AN/PRC-68 Family of Squad Radios History
The AN/PRC-68 project began in the middle 1970s as a Marine Corps effort to develop a squad radio to replace the unsatisfactory helmet-mounted AN/PRR-9 receiver and receiver/transmitter hand-held AN/PRT-4 (both developed by the Army). The AN/PRC-68 was first produced in 1976 by Magnavox, was issued to the Marines in the 1980s and it was adopted by the US Army as well.
AN/PRC-68 Family Description
The PRC-68 radio was the first of a series of tactical solid state FM sets, consisting of the PRC-68A, PRC-68B, PRC-126, PRC-128, and PRC-136 all manufactured by Magnavox.
All of the radios in the series have in common:
- a micro-controller (except prc68) and frequency synthesizer
- a built-in Push To Talk switch
- a combined Speaker/Microphone
- a ten position knob to allow selection of the operating channel
- either of two antennas, a short antenna to restrict the range to nearby troops and a long antenna for greater range
- a carry pouch that attaches to standard military web equipment
Characteristics of the AN/PRC-68 Family
The following table gives general characteristics for the AN/PRC-68 family. The next section discusses some of the differences between models.
| Tactical Range | One to three km (.62 to 1.9 mi) |
| Frequency Range | PRC68 and 68A: 30 to 79.95 MHz, others see next section |
| Channel Spacing | 50 kHz for PRC68, 25 kHz PRC68A or 2.5 kHz later models |
| Channel Bandwidth | 2 MHz wide band, 10 channels preset, synthesized |
| Power output | 1-1.5 Watts |
| Secure Voice Module | KYV-2 or KYV-2A |
| Power Requirements | 15 VDC, 1 Watt minimum |
| Dimensions | 4.5 to 6.125" H x 3.75" W x 1.5" D |
| Weight, with antenna and battery | 2.5 lbs. |
Ancillary equipment including hand sets (H-189 or H-250), test sets, vehicular mounts, antenna options, and batteries are produced for this radio family as specified in the Technical Manuals:
- TM 11-5820-882-10: Operator's Manual
- TM 11-5820-882-23: Organizational and Depot Maintenance Manual
Differences Between Models in the AN/PRC-68 Family
This table lists the main models of the AN/PRC-68 family of squad radios. Other models have been produced for experimental or short production purposes.
| PRC-68 | Requires FSM to tune for antenna. Internal switch channel prog. No freq. LCD. Uses multi-modules. 30 to 79.95 MHz, spaced 50 |
| PRC-68A | Internal switch channel prog. No freq. LCD. Two modules. 30 to 79.95 MHz, spaced 25 |
| PRC-68B | Pushbutton chan. prog. Freq. LCD. Two modules. 30 to 87.9875 MHz and 130 to 173.9875 MHz, spaced 2.5 |
| PRC-126 | Pushbutton chan. prog. Freq. LCD. Two modules. 30 to 87.975 MHz spaced 25, 12.5 option |
| PRC-128 | Pushbutton chan. prog. Freq. LCD. Two modules. 30 to 87.9875 MHz and 130 to 173.9875 MHz, spaced 12.5 |
| PRC-136 | USMC Crash Fire Rescue. Pushbutton chan. prog. Freq. LCD. Two modules. 130 to 173.9875 Mhz, spaced 2.5 |
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