys, in 4 plants, all within a 15 mile (usually less) radius that need to be capable of communicating. Cell phones are a hassle and are expensive, and most commercially avaiilable radios either don't have the range, are too bulky, or we get cross traffic from everyone and their grandma. We had custom FCC licensed crystals cut and installed in some higher end Moto. hand helds. and they were good for intr-site comms, but they are all on their last leg. They also didn't really have the range I needed. we could talk within about 8 miles or so, depending on what part of the plants we were in. but with the 2 new plants the men are at, we need something longer reaching. I only asked about the MBITR setup becuase I assumed with them being milspec they could handle the abuse my guys put on gear. any suggestions? Does Sprint/Nextel have direct connect coverage in your area? If so, iDEN Direct Connect handsets may be the simplest solution in the near term while VHF/UHF with repeaters will be less expensive in the long run. |
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Posted: 6/16/2011 11:15:45 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted:
A Chinese company is making functional "replica" 148s as a more basic two-way radio in either VHF or UHF bands
(example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bFzgYIaVe0) You could buy a lot of amateur radio (or business/LMR) communications capability for what a 148 or 152 would cost. I found two places selling those and had the credit card out. The first one redirected to a sketchy looking external site for payment processing. Pass. The second one only accepts paypal. Pass. Somebody with a legit looking payment page take my money! 
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Posted: 6/16/2011 12:50:25 PM EDT
[#25]
Quoted:
Quoted:
A Chinese company is making functional "replica" 148s as a more basic two-way radio in either VHF or UHF bands
(example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bFzgYIaVe0) You could buy a lot of amateur radio (or business/LMR) communications capability for what a 148 or 152 would cost. I found two places selling those and had the credit card out. The first one redirected to a sketchy looking external site for payment processing. Pass. The second one only accepts paypal. Pass. Somebody with a legit looking payment page take my money! Ok, I found one that looks at least vaguely legit. If not, that's what the protection services on my credit card are for 
Clone of an AN/PRC-148 that does 2m and 440 ham bands + FRS. Does 5 watts on the ham bands and 1/2 watt on channels 8-13 on the FRS band. Also got a knock off phone handset. The whole shebang was $301 shipped (free shipping an 8% off for new customers. They also offer 10% off for your birthday). It it works well, I'll post a dancing banana. If not, it's only 300 bones and I'm sure I can recoup most of it selling to some airsofter. Either way, I'll be sure to post a review when it arrives. |
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Posted: 6/16/2011 1:00:14 PM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
Clone of an AN/PRC-148 that does 2m and 440 ham bands + FRS. Does 5 watts on the ham bands and 1/2 watt on channels 8-13 on the FRS band. Also got a knock off phone handset. The way I read the description is that there are different versions for VHF, UHF, or FRS. Guess you'll find out. Maybe we need Wouxun to make a low band+6m/2m+VHF/222/440+UHF ruggedized radio  With AM RX on Aviation bands (at least 121.5 and 243) as well as 406MHz it would be handy for SAR and interoperability if they would get it Part 90 approved. Put a hefty capacity LiIon battery on it and I'm sure they'd sell some.
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Posted: 6/16/2011 1:05:53 PM EDT
[#27]
Why would you buy a cosmetic replica of a $7,000 military radio, when the replica is functionally equivalent to a single-band HAM radio that you can buy for approx $150?
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Posted: 6/16/2011 1:06:52 PM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Clone of an AN/PRC-148 that does 2m and 440 ham bands + FRS. Does 5 watts on the ham bands and 1/2 watt on channels 8-13 on the FRS band. Also got a knock off phone handset. The way I read the description is that there are different versions for VHF, UHF, or FRS. Guess you'll find out. Yeah, I'm not sure. Some of the reviews of it said it's multiband. Some of the sites selling it specifically said it was multiband... at any rate, I will indeed find out! Though I'd prefer a multibander, I'd be fine with a 2m only version or a 440 only version. However if I just paid $300 for a 5 channel FRS radio I'll be a little miffed 
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Posted: 6/16/2011 1:07:10 PM EDT
[#29]
Quoted:
Why would you buy a cosmetic replica of a $7,000 military radio, when the replica is functionally equivalent to a single-band HAM radio that you can buy for approx $150? *shrug* cuz I wanted to? |
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Posted: 6/16/2011 6:18:17 PM EDT
[#30]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
http://www.bhigear.com/radios.aspx never ordered from them before that being said, while the 148s are VERY capable radios... you're still running a big HT there are better options out there for people who don't need it to do VHF low AM, UHF AM and UHF SATCOM, plus FM, and a boatload of other options, all in one unit Better *NOT* be doing satcom off an MBITR. Why not? Not certified for it, and for good reason. The radio will do the proper mode/CRYPTO and can be programmed for the splits, it works for us all day every day. |
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Posted: 6/16/2011 6:22:25 PM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
The radio will do the proper mode/CRYPTO and can be programmed for the splits, it works for us all day every day. It still shouldn't be used. Don't get me wrong, I carried a DMC-125 with mine everywhere just in case, but I sure as hell would never depend on it as a satcom radio. There are very good reasons why you shouldn't use it on the satellite. The PRC-152 is, while not certified, at least designed to do satcom. |
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Posted: 6/16/2011 7:31:39 PM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Clone of an AN/PRC-148 that does 2m and 440 ham bands + FRS. Does 5 watts on the ham bands and 1/2 watt on channels 8-13 on the FRS band. Also got a knock off phone handset. The way I read the description is that there are different versions for VHF, UHF, or FRS. Guess you'll find out. Maybe we need Wouxun to make a low band+6m/2m+VHF/222/440+UHF ruggedized radio With AM RX on Aviation bands (at least 121.5 and 243) as well as 406MHz it would be handy for SAR and interoperability if they would get it Part 90 approved. Put a hefty capacity LiIon battery on it and I'm sure they'd sell some.Just heard back from the company in China. They only have the UHF version, but it covers 400-470 MHz. Most stuff around here is on 2m but I'm OK with the 440 version. A 10m/6m ruggedized portable would be fantastic Especially if they made it all mode and it was capable of data. Toughbook + ruggedized 10m portable = PSK in the woods 
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Posted: 6/16/2011 7:36:00 PM EDT
[#33]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Clone of an AN/PRC-148 that does 2m and 440 ham bands + FRS. Does 5 watts on the ham bands and 1/2 watt on channels 8-13 on the FRS band. Also got a knock off phone handset. The way I read the description is that there are different versions for VHF, UHF, or FRS. Guess you'll find out. Maybe we need Wouxun to make a low band+6m/2m+VHF/222/440+UHF ruggedized radio With AM RX on Aviation bands (at least 121.5 and 243) as well as 406MHz it would be handy for SAR and interoperability if they would get it Part 90 approved. Put a hefty capacity LiIon battery on it and I'm sure they'd sell some.Just heard back from the company in China. They only have the UHF version, but it covers 400-470 MHz. Most stuff around here is on 2m but I'm OK with the 440 version. A 10m/6m ruggedized portable would be fantastic Especially if they made it all mode and it was capable of data. Toughbook + ruggedized 10m portable = PSK in the woods I'd be very interested to hear how it works when you get it. |
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Posted: 6/16/2011 7:51:01 PM EDT
[#34]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Clone of an AN/PRC-148 that does 2m and 440 ham bands + FRS. Does 5 watts on the ham bands and 1/2 watt on channels 8-13 on the FRS band. Also got a knock off phone handset. The way I read the description is that there are different versions for VHF, UHF, or FRS. Guess you'll find out. Maybe we need Wouxun to make a low band+6m/2m+VHF/222/440+UHF ruggedized radio With AM RX on Aviation bands (at least 121.5 and 243) as well as 406MHz it would be handy for SAR and interoperability if they would get it Part 90 approved. Put a hefty capacity LiIon battery on it and I'm sure they'd sell some.Just heard back from the company in China. They only have the UHF version, but it covers 400-470 MHz. Most stuff around here is on 2m but I'm OK with the 440 version. A 10m/6m ruggedized portable would be fantastic Especially if they made it all mode and it was capable of data. Toughbook + ruggedized 10m portable = PSK in the woods I'd be very interested to hear how it works when you get it. Me too. I already have a 6/2/440 HT so I pretty much entirely bought it for how it looks - like a military radio. But hell, most of us have military pattern rifles here because we like the way they look and work so I'm not ashamed
I'll post a review when it shows up. |
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