For 40 years, Barrett Communications has been at the forefront of innovation in high-frequency (HF) radio – coming a long way from its humble beginnings in the Australian aviation sector.

1976: Barrett Communications is founded. The origins of Barrett Communications lie in the growing need for HF radio in aircraft. The company grew out of efforts to enter the Australian HF radio market, with early products including a number of antennas for HF radios.

1987: Land-based HF radio. Knowing the need for reliable contact with remote communities in the Outback, Barrett moved from aerial to ground-based HF radio products with the SB220. Many of these would become part of the School of the Air radio network.

1994: The dawn of the internet. When the internet started gaining steam, many in the industry thought it would be the death of HF radio. The team at Barrett, however, leveraged internet technology to strengthen HF radio. The efforts paid off with the 900 series – including the 950 main transceiver, which had digital selective calling, a digital selector processor and a microprocessor that ran the software and enabled firmware updates.

2008: Getting tactical. The PRC-2090 HF manpack is released. This portable HF radio marks Barrett’s entry into the tactical radio sector, providing communications for defence and military organisations around the world.