Handheld Control Head Transceivers

[BMDaug]

Ok, I had to post a picture of the other amp, its just too cool. 30-512MHz and 20W output. So how does this compare to your manpack setup, daug?

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That’s pretty sweet man! I love it!! It stacks up pretty well in a lot of ways!!! How much does it weigh? Do you have a portable power source?

I admit that I am spoiled by having the accessory port on the 100M. I run APRS all the time and it’s really handy to have ALT PTT so I can beacon on a designated channel, triggered via an aux input, while operating voice on any other channel. I also DO need to be able to transmit up at 7/800 on a DTRS so being able to do an antenna limited 30W all across the board is pretty nice. Having 9600 baud data on conventional analog is also useful to me.

The Bluetooth speaker mic is awesome! I have an OTTO on my 100P, but since I operate on the move in secluded areas with the 100M, it’s important for me to have hand held control w/mic in a manageable size while monitoring with an earpiece. I want to be covert and not blare RX’d audio all over. When I’m in a vehicle, I use the vehicle’s aux input to feed audio out of a standard 1/8” stereo headphone jack to the car audio system. With a 30AH LiFePO4 it’ll operate for a very long time without shore power.

What do you think? That is a super cool setup you’ve got!

-B

 

[prcguy]

Here is my complete kit with the A-320 amp, BB-2590 battery, MBITR with GPS remote control, Otto speaker mic and correct antenna. I guess this would be relevant to this thread of "Handheld Control Head Transceivers". The BB-2590 battery is rated for about 15hrs of use on the amp with 15% transmit and 85% receive/standby. I don't use this setup much, maybe once a year at the Dayton HamsterVention these days.



Your pack setup is nice and I do want to get an XG-100M with low band option in the future. Your pack does look a little large if that's the only radio inside. I used to carry this smaller pack which covered 1.6 to 60MHz AM/FM/SSB/Digital with a Harris PRC-138 then the MBITR for 30-512MHz AM and FM. This pack included spare batteries and antennas for both the PRC-130 and MBITR. In addition to the handheld remote control for the MBITR I had a handset for the PRC-138 that had a bunch of remote control functions.

 

[jeepsandradios]

As others have said ripped all my ham rigs out and use commercial LMR for the majority of my ham needs. I do still run a FTM400 for APRS but that's it. It normally sits on 52 but dont even have a mic on it. Use my 8500 for all TX in my JT. If 20 years I have yet to need a channel that wasn't in one of my radios on the ham side. But with that said I'm not a huge ham radio snob and rarely use ham other than some simplex and a couple repeaters. Just took a 6000 mile trip around the US and other than 520 and one repeater in Grand Canyon didn't have a need.

 

[BMDaug]

@prcguy Ya, there’s extra space. I’m about to add a diplexer and 25’ of RG400 so I can string up a HD vertically polarized dipole and separate V/U from 7/8 to get better 7/8 coverage in the mountains. The bottom of the pack zips down and adds about 20 liters of additional storage so the pack is good with all the radio gear plus supplies for a two night trip. I did remove a pouch since I took that pic. I had two and I put them on my pup’s molle harness so he has a nice pack of his own! It’s also really comfortable when it’s not super loaded up. LBT Communicators bag with Alice frame. The handheld controller is really great for e. It’s rugged and is easily readable in bright sun.

OP, if you are looking for something commercial that’s relatively inexpensive search Tait TM8200 on the bay and there are some hhc models up right now for a couple hundred bucks. I do t know much about them to be honest but it might be worth a look.

-B

 

[prcguy]

You got a JT ? I got one too, a Mojave. Thinkin about putting my 7500 in it and I could go with the handheld remote head on that.

As others have said ripped all my ham rigs out and use commercial LMR for the majority of my ham needs. I do still run a FTM400 for APRS but that's it. It normally sits on 52 but dont even have a mic on it. Use my 8500 for all TX in my JT. If 20 years I have yet to need a channel that wasn't in one of my radios on the ham side. But with that said I'm not a huge ham radio snob and rarely use ham other than some simplex and a couple repeaters. Just took a 6000 mile trip around the US and other than 520 and one repeater in Grand Canyon didn't have a need.

 

[jeepsandradios]

You got a JT ? I got one too, a Mojave. Thinkin about putting my 7500 in it and I could go with the handheld remote head on that.

Yup...... I had the 7500 in the JK but went with the 8500 for the JT just so it was one head vs 2.

 

[kk6rq]

One serious problem w/W3 HHCHs is they're incompatible with human eyes over 40....especially at night...

 

[prcguy]

Uptade: I've acquired a few Harris XG-100Ms and will be getting an HHC-731 handheld control head mic for my Jeep JT. The radio is currently in the vehicle with a hard mounted control head and I'm starting a project to make the radio to handheld control head interface for the radio.

I previously had a Yaesu FTM-400XDR and an Icom 706MKIIG with control heads on a RAM mount and the Harris has replaced the Yaesu, but when the Harris handheld control head goes in I could put the Yaesu back on the RAM mount. That would be a little busy with a dual band Fusion 2m/70cm, an HF/2m/70cm and a five band Harris VLF lo/VHF/UHF/700/800 radio all in the same vehicle. Oh why not, I have three NMO and one HF antenna mount on the vehicle already.