I’m going to a quick run down on these, because the same questions always come up:

The first one to be released was the TRI PRC-152 in like 2010-ish. It was literally a Baofeng in a fancy case. Would not work with dynamic mics. Would not work with issued batteries.

The second released  was TCA PRC-152. This model worked with .mil headsets and batteries. The software is buggy, and they’ve been known to have problems with the finals.

The third to be released was the TRI PRC-117G. A lot of the features from the 117 came downstream to the 148 and 152 that are currently in TRI’s lineup after the 117 was discontinued. The 117 was unpopular due to cost, as it was ~$1,000. That said, it pushed 35W, ran off a bank of easily replaced batteries, could be used as a repeater, could do packet radio, etc.

The fourth to be released was the TS PRC-148. These were monoband, UHF radios.

The fifth to be released was the TRI PRC-148 in 2016-ish. These push 10W, have cross-band repeating, can work with either Electret Mics or Dynamic Mics (.mil), will interface with any and all various 6 pin microphones and TNC antennas that are currently floating around for pennies on the dollar on the surplus market. They also have noise-cancellation and compression available. They will work with all issued batteries, disposable battery packs and other related power-supply accoutrements. They will monitor air band, and are full-duplex. All connections and exposed metal parts are stainless steel. The body is machined aluminum.



The sixth to be released was the TRI-PRC 152. It is similar on the software/internal side to the 148, with all the same compatibility with regards to the issued (Harris) power supplies/batteries. Compared to the original 152, the current model can be easily identified in that it has a machined aluminum housing, and identical display to the Harris Falcon III.



The seventh version, which has not been released yet, is the tri-band PRC-152 that does 10m.

The biggest differences between the TRI 148 and the 152:

152 has slightly better selectivity and an overall more refined front-end.
The 152 has a DTMF keypad.
The 152 has a Frequency-Inversion Audio Scrambler.
The 148 does not have parasitic drain when a battery is left connected; the 152 does.
The 148 is easier to scroll through channels with the top-mounted wheel.

Both the TRI 148/152 have superheterodyne receivers, and are both full-duplex (mandatory for hotting birds). Both are submersible to 2m. Unlike most commercial amateur HT’s, these can absolutely be abused, and trashed in the field. For SOTA, or long camping trips, multi-day hunts, I’m absolutely comfortable bringing one battery and not worrying.

As someone who only plays ham radio outside, between one of the TRIs and the X5105, I can go from 1.6-70 for days, without worrying about power.



I have Motorolas, Hyteras, Icoms, and have had some Yaesu HTs  (never the fuck again). If I could only keep one of my HTs, it would absolutely be one of the TRIs. If Icom ever decides to update the ID-51A with a bandscope, SSB  and/or Bluetooth, I might be willing to change my opinion.

This 152 is not the 10m one?

Would you recommend the TRI over the TCA?

I think so, but if it's added to cart, it shows out of stock.

Good question.

Thanks Outlander for the post!

So are there any actual specs or radio tests of these. I.e. sensitivity, selectivity, spurrious emissions power consumption etc?

Definitely.

I’d try and verify with the seller. Mine are the U/V/H but there’s no Low-Band on mine. It’s supposed to be added at some point; but I can’t confirm that the linked one has 10m on it. The price seems to indicate that it may be.

I love my TCA 152. The newest version. From what I can tell it’s the same radio as the current TRI.

I’m ready for the TCA 148
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They have no parallel except that the cheaper one sort of looks like the actual one.

I've been following the 152's (no clue about 148s) from the beginning. There are a few facebook groups regarding them. Monda International will tell you they are the sole legit US distributor for some of them.

People get very very confused with these. People selling them do not help matters.

The base version is simply a shell you can stuff any radio that fits into. People see the realistic screen and assume.

They did sell their rendition of the 117 like the other guy says. Some wealthy hong kong airsofters love them to death. I have seen a couple on US period vehicle restorations. Those are just grey market ham radios in a 117-like case. No fill, no hop, no nothing.

I've been wanting a H model in federal beige since the beginning. I was part of the people pestering them to make a tri band. I actually tracked down the manufacturer, and offered to write an english manual for it when it happened, they said they'd get back to me.

Some people claim to own a H model with working low band. No one has proved it to me, yet.

On the other hand, I have seen several that have figured out how to make the GPS version work, and I have seen one person that actually devoted the clock cycles to successfully interfacing the radio into an APRS system. Allegedly there is a maritime 152 floating around with the funky ten pin, but I've never really cared to search.

I have kind of fallen off helping people with these. I used to get questions about why their $500 trivec antenna didn't seem to get out well, or why the donkey dork that fell off a friends' supply truck doesn't seem to work well.

If you understand their limitations, and use actual VHF-UHF antennas with them (and not cheap repro units off an airsoft site), people tell me they are just the same as any cheap bubble pack, but heavier, klunkier, and they are terrified a knob or the antenna or audio accessory port will yank off (which, is a common occurrence on the plastic body units. I dunno about the aluminum ones).

For that reason, I never did drop the coin. I will buy the HF banded one though.

Someone asked about programming. The software is out there, and so are a few cables. I forget if the software is for the TRI or TCA flavor. People have built their own cables, using that low-temp melting plastic you could buy at radio shack (looked like pellets, dump them in boiling water and then you could semi-permanently mold with them) and a hacked up usb cable. Maybe serial to usb, it's been months since I've talked about this stuff.

Oh - I don't know anyone that has actually tossed any of these on a bench and swept them. I do know that there are no replica units that will talk to any cool guy accessories. Someone with an arduino will probably make something for one of the 148's eventually, though. The older versions constantly were a source of angst for nonradio airsofters who couldn't understand why their real steel mil wouldn't 'sound right' on these units. People make adapters that live in the radios for those, the newest ones as said earlier have an OEM switch.

I have not heard of any of these being hung up in customs, and I have not even heard a rumor that uncle charlie is looking at these, either.

lastly, both TCA and TRI / Triumph Instruments have had websites on and off over the years. I don't know of a current one for either. They both have had facebook pages, but I have lost both of them, and nothing seems to pop up doing a search right now. I pinged monda about the H just now, and I'll report back what they tell me. (shrugs)

I just wanted one because I am a radio snob. I built a 5k, I've halfway built a 7k, and I think a tri band 152 would pretty much be the end all at the next ares meeting lol

Do any of you know of a handheld that a ham company makes with 10m or VHF low, VHF hi and UHF in it? Been a long time since I searched.

I have dedicated HTs and mobile rigs. I don’t view this radio as a ham radio even though it’s perfectly capable as such.

This radio to me is something I strap onto my plate carrier because it’s ruggedized and interfaces with comms easily.

If you want a better HAM radio than buy a better HAM radio.

I'm just going to dump this here so I can link when this comes up again.

Some of the radios could be programmed with UV88 software.
Some of the earlier ones had guts made by baojie.

TCA = Tactical Communication Automation & Systems, Inc.
TRI = Triumph Instruments

I'll try to come back and add more as I dig through my files

Edit -

https://www.facebook.com/tcaint  it works, but no new posts in around two years.

https://www.facebook.com/TRIUMPHINSTRUMENT/ same as above.

Apparently I forgot about FALCO Communications

https://www.facebook.com/Falco.Communications.System/
http://www.fcs.fun/

The whole 10m thing is a bit weird. Real 148's and 152's go to 30mhz and call it day. Personally I'd be more interested in 6m than 10, but I actually have one them thar really hard to get Ham Licenses. Maybe its to cater to the fact that 10m is close to the CB band (11m). IDFK...

Thanks to the guys that have illuminated the history of these a bit more. I'm still not sure they are worth more than 100 bucks, much less 300+ though.

Still wondering on actual specs for any of these units.

Affirmative. The OG 152 in the plastic body used Baojie software.

The current TRI 148/152 have functioning data ports on the side; but to the best of my knowledge no accessories have been released for them aside from the wireless PTTs.

I don't know. Like I said, a long time ago, when it was just talk, I corresponded with them (somebody. who? I don't know now) and suggested what bands I thought would sell best for HF use. I still do not know what the frequency band is, and I don't trust the slicks/brochures they put out, because I don't know how they are handling that third band (extra board? SDR (which is what i wished for)).

What would be the tits is for an ee type to tear one down, and determine that the system is hackable, and make some custom software for them. Honestly, I just don't see paying over a hundred bucks for something that isn't DMR or P25 capable right now, no matter how cool the form factor is.

(yes, i realize some of the issues with having transmitters that will do whatever you want, and the FCC and their approvals. Still...)

edit- i missed a reply

I assumed the wireless were agnostic. Are they TRI only? By functioning data port, what do you mean? I know it's not going to be something a 'smart' military accessory is going to understand. Can you control the radio, or just send data through the radio?

If it did 6M and had specs at least as good as a VX-5R I'd think about it if the price wasn't absurd. But yeah, if it Did P25 I'd be all over it.

If I could find one with 10m I would get it. I wish the real ones went down to at least 29.6.

A 10m SSB HT would be so gangster bro.

No shit. I always thought the FT817 should have been an MBITR sized HT with top tuning knob and tiny KX3 style internal ATU with a fat liion battery.

Will these work with a military VRC-110 vehicle mount/amplifier that is for the PRC-152?

Dude hell yes.

With the Ft3dr color touch screen and submersible rating. I even mocked one up years back in some editor program asking them to look into it and hit up some yaesu guys at Dayton but they will never do it. I'm telling you they wouldn't be able to crank them out fast enough.

Yup. That would be amazing. Throw in an elecraft T1 type tuner. There was a guy some years back more or less militarized one. Looked cool at least.

Not if it requires anything aside from raw signal. Most of those amps need some sort of band switching info at a minimum, so im gonna guess no but im not familiar with that specific one.

Heard. I started doing something similar, until the 705 was announced, and realized it’s exactly what I was asking for, ultimately.

Here is a local, recent thread I stumbled across, treading much of the same ground:
https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Non-mil-comms-setups/10-499816/?page=1

In that thread, someone talked to some distributor that said the triband was made, more than a year ago, and they aren't making any more.

Another person speculates (and, I agree) it is probably FM HF, which is almost no use.

The distributor I contacted responded telling me the bottom band is 27-30Mhz. Ads say 25-30. (shrugs) They did not respond to me asking a couple of times where to find one, and no one in that other thread seem to own one or know of anyone that got one.

edit - found this. Don't know if this is production, or what they mocked up

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That’d be me. And I could’ve sworn I posted it here. Some of the info in this thread regarding timeline and makes and models of these radios is a bit off.

It’s not. Seeing is believing. None of the radios released have HF. It’s been “coming soon” since the TRI PRC-152 aluminum version was released in 2017.

I’m not talking about an HF radio. I’m talking about some of the dates and model releases people have brought up. Some of that info is off a bit.

I got the info about the 10w 152 from a Chinese guy in the MBITR Facebook group. He’s China’s biggest distributor of these radios. Supposedly he has a stick of the 10w models. I could get you guys a POC if you only want the one with HF.

His reply to someone was a bit confusing because he mentions that he has enough 10wUV versions. As I’m aware (and I could be wrong) there is no 10w UV version.

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Shit. Since you have his ear, tell him
To get TRI to re-release the 117. See if we can get a group buy going on the HF models!

I would be in for one and the vehicle mount for my hummer.

that shiquing guy; I found a foreign language website where he was selling quite a bit of stuff by googling shiqingshiqing .

I've had several 'distributors' say the HF versions went on sale. I've never heard from a single person that has one that can dial and transmit on a non VHF-hi / UHF band.

Honestly, I am starting to suspect this is the longest con in airsofting history, which is a shame; because instead of picking off one rich snot nosed kid (or HK 'impressions' group) at a time, if they'd actually buckle the fuck down and make a hard use handheld radio that would do what a baofeng CAN do, add an AM HF band, and price it inexpensively, grownups with credit cards and invoices would buy the damn things by the pallet load. (shrugs)

Anyway, his reply makes no sense to me. Is there a high power dual band version? I think I read that outlander has a H badged model that will not accept a HF entry. Could they possibly be adding an H for high power and not 'mode H' HF?

Your concerns are my concerns. The only 10w model I’m aware of was the tri band with HF. That’s why his comment is confusing to me.

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Just ordered one of the new TCA 148s. Thanks @Ridgedaddy for the head's up on these.

I'll let you guys know if it sucks or not.

Where did you order from? And where in GA are you? Spent the first 20 years of my life in Griffin.

There is a seller on eBay selling the new, 2019-Vintage, 148s.

I'm, unfortunately, in the urban cesspool known as Atlanta.

Dang, the price on that isn’t quite what I wanted. At that point I’d just buy the TRI for a little more coin and have a genuine Thales battery for it

Who is going to pony up?

https://m.yoycart.com/Product/43959571417/

I’m already the official Arfham guinea pig for the new TCA 148. Who else around here wants to put their sacks on the line, and take one for the team?

Also, I’m working on a project that some of you guys might appreciate it. It’s going to be something pretty cool  you can do with one of these radios that can’t easily be done with any other HT. I think some of you will really like it...

Are these TRI or TCA 152/148 models affected from this FCC 9/30 FRS / GRMS ruling?

They're already grey market being that they have no type acceptance and are violating intellectual property with the Harris name and form-factor.  They're kind of under the radar compared to the Baofengs and similar, but they would violate the same rule amongst those other things.

Is that site safe to order from that you know of? I may take one for the team to see if it's legit.

Interesting specs. Not really great but about what I would expect. The 25-30 capability for FM would fit with older soviet era radios too as they went down that low. But yeah, FM is not real useful, I guess some guys use it on 10m. SSB in that range would be far more interesting if the solar cycle didn't suck dick, I have many contacts from the other side of the world on 10 using my various packsets on low power (5W).

Thanks!  Is what I had assumed to be the case.

This.  There is definitely a niche market out there is isn't being completely filled. I want one of these pretty bad, but not that bad.  VHF/UHF is common enough to be expected in a handheld.  Being able to accept PRC148/152 batts is really cool, accepting PRC batts that contain 18650s for long ass run times is awesome.  I'm still looking for one that has that x factor(DMR, encryption, quad band?) that really puts them ahead of my VX8DR with an extended battery pack, multiband, APRS, etc.  Hell, been contemplating hacking together a large AA pack and the car adapter for it for really long run time.

Really, really looking forward to this!  Thank you!

Looks like ebay is running a 10% coupon again for those interested in these.

"ten4fall"

I ordered a 148 from Tactical Gear Trade.

We'll see how that goes!

This just in from Monda International:

I asked about high power dual banders, letcha know if they respond.

Has anyone found the 18650 battery cases for sale anywhere? They would be nice. Better than the 12 cell CR123 battery case.

They are all over eBay.

FYI - the two sellers I found (one linked here earlier) that listed the 152H as being in stock, I heard back from, and neither actually has any in stock. Glad I asked before giving it a go.