Help me identify this radio

[w4rez]

Back in the early 90s, I bought a handheld VHF high band radio through mail order. This radio coul-d be field programmed using a device that was nothing more than a small black box with a red button and two cables with RJ-12 (I think) plugs coming out of it. You could plug into one radio, press the button, and the radio could be programmed from the front panel or you could plug into two radios and clone them.

The radio was pretty nice for the time. Was small, had 50 channels, a DTMF keypad, could be programmed into the 2m ham band, and could send QCII pager tones by entering the cap code via the DTMF pad. The channel display was on the top of the radio.

I can't remember what happened to mine and I know that since narrow-banding the radio is useless in the commercial service, but I would like to find another one for nostalgia.

I can not remember the brand or the model number of this radio but it wasn't any of the usual suspects.

Does anybody in here remember this radio?

 

[hill]

Sounds like a Bendix King radio.

 

[w4rez]

Sounds like a Bendix King radio.

Wasn't a Bendix King. It's gonna drive me nuts until I figure it out, though.

 

[kc2asb]

Wasn't a Bendix King. It's gonna drive me nuts until I figure it out, though.

This guy has a massive collection of radios - handhelds, mobiles, etc. See if any of the pics jog your memory. Good luck!

M1DYP - Radios

 

[12dbsinad]

AI told me it was a Relm/Bendix King RP3020

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

RITRON Patriot or Jobcom? I recall they had something that was programmable via button pushes, required no external software.

 

[n7maq-1]

Regency had FPP radios at the time, Icom also did but I don't know much about their commercial offerings of handhelds from back then. I hope you find out, and please let us know if you do.

 

[KevinC]

RITRON Patriot or Jobcom? I recall they had something that was programmable via button pushes, required no external software.

I don't think they had 50 channels.

But thanks for bringing up the Jobcom, I repaired a ton of them the the late 80's early 90's.

 

[w4rez]

This guy has a massive collection of radios - handhelds, mobiles, etc. See if any of the pics jog your memory. Good luck!

M1DYP - Radios

Finally had a chance to look through all of these. None of these are it. It wasn't a Regency\Relm or Jobcom.

Right now I'm just looking through VHF handhelds on eBay with a bunch of negative search terms for brands that I know aren't it.

I'll find it one of these days.

Here's the brands that it wasn't. I'll update this comment with new brands as I investigate.

Motorola
Kenwood
Icom
Yaesu/Vertex
Uniden
Standard
Midland
Alinco
Pyle
Bendix King
Hytera
General Electric/Ericsson/Harris/MA Comm
Ritron/Jobcom
Regency/Relm
Maxon
RCA
NEC

 

[kc2asb]

Finally had a chance to look through all of these. None of these are it. It wasn't a Regency\Relm or Jobcom.

Right now I'm just looking through VHF handhelds on eBay with a bunch of negative search terms for brands that I know aren't it.

I'll find it one of these days.

Good luck in your search. The Regency handhelds I saw advertised in Pop Comm in the early 90's were 16 channels, IIRC, and there was a 48 channel mobile. It will turn up eventually.

 

[w4rez]

Good luck in your search. The Regency handhelds I saw advertised in Pop Comm in the early 90's were 16 channels, IIRC, and there was a 48 channel mobile. It will turn up eventually.

I remember Scanner World selling Regency (RH-256B mobile) VHF mobiles back in the day. Pop Comm may have been where I saw the ad for this one. I've been trying to remember.

 

[kc2asb]

I remember Scanner World selling Regency (RH-256B mobile) VHF mobiles back in the day. Pop Comm may have been where I saw the ad for this one. I've been trying to remember.

Here is an archive of every issue of Pop Comm in case you want to look through them

POPULAR COMMUNICATIONS: DX SWL and Utilities hobbyist maghazine

Popular Communications was a magazine with content relating to the radio hobby, including scanners, shortwave radio, CB, amateur radio, AM and FM broadcast band listening, radio history, and vintage radio restoration. The magazine existed between 1982 and 2013

www.worldradiohistory.com

 

[w4rez]

Here is an archive of every issue of Pop Comm in case you want to look through them

POPULAR COMMUNICATIONS: DX SWL and Utilities hobbyist maghazine

Popular Communications was a magazine with content relating to the radio hobby, including scanners, shortwave radio, CB, amateur radio, AM and FM broadcast band listening, radio history, and vintage radio restoration. The magazine existed between 1982 and 2013

www.worldradiohistory.com

I did not know that this existed! Thanks!

 

[kc2asb]

I did not know that this existed! Thanks!

You're welcome! It's a good trip down memory lane, one way or the other. If you find the radio, please let us know.

 

[ecps92]

Finally had a chance to look through all of these. None of these are it. It wasn't a Regency\Relm or Jobcom.

Right now I'm just looking through VHF handhelds on eBay with a bunch of negative search terms for brands that I know aren't it.

I'll find it one of these days.

Here's the brands that it wasn't. I'll update this comment with new brands as I investigate.

Motorola
Kenwood
Icom
Yaesu/Vertex
Uniden
Standard
Midland
Alinco
Pyle
Bendix King
Hytera
General Electric/Ericsson/Harris/MA Comm
Ritron/Jobcom
Regency/Relm
Maxon
RCA
NEC

just throwing out, search for Fujitsu, forget what the programmer looked like.

they made a radio back then for the Part 90 spectrum, only programmed one and it was painful and it scanned in reverse 50, 49, 48 etc