Looking for Recommendations

[LFRfreak]

I'm in the market for a portable radio with the following features:

1. Rain proof (preferably fully waterproof to withstand submersion)
2. Channel labeling (alpha tags)
3. Receives broadcast radio
4. Under $200
5. At least 128 channels
6. CHIRP programmable
7. Transmits on VHF and UHF
8. High power transmit setting of at least 7 watts
9. 2-prong accessory port

Thanks!

 

[HudsonScannerGuy]

Most Baofengs fit your description..

 

[wrath]

Most baofeng handhelds do not come anywhere close to 7 watts , there claims otherwise have been disproved in labratory studies the highest most baofengs generate to my knowledge is 4.8 watts , the will happily take your money for a claimed high power radio , and be warned on amazon there are cheaper copies of baofeng high-powered being sold that are not even real baofeng they are counterfeit. For a dual band radio at this point spend the $49 extra($249) and buy a Yaesu FT 1 XDR it has more than 128 channels is digital so you can access both C4fm & DMR when your ready, it comes with the cable and has free version of rt systems programmer on there website or you can use regular chirp ,it's a great little radio it even has preprogrammed seperate memories for shortwave marine and air band as well as fm broadcast ,and it will give you a full 5 wats out,its one of the best deals on HTs right now ,its batteries are the same as older yaesu rigs so you can already purchase higher power(lower $) battery packs and chargers from third party manufacturers. It has single pin mic but for about 12 dollars you can buy the adapter to use a dual pin kenwood/ Icom/ baofeng style mic with no problem , and you can play with it the rain as it's pretty robustly made with seals . So you can buy a CCR for less that claims the world but doesn't deliver or you buy one of these for a little more and get a lot more , it also has TNC & GPS built in so you can play with APRS , and it will do backtack never lose your car in parking lot again!
LOL, Its a lot of radio for $249 , i didnt "need" another radio as have about 20 others but for the price , i couldnt walk away i had recently purchased a hotspot that does all digital modes and did not have c4fm so back around dayton I picked one up for $229 , but it's still an incredible bargain at $249, it exceeds your budget slightly but will give loads of stuff to play with and do in a quality rig . Good luck with whatever you get? And the alpha tagging works nicely, it also is capable of password protecting the radio the radio ,a nice feature to have , and the sd card allows you to have a ready backup of your frequencies and settings so if you ever need to reprogram the radio on the fly ,you just tell it to read the sd card .

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

 

[bb911]

I'm in the market for a portable radio with the following features:

1. Rain proof (preferably fully waterproof to withstand submersion)
2. Channel labeling (alpha tags)
3. Receives broadcast radio
4. Under $200
5. At least 128 channels
6. CHIRP programmable
7. Transmits on VHF and UHF
8. High power transmit setting of at least 7 watts
9. 2-prong accessory port

Thanks!

"1. Rain proof (preferably fully waterproof to withstand submersion)." No such animal for under $200.

 

[gonefishn1]

FT-1 XDR is a discontinued radio

 

[gonefishn1]

Yaesu FT-70 is a new radio for $200

 

[SteveSimpkin]

I'm in the market for a portable radio with the following features:

1. Rain proof (preferably fully waterproof to withstand submersion)
2. Channel labeling (alpha tags)
3. Receives broadcast radio
4. Under $200
5. At least 128 channels
6. CHIRP programmable
7. Transmits on VHF and UHF
8. High power transmit setting of at least 7 watts
9. 2-prong accessory port

Thanks!

I don't think there is a HT currently available that meets *all* of those criteria for under $200. You may need to change your list to show "must have" vs "desirable" items. I recommend you dial back the 7 Wattt requirement to 5 Watts instead. The extra 2 Watts will give you nothing but shorter battery life and more heat over 5W. Also the 2 prong accessory requirement limits your choices.
A question for item 3. Do you mean just FM or both AM and FM broadcast bands?
The Yeasu VX-6R comes close to meeting most of these requirements. It sells new for $239.

 

[wrath]

FT-1 XDR is a discontinued radio

Yeah it's discontinued but it's still a great radio true dual band and has capability that the vx6 and 70 don't have like TNC and c4fm / DMR , I can't help think in terms of future proofing my radios , after almost 27 years licensed I still have 29 year old yaesu's in use ,back then of course there was not digital anything , let alone hotspots ,but being it's discontinued you can get a damn good radio for pennies . I can't see anyone buying a lesser capable radio even if you don't use the features now they are there for tommorow. And radio prices are staying pretty constant on the older analog rigs there's one radio that i bought that I don't still have and its going for $249 still used 25 years later (FT51r I drove over it with my car wrecked the display but it's speaker mic had a secondary display I continued using it another 4 years ) so for the price the FT 1 can't be beat as a rig that can take a punishing and still work plus has the digital abilities. Don't let discontinued fool you yaesu was competing against itself with that radio so they cut it loose.
For submersible you are better off buying a rain coat for it .
Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

 

[AK9R]

Yeah it's discontinued but it's still a great radio true dual band and has capability that the vx6 and 70 don't have like TNC and c4fm / DMR...

The FT-1XDR does not do DMR.

The FT-1XDR has an internal TNC for APRS purposes only. You cannot use the internal TNC for regular packet functions. If you want a radio that does that, get a Kenwood TH-D72 or TH-D74.

 

[wrath]

If you use any available hotspot it does DMR c4fm and DMR share a common vocoder ,I have shark openspot and use mine for DMR all the time, all the units be it dv4mini shark of another i can not remember will transcode, on the TNC yes its more limited than the kenwood 72 or 74 as it's not a full AX.25 but the 72 is around $400 and the 74 is around $589 , personally I use the ft- 1 and the 74 for my digital play , unfortunately dstar uses a seperate and unique vocoder that can not be transcoded to anything else currently so you'll still need two radios for the three digital modes , there is Work on adding p25 & NXDN to the shark also but have no idea what those would require as far as hardware.so honestly for his requirements as stated the Ft1 is as close he can come to meeting all his needs with a few bonuses thrown in at just $49 more than his planned expense of $200 , but it slso comes with its programming cable and free sofware on the sight as well as chirp available, I can not think of any other radio in his price range that meets as many of his requirements as it does ,without sacrificing some features in order to have others and going into CCR rigs ?

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

 

[N9JCQ]

You may be able to find a used Kenwood TH-F6A tri-band HT and that would cover all your needs listed except the 7 watts. It does 5 Watts on 2 meters.

 

[AK9R]

If you use any available hotspot it does DMR c4fm

The FT-1XDR does not do DMR. It may be able to transmit C4FM from the radio to the openspot which the openspot converts to DMR, but the radio itself does not do DMR.

 

[ke6gcv]

If you use any available hotspot it does DMR c4fm and DMR share a common vocoder ,I have shark openspot and use mine for DMR all the time, all the units be it dv4mini shark of another i can not remember will transcode, on the TNC yes its more limited than the kenwood 72 or 74 as it's not a full AX.25 but the 72 is around $400 and the 74 is around $589 , personally I use the ft- 1 and the 74 for my digital play , unfortunately dstar uses a seperate and unique vocoder that can not be transcoded to anything else currently so you'll still need two radios for the three digital modes , there is Work on adding p25 & NXDN to the shark also but have no idea what those would require as far as hardware.so honestly for his requirements as stated the Ft1 is as close he can come to meeting all his needs with a few bonuses thrown in at just $49 more than his planned expense of $200 , but it slso comes with its programming cable and free sofware on the sight as well as chirp available, I can not think of any other radio in his price range that meets as many of his requirements as it does ,without sacrificing some features in order to have others and going into CCR rigs ?

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

Is this what you're re referring to: https://www.sharkrf.com/ ?

This is only an IP gateway, not a standalone. I watched the video. It requires a PC to be able to connect to the various modes it claims to operate on (DMR, DStar, System Fusion, etc.). I don't think the OP is looking to carry around their PC everywhere they go to be able to talk on DMR.

Just my thoughts.

 

[wrath]

I run it mobile with just a tp link to public WiFi no problem,you can use it thru a computer or cell phone also a limit needs is a internet connection .but this deviates from the OP'S radio question if you can find a F6A they are a decent radio but they blew them out for $209 on black Friday most places .

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

 

[k6cpo]

I'm in the market for a portable radio with the following features:

1. Rain proof (preferably fully waterproof to withstand submersion)
2. Channel labeling (alpha tags)
3. Receives broadcast radio
4. Under $200
5. At least 128 channels
6. CHIRP programmable
7. Transmits on VHF and UHF
8. High power transmit setting of at least 7 watts
9. 2-prong accessory port

Thanks!

The old adage about having your cake and eating it too applies here. As previously mentioned, you may have to give up some of your requirements to get those that are more desirable.

Most Baofengs fit your description..

Not even close. If I were to get my Baofeng wet or drop it in water, it would be toast.

"1. Rain proof (preferably fully waterproof to withstand submersion)." No such animal for under $200.

Although it's only two meter, the Yaesu FT-270 is submersible and cost less than $200. Unfortunately, it also lacks the 7 watt transmit and two prong accessory port. As I said above, "you can't have your cake and eat it too..."

YAESU FT-270R Transceivers HT Single Band 2 Meters, FT270R

 

[jwt873]

If water resistance is important, you can purcahse waterproof cases for handhelds. They aren't a custom fit, but will keep the unit dry in wet conditions. https://www.dhgate.com/hot-product/hot-waterproof-case-for-walkie-talkie.html

 

[jonwienke]

The Baofeng GT-3WP meets every criteria except the 2-pin plug and 7-watt transmit. They have a Motorola-style mic connector and TX 5 watts, and are about $50 each.

 

[ke6gcv]

What about TYT Electronics? I've seen the TYT-MD-2017 for just over $200 (around $220-$230 average). It does look to fit the OP's needs from what I can see.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

What about TYT Electronics? I've seen the TYT-MD-2017 for just over $200 (around $220-$230 average). It does look to fit the OP's needs from what I can see.

While the TYT-MD-2017 is a nice radio and does include DMR, it does not appear to meet the OP requirement numbers 3, 6, 8 and 9.
These trade-offs may be worth it but only the OP can decide that.

 

[ke6gcv]

While the TYT-MD-2017 is a nice radio and does include DMR, it does not appear to meet the OP requirement numbers 3, 6, 8 and 9.
These trade-offs may be worth it but only the OP can decide that.

True.