PRC-320 Military Manpack Radio, First Impressions.

Started by gil, June 21, 2016, 07:37:27 AM

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gil

#15
October 28, 2016, 07:24:10 PM Last Edit: November 14, 2016, 06:24:53 AM by gil


Gil

gil

#17
January 20, 2017, 01:10:51 PM
Hello,

I just had an amazing QSO with Spain on 20m from the North of France using my 320 and the 2.5m whip, inside the house! The guy on the other end was using 1kW! He was hearing me just fine. It goes to show, again and again, that power isn't the main factor in making contact. With the built-in tuner in-line there was no doubt quite a few Watts below the 30W maximum output being radiated.

The more I use the PRC-320 the more it amazes me.

Gil.

gil

#18
May 31, 2017, 05:08:27 PM
Someone, help... :o



;) Gil.

gil

#19
September 13, 2018, 01:51:46 PM
I agree about everything you mentioned, except that I consider the 320 to be one of the easiest radio to use that I ever laid my hands on...

Gil.

vwflyer

#20
September 13, 2018, 02:52:53 PM
I think that whenever someone gives an opinion, it is impossible to avoid basing that opinion an many preconceptions. For example, it is stated unequivocally that a heavy radio is disqualified from being a good prepping radio. The assumption is that all preppers are going to be carrying the radio on their backs over great distances and will not have a group of people for distributing loads. Of course there are many prepping scenarios in which this would not be the case. What if I were the radio guy in a group of preppers and they carried all my things and I was only responsible for carrying the radio gear? Or perhaps I intend to prep for a flood in my house due to a hurricane and i don't plan on leaving the house but want a radio that can be submerged and take a beating from the floodwaters if my house is flooded.

Another assumption that seems to be made is that parts for other radios will be more available than parts for this radio in my survival scenario. In most survival scenarios, no radio parts will be available to me for any radio. In the hurricane scenario, only the radio parts I already have safely guarded on the second floor of my home will be available to me when I need them. In most other cases where I don't already have in my personal stock spare parts, it's not as if I can get replacement parts for my Icom off amazon or from a local Radio Shack. So in the end, the only parts I can expect to have in my time of need are those I'm stocking up on now. If I own a KX2 and am not stocking up on new switches, jacks, final transistors, screens, etc. for it now, I'm no better off with one of those than I am an old military rig. For many of us, stocking up on spare parts for our radios doesn't make a lot of sense. We don't know what will go out and individual parts, when bought separately, cost a lot more than the whole. For many of us, the best option is to simply have multiples of the same radio. Two KX2s, two military radios, etc. And in this regard, the military radio has an edge on other options in that two of them is more affordable than two Elecrafts or Icoms.

Finally the complexity assumption. That argument could be made, and is made, for any HF radio. That's why we hams highly discourage preppers from buying an HF rig without having a license to use it and then say that they'll use it in an emergency when it won't be illegal for them to use it without a license. We hams have all gone through the learning curve of using HF radios and know how steep it can be. We can never expect someone who has not trained and practiced with the selected emergency radio to be able to effectively use it in a disaster. This holds true of a KX2, my drop dead simple YouKits HB-1B, or a military radio.

In the end, what makes a good prepping radio for one person and scenario makes a lousy choice for others.

gil

#21
September 14, 2018, 12:22:01 PM
Interesting thoughts, and I agree as well. For me, military radios are more on the hobby side than for prepping, but their ruggedness makes them a great choice for those situations when transporting them alone on foot isn't required. They are fairly cheap and will survive almost anything. Now, I would rather also have three or four (I have many more) $50-$100 radios than one or two $800 radios... It is also easier to scavenge parts for through-hole radios than surface-mount circuits. If one of my military radios craps out, no big deal, I have more... Sure, I'm not going to carry them all in a bug-out scenario, but they can be very handy.

I am reading a book by F. Spencer Chapman, "The Jungle is Neutral" (highly recommended), where enormous radio sets are carried by men on their back in the Malayan jungle and powered by pedal-driven dymanos... A PRC-320 compared to that is a pocket radio! These guys had virtually no support from the outside... So, all is relative... A group of determined men can accomplish miracles. Sure, we have better options today, and that even is debatable, but my PRC-320 with a hand-crank attachment can be a lifesaver.

Best solution? Have both, use what is most convenient or possible for the given circumstances...

Gil.

RadioRay

#22
September 14, 2018, 02:55:05 PM
when I was working in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia , I picked-up a locally published book; "SAS In Malaya" and, like you said, Gil - the jungle warfare people did amazing things.  They Malay campaign drove the development of a far better radio;  the PRC-316 and STRONG reliance on NVIS.  Here is a link to an interesting article from your mates at VMARS, describing it's use.

http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/newsletter_articles/prc316.pdf


>RadioRay ..._ ._
"When we cannot do the good we would, we must be ready to do the good we can."  ~ Matthew Henry

gil

#24
September 15, 2018, 03:11:38 PM
Very interesting thanks. I didn't know about the man other than from his book.

Gil.
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