PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-567
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 567
FEBRUARY 2000
ver wonder what all those equipment letter combinations mean—like PRC,
RT, VRC, UXC? It’s simple once you know the code. The code is in MIL-STD-
196E (Feb 98),
Joint Electronics Type Designation System.
For example, the nomenclature for the SINCGARS manpack radio is AN/
PRC-119A. After the AN (Army-Navy) prefix, each letter stands for a character-
istic of the equipment. The number simply refers to the equipment model. So,
your AN/PRC-119A is a P (portable) R (radio) C (communications) device. Here
are more:
Equipment Codes . . .
AB - Support for antennas
AM - Amplifiers
AS - Antennas, simple and complex
BA - Battery, primary type
BB - Battery, secondary type
BZ -
Alarm units
C
-
Controls
CA - Computers auxiliary units
CD - Controlling devices
CM - Comparators
CN - Compensators
CP - Computers
CU - Couplers
CV - Converters (electronic)
CW - Radomes
CX - Cable assemblies, non-RF
CY - Cases and cabinets
DA - Load, dummy
DI -
Data transmission
DT -
Detecting heads
F
-
Filter units
FO - Fiber optics
FR -
Frequency measuring device
G
-
Generators, power
H
-
Head, hand, chest sets
HD - Environmental apparatus
ID -
Indicator units, non-cathode ray
tube
IM -
Intensity measuring devices
IP -
Indicator units, cathode ray tube
KG - Key generator
KY - Keying devices
LA -
Laser
LS -
Loudspeakers
M
-
Microphones
MD - Modulators, demodulators,
discriminators
Some gear uses only one or two-letter codes.
Here’s a partial list of those:
A - Auxiliary assembly
B - Bombing
C - Communications
(receiving and
transmitting)
D - Direction finder
reconnaissance
and surveillance
E - Ejection and/or release
G - Fire control or
searchlight directing
H - Recording/ reproducing
K - Computing
M - Maintenance/ test
assemblies
N - Navigational aids
Q - Special or combination
R - Receiving, passive
detecting
S - Detecting/range and
bearing, search
T - Transmitting
W - Automatic flight or
remote control
X - Identification and
recognition
Y - Surveillance and control
Z - Secure
A - Invisible light, heat
radiation
B - COMSEC
C - Carrier-electronic wave/
signal
D - Radiac
E - Laser
F - Fiber optics
G - Telegraph or teletype
I -
Interphone and public
address
J - Electromechanical or
inertial wire covered
K - Telemetering
L - Countermeasures
M - Meteorological
N - Sound in air
P - Radar
Q - Sonar and underwater
sound
R - Radio
S - Special types, magnetic,
etc., or combination of
types
T - Telephone (wire)
V - Visual and visible light
W - Armament
X - Facsimile or television
Y - Data processing
Z - Communications
A - Piloted Aircraft
B - Underwater mobile,
submarine
C - Cryptographic
D - Pilotless carrier
F - Fixed ground
G - General ground use
K - Amphibious
M - Mobile, ground
P - Portable
S - Water
T - Transportable, ground
U - General utility
V - Vehicular, ground
W - Water surface and
underwater combined
Z - Piloted/ pilotless
airborne vehicle
combined
ME - Meters
MK - Miscellaneous kits
ML - Meteorological devices
MO - Multipurpose
MT - Mountings
MU - Memory units
MW - Microwave
MX - Miscellaneous
O
-
Oscillators
OE - Antenna groups
PL -
Plug-in units
PP -
Power supplies
PU - Power equipment
R
-
Receivers
RB - Robotics
RD - Recorder-reproducers
RE - Relay assembly units
RL -
Reeling machines
RO - Recorders
RT -
Receiver and transmitters
S
-
Shelters
SA - Switching units
SB - Switchboard
SG - Generator, signal
SM - Simulators
SU - Optical units
SY -
Speech, secure
T
-
Transmitters
TA -
Telephone apparatus
TD -
Timing devices
TF -
Transformers
TH -
Telegraph apparatus
TN -
Tuning units
TR -
Transducers
TS -
Test units
TT -
Teletypewriters and facsimiles
ZM - Impedance measuring devices
PS 567
49
PS 567
48
FEB 00
Want to
learn more?
See MIL-STD-
196E at your
local tech
library.
/
AN
-
119
A
R
Equipment type
Purpose
P
Installation
C
Model
Modification
Major
system
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