Original U.S. Korean / Vietnam War AN/PRC-77 Radio Man Pack Set with ST-120/PR Harness

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original Korean War Era AN/PRC-77 Radio Back Pack Set with a ST-120/PR canvas carry harness set. This example is offered in good condition, but we cannot guarantee functional working order as we have not tested it. We could not find any markings to denote a date of manufacture.

The headset is retained but the end of it has heavy electrical tape repairs, so it’s likely not working. The pieces for the antenna appear all present.

The AN/PRC 77 Radio Set is a manpack, portable VHF FM combat-net radio transceiver manufactured by Associated Industries and used to provide short-range, two-way radiotelephone voice communication. In the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), AN/PRC translates to "Army/Navy, Portable, Radio, Communication."

The AN/PRC-77 entered service in 1968 during the Vietnam War as an upgrade to the earlier AN/PRC-25. It differs from its predecessor mainly in that its final power amplifier stage is made up of solid state components and not vacuum tubes like the PRC-25. Also the PRC-77 has the ability to use voice encryption devices, while the PRC-25 could not. These include the TSEC/KY-38 NESTOR equipment used in Vietnam and the later KY-57 VINSON family. Problems were encountered in Vietnam with the combination as described in the NESTOR article.

The AN/PRC 77 consists of the RT-841 transceiver and minor components. It can provide secure voice (X-mode) transmission with the TSEC/KY-57 VINSON voice encryption device, but is not compatible with the SINCGARS frequency hopping mode. During the Vietnam War, the PRC-77 used the earlier TSEC/KY-38 NESTOR voice encryption system.

Major components:
- Transmitter / Receiver unit
- Battery

Minor components - CES (Complete Equipment Schedule):
- 3 ft antenna - 'bush/battle whip'
- 10 ft antenna
- 3 ft antenna base - 'gooseneck'
- 10 ft antenna base
- Handset
- Harness

Technical characteristics
Channels: 920 channels across two bands using 50 kHz steps
Frequency Ranges: 30.00 to 52.95 MHz (Low Channel);
53.00 to 75.95 MHz (High Channel)
Estimated Range: 8 km (5 mi) Dependent on conditions
Power Output: 1.5 to 2.0 watts
Power Source: Current (2015) military batteries:
BA-5598/U LiSO2 nonrechargeable
BB-386/U NiMH and BB-2598/U Li-ion rechargeable
Obsolete (unavailable) nonrechargeable military batteries:
BA-386/PRC-25 zinc-carbon, BA-398/PRC-25 zinc-carbon cold weather vest (use w/cable to radio battery connector), BA-4386/PRC-25 magnesium
Discontinued but available military or equivalent batteries:
BA-3386/U alkaline nonrechargeable
BB-586/U NiCad and BB-LA6 SLA rechargeable
Antenna: AT-271A/PRC 10 ft (3.0 m) multi-section whip "Static" Whip-a-way, or
AT-892/PRL-24 3 ft semi-rigid steel tape "Bush-whip"
Type of Service: 30K0F3E (FM)
Manpack field radio
land mobile service
Weight: 13.75 lb (6.2 kg)

Security Could be used with TSEC/KY-38 NESTOR and, later, the KY-57 VINSON secure voice systems.