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Quoted: I saw that earlier post, that's a bummer about the quality. Would the KDU be worth it for initial setup or programming of the radio, then just leaving the KDU at home when using the radio? I agree with you about the TX power. I would be curious to try 15 watts with a directional, though. My current HT is a little Yaesu VX-6R, which I like but I wonder how the TRI would compare. The PRC-152's batteries with beefy TNC and 6-pin connector are pretty appealing. If choosing between a 152 clone and the 148 clone, which would you choose and why? Also I read somewhere that these can function as a repeater with a 'relay' mode or something, is there any truth to that or did someone get this confused with the real thing? View Quote Once you have it figured out the programming isn't that bad through the front panel. It's not intuitive though and the "manual" is terrible. Lots of trial and error unfortunately. It's screen looks generally like a real 152 layout but it programs more like a ham radio than a real 152. Aledgedly it can do crossband repeat but I haven't tried yet. The higher power and larger antenna could make it decent for crossband utility. I do see the repeat function in the menu. I only have the TRI 152 so I can't compare to the 148. Sorry. I like the beefy antenna and 6 pin. It also comes fully enabled for commercial freqs no hack needed so you can put murs and gmrs in right off the bat. They are going for a little over 300 without the KDU on ebay and I think they are worth that. |
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I re-activated my account here after finding this thread randomly searching for something else related.
This was a long thread to read!. Some of the earlier stuff I did end up skipping because I ended up getting the newest TRI 152 model with the KDU. Like you all, I have found very little about it, so I started a video series on it going over things as I learn them. Seems I have learned most of what you have. Slowly, I will be adding more to the video series. Try to get my hands on a VRC-110 to mount in my M1078 in hopes it will interface with the TRI. At minimum, It will be a secure holder with a power supply I guess. Subscribed to this thread. I hope someone breaks to software/firmware threshold with this. It most definitely can be done, just need to get the right people involved that are interested. This radio with some firmware tweaks & good programing software would be a real good asset. Here are the first few videos I made on the radio if anyone is interested; TRI PRC 152 - Initial thoughts & look TRI PRC 152 - Battery compatibility & test TRI PRC 152 - Simple channel programing EDIT: I'm not sure why the video links are not working, they show up in the preview. You can find the videos at www.callmecolt.com if you are interested. |
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Damn you, just ordered a kdu and another “15w” unit to give away as a gift.
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I still hate this thread, but go ahead and post whatever link the go to model is. This will probably be like how my airsoft hatred turned into my favorite toy.
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Quoted: I think if someone figures out the interface to communicate with the radio, the folks that help out with CHIRP would take the project on. I've ordered a USB to TTL adapter & am going to do some experiments with it. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Will we ever get CHIRP support for these radios? I think if someone figures out the interface to communicate with the radio, the folks that help out with CHIRP would take the project on. I've ordered a USB to TTL adapter & am going to do some experiments with it. If you look at page 17, post 35, I have some info I was able to figure out. I got too busy with work to get past what I posted, but should be able to get back to it after Christmas. Eta: Here's the link https://www.ar15.com/forums/Outdoors/TRI-AN-PRC-152/22-694849/?page=17#i12016672 |
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Quoted: If you look at page 17, post 35, I have some info I was able to figure out. I got too busy with work to get past what I posted, but should be able to get back to it after Christmas. Eta: Here's the link https://www.ar15.com/forums/Outdoors/TRI-AN-PRC-152/22-694849/?page=17#i12016672 View Quote I did see this post, it's a good one! It goes along with the information I have seen other places. Hopefully with all our efforts, we can get it to work. |
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Quoted: I still hate this thread, but go ahead and post whatever link the go to model is. This will probably be like how my airsoft hatred turned into my favorite toy. View Quote This is a link to the newest model TRI 152 with the KDU. At the time I searched, it was the lowest price one. https://ebay.us/L88AX5 You can get it for a little less from a non-eBay shipper, but returns if you don't like it or if it is lost will be much harder. If you go with them, you must pick the higher cost shipping option or they will cancel to order. Since it has the batteries in it, you have to send it that way. http://www.px-airsoft.com/showroom/model/T0002/templateProductDetails.do?ParentId=1214745887149%C2%A4tPage=1&editCurrentLanguage=1213907847692&webId=1213907847691&productId=1633578355054671664 Of course, this is of my opinion that the TRI is the better option. Some like the TCA better. |
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Quoted: This is a link to the newest model TRI 152 with the KDU. At the time I searched, it was the lowest price one with US based shipping. https://ebay.us/L88AX5 You can get it for a little less from a non-eBay shipper, but returns if you don't like it or if it is lost will be much harder. If you go with them, you must pick the higher cost shipping option or they will cancel to order. Since it has the batteries in it, you have to send it that way. http://www.px-airsoft.com/showroom/model/T0002/templateProductDetails.do?ParentId=1214745887149%C2%A4tPage=1&editCurrentLanguage=1213907847692&webId=1213907847691&productId=1633578355054671664 Of course, this is of my opinion that the TRI is the better option. Some like the TCA better. View Quote This ebay link clearly shows shipping from china. This is the least expensive US based one I found. Should be here tomorrow. |
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Brand new to these, just ordered one yesterday. What is the go to antenna for these? Do the Abbree folding antennas work well with these?
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Quoted: This ebay link clearly shows shipping from china. This is the least expensive US based one I found. Should be here tomorrow. View Quote I swear the listing had US based shipping from LA when I shared it. Or, I got it mixed up with another listing. Either way, I will go update my post. I'm sorry about that. I think the sellers do update listings depending if they have any left in their US based warehouses or not though. |
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Quoted: Brand new to these, just ordered one yesterday. What is the go to antenna for these? Do the Abbree folding antennas work well with these? View Quote I would say no just guessing but could be wrong. These push more power when on high than a regular Baofeng so the SWR may be to high. I plan to get some antennas to experiment with & do a video on them in the future. TRI makes some other antennas. You can get a BNC adapter & it opens to options up a lot. Basically, you just need to be sure the SWR is not to high. If you don't know what SWR is, it's basically how well the antenna sends radio waves out. If it doesn't do a good job, it reflects power back & can cause problems. First with performance, then it can burn out components if the radio doesn't have a way of protecting itself built in. I'd like to get some genuine Harris antennas to try out. |
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Aren’t the factory Harris antennas meant for a different frequency range than the TRI radios? I thought that was the case.
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Quoted: Aren't the factory Harris antennas meant for a different frequency range than the TRI radios? I thought that was the case. View Quote |
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Not super thrilled with the KDU so far https://photos.app.goo.gl/dDcrjcbVNjx5aG1KA
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Just received one of the 15w TRI’s. There is a surprising lack of information about them online. No good programming videos or anything. Mine didn’t ship with a manual, and apparently the button functions on these are different than older ones that I was able to info on. After a few hours of fiddling with it I figured out how to program it.
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Quoted: Just received one of the 15w TRI’s. There is a surprising lack of information about them online. No good programming videos or anything. Mine didn’t ship with a manual, and apparently the button functions on these are different than older ones that I was able to info on. After a few hours of fiddling with it I figured out how to program it. View Quote LTCetme posted a good write up on programming these: https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/-/22-694849/?page=17&anc=12016668#i12016668 |
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Quoted: I think if someone figures out the interface to communicate with the radio, the folks that help out with CHIRP would take the project on. I've ordered a USB to TTL adapter & am going to do some experiments with it. View Quote I have Chirp dev experience, PM me if there's any progress on that. I'm not interested in leading the charge but I could buy a radio and pitch in. |
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Finally decided to take the plunge and purchased this listing:
www.ebay.com/itm/274322070493 Can someone verify that I ordered the correct version with all of the latest updates? These things were all over the place in regards to versioning, price, description, etc. I ended up going with a vendor that had a feedback score over 4k. |
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Quoted: Finally decided to take the plunge and purchased this listing: www.ebay.com/itm/274322070493 Can someone verify that I ordered the correct version with all of the latest updates? These things were all over the place in regards to versioning, price, description, etc. I ended up going with a vendor that had a feedback score over 4k. View Quote That looks like the correct model. I tried ordering from that seller back in December. Ended up getting a message from him that they were out of stock in the US. Went through that with three different sellers until I finally just ordered one from "over there". Didn't receive it until early February. |
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Quoted: That looks like the correct model. I tried ordering from that seller back in December. Ended up getting a message from him that they were out of stock in the US. Went through that with three different sellers until I finally just ordered one from "over there". Didn't receive it until early February. View Quote Thanks! I ordered it on Tues and it showed showed up on Friday. You really can't appreciate how much larger this unit is than the rest of the civ world HTs until you hold it in hand. This thing is a beast! Looks like I am going to need to find a different pouch for it. I tried mounting the SOFLCS pouch I had under the cummerbund but it is a no go with the plastic buckle pressing against me. Mounted as shown in the pics below, it gets in the way. What are people using pouch-wise for mounting up against the front plate bag on the interior of the cummerbund? Attached File Attached File |
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Neat radio. Have you done a comparison of receive between the TRI and another radio?
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Just ran across this on RadioReference.com:
Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Quoted: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/20200417_035345_jpeg-2288370.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/20200417_035223_jpeg-2288373.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/LBqrqZO_png-2288374.JPG View Quote That's the older (pre-2018) plastic body version 1 TRI PRC-152 |
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Can the Harris battery be placed on the Harris charger while the battery is connected to the HT? Also, can the HT be on during the charging process?
I looked in the manual for the Harris charger and didn't see anything. Attached File |
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Quoted: Can the Harris battery be placed on the Harris charger while the battery is connected to the HT? Also, can the HT be on during the charging process? I looked in the manual for the Harris charger and didn't see anything. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/309598/PXL_20220225_002041405_jpg-2291962.JPG View Quote Yes, as I often leave the battery attached to the radio while charging. IIRC, the radio will shut itself off in doing so. Side note: I discovered how to kill one of these batteries: Leave the battery attached to the radio and not touch it for about 6 months. There is parasitic drain on the battery, even when turned off. |
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Quoted: Yes, as I often leave the battery attached to the radio while charging. IIRC, the radio will shut itself off in doing so. Side note: I discovered how to kill one of these batteries: Leave the battery attached to the radio and not touch it for about 6 months. There is parasitic drain on the battery, even when turned off. View Quote Thanks Gunny! |
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Is this capable of encryption/scrambling? I’m more looking at it for small unit duplex comms; currently I don’t foresee the use of a repeater.
Would I be better off with getting business band radios since they support it. And I know one particular person is going to lecture me, I know there’s a license needed for it. |
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Quoted: Is this capable of encryption/scrambling? I’m more looking at it for small unit duplex comms; currently I don’t foresee the use of a repeater. Would I be better off with getting business band radios since they support it. And I know one particular person is going to lecture me, I know there’s a license needed for it. View Quote Voice inversion only. It's scrambled but nothing like real encryption. It's not a duplex radio. |
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Quoted: Is this capable of encryption/scrambling? I’m more looking at it for small unit duplex comms; currently I don’t foresee the use of a repeater. Would I be better off with getting business band radios since they support it. And I know one particular person is going to lecture me, I know there’s a license needed for it. View Quote If that's what you want you'd be way better off just getting some LMR radios. |
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Full duplex comms like a cell phone group call? Two way radios transmitting 2 to 5 watts will rapidly deplete the battery packs doing that.
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Maybe you are talking about semi-duplex with UHF transmit and VHF receive?
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Is there a general recommendation for TCA over TRI because of the mbitr interface ? Also do these radios have a fcc certification, not sure if this is required to use them inside the US. Just started learning the ham radio tech tree ??
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That programming interface is most likely not compatible with any real Harris PRC-152 MBITER accessories. The TRI/TCA radios are made to use the batteries, microphone, headset, and PTT accessories. These radios are made for the MILSIM/Airsoft market and are more of a facsimile radio than a real knock off. I think they are interesting for the high capacity battery packs, aluminum case, and dual band modes. I haven't pulled the trigger on one yet.
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Quoted: I re-activated my account here after finding this thread randomly searching for something else related. This was a long thread to read!. Some of the earlier stuff I did end up skipping because I ended up getting the newest TRI 152 model with the KDU. Like you all, I have found very little about it, so I started a video series on it going over things as I learn them. Seems I have learned most of what you have. Slowly, I will be adding more to the video series. Try to get my hands on a VRC-110 to mount in my M1078 in hopes it will interface with the TRI. At minimum, It will be a secure holder with a power supply I guess. Subscribed to this thread. I hope someone breaks to software/firmware threshold with this. It most definitely can be done, just need to get the right people involved that are interested. This radio with some firmware tweaks & good programing software would be a real good asset. Here are the first few videos I made on the radio if anyone is interested; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2SdwC1k7v0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ectzvMOl828 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq_zDNpKX5c EDIT: I'm not sure why the video links are not working, they show up in the preview. You can find the videos at www.callmecolt.com if you are interested. View Quote TRI PRC 152 - Initial thoughts & look TRI PRC 152 - Battery compatibility & test TRI PRC 152 - Simple channel programing |
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Hasn't been an update in a minute, how are the owners of the newer models with the KDUs liking them?
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Quoted: Takedown/Teardown images of the TCA PRC-152: https://i.ibb.co/QmNv45b/61527-B9-A-3623-438-D-A7-A3-713-BEEFED36-A.jpg https://i.ibb.co/TWYXKPV/07543313-CD05-44-DE-AD48-5-B9-ABB84090-C.jpg https://i.ibb.co/gFM85YZ/87-B920-EA-1-F81-4817-BF8-F-4541903-E3003.jpg https://i.ibb.co/nRfwNph/6647370-F-6491-46-D5-9787-CD14-A5-D795-DA.jpg https://i.ibb.co/0j8YHS0/9-F775-FAB-801-E-4-D52-A955-3-D5329-F6-D932.jpg https://i.ibb.co/wNn7G27/F4-AAFE7-A-2410-49-CE-A211-B4801658992-C.jpg https://i.ibb.co/KVhH3ny/A24815-ED-05-A8-42-DA-BF54-CA0-F13276136.jpg https://i.ibb.co/SrfPhS4/93-E03880-22-C3-46-D4-B84-D-3-E5-AC58-D9-E89.jpg https://i.ibb.co/vBnwGNq/DEDF4-F30-6-A05-4953-828-B-D2-A931-DE0-BDD.jpg Source: Tamazo_88 View Quote I know these are totally different than a real HARRIS radio. It'd be interesting to see the insides of a real one, particularly the case. |
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Better than a PRC-E7. Comms with those are generally one way only.
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I know the focus is on the 152s, which seem pretty solid. Are the 148s comparable?
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Quoted: Anyone have a reputable source for the TRI KDU? I’ve had the TCA and the TRI 148. TCA: https://i.ibb.co/QH6xpTY/A3949456-9-BDE-45-AF-92-A8-6-C1-C11380731.jpg Better Machining Better Anodizing Louder internal speaker Potentiometer is more crisp Screen more evenly illuminated Comes with an 18650 Adapter Battery Pack Comes in a hard-shell, Pelican-style case Battery pack has a USB adapter to charge phones/devices from the radio’s battery 8 Frequency Inversion Settings Multiple repeater settings 5 power output settings (0.1W - 8W) https://i.ibb.co/28tsg32/6-D811-C1-E-6-A8-C-402-E-9-B5-C-AD0-A2-B1-DFBD7.jpg TRI (Left) - TCA (Right) On the TCA you have two menu modes. One to set global parameters like Wideband/Narrowband/key-functions, etc. You have a secondary mode that only adjusts channel-specific settings like Frequency/CTCSS, etc. So for example, on the TRI, all settings are in one menu, and it has to be changed per that menu to be written to a channel. The TCA’s menu system allows you to set all global settings separately from channel-specific settings. https://i.ibb.co/WfPFhsL/278905-CB-0-BBF-4665-9709-4-D4-B9-C8-D2-C96.jpg Other odds/ends: When you key up, all the data/parameters related to that channel are displayed, including power level, TX Freq/RX Freq, etc. It has VOX, so if you end up running this with a USB interface you don’t have to manually key up to TX. There’s programming cables and software available for the TCA. The channel knob scrolls through the 16 channels assigned to a Zone. There are 8 Zones available for programming. TLDR: the TRI 152 is better than the TCA 152; the TCA 148 is better than the TRI 148. View Quote Appreciate it. I was interested in getting one of each at some point. What would make these civilian radios REALLY cool would be a side pin-out to USB to connect it to a smart phone for both charging and programming, or sending texts via APRS off cell network. |
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