I would guess that's an OPSEC matter. Who, what, when and where are "need to know" questions when it comes to special equipment.

Yeah most team guys dont even know the system........if they did Im sure they would want it!!!!!!

Dont know the official reason, I speculate that it is a Money issue, as well as a contract issue with all the compatability issues for hardware and software too.

Politics........................

I'll take the 117 (Whatever) Sunday, Monday 24/7.. The PSC 5 are heaters made to look like a paper weight!!. They over heat to much, USASOC so have spent the money for 117s like they did for the special people. :mad:

Hell back in 2000/01 I found a 10th Mountian Paltoons having more PRC-148s in Kosovo than Teams did at the team. Where is the priority with DA G8 and fielding of equipment. Remember there was no 911 then.:confused:

Being of the same era as Terry but maybe a little bit more up to date on the Ham side. I think todays comms are the cat's meow.

Year's ago in Burma had a packet network with full encryption running right over the heads of the bad guys. 125 km 100% link with hand helds at both ends.

Commercial sat phone and Pactor III HF links make world wide commo a snap these days. If the rules were a little more wide open the ham community could have all the nice HF FHSS stuff too. Right night it is available for commercial UHF rigs that we use for SCADA comms.

Myself I would love to be able use the available technologies along with the DOD budget!

I would just have only one worry - when all else fails and I have to rely on emergency UHF gear who is going to answer my cry for help? I would be worried if I got patch through to some AF "Air Assets Manager" who would inform me that he doesn't have any slots left on his daily target planning worksheet to accomodate my requests......

My other worst fear is having a real reliable link that is being used 100% by the theater commander telling me to "break contact continue mission" all the while consulting his one over the universerve map to give me the new coordinates to move to.

Don't know if any of you current guys can relate to any of this..

an/prc 117 and 150
 

Harris has made great efforts to take HF communications and SATCOM to more stable and user friendly platforms. The PSC 5 will quickly become legacy equipment if the big Army would see the deficiencies and lack of updated software. The 117 provides a greater combined package for all applications and faster data rates. Echos need to plea with their Group Leadership and make the arguement for the new equipment available today.

If any of you Echos would like more information on the 117, 150, 152 please PM me and I will provide pertinent information.

Roger Out.

The reason units in SF Command have PSC-5s is because it won the MBMMR program about 10 years ago. Everyone groused then as well. I had just switched to teh AF at that point and we only had a few PSC-5s (everything else was 117s) because CCT had just come out of a consolidation of all CCT under AFSOC and the PSC-5s were legacy from units that had belonged to ACC and AMC.

Communications
 

This is what is out there for satcom now;

http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=118
http://www.fas.org/spp/military/prog...m/milstar2.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/...s/milstar3.htm

The capabilities of todays communications satellites are phenomenal and stagger the imagination. New protocols for faster and more reliable transmissions are developed every 5 years or so. However, satellites are also extremely vulnerable to external forces and evironmental phenomena among other things. Their use as a primary means of communications has become (in my opinion) to dependant. The volume of traffic is tremendous (there's not alot of bandwith out there). To much communication can be just as detrimental as not enough (micro-mangement is one thing that comes to mind). In other words satcom on the battlefield can easily become the weak link.
Before I retired there was an experimental obital system that allowed to upload/download messages on the bird every 12 hours or so... but that would't help you if you needed air support NOW... There was a pretty good HF system out there as I recall and probably shouldn't elaborate.


smitty

I think that the issue here is the army's material acquisition system. The "Boat Anchor" has been outpaced by new advanced equipment and the fact that we do not have it is beyond me. But however as much purchasing of civilian equipment as we get away with the 5 has worked just fine over and over again for me. I just need to get my hands on a 117 to do some real tests not just see it in some CP running in an air conditioned room. Looks like for now we are just going to be told anecdotal stories about how our forefathers got away using nothing so we can make do with the 5. So be it.

R

I'm working on the next generation of man-pack portable software defined radios that will bounce UHF up to a satellite and give you a wide range of capabilities that you never thought of. Smaller and lighter than a AN/PRC-117. We call those 'legacy' radios because of their limitations. Hang in there, guys, the good stuff is coming.

I remember the old AN/GRC-109, so don't gripe about your commo!

[QUOTE=I remember the old AN/GRC-109, so don't gripe about your commo![/QUOTE]

Yeah, but that is when we had a lieutenant on the team to function as the generator cranker:D

:lifter = Who had a Lt? We took the youngest, strongest guy and made him the cranker. Since I started out in the 05B course before finding out I had a 'ham fist' and couldn't send more than 13 gpm, they made me the cranker. Their claim was that as a 11B3S, I could provide cover for the commo guy. Like after cranking that damn thing while he's loading the antenna, establishing contact, Tx outgoing and Rx incoming, I was lucky if I could wiggle my little finger, let alone pick up my M-16 and shoot at someone!:o

We had PRC-70s and 74s when I got to my first team.

What is the BOIP for this new radio and when will it be fielded to SF?

What other USASOC units will get it first?

SF has recently been pretty low on the priority list for new gear, and SF only projects tend to be fielded at less than full density, if at all.

TR

Hipshot, Did you say New Radio system being designed??
 

I'm definitely interested in info on your new idea. I've seen a 117 in action in hot, muggy and salt water mist conditions. Worked like a champ for comms to the birds we were calling in, but I have yet to see it do sat stuff. :confused: I still want one to enhance my capabilities. Besides I want something to play with...button mashing here I go.:lifter

The 117 working sat goes like a champ as well....to include data push using Harris Software........Better than that Crash Heavy Viasat Crap!!!!!!!!

Guys:

Here's a link to Wikipedia that has a non-opsec description of the program I'm working on. Think of it as a spread spectrum cell phone on super steroids - high speed data, secure, VoIP and a heck of a lot smaller than a 117. It's a Navy program, but I've seen a lot of Army-types in providing inputs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_...jective_System