Clansman PRC-319 reviews

The PRC319 is a former British special forces radio used by the SAS. Its quite sturdy and relatively compact for what it is with an excellent 2 component autotuner. The radio reliably puts out either 5 or 50W power, though run time at 50W tends to be short due to limited battery life. The radio accepts most of the standard British clansman radio accessories meaning it can be used with a variety of audio input devices as well as CW key.

Some but not all units also come with an electronic message unit (EMU) that can be used to communicate with other units that are similarly equipped.

For ham use it is not ideal due to the fact changing frequencies is tedious, each receive and transmit frequency must be input manually which takes 10-20 seconds. This drawback generally limits to operating the PRC319 on a fixed frequency. No tuning around the band to find someone to talk to.

Also due to complicated nature of the radio repairs are frequently a DIY affair, don't buy a broken one.