Icom 2200h or 208h... i cant choose...

[mparker]

I am looking to get a base/mobile 2m rig... i havent really decided if i am going to use it mobile or base, leaning more twards base until i get my general. at that time ill get an all mode and move the mobile rig to mobile use...

anyhow i like the 208 because of its size and remote mount face, but the 2200 is dstar ready and also about $150 less and it looks equally as ascetically pleasing. (although the dstar board cost more than the radio)

maybe users of these to radios could chime in... or maybe someone has used both...


thanks guys

 

[hill]

IC-208 is a dual band radio 2m/70cm and the IC-2200 is just a 2 meter radio.

 

[mparker]

IC-208 is a dual band radio 2m/70cm and the IC-2200 is just a 2 meter radio.

yep, that doesnt really sway me either way...

 

[SCPD]

Do you want DSTAR or not? FYI, the d-star set up on the 2200 is a PITA. It's much easier on the newer radios.

If you don't want DSTAR *and* only want 2m, then go with the 2200. The power output is higher and frankly the value is much better.

In fact, I wouldn't even recommend the 208H as a dual-band rig. There are a lot better choices.

Also, if you answered YES to the above point, then you might want to also look at the Yaesu mobiles. They generally have a much wider receive and slighly lower prices.

Cosmetically, they're about the same but I do like the Yeasu's microphone style a bit better. The Icom allows you to change the LCD color - not sure about the Yaesu.


-Nick, w7dss

 

[mparker]

Wirelessly posted (Tmobile G1: Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.6; en-us; T-Mobile G1 Build/DRC83) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1)

Hey thanks for the reply... i really like the compact head on the 208h, i think there is a dstar version but the price jump is huge......

The yaesu 7800 is certainly nice too... i kind of wanted to get into the world of dstar.. not that much of a biggie though...

Welp i guess its back to square one.

 

[SCPD]

DSTAR is interesting. I borrowed a friend's 2200 and played with it over December. The only downside is that DSTAR requires a clear signal that is virtually Line of Sight.

Check with your local repeater clubs. If they don't use DSTAR (or there's a limited number of sites) then you probably won't have much need for it.

When DSTAR works it does sound nice and clear. Personally, I like the analog technology just fine and don't think digital is a big deal. Also, until Icom drops the price for DSTAR, then I have no desire to use it.

BTW, if you look at the dimensions of each radio, the 208 is actually bigger. They both are the same width but the 208 is nealry 2" deeper.

Go to a ham store near you and play with the Icom and Yeasu models. Either radio will be fine.

PS. The 7800R is discontinued now. The 7900R replaced it. It's still cheaper than the 208.

 

[Duster40]

Just a claification on terminoligy...an Icom 208 is a twin-band radio...it does only one band at a time.
A true dual-band radio does both bands at the same time...such as the Icom 2820, or the Alinco 635.
Marketing & Sales by most manufactures will advertise both types as Dual-Band, when in fact,
many models are really Twin-Band.......read specifications carefully to determine which is which.