What to choose, Yaesu or Kenwood?

[oesjmr]

I passed my technician exam a couple of weeks ago and I'm looking to buy a nice, but affordable mobile transceiver. I've been looking at various units and I think I've narrowed it down to either the Yaesu FT-8800R or the Kenwood TM-V71A. I'd like to hear opinions from experienced hams on either unit to help me make my final decision. The units are priced exactly the same at the retailer where I will be purchasing it from, so it's even price-wise. I'm open to other units too if you have suggestions, but I'm wanting to stay in the $300-$400 price range.

I bought a Yaesu FT-60R handheld a couple of months ago during a sale and it is currently the only radio I own. Is there any advantage in sticking with the Yaesu brand? I like that the Kenwood has EchoLink capabilities, but then again, I can connect to EchoLink from my smartphone.

 

[AC2OY]

Congratulations and welcome to amateur radio!!!

 

[N4KVE]

The 8800 is a very good radio that has been out for almost 8 years. However, if you intend to use it in your car, the buttons are NOT backlit, so hitting the correct button at night could be a problem. The Kenwood DOES have backlit buttons. Both radios are excellent, & I know people who have both. Go to eham.net to read reviews on both radios.

 

[Darth_vader]

Ignore what the anti-Chinese-radio radio snobs seem to say, save yourself a few hundred dollars and grab a Baofeng UV5R and its external speaker/mic from Amazon. Stick it in one of those bracket things somebody mentioned in another thread and an hook up an external aerial and that baby will scream. (Bonus street-cred points if your car's a decomissioned "Police Interceptor" Crown Vic, with spotlights and roo bars. ;o)

Depending on where/how you shop, you could probably afford to implement three of those kind of setups for the amount you'd probably spend on one Yaesu/Kenny mobile just for the rig itself, and probably have just as good of performance.

Having said that, flame on, everybody. Bring on the hate!

 

[N4KVE]

He already has a Yaesu HT, so he could just buy a speaker mike, & external antenna. He could buy a dual band amp to go with his Yaesu HT, but there's nothing like having a real mobile radio. Louder rx volume, better intermod rejection. Heck, he could get a used Motorola mobile which right now are going for pennies because of recent narrow band requirements. No matter what brand he goes with, a mobile will always be better. There's even lots of fine commercial Kenwood mobile radios going for less than $50. There has never been a better time to buy a great wide band commercial mobile radio that will work great in the ham band.

 

[Darth_vader]

Hey, yeah. I'd forgotten about the commercial rigs becoming available now (brain fart.)

Well, depending on how/where one shops, one could probably afford four or five such setups build around such gear for the amount one'd pay for the three Baofengs mentioned above! The advantage of using a handheld as a mobile, though, is that it can also be used outside the car with a change of aerial.

 

[gewecke]

Ignore what the anti-Chinese-radio radio snobs seem to say, save yourself a few hundred dollars and grab a Baofeng UV5R and its external speaker/mic from Amazon. Stick it in one of those bracket things somebody mentioned in another thread and an hook up an external aerial and that baby will scream. (Bonus street-cred points if your car's a decomissioned "Police Interceptor" Crown Vic, with spotlights and roo bars. ;o)

Depending on where/how you shop, you could probably afford to implement three of those kind of setups for the amount you'd probably spend on one Yaesu/Kenny mobile just for the rig itself, and probably have just as good of performance.

Having said that, flame on, everybody. Bring on the hate!

No hate here, just mentioning the thought that your suggestion doesn't work in every area. We the anti-Chinese-radio radio snobs, having been doing these ops for so many decades that we know what works and doesn't! The toy import radios lack several features needed for interoperable comms in a real world emergency, and you wouldn't want to park a decom crown vic in my neighborhood if you want it left intact... :wink:

Two terms to remember here, Low profile and milspec quality.

73,
n9zas

 

[AK9R]

...I've narrowed it down to either the Yaesu FT-8800R or the Kenwood TM-V71A.

I have used both radios. I find the Kenwood's user interface more intuitive than the Yaesu's.

The Kenwood has one set of buttons for activating various features. Those features are applied to which ever "band" or side is the currently-selected "control" side. The Yaesu has some buttons that are common to both bands and some that are specific to either band. I find it it a bit confusing to understand what's going to happen when I press a button. I suppose this is something you can learn over time, but the Kenwood approach seems more straightforward.

Also, the Kenwood has one block of 1000 memories that are accessible to both "bands" or sides of the radio. It's my understanding that the Yaesu has two blocks of 512 memories--one block for each side of the radio.

 

[KG4INW]

The Kenwood also has user upgradeable firmware (free from Kenwood) while the Yaesu would have to be sent back to the factory for any enhancements. I too prefer the TM-V71A but the Yaesu is still quality.

 

[WB4CS]

Kenwood TM-V71A, great radio! That would be the one I'd recommend, too.

And yes, please pay attention to us "anti-Chinese radio snobs" that have been doing this for decades. A 5 Watt handheld cannot compare to a higher powered mobile radio.

Good luck!

 

[LtDoc]

I think the best way of deciding which 'brand' of radio to have is by comparing the user features, which one is pleasing to look at, has controls that you can understand and use, and has the ability to do what you want to do with it. Most of the later models of all the 'name' brands are comparable in general, no really outstanding differences, mostly. You may find that after a while your 'favorite' radio isn't exactly your favorite anymore. Nothing new there either, so swap it.
- 'Doc

(and as everybody knows... If you ain't got Kenwood you got squat! Right? )

 

[oesjmr]

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions! I think I'll head over to the local dealer sometime in the next week or so and play around with both units and to see if they have any used equipment in stock that I can compare with. The sales go on through the end of June, so I'll have a bit of time to make up my mind. I'll post back with what unit I decided to go with. Please feel free to continue posting suggestions, the more knowledge, the better!

 

[AK9R]

If by local dealer, you are referring to Universal Radio, they are good people to deal with. I don't get over there very often, but it's always been a pleasant experience shopping there. BTW, if you are allergic to cats, beware. They have several felines who hang out in the store.

 

[KR7CQ]

Hey, yeah. I'd forgotten about the commercial rigs becoming available now (brain fart.)

Well, depending on how/where one shops, one could probably afford four or five such setups build around such gear for the amount one'd pay for the three Baofengs mentioned above! The advantage of using a handheld as a mobile, though, is that it can also be used outside the car with a change of aerial.

That would be a pretty disappointing step down for an FT-60R owner unless you live in a rural area and have another $20 to set aside for a decent antenna. I own a UV-5R it simply doesn't get out as well as the FT-60R, does not reject intermod nearly as well, and is too hard to program on the fly, by hand. You even have to "hog out" the mic hole to get decent audio reports. For emergency / SHTF use, it stinks. Lithium Ion batteries make lousy storage batteries, and the AAA and AA battery packs are a joke, supplying too much voltage for TX on many radios, forcing users to insert "dummy cells" to lower voltage. Programming by hand STINKS, and the Baofeng software doesn't allow line deletion or insertion, making the modification of programming a pain the rear. That said, for a $40 toy, it's a pretty good value, but potential buyers need to see it for what it is....a toy.

To the OP.....keypad lighting makes the Kenwood a better choice on the two fine radios you mentioned.

 

[oesjmr]

If by local dealer, you are referring to Universal Radio, they are good people to deal with. I don't get over there very often, but it's always been a pleasant experience shopping there. BTW, if you are allergic to cats, beware. They have several felines who hang out in the store.

That's the place! I bought my FT-60R there last year and a PSR-300 for my mom before that. They were very helpful both times I was there. I actually used to live less than a mile from their store, I walked there when I bought the scanner. My travel time still isn't bad, I live five minutes away now.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone had experience with the Anytone AT-5888UV? I know it's one of those cheap Chinese radios talked about a few posts back. The reviews I have read are wildly mixed. I figured I'd throw it out there since it seems to be the only other in-stock mobile radio in my price range with the features I'm looking for.

 

[PhotoJim]

I don't think the Baofeng is the best solution, but the issues with the Baofeng software are easily overcome by not using the Baofeng software and using CHIRP instead. It's much better, and works with many brands of radios so you can move configurations from a Baofeng to a Wouxun to (I believe) a Yaesu.

My solution to a mobile rig was to get an opportunistically inexpensive ICOM 2 metre rig at a recent swap meet. I'm hoping to get the radio installed next week. I don't think I will miss 70cm all that much in the car (and I can use an HT if I really want to use 70cm) but I will definitely enjoy having 55 watts of power instead of 5, and a rig that's super easy to run from the handset.

 

[05WideGuy]

I have'nt heard anyone mention the YASEU FT-7900R...a lot of bang for the buck!!

 

[oesjmr]

I have'nt heard anyone mention the YASEU FT-7900R...a lot of bang for the buck!!

I looked at the FT-7900R but I would like to have the cross-band repeat functionality for only $80 more.

 

[W5KVV]

So what did you get? I have a TMV-71A & really like it. It was my first ham rig. I have since added a Kenwood TM-281 & a 710 to my collection. All great rigs.

The 71A is easy to program from the FP, I can have a repeater freq, pl & alpha tag programed in around 10 seconds. No need to hook it up to a computer.

 

[Kf4mnc]

I started off with Icoms, then moved to Yeasu, and now have all Kenwood gear. IMHO, Kenwood offers the best bang for the buck. The don't have as many new radios, but they also have class leading radios. Free software and user upgradable firmware is/was a big selling point for me. Not to mention sticking with one make means the user experience is the same, and I can easily manage my programming between radios and keep them the same.

I vote for the TMV-71 as its a great intro radio. Then if you find you want more or get into APRS you can just upgrade to the D710 control head.