New ham wants advice on a good 2m/440 HT for a first radio
Andy Entrekin
of my Tech ticket on the FCC site. In the meantime, I have been doing
research on radios. I have considered as many factors as I know of,
including TX power, physical size, and portability. My needs have led
me to look for a good handheld unit. Before anyone chimes in with a
recommendation to go for a mobile, let me say that being able to carry
the radio with me wherever I go is a must, which rules out mobiles.
I am looking for opinions about HTs that cover the 2meter and 70cm bands
and have at least 5 watts output. I value the opinions and experiences
of other hams, so I figured that these newsgroups would be a good place
to solicit them.
Please either post your opinions here, or feel free to email me at
"entrekin-at-iname-dot-com" with the appropriate symbols (low-tech
anti-spam measure). I look forward to getting lots of input!
Thanks,
Andy Entrekin
Bedford TX USA
For any of you who frown on cross-posting:
Sorry for the cross-posting, but I wanted to get as many responses as
possible. If I hadn't cross-posted, I would have just copied this same
message in to each post to a single group. This just seemed smarter.
Micro MegaWatt
http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/49
I have the Kenwood TH-F6 -- Love It, the Yaesu VX seies are very popular as
well
--
One Watt
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism;
to steal from many is research.
-- Comedian Steven Wright
"Andy Entrekin" <entr...@iname.com> wrote in message
news:TTaZc.94588$Fg5.26081@attbi_s53...
Micro MegaWatt
http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/49
I have the Kenwood TH-F6 -- Love It, the Yaesu VX seies are very popular as
well
--
One Watt
To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism;
to steal from many is research.
-- Comedian Steven Wright
"Andy Entrekin" <entr...@iname.com> wrote in message
news:TTaZc.94588$Fg5.26081@attbi_s53...
Sal M. Onella
< snip >
>
> I am looking for opinions about HTs that cover the 2meter and 70cm bands
> and have at least 5 watts output. I value the opinions and experiences
> of other hams, so I figured that these newsgroups would be a good place
> to solicit them.
< snip >
I haven't bought a new dual-bander recently, but I love my Yaesu FT-530. It
has been
bullet-proof. I have dropped it, overheated it (both internally and with
sunshine on a
car seat) and it keeps coming back for more.
Based on my experience, you should have
-- a radio with external 12V power input
-- a radio has a detachable antenna (BNC mount probably best)
-- an external speaker/mike for your radio (I think they all accept
one.)
-- a repeater directory for your area (or find one on the Internet)
-- at least one outside antenna cabled into a favored operating location
(2M j-pole also works on 440)
-- a holder for your HT that props it up on a desktop or bench
-- an accessory battery for long-term worry-free portable operation
(Gel-cells are good.)
5 watts on VHF/UHF will generally take you out to the radio horizon, or to a
high-level repeater even with a
rubber duck antenna. The outside antenna will help you QSO with low power
stations or somebody with a bad antenna.
Welcome to the amateur ranks.
Dave VanHorn
opposed to a single radio that can be on one of two bands) plus APRS and
packet capability.
--
KC6ETE Dave's Engineering Page, www.dvanhorn.org
Microcontroller Consultant, specializing in Atmel AVR
Steve
I agree, the FT-530 is a GREAT radio!! Also, check out the Alinco DJ-580T.
Almost the same and built like a tank also! These are older radios and a bit
larger.
This is not a bad thing! They usually have louder speaker audio than the tiny
HT's of today, although the Alinco DJ-580T has the edge on speaker audio. . One
more favorite on mine is the Yaesu FT-50R. It is smaller than the other 2 and
works great with LOUD speaker audio. This is a dual band radio but one band at a
time. The best part of all, these radios can be gotten at a good price that
won't kill you!!
73
Larry Weil
Andy Entrekin <entr...@iname.com> wrote:
> I am looking for opinions about HTs that cover the 2meter and 70cm bands
> and have at least 5 watts output. I value the opinions and experiences
> of other hams, so I figured that these newsgroups would be a good place
> to solicit them.
>
There are any number of good radios out there, a lot depends on personal
preferences.
But, the one thing I urge you is to invest a few more bucks on a
telescoping antenna. For less than 20 bucks, you'll double or more your
effective power, plus improve your reception, as compared to the rubber
duck that comes with most HT's.
Of course, the telescoping antenna will be a bit more bulky than the
duck, so that may or may not be a factor for you, depending on how you
intend yo use the radio.
73 de KC1IH
--
Larry Weil
Lake Wobegone, NH
Dave VanHorn
> telescoping antenna. For less than 20 bucks, you'll double or more your
> effective power, plus improve your reception, as compared to the rubber
> duck that comes with most HT's.
Indeed.. The duck that comes with the Kenwood TH-D7a is by far the WORST
antenna I've ever seen.. A comet SMA whip tripled my range.
The other thing that's a big range booster, is a "tiger tail", which is
nothing more than a 19" wire and a lug to fit under the antenna connector..
This provides a counterpoise for the antenna, and acts as a crude dipole.
With a good antenna, you will find that the 5W setting is rarely needed, and
mostly just chews up batteries.
Lew
I get around 16hrs per battery charge
my 2 cents
Lew
N4HRA
"Dave VanHorn" <dvan...@cedar.net> wrote in message
news:-ZKdnVsMD9B...@comcast.com...
Bob
dough for a nice starter rig like a Yaesu FT-857 or an 897. You'll get
all-mode on a lot of bands for not a ton of cash.
Kudos on your ticket!
Steve Nosko
> me to look for a good handheld unit. ...
> I am looking for opinions about HTs that cover the 2meter and 70cm bands
> and have at least 5 watts output.
Well you did get many very good comments. I won't repeat any.
I have the TH-F6. I can't compare features, but what I think can be
important to you:
* You can get an AA battery pack for when your Li=Ions are dead in an
emergency, or you are too poor to afford new ones (Tx power lower however)
* I believe it has the widest general coverage available for a "dual
bander".= 100 KHz to 1,300 MHz. AM , FM, Wide FM, U/L SSB, CW. You name it
(except the CW beacons on 902 and 1296) and you can probably listen...TV,
CB, AM & FM broadcast, FRS, GMRS, Aircraft...wad-I-miss?
Fine tuning on HF down to (sort-of) 33 Hz.
* It does 222 - kinda rare. Lets keep the band alive!
* It is pricy, but it is around a very loose rule of thumb for cost of
'about' $100 per band.
* Better antennas are available. I have a 19 inch for mine, when needed.
5W, .5W, .05W on internal
5W, 2W, .5W on external 12 V sig lighter plug avail.
I forget the double A power, possibly 2W, .5W, .05W
The beeps are pretty "blind-friendly"
Disadvantages (to some - I'm ok with it)
* SMA Antenna connector.
* It doesn't receive FM below 29.7.
* Doesn't receive CW & SSB above 470MHz (See beacon comment above, but AM or
FM "works").
--
Steve N, K,9;d, c. i My email has no u's.
Dave VanHorn
> emergency, or you are too poor to afford new ones (Tx power lower however)
True for most HTs, and a very good idea.
I have AA packs for all my emergency gear, and I keep a stock of batteries
in the car which I rotate out into the kid's toys periodically.
Goody
Congrats! I have two I recommend, will give the drawbacks to both.
ICOM W32A, very good radio, short battery life transmitting on high
power 2 hrs max 50 % cycle, 5-7 hrs listen on NiMh, direct battery
charge from wall wart and will run off of wall wart has built in
charge controller, excellent output, dual receive, weak audio, dual
scan (memory and frequency), dual independent vfo's, direct frequency
input, v-u, v-v, u-v, u-u, splits, cross-band repeat, weather, 100-999
M. receive except 220; easy to program can be programmed off a
computer with cable and sw, 200 memories total split between U and V,
onboard instructions, alpha numeric display, new around $250, haven't
seen one used.
Kenwood TH-77A, a little harder to program than the ICOM (manual only
to one memory bank), older model, dual band, dual receive, outstanding
audio, dual scan (memory and frequency) v-u, u-v, u-u, v-v, I don't
know if it will crossband, receive 130-500 (I think it can be extended
but VFO's are tight, not as flexible as the ICOM), excellent battery
life 12-14 hrs on MH PB-8 metal hydride batteries, only 40 memories,
direct frequency input 2m drops first digit, will run off of wall wart
(dc jack) but not charge battery (external only), outstanding front
end and transmitter very solid, I have 2 of them both used for $100
each, no weather or air receive, not computer programmed, my knock
arounds very rugged, one is my base, the other I carry every day
around the yard, truck, etc.
goody KF6PBN
"Andy Entrekin" <entr...@iname.com> wrote in message
news:TTaZc.94588$Fg5.26081@attbi_s53...
tmne...@neb.rr.com
> I am looking for opinions about HTs that cover the 2meter and 70cm
> bands and have at least 5 watts output. I value the opinions and
> experiences of other hams, so I figured that these newsgroups would
> be a good place to solicit them.
Congrats on the new ticket! I just got mine Tuesday, so I was in the same
spot last week. I settled on the Yaesu VX-5R, and got a Diamond SRH77CA
antenna to go with it. I picked it because it hit the sweet spot on
price/performance for me, and it seemed to get the best reviews on eHam.net.
I love my Icom R71A, and was really looking for another Icom, but they all
seemed to get picked on for pricey accessories and susceptability to
intermod.
Seriously though, it looks like almost all the HTs in the $200-$300 range
are pretty good, I've since had recommendations for the Icom W32A and the
T90A. I think anything that can put out five watts on 2M will make you
happy, all the rest is just flavor.
73,
-- Tracy Nelson, KC0SZW
Roger Halstead
>Andy Entrekin wrote:
>> I am looking for opinions about HTs that cover the 2meter and 70cm
>> bands and have at least 5 watts output. I value the opinions and
>> experiences of other hams, so I figured that these newsgroups would
>> be a good place to solicit them.
>
>Congrats on the new ticket! I just got mine Tuesday, so I was in the same
>spot last week. I settled on the Yaesu VX-5R, and got a Diamond SRH77CA
>antenna to go with it. I picked it because it hit the sweet spot on
>price/performance for me, and it seemed to get the best reviews on eHam.net.
>I love my Icom R71A, and was really looking for another Icom, but they all
>seemed to get picked on for pricey accessories and susceptability to
>intermod.
>
I went with the VX-7R which is a little more money, but worth it to
me. It has a good LI-ion battery that does well and runs a reasonable
power.
>Seriously though, it looks like almost all the HTs in the $200-$300 range
>are pretty good, I've since had recommendations for the Icom W32A and the
I think the W32A is one of the best duobanders put out. Good enough
that after it was discontinued there was still enough consumer demand
they brought it back and it's been back over a year. The W32 is
really from an earlier generation that is quite a bit larger than the
VX-5 or 7. For those of us who wear bifocals that is not all bad.
I happen to like the little Yaesu radios, although the VX5 and 7 are
not really Yaesu. They are listed with them and maybe built by them,
but the name plate lists a different name. Mine's in the car and I
don't remember the new name.
I have a complete set of the Diamond mobile antennas with both mag and
lip mounts. Well I did until my wife drove into the garage without
lowering one.
I use the large one on top of a 4-runner and have had it ever since
they hit the market. It has hit a few bridges and parking ramps
knocking the whole thing off the roof, but it still works fine on both
144 and 440. (That is one tough mag mount). I did break one though.
Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
Clint Bradford
Yaesu just introduced the FT-60R handheld that meets your requirements
- it is a great HT for $200!
Clint Bradford, K6LCS
browser
I have had good experience with Icom over the years owning W2A, 3SAT,
901A, R10, and a 725. All of these radios have been great products. I
wish they still made or would replace the concept of the 901A.
Recently I picked up the Kenwood TH-F6A. It is a great radio that
consolidated three different radio I had previously. It is a 5 watt
triband 144, 220, 440 with wide band receive. I have been impressed with
the receive since I was not expected much but the audio is clear and
loud and sensitive. The transmit is great too. I would recommend getting
an after market antennae. I picked up the Diamond SRH320A improves the
transmit. In my area there are many 220 machines making this a great one
radio solution. It is impressive how well the radio performs given how
small it is. Hopefully Kenwood's success will wake Icom and Yaesu up to
the 220 market place in the USA.
Good luck on your decision. As you noted any of the major player make a
good product and you will mostly be happy with any decision. I feel
currently the Kenwood is offering the most band for the dollar.
--
N2MHI
Doug Birky
is half as reliable it should be a good unit.
Doug/KC8YEC
"Clint Bradford" <clint...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:88bb34bc.04090...@posting.google.com...
Rob Stewart
> of my Tech ticket on the FCC site. In the meantime, I have been doing
I'm in a similar boat, having passed my BASIC (Canada) exam. I need
something very rugged because a) I will take this everywhere,
including camping trips and b) I tend to drop things!!!
I've done a lot of reading on the eHAM site (posted elsewhere) and did
a lot of listening on my scanner to hams in Toronto. I had the
occastion a few days ago to listen in to a conversation between two
hams with the VX-7R, the model I'm most interested in. I was worried
about the sound quality postings but they sounded great. Then I heard
one of them mention he was on an external mic. Just then another ham
buddy of mine came into the conversation. I called him on his cell and
he relayed my request to have the two vx-7r's switch to their internal
mics. They did and they both sounded GREAT!
I've basically decided to go ahead with the vx-7r, now that I've had
the chance to hear them in action!
Rob