R-123 "Magnolia" (Р-123 «Магнолия») is a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

military HF/ VHF radio transceiver designed for use in tanks and other armoured vehicles. The device was made in the Ryazan radio plant.

Deployment

The R-123 set was commonly used in conjunction with the R-124 intercom system in armoured vehicles. Introduced in the early 1960s, the R-123 set was also adopted by other

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

members and exported to countries such as Finland, Egypt, and Iraq.

Technical specifications

R-123

* FM,

superheterodyne A superheterodyne receiver, often shortened to superhet, is a type of radio receiver that uses frequency mixing to convert a received signal to a fixed intermediate frequency (IF) which can be more conveniently processed than the original car ...

high- HF/low- VHF two-way voice tactical tank radio transceiver operating in the 20 MHz to 51.5 MHz range. Circuitry consists of 32

valves A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fittings, ...

and various semiconductor devices. *Tuning system: In addition to manual tuning, up to 4 preset channels can be selected using a motorized servo system. *Frequency range: **Band 1 = 20.00 - 35.75 MHz **Band 2 = 35.75 - 51.50 MHz *Channel spacing: 25 kHz *1,260 total available channels *Transmitter power: 20 W *Range: 20 km (12 miles) *Antennas: **Tank rod (

whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

) antenna for operations on the move: 4 m (13.1 ft) **Telescopic antenna for operations while stationary: 6 m *Operating temperature range: -40 to +50 °C *Dimensions: 428 × 225 × 178 mm *Weight: 25 kg

BP-26 power supply unit

*Transistorized inverter *Input voltage: 26 V *Output voltages: + 1.2 V, + 6.3 V, + 150 V, - 150 V, + 250 V and + 600 V *Dimensions: 210 × 164 × 218 mm *Weight: 7 kg

* R-173 Modern Soviet / Russian tank radio family, 30 MHz - 80 MHz coverage, with secure voice (encryption) capability, data transmission capability and offset tuning (25 kHz channel spacing for regular FM voice, 1 kHz and 5 kHz offset tuning available, 30.000 MHz - 79.999 MHz coverage, 30 watt RF output power). Modernized versions are still in use today. * Type 889 Chinese variant, used for export purposes, 20.000 MHz - 49.975 MHz, FM voice. * SCR-508 American tank radio first fielded in WWII with similar specifications and performance, 20.000 MHz - 27.900 MHz frequency coverage, FM voice. * SCR-608 American WWII era artillery radio, identical to SCR-508 except operated in the 27 MHz - 38.9 MHz frequency range instead of 20-27.9 MHz. *

SCR-300 The SCR-300, designated AN/VRC-3 under the Joint Electronics Type Designation System, was a portable frequency modulated (FM) radio transceiver used by US Signal Corps in World War II. This backpack-mounted unit was the first radio to be nickna ...

(BC-1000) FM low band backpack radio 40.0 MHz - 48.0 MHz and vehicle mounted variant VRC-3 or AN/VRC-3. * AN/VRC-12 Family of American VHF/FM tactical radio sets using the combinations of the RT-524 and RT-246 transceivers along with R-442 auxiliary receiver(s). Operation within in the 30.000 MHz - 75.950 MHz band (low band: 30.00 MHz - 52.95 MHz, high band: 53.00 MHz - 75.95 MHz using FM voice with

tone Tone may refer to: Visual arts and color-related * Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory * Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color * Toning (coin), color change in coins * ...

operated

squelch In telecommunications, squelch is a circuit function that acts to suppress the audio (or video) output of a receiver in the absence of a strong input signal. Essentially, squelch is a specialized type of noise gate designed to suppress weak s ...

or carrier operated squelch (noise squelch) and 50 kHz channel spacing for 920 available channels with 35 to 40 watt RF output power. Communications range highly variable depending on antenna used, elevation and local terrain and environment. Used with the PRC-25 and PRC-77 manpack radios and PRC-68 handheld radio, among others. * German tank and armored vehicle radios of WWII operated in similar frequency ranges (27.0 MHz - 33.3 MHz, 42.0 MHz - 48.3 MHz, other frequency ranges depending on the variant), AM voice, similar performance to the R-123 and similar radios.

References

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External links