The PRC-320 Military Radio is Awesome! 

As a former infantry soldier I carried this radio on many occasions..and I can state I carried all my other kit too..all in all some 75 lbs all up weight..

I am an ex infantryman and can confirm what Ray Stewart said about having to hump our own kit along with the PRC-320. However, all the additional kit issued with this radio, mast bags, ancillaries bags, spare batteries etc. were shared around the section. It should also be noted this radio was only used in places where long range communications beyond the capabilities of man-packed VHF sets was required. Ordinarily the infantryman of my day carried much lighter but shorter range VHF radio sets which did not require fine tuning etc (you simply set your frequency and were good to go -- plug and play style). In Germany during the Cold War all British infantry mechanized vehicles carried high powered VHF sets (30 KM range although my memory fails on this point). In addition a Platoon Commanders vehicle would also carry a PRC-320 which could be used in an emergency if the Soviets had ever begun jamming the normal VHF frequencies.

I carried this piece of kit on many occasions, its a great bit of kit and as Ray Stewart confirmed we carried all our kit as well as any comm's kit including spare battery's,

Our platoon (JNA - Yugoslav Army) was issued one of these.

That radio is definitely a gem! Love it. You found one in really good shape as well. Thanks for sharing, Gil. I love seeing you use this radio.

Hey Gil nice to see you again. Yes very nice radio for sure. I like my PRC-104 as well and enjoy using it when I get a chance to take it out. Thanks again for teh video and have a great week. Cheers Fred VE3FAL

Hi Gil thanks for posting i love mine great radio work from the back of the car to heavy for me to put on my back 73's Andrew M6VUD

Nice radio for Sure ,I love the sound of it works really great !!!👍👀

Gil, this is the video that inspired me to have a look at the PRC-320. Thank you for making this video! As you know, I’m still having a lot of fun with my PRC-320 today =) 73!

excellent vid, i have two prc-25 manpacks all set up with the accessories. heavy ,durable and i love em. we use them at camp and on 4 wheeling expditions in the adirondacks. i had to make a conversion out of ''c'' cells because i could not obtain any batteries to fit it.love the durability and quick set up time. hell they even have rdf antennas to hook up to them, that part is handy and it works very well. take care.

That's nice and sounds good. It does look rugged. I've seen them at radio rallies but never seen one working. I preferred the 3X pitch down on c.w. G4GHB.

Hi Gil, Thanks for posting. Have just taken delivery of a PRC 320 myself. Now to learn how it works!! 73 M0KIA

G'day Gil, thanks for the interesting information on the PRC-320 and a great video mate.73 de Dennis vk4oc.

When i served we carried the 320 and all our other kit. Excellent radio. 73 de G0SDT

Excelent recepcion, even with whip antenna. Great automatic whisper mode.

Look out for military radios that were in use prior to the late 70's (this is when Clansman replaced Larkspur and dialled frequency selection was introduced). Before this, the target frequency was approximated and then fine tuning was achieved by listening for a tuning signal from the commanding station on the network. The Larkspur A13 used by the British Army in the 60's -70's (maybe still) is the one I am most familiar with in 2-8 MHZ part of the spectrum (it also had an 8-foot whip Antenna but also it allowed wired antennae to be used).

Really a great radio Gil =) Glad to see you out operating with it =) Enjoy the rig =) de N5VMO Pat

Used to use one of these in the army, I loved it.

This is really cool dating on Radio good people talking with each other over!

The pluses of this radio is it can produce 30 W out and it is built ruggedly. THere are no specialised displays that might fail. However the tantalum capacitors used in the radio have been known to leak and change value and have to be replaced by a high voltage Tant. or equivalent. The disadvantages include use of custom integrated circuits which of course cannot be found nowadays . It also has a curiosity - one of the power busses is 110 Vdc - generated internally. Many of those sold through surplus dealers are sold untested, so you have to be careful if you can't see and test any unit sold over the internet. I investigated buying one years ago and all of these issues really put me off. TEF

Gil, I do indeed agree with you that low power consumption is particularily important for portable/off grid use. Just for fun, I looked up the specs for the PRC-320. On receive it is specified to draw 175 mA @ 24 V => 4.2 Watts. It is about the same power consumption as the Yaesu FT-817, which is specified to 250-450 mA on RX, say 350 mA @ 12 V => 4.2 W. It is pretty amazing engineering, considering the Clansman is a 20 or more years older design than the little Yaesu. A lot happened in electronics in those 20 years. Keep up the good work!

Gr8 video Gil thanks

What a great radio. I have the American version, the PRC-104 that I just love. It is a wiz on SSB and Digital modes but not so great on CW. 1KHz and no filter. I have contemplated building a CW transition box that would inject a 700Hz tone into the ssb audio and include a narrow filter in the receive audio. Your video is inspiring me to get to work on this. Thanks for another great video. Sincerely Charlie KM4ZZ

One of the best videos my friend wow

I'll Always Love you Hayden Panettiere

Very nice unit!!!

What would be nice for that radio is an inline frequency counter that way you could tell exactly where you were transmitting and receiving

Nice Radio Gil, and another Good Vdeo. Would luv To Get the whp for FT-817 for Try. . .thanks. Good Luck

To erect the antenna. you flick it out and pull the cord as you shake the antenna. it comes together far quicker than trying to put the sections together individually.. The lower pouch is for a Spare Battery not the ancillaries, but i keep my ancills in there as i carry a spare battery in the car. You should have the range and load set to C 4 for 14Mhz. may be C3

Finally a good channel WORTH Subbing!

Great video. The radio looks almost new. Where did you purchase it?

And amazing Radio is the one that works when you need it to where you need it.

Nice radio. I can't help but think that this and other heavy equipment could be made into carbon fiber lined with RF shielding material to cut weight. I wonder if the effort would be worth it.

Nice radio!just got my an/prc-74 on the air !yours looks like a light weight rig compared .lol…hope to meet you on the air sometime 74 to 320 QSO would be cool.jim KB1PFL

I loved this radio when I was in the military, by far preferable in difficult country for comms, beating its VHF counterpart by miles. Always had good comms with this little baby! Where did you get it?

I love mine and other than wishing I had the LSB mod I have no complaints. its versatile and easy. I also use a 12v to 24v converter that makes it easy.

Hi Gil, thanks for posting this video and that was an excellent QSO with Ray! I've just spent two very hot but enjoyable days with my PRC-320 at the Capel Military Show in Surrey and it got so hot in the sun I couldn't touch the metal but it still worked perfectly! If you don't mind I've got a couple of comments about your setting up procedure... 1) OMG You're slow! I can deploy mine in about 30 secs, I know you wanted to take it out of the Bergen to show it off, so I'll let you off about 20 secs, but mine is left in the Bergen with everything plugged in (counterpoise, gooseneck, handset) so normally it's unzip bag, plug in 2.5m whip antenna, throw out counterpoise in random direction, switch it on and you're there. 2) The whip antenna has a little cylinder at the end of the string, if you throw out the antenna while holding the base and pull the string firmly while 'jiggling' the antenna then it'll miraculously put itself together in well under ten seconds, and it looks cool as well! 3) Re Scanning the bands, I use the 10khz knob as it gives off a little 'squeak' when it passes a signal which you can then go back and tune into. 4) The Clansman battery DCCU 14v charger will run very well off of a car battery. On a different subject I experienced the joys of 2m ssb on my FT-817 over the weekend and had a lot of fun, this really is an under appreciated mode on 2m and I'll be exploring it further over the summer. I live near the cliffs at Beachy Head in East Sussex so a QSO with you is a distinct possibility :-) Lastly thank you so much for all the work you put into raising the profile of personal emergency comms and the necessity of maintaining these skills, which would save lives in the event of a major disaster. Heavy or not, I know what radio I'd like to have on my back in an emergency as I know it'll work and it'll work good!

If you haven't made a in-depth video on the controls and back, this is something that I would like to see. Is there a headphone jack? Also, where are they available for purchase? Thanks.

Got interested in the RT-320 when I saw your earlier video. I was looking on ebay at those available from the UK. My concern would be that they come with the antenna, mike and a working power supply. There's a guy in Wakefield , Yorkshire who has a good supply. Any comments? Great video Gil. de VO1OK

Hi Gill, Great video on the prc 320... i have a question for you .. how do i know that i am getting a good one when buying ? There are a few online auction sites ect ect.. Is there any way to know if someone has been inside with the magic screwdriver before I buy one? Any sticker on the case or so ? I guess just like any other radio - test it before parting with the cash ...if its possible.. I enjoy watching your videos , they are fun to watch and also have much information. Looking forward to the next one. 73 DJ0DJS

Great video! How long is the whip antenna that you are using on this radio ?

hi Gil, thanks for such a great review and i will mention your name when i get mine from Steve. btw, do you feel it's worthwhile getting the LSB mod? regards, peter

Lol all the years I spent in the military the radio telephone operator carried all his own gear plus his radio if he was lucky spare batteries were shared out

This radio looks super cool! Can this radio contact vhf and uhf as well or just hf? I am new to the radio world and am still learning about whats what. I imagine that this radio can still contact normal non military hf base stations correct?

Hey there, really enjoying your videos, quite informative stuff. :) Just wanted to ask, what was the farthest contact that you managed to establish with the PRC 320?

Hello, nice to see this. I will start to use my prc 320 again I need to study little bit again the use. I have 4 NiCd acc´s I already loaded 2 of them. I will make some march training target 4d x 25K or even 40Km during summer holiday and target is to carry my PRC radio with long wire . . Good to hear and best 73´s de OH3LB

Very cool !

Fantastic video. I used these in the Military, but I trying to make a shorter more user friendly antenna for a manpack for a hill race with 100s of people. is this possible. Many thanks J

Hi Gil, as you probably already know I have just taken delivery of a PRC320 given to me by an amatuer friend. I am slowly getting different bits for it and trying to read and understand the manual. I have joined the PTRC320 forum and a Snapchat group of other users. The guys have been a fantastic help and I am slowly learning about the radio. The 2.4mtr whip arrived today in the post so I am at a point where I can fire up the radio and see if it is all working. I note that you put out 1 counterpoise when operating from the whip, can I ask what length of wire you use please. Many Thanks Gary (M6KVK)

I was an RTO in the US Army Infantry 5 field Artillery. 👍

I just generaly monitor 14285 with the PRC 320 :)

Where did you find such a treasure of a radio? Been looking for some of these radios in the U.S. but not available in the U.S. any more. The American Government had some very good military surplus radios in the late 1980’s. But during, Bill C. Presidency the government destroyed many of them some of the best EMP resistant radios ever made for man packable. Had a much broader spectrum capabilities and had the EMP resistance so as to survive in the worst conditions to be able to communicate after a Nuke attack. I don’t remember the exact model number but they were manufactured in the late 1980’s and when everyone was switching to a digital signal is when the changes were made. Enjoyed your broadcast, please continue to demonstrate that little treasure. Please if you could tell us how to get one for my self. Also looking for a military surplus short wave model.

Thought that intro was a fire beat till i realized it was morse code still hot tho

Have you had to service this radio before? You mentioned you have an electronics background. Just curious what you think.

i love this radio ! your radio is beautiful , my is detroied on war :(

You could modify the CWS tone in the radio, it can't be too difficult.

Hi Gil ! Where can i get one in very good condition with LSB ? thanks !

Would u be able to run FT-8 on this radio? Would be neat to see.

Hi Gil, did you use any counterpose wire?

Its a great radio but a bit difficult to use, battery is an issue, and it's a bit underpowered and lacks LSB unless you mod it... I have been able to reach both coasts and the Caribbean from Texas with mine.. And I'll likely buy another. I swapped out the battery for mine with lithium Ion RC battery packs. The unit on the video looks like it is in very good shape,.. I use and SDRplay to watch the bands, and tune the PRC to wherever there is traffic.

Used these radios for a hand speed morse link between Kenya and Cyprus in 1987. Admittedly we had an 80 foot mast supporting a Para V antenna that had 450 feet of R7 copper wire legs. Only problem was the camel spiders were attracted to the heat of the battery during the night and you had to be careful when battery changes were required or you got a bit of a surprise.

Very nice 14 division 2 USA 465 first personal Jim by chance I monitor 27 5 5 5 LSB and 27420 LSB 73

Good video.

I would add a pair of 8877's to that 📻,I know its not too portable,but would give you 5,000 watts RMS on SSB and give you 3,000 watts AM..

" God Bless America "

You make me check eBay for one of this. How you connect the solar panel to the radio? Thanks

That radio looks mint and never used.

Do you know something about Sincgars RT152???

I must be a prepper and didn't know. I have always been into anything portable. I have been a bushwalking guide and have quite a few backpacks and all the outdoor gear. I LOVE PORTABLE RADIOS. I have handheld radios and 2 portable HAM radios QRP. (Yes an FT 817ND is one of them). I love the military radios too. I am ex defence force (army and navy). From watching a lot of your videos I have decided to buy a couple of the radios myself but also have my eye's on a Qmac HF90 HF Radio - Portable - QM9912. Do you know these radios? 73 de VK3FION Ian.

Beautiful! I carried a PRC-25 in Viet Nam love to get my hands on one of those. Give my love to France. KN4AKD

hi Gil, i'm interested in knowing how much range you are getting out of the 2.5m whip that's original to the 320? also, other than being collectable are the original dipole, center connector and counterpoise worth getting or any of the modern stuff will work? i'm in contact with Steve to get one of his 320s! regards, peter

Never found out what "HW" actually means in Morse shorthand. Is browsing on the PRC 320 difficult or downright impossible? It clearly knows exactly how to get RF into and out of a 2.5 metre whip! Shame about the LSB..

J'adore le mien !! Un kit avec les accessoires dont la whip devrait arriver prochainement . Mais de la à l'utiliser dans la nature... Ca reste du matériel militaire. Prudence.

Bonjour Gil, im curious if you have any other prepper gear?

Nice qso 73

btw is the one you have have the LSB MOD?

Is it safe to buy one of these radio off eBay, and is there somewhere you could recommend?

Bonjour Radio Prepper, qu'elle est la longueur de fil qui sert de contrepoids ?

Great video Gil, im big fan SW military radio, but i have no chance to buy 320 in my country, can you share info, where is possible buy it? Thx a lot ;) OK1SSX (sorry for my English)

UFB Portable rig ! 👏👏👏👏 + 👍 Best 73 ! 🤝

The 24v batteries are uncommon here in the states. I use a 12 to 24 convertor on a small 12 volt battery and it will last all weekend. It SIPS juice.

Dude you’re ready to call in artillery

Hi where can I buy one of there and how much do I have to pay?

Awesome!

The CW tone is annoying but it is the British way. I still love the goose neck adapter on that radio for guys like us that enjoy picnic table operating

Hi Gil That PRC sure does have nice rx audio just a shame about the daft cw side tone 😟,have you thought about doing a Mod to either divide the tone by 4 using a digital divider dip package or if the PRC produces a sign wave tone alter the capacitor in its audio oscillator with a larger value or even fit a trimmer cap and make it variable...One last thing Gil there is a very small mod you can do to fix the 2khz offset in USB and CWN which just involves adding a wire link between pin's 1and 3 of switch 1S1B for USB and pin's 1and 4 of the same switch for CWN...... Regards Steve M0BFM

Can you tell me a good place to buy a battery and charger for a prc-104

カッコいいなあ！

The ultimate power supply is built by a guy named Gerard Morin of Canada. Check out his channel here on the Tube.

Hello radio prepper i have a question please I have a SG-103/URM-25F and would like to know what it is please Thx

Toutes vos vidéos sont vraiment intéressantes. Je suis un français vivant au Japon et vous me donnez envie d’avoir une prc-320… mais au Japon il faut tout déclarer et il faut surtout un schéma (ou diagramme ?) du transceiver pour pouvoir l’utiliser surtout s’il vient de l’étranger. Ils sont très protectionnistes de leurs propres radios japonaises ! Merci encore pour toutes ces informations! 73 de JK1JYC

is this radio for sale? :-)

Why do you use a counterpose with it ?

I shit you not I had to fast rope once onto a ship with the 320 a 344 an axis 150 a bt freeway a xeres a bid 250 (all with spare batterys) and my rifle i can always remember how hilarious it was until I was 5 foot from the bottom of the rope and realised I was going about 30 mph

Nice video. Tnx de WB2DGL

Homebrew cheap HF radio 2 to 18 Mhz USB mode, surplus land/marine Barrett SB220 HF SSB add DDS or PPL VFO kit $10 for radio & $10 for VFO kit, the radio uses 6 switched band pass filters between 2 to 18 Mhz and uses high IF above 21Mhz, I set channel 1 to 6 to select band and then dial up DDS VFO freq, the only disadvantage its only USB or CW via tone keying, but its very cheap

Le QSO en anglais avec un OM de Bourgogne... 😅

hehe been hearing ray alot

Prepping is also being is shape.

Kansas City Missouri and I'm back out