PRC-90-2
The PRC-90-2 is a military pilot’s personal emergency beacon and communication radio. The downed pilot can activate a beacon or communicate on the military distress frequency (243 MHZ) or communicate on an additional voice frequency (282.8 MHZ). The PRC-90-2 is simple, rugged, water proof, and the battery has a long storage life. An earphone is provided for quiet operation. Many pilots have been rescued during combat conditions using the PRC-90-2.
Thousands of PRC-90 series radios have been produced since the Viet-Nam war era. The dash-2 version (PRC-90-2) is the latest and probably last version. Several different vendors have supplied the PRC-90-2 and they are all essentially the same except for cosmetic differences. T he dash-2 (PRC-90-2) is completely different from the earlier PRC-90 and no parts are interchangeable between the two versions.
The PRC-90-2 has modular construction and is repairable. The performance specifications are modest since the radio is designed to communicate with a rescue aircraft at short range. High transmit power and great receiver performance are not needed for the intended mission. When repaired, PRC-90-2 radio performs according to the specifications in TM 11-5841-1049-12.
I have put lots of effort into learning all about repairing the PRC-90-2. The available manual lacks any repair information so I have reverse engineered the essential modules and located sources for parts. I have developed test setups for the modules to facilitate repair. All of the common issues and failures can be fixed.
Note: The earlier, Viet-Nam war era, PRC-90, is not really repairable at this point in history. Although clean, good-looking units are sometimes seen, they are quite old and the internal modules are sealed and potted and not repairable. Newer spare replacement modules are not available; all the spares are just as old. These units cannot be considered reliable even if they work.
