RSLC

INTRODUCTION
TO
RECONNAISSANCE COMMUNICATIONS

Reconnaissance Surveillance Leaders Course

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course
 Importance of Communications

Communications is the most important aspect

of reconnaissance. You can have an undetected
insertion, a perfect surveillance site and gather
critical intelligence, but if you are unable to
transmit that intelligence back to your higher
headquarters, you are nothing more than
liability to your commander.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Terminal Learning Objective

• Action: Identify components, place

communications equipment into operation, and
establish communications with distant station.
• Condition: Given a company classroom, field
training area, student handouts, and various
communications and information systems.
• Standard: Score a 70% or better on the written
examination and receive a “go” at all hands-on
stations.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Enabling Learning Objective A

Action: Familiarize students with communications

equipment, tactics and techniques.

Condition: Given a classroom period of

instruction, note taking material and student
handouts.

Standard: Must score 70% on the written test and

receive a “GO” on the hands on exams.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Administrative Data

• Safety Considerations: Fire

• Risk Assessment Level: Low
• Environmental: None

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Recon Communicators

Reconnaissance Soldiers must have an in

depth understanding of communications. Not
only does the RTO and A-RTO need to be
subject matter experts (SMEs), but every
member of the team must be proficient on all
communications equipment.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Communications

What is Communication?

Communication is the process of transferring

information from a sender to a receiver with the
use of a medium, in which the communicated
information is understood by both.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Communications
(cont.)

Two types of communication that

reconnaissance Soldiers must be subject
matter experts in:

• Line of sight communications (LOS)

• Beyond line of sight communications (BLOS)

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Line of Sight
Communications

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Line of Sight

What is line of sight communication?

Line of sight communication refers to how radio

waves travel from the transmit antenna to the
receive antenna, limited by the visible horizon,
due to the curvature of the earth.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Line of Sight
(cont.)

• Due to the curvature of the earth an antenna that is

6 feet (2 meters) tall will transmit 5.0km.

• LOS ANTENNA FORMULA:

Distance in km = square root of (12.7 x Am)
( Am = the height of the antenna in meters)

• If either the transmitting or receiving antenna is

elevated another 6 feet, the transmission range will
theoretically double.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Line of Sight
(cont.)

Radio communication range is greatly

influenced by three factors:
1) Frequency of operation
2) Radio output power
3) Antenna height

Increasing antenna height and radio output

power are two factors that the user has control
over.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Line of Sight
(cont.)

• Any radio that transmits is a LOS radio. Due to

infrastructure or radio band properties, some
radios can provide Beyond LOS capabilities.
- Infrastructure: Relays, retransmission
sites, satellites.

- Radio Band properties: High frequency

sky wave propagation.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Line of Sight Radio Systems

AN/PRC-119F AN/PRC-148 MBITR2 AN/PRC-152

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Advanced SINCGARS Improvement
Program (ASIP)
Frequency Range: 30 – 87.975 MHz
Power Output: 4.0 – 4.4 watts
Planning Range: 3 – 5 km
Modes of Operation: Single Channel,
Frequency Hop, Frequency Hop
Master, Frequency Hop 2,
Frequency Hop Master 2
Weight: 9 lbs w/ battery,
handset and
antenna

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Multi- Band Intra/Inter Team Radio
(MBITR)
Frequency Range: 30 – 512 MHz
Power Output: .1, .5, 1, 3 or 5 watts
Planning Range: 3 – 5 km
Modes of Operation: Basic, SINCGAR,
ANDVT, Havequick and
Havequick II
Weight: 2.2 lbs including
battery and antenna

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 MBITR2

Frequency Range: 30 – 1,850 MHz

Power Output: 5 watts (LOS)

10 watts (SATCOM)

Planning Range: 3 – 5 km (LOS)

Modes of Operation: VHF/UHF AM/FM, Havequick I and II,

SINCGARS, SATCOM,
Retransmission, P25, SA (Situational Awareness),
Beacon, SRW (Soldier Radio Waveform),
Embedded GPS

Weight: 2.61 lbs including

battery and antenna

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 AN/PRC-152

Frequency Range: 30 – 512 MHz

Power Output: 5w (LOS) 10w (TACSAT)

Planning Range: 3 – 5 km
Modes of Operation: DAMA, SINCGARS,
VHF/UHF AM/FM,
Havequick II, HPW-IP, HPW, APCO
P25
Weight: 2.4 lbs, including
battery and antenna
Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course
Beyond Line of Sight
Communications

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Beyond Line of Sight

What is beyond line of sight

communications?

Communication that extends past the visible

horizon. And can include the possibility of
communicating around the world with a single
transmission.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Beyond Line of Sight
(cont.)

Two types of beyond line of sight communications that

reconnaissance Soldiers must be SMEs:
• Satellite (SATCOM/TACSAT)
• High Frequency (HF)

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Tactical Satellite
Tactical satellite (TACSAT) radio is a reliable
beyond line of sight communication system.
TACSAT relies on satellites to relay communications
to over 90% of the earth’s surface.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 TACSAT Radios

AN/PRC-117F AN/PRC-117G

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 AN/PRC-117F
Frequency Range: 30 – 512 MHz

Power Output: 10 (VHF) 20 (UHF) watts

Planning Range: 7 – 10 km (LOS)

Modes of Operation: Normal, Integrated
Waveform (IW), Clone,
Remote, Beacon, High
Performance Waveform
(HPW), DAMA, Scan, Test
Weight: 9.9lbs w/o batteries

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 AN/PRC-117G

Frequency Range: 30 MHz– 2 GHz

Power Output: 10 (VHF) 20 (UHF) watts

Planning Range: 7 – 10 km (LOS)

Modes of Operation: SINCGARS, Havequick II,
VHF/UHF AM and FM,
DAMA, 181B Dedicated
Channel TACSAT, High Performance Waveform
(HPW), and the Harris Advanced
Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2).

Weight: 8 lbs w/o batteries

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 High Frequency

Before SATCOM technology existed, HF

communication was the only way to communicate
beyond the horizon. Today HF is still used for long
distance communications. It has the advantage of
not requiring (or relying on) any infrastructure, but
rather utilizing the Earth’s atmosphere.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 High Frequency Radios

AN/PRC-150 AN/PRC-160

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 AN/PRC-150

Frequency Range: 1.6 - 60 MHz

Power Output: 10 watts VHF
20 watts HF
Planning Range: 7 – 10 km (LOS)
Modes of Operation: 3G, ALE, HOP, FIX
Weight: 9.8 lbs w/o batteries

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 An/PRC-160

Frequency Range: 1.5 - 60 MHz

Power Output: 1, 5, 10 watts VHF
1, 5, 20 watts HF
Planning Range: 7 – 10 km (LOS)
Modes of Operation: Wide Band HF Data,
ALE, Frequency
Hopping, Encrypted Data,
Vocoder
Weight: 8.7 lbs w/o batteries

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Radio Considerations
• Of the four LOS radios discussed; the AN/PRC-
119 / 148 / 152, and MBITR2, which ones can
achieve beyond LOS capabilities and how?

- AN/PRC-119F: Through ground based relays and

retransmission sites.

- AN/PRC-148: TACSAT or ground based relays and

retransmission sites.

- MBITR2: TACSAT or ground based relays and

retransmission sites.

- AN/PRC-152: TACSAT or ground based relays and

retransmission sites.
Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course
 Radio Considerations
(cont.)

• Though the AN/PRC-150 and AN/PRC-117 are

larger than hand held radios, they push more
power, and will provide more LOS range at the
expense of convenience to the user.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

Multi-band Radios

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Multi-Band Radios

30MHz AN/PRC-119 88MHz

1.6MHz AN/PRC-150 60 MHz

1.5MHz AN/PRC-160 60 MHz

512MHz
30MHz AN/PRC 148
30MHz MBITR2 1850MHz

30MHz AN/PRC 152 512MHz

30MHz AN/PRC-117F 512MHz
30MHz AN/PRC-117G 2GHz

HF VHF LOW VHF HIGH UHF

1.5MHz 30MHz 90MHz 225MHz 512MHz 2GHz

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

PANASONIC CF-19 TOUGHBOOK

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 PANASONIC CF-19 TOUGHBOOK
Specifications

- Windows XP or Windows 7, 32 bit OS

- Random Access Memory (RAM), 4 GB
- Central Processing Unit (CPU), Intel Core i5 @ 2.50 Ghz
- Hard Drive Disk (HDD), 320 GB

Features
- Rugged Design, Water Resistant, MIL-STD-810G certified
- Touch Screen capable w/ stylus (don’t use it)
- External Communication Ports (COMPORT), 2x USB, 1x RS-232
- Upgradeable with various options available based on your mission
requirements.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

PANASONIC CF-19 TOUGHBOOK

USB Port RS-232 Com

USB Port
Port

rear

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

PANASONIC CF-19 TOUGHBOOK

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

Communications Planning
Considerations

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Planning Considerations

Before you leave for a reconnaissance mission

you should always:

• Know the locations (grid) to whom you are

reporting to and friendly units in your area of
operation (AO).

• Conduct a COMMEX with the base station and

other units in your AO.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Planning Considerations
(CONT.)

• Have enough batteries to conduct your mission

plus one additional day.

• Know the frequencies and locations of

supporting units (MEDEVAC, Link-up, CAS, and
Artillery).

• Know when COMSEC roll times are and the

days they occur.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Planning Considerations
(CONT.)

• Have a primary, secondary, and if possible a

tertiary form of communication. (Iridium /
Thuraya satellite phones)

• Understand the Terrain and how it will effect

communications when you plan your ORP,
HS/SS, etc. (don’t be afraid to move the site if
comms are not working)

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Battery Life Cycle

• AN/PRC-150 BB-2590 18-20 HOURS

• AN/PRC-148 Non-Lithium 6-8 HOURS

BB-2590 36 HOURS

• CF-19 BB-2590 4-6 HOURS

• Using the military standard 8:1:1 ratio.

(80% scanning, 10% TX and 10% RX)

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Conclusion

In the hands of a skilled operator armed with the

knowledge and understanding of
Radio Wave Propagation
Antenna Theory
Antenna Construction
HF Radio Principles
you can provide reliable and effective
communications links over thousands of miles!

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Review

• What is communications?
Communications is the process of transferring
information from a sender to a receiver with the
use of a medium in which the information is
understood by both.
• Can an AN/PRC-148 talk to an AN/PRC-150?
Yes, from 30-60Mhz.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Review

• How can LOS range be increased?

Increase antenna height and/or radio power.

• What is the formula for determining LOS range?

Distance in km = square root of 12.7 x Am.

• Does HF communications use satellites?

No, it uses the Earth’s atmosphere.

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course

 Ideal Package
SAT/UHF HF

Total Weight Total Weight Total Weight

15 LBS 7 LBS 17 LBS
Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course
Introduction To Communications
Questions?
TIME HACK!

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leader Course