RockyBennett
Newby
Hello All,
I am very new to the amateur radio hobby and I am just putting together my first rig. I am a senior citizen on a very limited budget, so the equipment that I buy has to be easy to program and also allow me to have years of fun.
With that in mind, especially the ease of programming part, I am considering two different radios as my first (and maybe last) radio. I am looking at the Kenwood TMV-71A and the ICOM ID-4100A. My main interest is the 2 meter band with access to a local repeater (Los Lunas, NM) and possibly some local simplex communications, but I would like to keep options open for 70 cm as well.
So my main question is really about programming. I want to get the radio and be up and running with as little fuss as possible. As a senior citizen my knowledge of computers is very basic, but I do have a couple of decent Windows 10 systems. Also, because I am not much of a home handyman, my proposed antenna is simply a roof mount dual band J-pole antenna, such as the Arrow OSJ 146/440. That antenna should be easy to mount on an existing mast and I should be able to figure out how to route the wire to my rig.
Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Because I have not purchased anything yet except a power supply (TekPower TP30SWII), I am open to suggestions. Remember, I am old and I want simple.
Thank in advance for any ideas and information.
Rocky Bennett
I am very new to the amateur radio hobby and I am just putting together my first rig. I am a senior citizen on a very limited budget, so the equipment that I buy has to be easy to program and also allow me to have years of fun.
With that in mind, especially the ease of programming part, I am considering two different radios as my first (and maybe last) radio. I am looking at the Kenwood TMV-71A and the ICOM ID-4100A. My main interest is the 2 meter band with access to a local repeater (Los Lunas, NM) and possibly some local simplex communications, but I would like to keep options open for 70 cm as well.
So my main question is really about programming. I want to get the radio and be up and running with as little fuss as possible. As a senior citizen my knowledge of computers is very basic, but I do have a couple of decent Windows 10 systems. Also, because I am not much of a home handyman, my proposed antenna is simply a roof mount dual band J-pole antenna, such as the Arrow OSJ 146/440. That antenna should be easy to mount on an existing mast and I should be able to figure out how to route the wire to my rig.
Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Because I have not purchased anything yet except a power supply (TekPower TP30SWII), I am open to suggestions. Remember, I am old and I want simple.
Thank in advance for any ideas and information.
Rocky Bennett