A
ACU1000
Guest
I am looking for a single, dual or quad band radio that is also capable of wideband receive in the following ranges: 35-45 FM and 108-136 AM
Anyone got any suggestions?
Anyone got any suggestions?
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Are you looking for a handheld, mobile, or base radio? What kind of price range are you looking at?
There are really only 3 brands to work with today: Kenwood, Yaesu, and ICom. They've all got radios that will pick up that spectrum, but you may find that the quad-band mobiles and base radios are limited.
Pretty much all of the Yaesu HT's have wideband broadcast receivers in them. My Kenwood TH-F6 also has wide RX on all bands. That radio also has a very wide rx range: it'll do shortwave all the way up to around 1 GHz.
Most will do AIR (108-136) just fine, but I don't know about the 35-45 MHz range.
There are really only 3 brands to work with today: Kenwood, Yaesu, and ICom. They've all got radios that will pick up that spectrum, but you may find that the quad-band mobiles and base radios are limited.
Pretty much all of the Yaesu HT's have wideband broadcast receivers in them. My Kenwood TH-F6 also has wide RX on all bands. That radio also has a very wide rx range: it'll do shortwave all the way up to around 1 GHz.
Most will do AIR (108-136) just fine, but I don't know about the 35-45 MHz range.
A
ACU1000
Guest
Specifically, I would like to find a 144/440 HT or Mobile radio that will also receive 39.50 MHz (with our without extended RX mods.)
Anyone have a suggestion?
Anyone have a suggestion?
fineshot1
Member
I think the icom 91A will do the job - see the rx coverage specs below
I have a 91AD and its a great radio
IC-91AD/USA 144-148, 420-450*1 VFO A: 0.495-999.990*3 FM/WFM*4/AM*4
VFO B: 118-174, 350-470 FM/FM-N/AM*4/DV*5
*1 Guaranteed range, 144-148, 440-450MHz.
*2 Guaranteed range, 144-148, 430-440MHz.
*3 Cellular blocked.
*4 Receive only.
*5 For DStar operation optional UT-121 required for IC-91A.
I have a 91AD and its a great radio
IC-91AD/USA 144-148, 420-450*1 VFO A: 0.495-999.990*3 FM/WFM*4/AM*4
VFO B: 118-174, 350-470 FM/FM-N/AM*4/DV*5
*1 Guaranteed range, 144-148, 440-450MHz.
*2 Guaranteed range, 144-148, 430-440MHz.
*3 Cellular blocked.
*4 Receive only.
*5 For DStar operation optional UT-121 required for IC-91A.
A
ACU1000
Guest
Awesome - do anyone make a mobile that does that too?
Pretty much all the dual-band handhelds have wideband receivers. The Yaesu VX's and FT-60 all can receive pretty much everything from .5 to 999 MHz. The Kenwood TH-F6 can also do a huge chunk of spectrum.
When it comes to HT's, the thing to do is find the one you like best for other reasons: the kenwoods typically have great audio quality. The Yaesu rigs are weatherproofed, and the Icom radios are solid: you could use one as a weapon.
With mobile/base radios, it's another story. I don't think you'll find many that can receive below 108 MHz. Where HT's tend to be all-purpose devices that can replace handheld radios and scanners, mobile and base radios tend to be specialized. After all, why include a broadcast receiver in a rig meant for a car, where there's a perfectly acceptable broadcast receiver already. Even Yaesu's quad-bander has a hole between 30 and 50 Mhz.
If you really want 30-54 MHz reception in the car or in the house, the best choice is probably to pick up a separate communications receiver or a scanner.
When it comes to HT's, the thing to do is find the one you like best for other reasons: the kenwoods typically have great audio quality. The Yaesu rigs are weatherproofed, and the Icom radios are solid: you could use one as a weapon.
With mobile/base radios, it's another story. I don't think you'll find many that can receive below 108 MHz. Where HT's tend to be all-purpose devices that can replace handheld radios and scanners, mobile and base radios tend to be specialized. After all, why include a broadcast receiver in a rig meant for a car, where there's a perfectly acceptable broadcast receiver already. Even Yaesu's quad-bander has a hole between 30 and 50 Mhz.
If you really want 30-54 MHz reception in the car or in the house, the best choice is probably to pick up a separate communications receiver or a scanner.
gcgrotz
Member
Hey lemish
The Yaesu VX6/VX7 will do that range. Some so-called wideband HT's don't, like my Alinco DJ-V5 only goes to 76 MHz.
Get a good antenna, that's the key at that freq. Anybody up your way still using 39.50? I know SIRS still gets a lot of use out here in the semi-country but I suspect a lot of that traffic has moved to cellphones in the more metro areas. I still hear corrections on 39.12 also, they do daily radio checks.
See ya back on the VA forum.
The Yaesu VX6/VX7 will do that range. Some so-called wideband HT's don't, like my Alinco DJ-V5 only goes to 76 MHz.
Get a good antenna, that's the key at that freq. Anybody up your way still using 39.50? I know SIRS still gets a lot of use out here in the semi-country but I suspect a lot of that traffic has moved to cellphones in the more metro areas. I still hear corrections on 39.12 also, they do daily radio checks.
See ya back on the VA forum.
I thought the term "wideband" meant the channel width, not the total RX coverage of the receiver... FM broadcast stations, TV audio, and things like cordless phones use a wider chunk of spectrum than communications transceivers, which use something like 5 or 2.5 kHz. Every receiver I've heard referred to as wideband has a "Wide FM" mode that can pick up an FM radio station or TV station without distortion. (When you listen to a TV station on a scanner, it's badly distorted. Broadcast FM signals may be so wide that the receiver just sees it as static.)
And don't get me started on "Broadband"....
And don't get me started on "Broadband"....
fineshot1
Member
The term wideband can be for a receivers total coverage as well as channel bandwidth, it just depends on the context in which one uses it.
A
ACU1000
Guest
Frankly, I dont know anyone using 39.50 for Intersystem stuff anymore. I think I just threw that freq out there as an example. And, except for in Loudoun, Troopers up here turn off thier SIRS radios or turn the volume all the way down.
I have been making the drive back and forth from Fairfax county to
down along I-81 corridor for about the last four weeks. This has prompted me to want to add something that I can throw into the car to monitor some low band stuff.
Still looking if anyone knows of a mobile that will receive 39.50MHz etc.
I'm going to ask a dumb question: Have you already monitored this band and determined that there's stuff there you want to listen to?
I know, but I was referring to gcgrotz's comment, specifically commenting on the radio not being "wide" because it didn't go below 76 Mhz Since that's the lower limit of broadcast FM in some regions, I'm guessing the radio does receive broadcast FM, which is a wideband signal, qualifying that radio as a "wideband receiver."
fineshot1
Member
I know, but I was referring to gcgrotz's comment, specifically commenting on the radio not being "wide" because it didn't go below 76 Mhz Since that's the lower limit of broadcast FM in some regions, I'm guessing the radio does receive broadcast FM, which is a wideband signal, qualifying that radio as a "wideband receiver."
Sorry - since you did not quote his question I thought your question was "wide banded".
Sorry - could not resist that one
I usually don't bother quoting when I'm replying to the message directly above mine, but I see that some people are narrow enough that they have to have everything handed to them. :lol:
(Sorry... I'm a real stinker sometimes.)
fineshot1
Member
A
ACU1000
Guest
Yes there is a lot of stuff there I want to listen to! I just hope to find a mobile that can do it.
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