I'm sorry to say the mil surplus market ain't what it used to be. A buddy of mine picked up a DRMO r-1051 for about $700.....the MSRP was $24,000. I would LOVE to pick up a used Harris 5800, but they aren't ever going to go to DRMO because they have embedded encryption hardware.

 

I'm sorry to say the mil surplus market ain't what it used to be. A buddy of mine picked up a DRMO r-1051 for about $700.....the MSRP was $24,000. I would LOVE to pick up a used Harris 5800, but they aren't ever going to go to DRMO because they have embedded encryption hardware.

MSRP on the 5800 was/is $45,000.

 

I've installed those too! FINE FINE radio...the synthesizer rocked.

Great radio indeed. On the last ship I also served as the Technical Controller/FACCON supervisor before becoming switching to other interesting activities we had racks and racks of them for HF links. Back then we still repaired the synthesizer and RF heads in the ET shop. Our main Radio was just below the flight deck near the bow. A nasty place to be during a storm. If you look at the ships Island forward you can see some of the wire and whip HF antennas we used for all those radios. Maybe when I think of tubes I think of that old rust-bucket.