Radio suggestions for new ham

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VE3WTV

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I just got my ham license last month, and I haven't bought my EDC radio yet. I've been torn between the ID-51, FT-70, and D74 for a while, but I went to a Canwarn meeting this week, and one of the experienced hams was there who runs a repeater in Leamington. He has only ever carried a commercial radio as his amateur radio. He is quite happy with one band. I don't remember which one it is.

So that got me thinking about a Motorola for myself.

At work in the factory they use the XPR 7550. It's a little big for what I like. I was just looking at some radios on the Motorola site, and I like the SL 7000, or the XPR 7000.

I don't know anything about the cross-compatibility of Motorola/commercial features compared to the features commonly used by hams. Like digital communications, and using a repeater. Obviously, by buying a commercial radio I am giving up the dual band feature, but it seems that a lot of hams don't care. I don't know enough about that. I like a full featured radio, but quality is important too, and I know Motorolas are really good.

ElroyJetson, or anyone else, can you help me out with this?
 

jaspence

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In Michigan, many VHF repeaters are used for Skywarn and similar programs, but our DMR repeaters are mostly UHF, so a dual band is desirable. While there are no dual band commercial DMR units, there are several ham priced dual band radios, starting under $100. If you avoid digital except for P25, Motorola makes multi band hand helds that can easily set you back 2 to 4 thousand, not including software. DMR is the same on Tier II for all radios, and a low price GD-77 can talk to a high end Motorola on a ham DMR or analog repeater. D-Star is strictly a ham mode, and NXDN has some ham use, but is mostly professional/commercial. I have a few commercial radios. Size and weight are one negative, but some features such as scanning are quite different. Commercial radios are often programmed in banks of 16 channels, and can have limited scan choices compared to a ham radio. PM me if you have specific questions.
 

hill

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I would have to agree that the Kenwood TK-290/390 are great radios and are easy to program with the right software, plus the software isn't too costly. They have 160 channels are about the same size as the HT1000. The only weakness I see on them is the battery lock.
 

VE3WTV

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Thank you, Jaspence. D-Star, Fusion, or APRS are very desirable features. I think even if you wanted to carry around a Motorola, a dual-band, or even a D74, are still a good thing to have close by, like if you kept it in your truck, while the Motorola stays on your belt. It's difficult for me to not have everything, but I still have a lot to learn, so I'm trying to not have opinions about this. I shouldn't have any opinions until after at least a year, when I'll know a little something!
 

mmckenna

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It's difficult for me to not have everything, but I still have a lot to learn, so I'm trying to not have opinions about this. I shouldn't have any opinions until after at least a year, when I'll know a little something!

This is a good approach. Often I see new amateurs deciding on a radio really quickly, often before even completing the test. Sometimes it seems like money is burning a hole in their pocket and they have to make an immediate decision without knowing what they really need. Sort of like a young kid with a freshly minted drivers license running out and buying a $300K supercar for his first ride.

At this time, you won't find a portable radio that is going to do everything. So, it's usually best to start slow and figure out what you actually need.
Choosing a digital mode really depends on what your local environment is like. Since none of the digital modes are cross compatible, you need to choose carefully.

And no matter what, analog is still king. You won't go wrong with a basic analog only radio. It's a good way to get some experience and figure out what you need. An analog radio will never be useless.

I got rid of all my amateur only radios many years ago. After being an amateur for nearly 30 years now, I've learned what my own personal needs are, and a basic analog only radio suits me just fine, plus I can legally use it for work use. The durability of a good Motorola, Kenwood, Icom, etc. radio is nice to have. True, they don't have all the bells and whistles of the modern radios, but they do exactly what I need.
But, for your first radio, consider an amateur radio. They are easier to program in most cases, and some functions can make your life a bit easier as you are learning.

It's not like you only get to buy one radio. Most of us have more than one...
 

cmdrwill

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And no matter what, analog is still king. You won't go wrong with a basic analog only radio. It's a good way to get some experience and figure out what you need. An analog radio will never be useless.
After being an amateur for nearly 30 years now, I've learned what my own personal needs are, and a basic analog only radio suits me just fine, plus I can legally use it for work use. The durability of a good Motorola, Kenwood, Icom, etc. radio is nice to have. True, they don't have all the bells and whistles of the modern radios, but they do exactly what I need.
But, for your first radio, consider an amateur radio. They are easier to program in most cases, and some functions can make your life a bit easier as you are learning.

It's not like you only get to buy one radio. Most of us have more than one...

I totally agree with mmckenna on this. Going back 40 plus years I have had commercial radios on the Ham VHF and UHF, But then I work in the two-way radio field a good part of this time.
 

VE3WTV

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How important is wattage in a radio? I'm really stuck on 5W, but the SL7000 is only 3W. It's a nice, compact radio, but 3W??? Seems really substandard to me.

Also, the XPR7000 is 5W only in VHF. The UHF is 4W.

I think I need an amateur radio, like the D74, for a year or two, just to get to know ham radio in all its details, before choosing a commercial model. Until I've got some experience with a dual or tri bander, I just won't know what I'm dealing with. I know one or two of you have said that, but the more I look at these commercial models, the more attractive an amateur model looks.

I've got my ROC-A, and I bought a VXA-120 many years ago. It was used on eBay. A pilot in Alaska was getting up in years, and was getting rid of his stuff. I placed a bid before reading the fine print, and realizing that it was a 3.5W radio. I was very upset with myself for acting so quickly without all the information. The auction ended, and I got the radio, realizing that, to me, I was buying a piece of junk.

It came with a Ni-cd battery, which I discarded and replaced with a Ni-mh. I didn't have a charger for it, but a couple of years later I bought a VXA-230, which is 5W, and came with the charger I needed for the other radio. So I have a 3.5W back up that I wish I didn't buy.

What this all comes down to with amateur radio is range. A radio expert who once outfitted police vehicles with radio systems told me one watt equals one mile. He said this because we were talking about FRS radios and their ridiculous range claims, like "38 MILES." So a 5W radio will transmit for 5 miles, on average, depending on conditions, and a 3W radio will transmit 3 miles. That could make the difference of reaching a repeater in an emergency, or not, when I may need it most.
 

mmckenna

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How important is wattage in a radio? I'm really stuck on 5W, but the SL7000 is only 3W. It's a nice, compact radio, but 3W??? Seems really substandard to me.

Also, the XPR7000 is 5W only in VHF. The UHF is 4W.

Power output isn't as important as many think.
Doubling the transmit power does not double the range.
Antennas and operating practices make a bigger difference.

In other words, I'd much rather have a 1 watt radio with a good antenna than a 5 watt radio with a crappy antenna.

I think I need an amateur radio, like the D74, for a year or two, just to get to know ham radio in all its details, before choosing a commercial model. Until I've got some experience with a dual or tri bander, I just won't know what I'm dealing with. I know one or two of you have said that, but the more I look at these commercial models, the more attractive an amateur model looks.

It's probably a good place to start. 2 meters and 70 centimeters will do a lot in most urban/suburban areas. Even in many rural parts, you can often reach at least one 2 meter repeater.

And APRS can be a lot of fun to use.


I've got my ROC-A, and I bought a VXA-120 many years ago. It was used on eBay. A pilot in Alaska was getting up in years, and was getting rid of his stuff. I placed a bid before reading the fine print, and realizing that it was a 3.5W radio. I was very upset with myself for acting so quickly without all the information. The auction ended, and I got the radio, realizing that, to me, I was buying a piece of junk.

It came with a Ni-cd battery, which I discarded and replaced with a Ni-mh. I didn't have a charger for it, but a couple of years later I bought a VXA-230, which is 5W, and came with the charger I needed for the other radio. So I have a 3.5W back up that I wish I didn't buy.

I doubt anyone would be able to tell the difference of 1.5 watts, with everything else the same.

What this all comes down to with amateur radio is range. A radio expert who once outfitted police vehicles with radio systems told me one watt equals one mile.

No, not an expert, especially if he was telling you that. It's not true, and it doesn't work that way, not even close.


He said this because we were talking about FRS radios and their ridiculous range claims, like "38 MILES." So a 5W radio will transmit for 5 miles, on average, depending on conditions, and a 3W radio will transmit 3 miles. That could make the difference of reaching a repeater in an emergency, or not, when I may need it most.

No, it's so much more about the antennas, receiver sensitivity on the other end, height above local terrain, and other variables.

I hate to say this, but he was either blowing smoke up your backside, or he wasn't an expert. Radio doesn't behave that way.

In fact, here in California, CalFire, the state fire agency, uses 50 watt VHF radios. They no longer purchase the 100 watt VHF radios because it doesn't make enough difference to justify the additional cost. Good repeater sites and proper operating practices make the difference.

And individual bands perform differently. I've worked my 800MHz trunked system from over 50 miles away with a 3 watt handheld. On the flip side, using a 15 watt mobile, I've been in places where I cannot connect to the system from 3 miles away.

Don't buy a radio based on wattage. That's a rookie mistake.
 

uli2000

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Ely, NV
How important is wattage in a radio? I'm really stuck on 5W, but the SL7000 is only 3W. It's a nice, compact radio, but 3W??? Seems really substandard to me.

Also, the XPR7000 is 5W only in VHF. The UHF is 4W.

I have both a XPR7550 and a SL7550 for DMR. One thing to remember about the SL7000 series radios, they do DMR only, no analog. So unless you're always near a DMR repeater or hotspot (I have my SL7550 for hotspot use) go with the XPR series radio.
 

wrath

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Dec 18, 2005
Messages
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One of the big sacrifices of going with commercial gear is no VFO, So if you travel outside of your usual area its radio silence unless you program the radio for the distant area and then it's radio silence when you get home until the radio is reprogrammed ,Motorola are nice radios but the programming software will cost you a small fortune and if you make one mistake in programming it won't work .if this is your first radio get a nice ham rig ,as you mature into the hobby you have plenty of time to play with Motorola and Hytera but get a good ham grade radio first that you can always fall back on .
I just got my ham license last month, and I haven't bought my EDC radio yet. I've been torn between the ID-51, FT-70, and D74 for a while, but I went to a Canwarn meeting this week, and one of the experienced hams was there who runs a repeater in Leamington. He has only ever carried a commercial radio as his amateur radio. He is quite happy with one band. I don't remember which one it is.

So that got me thinking about a Motorola for myself.

At work in the factory they use the XPR 7550. It's a little big for what I like. I was just looking at some radios on the Motorola site, and I like the SL 7000, or the XPR 7000.

I don't know anything about the cross-compatibility of Motorola/commercial features compared to the features commonly used by hams. Like digital communications, and using a repeater. Obviously, by buying a commercial radio I am giving up the dual band feature, but it seems that a lot of hams don't care. I don't know enough about that. I like a full featured radio, but quality is important too, and I know Motorolas are really good.

ElroyJetson, or anyone else, can you help me out with this?

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk
 
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