Looking to get advice on what unit to buy

[Tippman7641]

For a long time I have been using CB radios to communicate out on the trails and during storm chasing. One of my biggest issues is reception quality. And all the constant tuning that has to be done. Very recently a close friend has convinced me to convert to ham. Nw I have been on my computer for most of the morning looking at different units, but would rather get some opinions or advice before dropping that kind of money. There is just so much information and it kind of confusing for someone like me just getting into it.

My primary uses would be on the trails(4x4), storm chasing, And I guess just general chit chat with people all round(as i understand these have quite the range especially when repeaters are involved)

My budget for everything, radio, antenna, already have a nice coaxial cable run for the CB is about $350-400, although i would prefer to spend around $200-300, some of the brands I've been looking at were Yaseu and Icom, theres just so many different choices

I'm planing on getting my license here very shortly as well.

 

[KG4INW]

It definitely comes down to personal preference for many people and you'll receive all kinds of suggestions. They'll probably all be good!

What I would do is continue to peruse the various equipment vendors' websites, see what you like, and then see how they've been rated by actual users here: eHam.net Reviews

 

[mmckenna]

Yaseu, Kenwood or Icom is a good place to start. You'll pay a bit more of the name brand stuff, but the support, reliability and quality will be better. Some may suggest the low buck Chinese brands. Might work fine, but some of them can be headaches, and might not be the best choice for a new amateur. The name brand stuff should be well within your budget.

Dual band, 2 meter VHF/70 cm UHF mobile would be a good choice, although depending on your area you may only need a single band. Check with the locals and find out what they use. There are a lot of other options, HF, 50MHz, 220mhz, 900MHz, 1200MHz and up. 2 meters and 70 centimeter bands tend to be the most popular for local communications and for the wealth of repeaters available.

Do not overlook the antenna. If you are going to spend this much on a radio, make sure you install a good antenna. Don't cut corners here, overall performance will suffer.

 

[Tippman7641]

Whats a good radio to get started with then? seems like there are to many choices to count within those brands, and am finding mixed reviews on some models. I travel alot so dual band would be good.

 

[Tippman7641]

I was looking at the ICOM IC-2730A

 

[mitbr]

Icom v8000 is inexpensive and built like a brick only vhf though.

Ft 60r by Yaesu is a portable dual band built like a brick very reliable.
Tim

 

[mmckenna]

Yaseu FT-7900 is a good basic radio and usually reasonably priced. It's a dual band radio, but will only RX on one band at a time.
I used the earlier model of this one, the FT-7800 and it was a fairly decent radio. Only issue I personally ever experienced was the microphones falling apart.
Most Kenwood mobile radios come with nicer microphones.
I haven't purchased an Icom radio in a long time, so I can't really comment on those.

Also, to save some sanity, spend the extra cash to get the programming cable and software. While you can program these guys from the front panel, it's a whole lot easier to use the software, especially if you have a lot of channels to add.

 

[N8IAA]

I was looking at the ICOM IC-2730A

Not a handheld, but its been out of production for more than three years.
Larry

 

[dave6890]

If you are on a budget and want a dual band mobile, you aren't going to find much new transceivers for under $200.00. If you want single band, the cheapest UHF mobile that I know of is the Baofeng BF-9500. They cost about $150.00. The least expensive Chinese dual band mobiles cost around the same, maybe a little more than a Handheld dual band from Icom, Alinco etc.

If you use a HT, you will NEED an external antenna to get the most out of it. I don't recommend anything with a magnet mount unless you don't mind scratching the heck out of the roof of your car and damaging the coax at the "crunch points" on the car doors/trunk.

I have an Icom 2300H 2m transceiver that is great but I'll soon be upgrading to a Kenwood V71A dual band mobile. My entire 2m mobile set up cost me $230.00 (radio, antenna, antenna mount, coax). I used a $10.00 Laird QW144 and a Tram NMO rail mount.

I hope that helps and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'm scheduled to do some installation videos this week on my Youtube channel. Oh and if you want to save some $$, don't be afraid of used equipment.

 

[AK9R]

Not a handheld, but its been out of production for more than three years.

The Icom IC-2730 is a current-production radio which has only been on the market a year or so.

 

[Tippman7641]

Here is the radio I was looking at. ICOM IC-2730A | DUAL BAND VHF 50W UHF 50W ANALOG MOBILE

Yes I am willing to spend the extra to get what I want vs the bare minmimual. I was going to pair it with this antenna
Comet-NCG SBB-5 | BLACK VERSION OF SB-5 ANT