Development of A Prototype System for Transmitting and Receiving Digital Data using AN/PRC-77 Tactical Radios

Abstract

This paper describes design and development of a prototype device for digital data transmission and reception for tactical radio AN/PRC-77. The device will allow digital communication between two computers (machine-to-machine commu-nication), which can replace man-to-man communication in some situation. Using the communication device developed in this project has the advantages of being able to transmit at a higher speed, less error and allow for 24-hour operation because there is no human involved in the process. There are several military units in Thailand that have AN/PRC-77 deployed, such as infantry squads, artillery and cavalry units. Using this device, military units will be able to connect to the network and perform their duty in a Network-Centric Operation (NCO) fashion. The project duration is 1 year and the output of the project performs satisfactorily by being able to transmit and receive digital data at the baud rate of 4800. The maximum transmission distance obtained is 5.9 kilometers. The unit consumes 1 watt of power supplied via 12V battery or an external DC adapter. The unit is packaged in a 16x16x4.5 cm box. The component cost for 1 unit is about 10,000 Baht. The project can be extended to other kind of tactical radios such as the RT-524 easily.