VHF/UHF Transceivers

[kmac]

Appreciate the help guys... I'll talk to the boss and the SK's to see what they can dig up. I'm interested in finding a radio that can use AC power (both domestic and foreign) in addition to the DC provided. We're planning on running it continuously during flight ops. Thanks again.

 

[Gatordev]

Just another plug for the PRC-113. We used that on my last cruise, both during workups when we were practicing smoke light approaches, and then operationally when we'd take down a vessel.

The range was top notch, and would easily reach farther than the crappy low watt rig on the RHIB. Our problem was always standing off and being (relatively) high, waiting in position for the push, so the slant range was an easy 2 miles or so, and it was crystal clear. More than once we would have to vector the RHIB to the target or usually back to Mom, because the two couldn't talk to one another.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

...would easily reach farther than the crappy low watt rig on the RHIB.... More than once we would have to vector the RHIB to the target or usually back to Mom, because the two couldn't talk to one another.

That's some pretty sh!tty planning on the ship's part. There is no reason for that at all. Are we talking OTH non-compliant boardings here?

 

[Gatordev]

OTH for the RHIB, meaning 10-15 miles. Steve, you're not suggesting that shoed ones don't always plan ahead, are you? Blasphemy! All lies, I tell you.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

I was a boarding officer and this is some bullsh!t! OTH or not, not fkn excuse. You cannot conduct a boarding without good comms with mom and you cannot always rely on the Lamps bubbas to relay your comms for you (in theory yes, but doesn't always seem to work out that way). Why ships continue to use cheap ass comm suites in the RHIB is beyond me. I as a boarding officer, would not launch unless I was absolutely confident that me and mom would be able to talk.

 

[Gatordev]

What I can tell you, man. For boarding and takedowns, they'd take the PRC-113 for precisely those reasons, but other times they'd have the regular RHIB VHF which worked out to about a mile or two. They had their handhelds, which worked, and I'm not exaggerating, out to about a 1/4-1/2 mile between ship to RHIB. Then they would carry crypto radios (UHF, I think), but we couldn't decode them w/ our gear.

I'll leave it at that, as I can already start to feel myself want to start venting at their seeming inability to do small boat ops.