Any PRC 77 / Commo experts out there?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Any PRC 77 / Commo experts out there?

Posted: 10/9/2005 3:24:45 PM EDT

Have a radio I have a question about. Thanks!

Aviator

Posted: 10/9/2005 5:02:35 PM EDT

[#1]

Used them back in 95 and 96 before we got the PRC-117s and the PSC-5s.
Haven't touched them since.

B_S

Posted: 10/9/2005 5:11:25 PM EDT

[#2]

I humped one way back in the Corps for a few years. It was a decent system(at the time), but you had to know your antennas.

Posted: 10/9/2005 5:15:20 PM EDT

[#3]

I was in charge of my Troops como equipment in the CAV, not an expert, but might be able to help.

Posted: 10/9/2005 5:24:46 PM EDT

[#4]

That's before SINCGARS, right? I never did learn that radio

Posted: 10/9/2005 5:40:38 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
I humped one way back in the Corps for a few years. It was a decent system(at the time), but you had to know your antennas.

I had a CO in the CAV that loved his RC292 antenna! He wanted that thing set up everywhere!

Posted: 10/9/2005 5:42:53 PM EDT

[#6]

Aviator, IM or E-mail me any specific questions you have about that radio. If I don't know the answers, I know where to find the answers.

Posted: 10/9/2005 5:53:00 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I humped one way back in the Corps for a few years. It was a decent system(at the time), but you had to know your antennas.

I had a CO in the CAV that loved his RC292 antenna! He wanted that thing set up everywhere!

Posted: 10/9/2005 5:56:32 PM EDT

[#8]

Yep and we used the KY-57 to talk "secure"

I might can answer a few quesions, Im me

FREE

Quoted:
That's before SINCGARS, right? I never did learn that radio

Posted: 10/9/2005 6:01:50 PM EDT

[#9]

But you had to have the right frequency grease.

Posted: 10/9/2005 6:05:15 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
That's before SINCGARS, right? I never did learn that radio

Yep...

IIRC, they go back to around vietnam, right?

Posted: 10/9/2005 6:11:45 PM EDT

[#11]

2531 Field Radio op here, USMC '85-91

What do you want to know?

Posted: 10/9/2005 6:16:29 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
2531 Field Radio op here, USMC '85-91

What do you want to know?

FROC'r here too, 81-84.

Posted: 10/9/2005 6:23:18 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Yep and we used the KY-57 to talk "secure"
FREE

Oh boy that brings back memories! I remember plenty of alerts where I had to take my key to the Squadron SOC and get the codes for the KY-57 so I could set it up!

My CO's CUCV. Note the antenna!

The back of the truck. It’s been so long I don’t even remember the nomenclatures for all the equipment. 246, KY-57 and 112 come to mind. I delieve the 112 was nick named “Ox”. It was strictly a receiver. You can see the 2 9er 2 antenna in the back on top of the radio rack!

I spent many a night sitting in the back of this truck monitoring radios during Desert Storm.

Posted: 10/9/2005 6:51:58 PM EDT

[#14]

All I remember from the old days:
1. Release pressure before trying to open the battery box.
2. Wet the o-ring first
3. Clean the contacts with a pencil eraser.

Posted: 10/9/2005 7:04:11 PM EDT

[#15]

These things still exsist? Outside of training I always had a SINCGARS that was small enough to fit in my buttpack. How long ago were you dinosaurs in the Army?

-Ben

Posted: 10/9/2005 7:11:58 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
Quoted:
That's before SINCGARS, right? I never did learn that radio

Yep...

IIRC, they go back to around vietnam, right?

Yes...and they are heavy too.

Posted: 10/9/2005 7:14:29 PM EDT

[#17]

Well I have only been in the Army 14 yrs and I had a radio in my truck when you pressed the PTT button a cooling fan would come on

PRC43 or something like that.

We tested a no-ICOM version of the SINGAR which was the size of a PRC-77 and still needed the KY-57 to talk secure.

Then we got the ICOM version of the SINGAR(bigger and heavier than the PRC-77).

Then finally in 1998-99 we got the new ASIP(small singar) radio.

FREE

Posted: 10/9/2005 8:26:23 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
I had a CO in the CAV that loved his RC292 antenna! He wanted that thing set up everywhere!

You too, huh? Our BC thought that he would be "The Shit" and have us mount one on top of S2's
-577. Permanently. As in, "Up all the time."

Yeah...... That worked for a few minutes until
the driver had to make a sudden stop, the pole bent half-way up and came down, trashing the head.

Ever see a brand-new antenna appear quicker w/ less paperwork involved?

Posted: 10/9/2005 8:38:21 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
The back of the truck. It’s been so long I don’t even remember the nomenclatures for all the equipment. 246, KY-57 and 112 come to mind. I delieve the 112 was nick named “Ox”. It was strictly a receiver. You can see the 2 9er 2 antenna in the back on top of the radio rack!
I spent many a night sitting in the back of this truck monitoring radios during Desert Storm.

Okay, straining some brain-cells here.....

RT-246 w/ an R442 (auxiliary receiver)(where the "aux" nickname came from), AN/VRC-64 (if you
only had the RT-841 portion of the PRC-77 system, AN/GRC-160 if you have the components to
go backpack-mode.
Two KY-57s bottom shelf in the middle, w/ at least one or two TA-43/TA-312 field phones.

Egads, I can't believe I remember all that crap....

Posted: 10/9/2005 9:06:03 PM EDT

[#20]

WOW! I remember those but then we got SINGARS before I ETS'd.

Thats Old Skool!

Posted: 10/9/2005 9:26:29 PM EDT

[#21]

So what's the question?

Posted: 10/9/2005 10:30:16 PM EDT

[#22]

He wants to know where he can get a can of squelch and 100 yards of flight line.

Posted: 10/9/2005 10:36:52 PM EDT

[#23]

I'm sure someone else in here can answer your ques better.... I'm just an 0311... but they stuck me with a radio and sent me to some high speed schools.... so what's the ques?

-Roth

Posted: 10/9/2005 11:03:57 PM EDT

[#24]

I have two, one works, the other does not. When I picked it up, I noticed a rattle inside. I opened it up, and found that inside, near the antenna connector, there are 3 to 4 "hollow" tubes, two of which have a kind of ceremic filler about 1/8 in diameter. One of these was broken. You know what it is, and where I can get parts? Thanks

Aviator

Posted: 10/9/2005 11:28:51 PM EDT

[#25]

tag

If you DO get it to work, you'll need a license to use it, or the FCC will be all over you.

Posted: 10/9/2005 11:32:16 PM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
But you had to have the right frequency grease.

Don't forget the can of squelch

Posted: 10/10/2005 12:28:50 AM EDT

[#27]

I am a Army Radio Operator/maintainer, so shoot away.

PRC-77s are antique though; Dont see why you would have a problem. The knobs are like an old TV.....

Soldier level FM is all handeled by the ASIPs now pretty much..

Posted: 10/10/2005 2:19:56 AM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
Quoted:
The back of the truck. It’s been so long I don’t even remember the nomenclatures for all the equipment. 246, KY-57 and 112 come to mind. I delieve the 112 was nick named “Ox”. It was strictly a receiver. You can see the 2 9er 2 antenna in the back on top of the radio rack!
I spent many a night sitting in the back of this truck monitoring radios during Desert Storm.
img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/Metroliner/63c06421.jpg

Okay, straining some brain-cells here.....

RT-246 w/ an R442 (auxiliary receiver)(where the "aux" nickname came from), AN/VRC-64 (if you
only had the RT-841 portion of the PRC-77 system, AN/GRC-160 if you have the components to
go backpack-mode.
Two KY-57s bottom shelf in the middle, w/ at least one or two TA-43/TA-312 field phones.

Egads, I can't believe I remember all that crap....

That sounds about right. It's been, what.......13+ years since I used that stuff!

Posted: 10/10/2005 3:20:49 AM EDT

[#29]

www.fairradio.com

They should have all the parts you need.

Posted: 10/10/2005 8:42:32 AM EDT

[#30]

This is what is broken. The green plastic part has tubes pointing down in the pic. Inside these tubes was a brown ceremic like rod with a spring on one end. Pic one is the part, pic two has the broken rod sitting on a book.

Thanks!

Aviator

Posted: 10/10/2005 8:48:30 AM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
I am a Army Radio Operator/maintainer, so shoot away.

PRC-77s are antique though; Dont see why you would have a problem. The knobs are like an old TV.....

Soldier level FM is all handeled by the ASIPs now pretty much..

The thing is still alive in some parts of the world

Posted: 10/10/2005 1:10:05 PM EDT

[#32]

bump

Posted: 10/10/2005 1:54:39 PM EDT

[#33]

hmm, do you have a Digital Multimeter? If so, can you remove one of the intact pieces and give me a resistance measurement in Ohms? They very well could be ceramic resistors. I cannot find anything in my literature thus far but I'm still looking.

Posted: 10/10/2005 1:55:42 PM EDT

[#34]

Just let me know where to and from.

Aviator

Posted: 10/10/2005 3:04:51 PM EDT

[#35]

if you have a multimeter, just take a resistance reading across the piece and let me know what it is.

Posted: 10/10/2005 3:50:09 PM EDT

[#36]

Meter did not change. No conductivity

Aviator

Posted: 10/12/2005 9:51:59 AM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
That's before SINCGARS, right? I never did learn that radio

Yep...

IIRC, they go back to around vietnam, right?

Yes...and they are heavy too.

Having carried a PRC-119 (all of the stuff they use for training at OCS is OLD), I can only immagine what the older one weighed....

Posted: 10/12/2005 1:11:16 PM EDT

[#38]

After talking with an old salty Navy Chief, I figured out that it is probably a filter. Let me get more info for you and I'll try to get you a value for it. I'll confirm the identity of the component tomorrow when I show him the pictures.