Mobile Question

[donnie_ke6don]

Im looking into getting a radio for my Jeep.
At first, I thought about a 2 mtr only.
Now Im wondering if a dual band wouldn't be a better choice
such as a Yaesu 8800.
Or would one of the Icom with D Star be good?
Only reason I mentioned the Yeasu, is I like the looks of it.
Any ideas are more than welcome.
Thanks.




73 K7UTA
donnie

 

[TheSpaceMan]

I have a Yaesu FT-7900 for use in the base and mobile. Great rig!

 

[KB0VWG]

I think getting a dual would be a good idea, when I purchased my first 2 meter then I thought after it was too late I should have gotten a dual band. Even though I don't use 440 that much but its there if i need it.
kb0vwg
wqoi992
Michael

 

[W5KVV]

It depends, do you have any UHF in your area or is the activity mainly VHF?

If I were going to put a radio in a mobile, it would have to be a dual band, just because you might venture to an area with active UHF & VHF repeaters, etc.

Look at the Kenwood TMV71A. Good rigs IMO. The 71a was my first Amateur rig & I love it. I currently have all three of Kenwoods newest mobiles, the TM-281, the TMV71A & the TMD710 but the 71A is still my favorite.

 

[DaveNF2G]

I agree with 10-2's basic point. A ham should select equipment based on whether it will be useful for communicating with other hams. If you are the only one in range with D*Star, for example, then you have wasted your money.

 

[JeramyJ]

It depends, do you have any UHF in your area or is the activity mainly VHF?

If I were going to put a radio in a mobile, it would have to be a dual band, just because you might venture to an area with active UHF & VHF repeaters, etc.

Look at the Kenwood TMV71A. Good rigs IMO. The 71a was my first Amateur rig & I love it. I currently have all three of Kenwoods newest mobiles, the TM-281, the TMV71A & the TMD710 but the 71A is still my favorite.

Hey fellow Okie! Maybe one day I will hear you from McAlester. If I ever get a good antenna going that is!

OP: Never used one yet but from what I have been advised the Yaesu FT 7900R is a great value and dual band. The 8800 will allow you to monitor both bands at the same time whereas I don't believe the 7900 will.

 

[RESlusher]

Think of the future! Go with the Yeasu FT-8900 quad band! 440, 2m, 6m & 10m!

 

[donnie_ke6don]

Thanks for the replies.
Being a Tech, I was considering the Yaesu 8900 simply for the fact it does all four bands wnich none of the others do.
I v also like the looks of the Kenwood.
It all depends on what the bank account will allow

 

[mmckenna]

If you are seriously looking at the 8900, take a look at some of the HF-6m-2m-70cm radios. They are pretty close to the same price, you'd get some extra power and extra capabilities, like SSB on 6 and 10, which the 8900 won't give you, and you'd need SSB for 10 meters as a tech, the 8900 only does FM, and your license doesn't cover that part of the band, at least not that I remember.

I had a 7800, the earlier version of the 7900, nice radio, compact, remote head, worked very well.

 

[LtDoc]

Donnie,
The smart thing to do would be to find out what bands are in normal use in your area and use that for a base for a radio requirement. Around here, 2 meters is in use, and 70 cm. BUt how about if you go somewhere? If the cost doesn't stop you a dual band radio is very nice to have, gives you some common options. I'm a Kenwood fan so guess which brand I'd recommend! That's a personal preference and will be different for everyone.
How about all the 'bells-n-whistles'? Most of them are usually nice to have, but just how often will you use them? Beats me, no idea which would be useful to you. With some of those 'bells-n-whistles', once you've played with them for a while, they won't seem so 'useful' anymore. And then some of them you'll never quit using. For instance, I think there's one 'D-Star' radio in this area. It isn't mine, and from the 'looks' of it, I don't think I'll ever have to worry about getting one. Same for a 'band-scope', nifty little things but not all that useful for me. The only 'option' that I would definitely recommend is those 'tones', PL, CTCSS, whatever. They are NOT options any more, they are a requirement for repeater use. That tends to rule-out a lot of 'used' radios that otherwise work just fine. Then again, you can add a 'tone' board to almost anything if you want to bad enough, you know?
And then you should think about future up-grades! That's not really a biggy, but keep it in mind. I honestly don't know of many people who never change radios at some point. I doubt if you'll be the exception, sort of.
Have fun.
- 'Doc

(The hardest 'best' solution is to get your hands on, and playing with something before getting it. See how you like it.)

 

[sloop]

Donnie, having owned a CJ-5 years ago, the main consideration you need to look at is the MIL rating for shock, dust, and moisture. No matter how many "bells & whistles" and how many frequencies the radio has, if it cant take the punishment of a jeep, it is no good.

 

[W2NJS]

A Motorola APX-7500 will cost you an arm and a leg, but it's dual band and built like a tank, plus it's got P25 if you have such activity in the areas you travel...AND it's got a decent amount of power. If you get one with the 03 head you have all the controls in the speaker/mic unit which can be removed and hidden when and if necessary. As I said above, it's expensive, but it doesn't get better than that.

 

[SCPD]

Look at the Kenwood TMV71A. Good rigs IMO. The 71a was my first Amateur rig & I love it. I currently have all three of Kenwoods newest mobiles, the TM-281, the TMV71A & the TMD710 but the 71A is still my favorite.

+1

The V71a is a great rig and would work just fine. For a CJ-5 I would add the external Kenwood KES-5 mobile speaker. (This speaker works great for my mobile environment and is quite loud.)

 

[W5KVV]

IF you decide to just go the 2 meter route, look into the Kenwood TM-281. They're a MIL spec radio & built pretty stout @ 65 advertised watts. Build quality is next to Kenwoods commercial stuff. Plus you can pick them up pretty cheap.

But for a mobile application, I would have to go the dual band route.

 

[donnie_ke6don]

Other than the two meter Kenwood, are there any of the dual bands that are mil-spec?
I do like the fact that Kenwood face plate can be mounted either way on the case depending on how you want the speaker.

 

[W5KVV]

Yaesu made some mil-spec dual band radios, but they have been out of production for a while. The FT-8000R & the FT-8500.

I'm sure there's others, but those are the two I checked into when I was first looking for a rig. I decided I didn't need a mil-spec radio in my truck, my non mil-spec radio is holding up just fine.

 

[donnie_ke6don]

I just happen to think of something, Being that we make a trip from Cali to Utah,several time a year and there are synced repeaters both on 2 mtr and 440,
I think choice is already been made.

 

[mmckenna]

I'd suggest paying attention to the mil-spec ratings. They are a rating, not an approval. The tests have multiple levels of qualification, some of them are quite low. Still, they are mostly nice radios, and it's kind of hard to go wrong with most of them.

 

[SCPD]

I'd suggest paying attention to the mil-spec ratings. They are a rating, not an approval. The tests have multiple levels of qualification, some of them are quite low. Still, they are mostly nice radios, and it's kind of hard to go wrong with most of them.

IMHO, it's just another gimmick to sell radios at a higher price.

 

[LtDoc]

I think I agree with that. If you honestly do have a need for the particular 'type' of ruggedness milspec applies to, then it would certainly seem to be a good idea. If not, then it really does you no good, does it?
- 'Doc