Dual Band Ham Radio

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Azrocks

Azrocks

Joined
Dec 27, 2005
Threads
83
Messages
530
Location
Tucson / Vail, AZ
Website
kartchcustoms.com
Hello! Do any of you have any suggestion/recommendations for a dual band handheld ham radio. I have an old Alinco unit that i've used for quite some time but want to get something newer.

Any place on the net for good reviews?

Also, I need to finally get my license. Anybody in the Tucson/Southern AZ area that can point me in the right direction?

Thanks!
 
Dual band Radio

If you want a kick asset radio..some of the best out there are on radioactiveradios dot com....they build test and sell competition radios that are WAY ABOVE the norm for power and quality..the are in Phoenix too somewheres which is relatively close to you but they only ship and mail order as they are only a couple of people there..but let me tell you....when you key up with one of their radios EVERYBODY knows...so use a bit of caution if you get one or you will blow your friends out of their cabs when you talk....just a thought..they are quality builders..
 
speeed_dmonx said:
If you want a kick asset radio..some of the best out there are on radioactiveradios dot com....they build test and sell competition radios that are WAY ABOVE the norm for power and quality..the are in Phoenix too somewheres which is relatively close to you but they only ship and mail order as they are only a couple of people there..but let me tell you....when you key up with one of their radios EVERYBODY knows...so use a bit of caution if you get one or you will blow your friends out of their cabs when you talk....just a thought..they are quality builders..
Click to expand...

Awesome, I'll check them out. Thanks for the info.
 
LoveTractor said:
www.eham.net is the place to go for good info, chat, and reviews. Great knowledge base. I read up on a bunch of radios and found my Icom IC-T2H Sport there and put a Diamond RH77CA antenna on it. It's a handheld. Very nice and very tough.

If I were to get another radio to start a collection, it would be a Yaesu VX-7R.
Click to expand...

That's funny, I've just spent a couple hours looking around and have been checking out the VX-7R out heavily. (Actually the black model :D ) It's got great reviews and to top it all off is weatherproof! Perfect for those surprise monsoon storms (if we ever get them again!) in AZ. How do you like the Diamond?
 
That is funny. Take it as reassurance that it's a good radio. I research everything I buy almost to drastic measures to make sure I get the best of the best. (ADD and hyper-focusing make these investigations fun.:D ) Yaesu are good radios.
The Diamond was a pleasant improvement over the duck the Icom came with. Less noise and much clearer. I like it a lot.
 
Sam/PKP80 is trying to convince me to go the ham route. I'm thinking about starting off with a handheld. Just wondering if anyone has anymore to add to the above posts?

Any of you NorCal guys using a handheld?

Thanks in advance,
David...
 
David,

I think most of the Norcal guys, if not all, have a base unit. I'm not aware of any of them using a handheld. Radio of choice IIRC is the Yaesu that's been mentioned.
 
Brentbba said:
David,

I think most of the Norcal guys, if not all, have a base unit. I'm not aware of any of them using a handheld. Radio of choice IIRC is the Yaesu that's been mentioned.
Click to expand...

I have Norcal envy
 
silvercruiser said:
Sam/PKP80 is trying to convince me to go the ham route. I'm thinking about starting off with a handheld. Just wondering if anyone has anymore to add to the above posts?

Any of you NorCal guys using a handheld?

Thanks in advance,
David...
Click to expand...


I have a Yaesu FT-50, which was replaced by the FT-60. IT is a dual bander, 5 watts, wide band receive. It can be modified to tx on the FRS frequencies, for educational purposes only :rolleyes:

Good unit. You can add an aftermarket antenna, and even hook it up to a regular exterior antenna using an SMA/UHF adapter.

The hand held is good for hiking and walking around. I think you will be underwhelmed for using it primarily in a vehicle.
 
I also own an AL-Junko radio. I don't use it much anymore.

The best dual band mobile IMO is the Kenwood TM-D700 $489 from AES in Las Vegas. Cheapest price I can find. It is PC programmable and has tons of features. I can transmit my lat and Long, elevation, speed, direction and a brief message to other like radios as well as onto the Internet via APRS.
I have written about this before here. Check my Posts.

I own six hand helds. I like the Yaesu Vx-7 because it also is PC programmable, weather resistant, receives AM FM broadcast and has a Lithium battery. They run $350 plus.

I would get my Ham ticket first. The temptation to transmit without it will be to great.

You are limited with a hand held by battery capacity. You can purchase 12 v adapterds to run off remote 12. You can also adapt them to gain antennas.

I'd get a good mobile.

Why do you want a dual bander?

Bigjim
N6KML
 
I agree with FJ40_owner --- Get your ham licence first. the temptation is very great to transmit..:D
I also agree that a hand held radio is very limited for some of the places you may tend to roam.:frown:
Not enough wattage (output)..
Nice features but believe me when you are in a position of need the larger the output the better..:D
I have a dual band hand held that sits on the shelf.. gets used here and there but when it comes to cruising around, get the mobile and mount it in your truck..

:cheers:
 
Thanks for all the advice. I'm planning on using the radio mainly for offroad communication. I was just researching what type of radio to get once I'm licensed. Need to find a spot for a good mobile unit in a 80 series...any thoughts? Next week I begin studying to get my license.
 
Skim said:
Sounds like Super Cruiser will have another install project !!!
Click to expand...

If only I could find someone to help out?????????
 
If you just want truck to truck communications, then 2 meter only will be enough. That's the least expensive way to get started. It's great in every way. It is also much cheaper than a dual band radio. I would not start with a handheld.

I've had my radio almost a year, and I am just now wishing I had a dual band radio, which I will have before our trip through the Maze next spring.

Regarding handhelds-while nice, they are not a substitute for a hard mount radio, and here is why...Handhelds (HTs in radio slang for "handi-talky") do not have the real advantages of the 2 meter radios. They have limited range, limited power, and generally inferior antennas and so have poor reception of marginal signals. A hard mount 2m can go to 75 watts (instead of 5), can have a great high gain antenna, and generally has a better receiver and speaker. In the end, it's all about clarity and range.

Now with that said, the HTs have their uses especially when out of the truck, or hiking. I have this idea to use my truck as a base with a cross band repeat radio, using my HT to talk to my truck on low power, and my truck to talk to the world if needed on high power. I can think of other uses as well.

To me, the biggest draw back of HTs is the fiddly buttons. If you think the hardmount units are hard to program, just wait until you mess with an HT.

I just got back from a great trip to Mojave organized by Scott F. (echo_29). About half the group had 2 meter. It worked so well, and was so much a step up from CB, that fire conversation went to requiring 2 meter radios on future major expeditions like the Maze invasion. We had a similar experience at the pre-Moab run last year, and were wishing everyone had a 2m, primarily for the added range. That, plus the ability to access repeater systems practically everywhere, makes CB seem like a kid's toy by comparison.

Good luck.
KI6CXS
 
Andrew,
Great info...appreciate the insight. Did you hard mount a radio in your 80? If so where did you mount it? I have a Uniden CB mounted in the dash and not sure where to hardmount another radio?

cheers,
David...
 
silvercruiser said:
Andrew,
Great info...appreciate the insight. Did you hard mount a radio in your 80? If so where did you mount it? I have a Uniden CB mounted in the dash and not sure where to hardmount another radio?

cheers,
David...
Click to expand...

I made a bracket that attaches to the bolt that holds down the center console. It works great, though in retrospect, I might angle the radio more toward the driver so I can see it with polarized glasses. Since the pics were taken, I added a brace to the bracket to make it more rigid. It's done great through numerous trips at this point.
Bracket2.webp
Bracket1.webp
 
great work...I'll be creating something similar in the future. Are you going to Surf N Turf? Hope to meet up with you sometime...

David...
 
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