Ok, I'm a complete newbie, beyond newbie in fact. I'll be completely honest I don't know what half these letters stand for and I am beyond confused. So... I would really like some help finding a radio. I want to be able to listen to pretty much anything, not broadcast, just listen. I would like a handheld unit that I can listen to cb, ham, emergency services, weather, and as much police/ fire as I can. I would also like gps/ aprs capability. Ive done some research regarding the repeaters in my state seem to be all 144 and 430 range and the local pd all transmit on 151-154 range. From what I understand I need MURS capability to listen to the local pd/ fire departments. I know the only local trunking is done by the energy companies and the air force base, Im not extremely concerned about listening to either of them.
So... what am I using it for? I want to be able to communicate with my family and friends around the state which should be possible via the 144 and 430 repeaters, I want to be be able to listen to as much as I can to gain access to information in emergency situations and traffic, and I want a unit I can take with me when I go kayak camping so that I can find my location, and transmit it to local emergency services should the need arise.
I am looking at a yeasu vx-8dr, yeasu ft1drb, and yeasu ft2dr. My understanding is that the vx-8dr is the only one that will be able to listen to all those frequencies (though modding may be required) but it will need the optional GPS antenna and mic adapter in order to use GPS but it does come APRS capable from the box. So my question is, can someone help me make sense of all this? Can the VX-8 gain access to the 151-154 range for listening purposes only? Can either of the other two radios? Im having trouble figuring out what I do and don't need here and any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you
So... what am I using it for? I want to be able to communicate with my family and friends around the state which should be possible via the 144 and 430 repeaters, I want to be be able to listen to as much as I can to gain access to information in emergency situations and traffic, and I want a unit I can take with me when I go kayak camping so that I can find my location, and transmit it to local emergency services should the need arise.
I am looking at a yeasu vx-8dr, yeasu ft1drb, and yeasu ft2dr. My understanding is that the vx-8dr is the only one that will be able to listen to all those frequencies (though modding may be required) but it will need the optional GPS antenna and mic adapter in order to use GPS but it does come APRS capable from the box. So my question is, can someone help me make sense of all this? Can the VX-8 gain access to the 151-154 range for listening purposes only? Can either of the other two radios? Im having trouble figuring out what I do and don't need here and any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you