Ultra high frequency (UHF) is the ITU designation for radio frequencies in the range between 300 megahertz (MHz) and 3 gigahertz (GHz), also known as the decimetre band as the wavelengths range from one meter to one tenth of a meter. Radio waves with frequencies above the UHF band fall into the super-high frequency (SHF) or microwave frequency range. Lower frequency signals fall into the VHF or lower bands. UHF radio waves propagate mainly by line of sight; they are blocked by hills and large buildings although the transmission through building walls is strong enough for indoor reception. They are used for television broadcasting, cell phones, satellite communication including GPS, personal radio services including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, walkie-talkies, cordless phones, satellite phones, and numerous other applications.
Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) is a very high frequency combat-net radio (CNR) used by U.S. and allied military forces. In the CNR network, the SINCGARS’ primary role is voice transmission between surface and airborne command and control assets.
A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver (HT), is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, Henryk Magnuski and engineering teams at Motorola. First used for infantry, similar designs were created for field artillery and tank units, and after the war, walkie-talkies spread to public safety and eventually commercial and jobsite work.
The Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) aimed to replace existing radios in the American military with a single set of software-defined radios that could have new frequencies and modes (“waveforms”) added via upload, instead of requiring multiple radio types in ground vehicles, and using circuit board swaps in order to upgrade. JTRS has seen cost overruns and full program restructurings, along with cancellation of some parts of the program.
TADIL-A/Link 11 is a secure half-duplex tactical data link used by NATO to exchange digital data. It was originally developed by a joint committee including members from the Royal Canadian Navy, US Navy and Royal Navy to pass accurate targeting information between ships. The final standard was signed in Ottawa in November 1957, where the British proposed the name "TIDE" for "Tactical International Data Exchange". It was later made part of the NATO STANAG standardization process.
Bowman is the name of the tactical communications system used by the British Armed Forces.
A radio repeater is a combination of a radio receiver and a radio transmitter that receives a signal and retransmits it, so that two-way radio signals can cover longer distances. A repeater sited at a high elevation can allow two mobile stations, otherwise out of line-of-sight propagation range of each other, to communicate. Repeaters are found in professional, commercial, and government mobile radio systems and also in amateur radio.
Clansman is the name of a combat net radio system (CNR) used by the British Army from 1976 to 2010.
The AN/PRC-148 Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR) is the most widely fielded handheld multiband, tactical software-defined radio, used by NATO forces around the world. The radio is built by Thales Communications, a subsidiary of the France-based Thales Group. The designation AN/PRC translates to Army/Navy Portable Radio used for two-way communications, according to Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS) guidelines.
The AN/PRC-152 Multiband Handheld Radio, is a portable, compact, tactical software-defined combat-net radio manufactured by Harris Corporation. It is compliant without waivers to the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Software Communications Architecture (SCA). It has received NSA certification for the transmission of Top Secret data.
The AN/PRC-150(C) Falcon II Manpack Radio, is a tactical HF-SSB/ VHF-FM manpack radio manufactured by Harris Corporation. It holds an NSA certification for Type 1 encryption. The PRC-150 is the manpack HF radio for the Harris Falcon II family of radios, introduced in the early 2000s.
The AN/PRC-153 is the Joint Electronics Type Designation System designation for the US military version of the Motorola XTS-2500i secure handheld 2-way radio, known as the Integrated, Intra-Squad Radio (IISR) within the US Marine Corps. Its intended purpose is squad-level communications during urban warfare. The USMC ordered 60,000 radios to be used until replaced by the more complex Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) cluster 5 spiral 2 radio in 2013. However, JTRS was cancelled in October 2011, and thus the PRC-153 continues to serve. The IISR is a Motorola XTS 2500i with embedded encryption module to provide secure voice communications. The embedded encryption module is identical to that of the commercially available XTS 2500 modules, and supports DES and AES encryption algorithms. As such, it is not classified as a Controlled Cryptographic Item (CCI).
The AN/PRC-117 translates to "Army/Navy, Portable, Radio, Communication". It is a man-portable, tactical software-defined combat-net radio, manufactured by Harris Corporation, in two different versions:
Survival radios are carried by pilots and search and rescue teams to facilitate rescue in an emergency. They are generally designed to transmit on international distress frequencies. Maritime systems have been standardized under the Global Maritime Distress Safety System. Civil and military organisation's utilized different frequencies to communicate and no infringement on either sector would take place. For emergencies involving civilian aircraft, the radio frequency used is VHF 121.5 MHz and for military aircraft incidents, the frequency used is UHF 243 MHz.
Nett Warrior (NW) (formerly known as the Ground Soldier System) is an integrated dismounted leader situational awareness (SA) system for use during combat operations of the United States Army.
AN/PRC 113 Radio Set is a manpack, portable VHF and UHF AM combat radio transceiver manufactured by Magnavox America. In the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), AN/PRC translates to "Army/Navy, Portable, Radio, Communication.
The AN/PRC-163 Multi-channel Handheld Radio, is a dual-channel tactical handheld radio manufactured by L3Harris Technologies, Inc. for the U.S. military, referred to by the U.S. Army as the Leader Radio. It is capable modes such as VHF/UHF Line-of-Sight (VULOS), SINCGARS, Soldier Radio Waveform, Tactical Scalable MANET, P25 as well as the Mobile User Objective System satellite communication mode. The dual channel capability allows a soldier to simultaneously communicate on two separate radio networks. It has received NSA certification for the transmission of Top Secret information with an appropriate encryption key. The PRC-163 is one of the Handheld, Manpack & Small Form Fit (HMS) components of the Integrated Tactical Network family of radios, the U.S. Army's modernization strategy for tactical radios. It is a member of L3Harris' Falcon IV family of tactical radios, and the successor to the Falcon III-family AN/PRC-152 Multiband Handheld Radio.
The AN/PRC-160 Wideband HF/VHF Manpack Radio is a tactical HF/VHF manpack radio manufactured by L3Harris. The PRC-160 is the manpack HF radio for the Harris Falcon III family of radios. It replaces the earlier AN/PRC-150, with a smaller form factor and lighter weight than its predecessor, and being capable of 4th Generation Automatic Link Establishment, achieving data transmission speeds up to 10 times faster.
The R-187 "Azart" is a Russian tactical and public safety handheld radio developed and produced by NPO Angstrem for the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is a component of the Ratnik infantry combat system.
