icom vs digital talk plus

[Akuriko]

Hello i use the icom 501H and i wanted to get the 501M to run out of my home, anyways i was told recently that icom cannot repair or get me replacement parts so i am posting this question here, is the digi talk radios, i will post links good as i was told to change to them over the icom, does anyone have any info on the digi talk brand? who makes em, what country are they from, also mods im sorry if posted this in the wrong place.

here is the radios

https://www.digatalkplus.com/devices-and-software/diga-talk-9851/

https://www.digatalkplus.com/devices-and-software/diga-talk-8900/

icom 501H

IP501H & CHARGER KIT | Icom LTE

*IMPORTANT - Contact connect@icomamerica.com and ask about the LTE Airtime Pricing required for this product. **IMPORTANT - Contact connect@icomamerica.com and ask about available options for this product.--------------------------------------------- BC-202IP3AC Charger kit included Instant Wide...

www.icomlte.com

icom 501M

IP501M | Icom LTE

*IMPORTANT - Contact connect@icomamerica.com and ask about the LTE Airtime Pricing required for this product. **IMPORTANT - Contact connect@icomamerica.com and ask about available options for this product.--------------------------------------------- Instant Wide Area Coverage Over LTE The...

www.icomlte.com

i want to know more on the digital talk plus radios and services, does any one have any exsperience with the poc radios? i love the icoms there great little radios.

 

[ramal121]

Not sure where you got the impression Icom can't repair that model. I had not one but two 501M's that the front panel plastic cracked and fell apart around the volume knob. Very strange indeed but regardless I pulled them and sent them to Icom for repair. Took a while, almost a month, but came back good as new.

 

[Akuriko]

i was told by a autherized dealer parts cant be done or aquired swap em out for new, i like and love my icom.

 

[mmckenna]

i was told by a autherized dealer parts cant be done or aquired swap em out for new, i like and love my icom.

I think you'll find since those are low cost radios, they don't want to repair them. Bench time is often close to $100/hour and they probably don't stock the parts. They'd rather you buy a new one.

 

[Akuriko]

well i was asking for a cord for the charger cradle, they said oh well just swap em out for a different brand and different service, i love my icom, i contacted icom its under warrenty, the charger cable for the cradle was sent to me, they keep asking me the former icom autherized dealer to swap em out for 3 new radios, i dont want chinese made crap i want my japanese icoms, so i get what i want a simple repair, lol

i was asking if its worth me swapping out my icom for a no name brand and no name company like diga talk plus over icom, im still waiting for the info on why they want me to swap out, lol

 

[mmckenna]

Not sure I'd mess with the Cheap Chinese products. Most of them run on some really old version of Android and are just screaming to get pwned by some hacker, if not already shipped with malware pre-installed. That sort of stuff will eat up your SIM card allocation really quickly, and risk getting shut down by the carrier.

If you went with another brand, you'd have to go all in since they are not cross brand compatible.
501H's are on sale according to the Icom website for $199 through the end of the year. Seems like a good deal for a decent radio that's not a Chinese POS.

Sometimes the more expensive, higher quality stuff is cheaper in the long run. Disposable junk adds up after a while.

 

[Akuriko]

yeah i agree, i just want the icom and im not intrested in chinese pos junk.