NEW: Yaesu VX-8R

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N8IAA

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scannernutt, loumagg has the reason, D-STAR can't mix digital 'n analog. But I don't wanna mean this. I wanna say that the Icom IC-E92 HAVE mixed digital 'n analog, but it doesn't mean that 'u can transmit by analog 'n digital together, at the same time. It means that if 'u want, 'u can transmit by analog, 'n if 'u want, 'u can switch to digital, the D-STAR.
I think that P-25 (I don't know a lot bout P25), but I think that it has to be for professional, 'n D-STAR for amateur. I'm not seein' the P25 to say this, but I know some things about D-STAR, coz I know Antonio - EA3CNO, that he works with d-star 'n digital systems. I know the protocols the Dstar uses 'n how does it do to communicate by the digital way.

Also, EA3CNO, loumagg, put an Icom UT-118 (Dstar unit) in a Yaesu FT-897 'n some other Yaesu 'n Kenwood equipment 'n it really goes!! We have a repeater that uses Dstar mounted on El Montseny, a mountain very high, 'n though anybody uses it, this repeater's there to do make tests with UHF over Dstar system.
Loumagg, now 'u can't say the Dstar's only for Icom. I thought it, but I was thinkin' with the possibility to integer the UT-118 into a Yaesu.
I'll buy a Yaesu VX-8R, 'n I'll put it in the Icom UT-118.

The new digital age's here!

Greetings,
Stickair.

One can by a dongle for D-Star from HRO and add it to any radio. You to can ride the D-Star wave to oblivion:))
Larry
 

stickair

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I wonder if Karol would like to hear D-star on 14.275? :twisted:
Yeah, but it's more difficult puttin' the UT-118 in a Yaesu FT-897 'n make it work over HF. Do 'u make QSO's over FM on 14275 kHz? I don't. (First, coz I don't have any HF transceiver, 'n then, coz FM over HF's untenable.

For the moment, we have to wait usin' PSK 'n... some other digital modulations.
I know PSK permits to make a qso with 50W 'n a good antenna with almost the world.

N8IAA, yeah, 'n 'u can connect the walkie to a laptop 'n another module connected to a line of ADSL, 'n 'u can surf the internet with only this, 'n workin (low speed data) over ham uhf, 'n to use a high speed data connection, 'u have to be connected via radio over 1200mhz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgwSW-UFC7I
That's goood!!

73's
 
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Tom_G

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Here in CT, we have 6 D-Star Repeaters up and running now.
2 more are slated to be brought online over the next few months.
The D-Star audio is very good and is alway "Full Quieting" (No static or hiss)
When signals get very weak, some digital artifacts can be heard, just like P25.

4 of the repeaters are gateway connected so they can connect to any other gateway connected repeater wherever it is located.
We frequently are having QSO's with folks in Texas and California and the audio sounds the same as the people who are loacal.

If you asked most of us a year ago if we would have been using D-Star, we would have said you were crazy.
Now that we all have tried it, we are hooked....:wink:

To see some of the D-Star traffic goto:
http://www.dstarusers.org/

Thanks, Tom/G, N1VVD
 

stickair

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I also have a IC-E91, but without the UT-121 (it's like the UT-118, but for the ic-e91).
I don't know a lot about this, I have to try it.
 

N1SQB

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Hey Tom!

I hear ya!
I have heard some of the repeaters in the Hartford area. Not bad audio. However that is the problem, they are all in the central part of the state. It does us in the 4 corners of the state no good. Its great if you live in the area of repeaters like this. However, DSTAR is not as popular or as widely accepted when compared to conventional repeaters. The costs are not worth it for a lot of people who own repeaters. For instance, down in our neck of the woods, there is the very popular 441.700 machine, the N1KGM repeater which is a linked repeater. I know the owner Kevin, and he says that he will NOT put a digital repeater or upgrade to digital. Its not worth it. We do a lot of work with OEM and Homeland Security people. The repeater needs to be made available to anyone with regular equipment. If most of the people in the coverage area that volunteer dont have the equipment then it makes no sense. Again, if you folks in the rich central part of the state can afford it, then Im happy for you. The rest of us, will be fine without Dstar!

Manny
 
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loumaag

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I hear ya!
I have heard some of the repeaters in the Hartford area. Not bad audio. However that is the problem, they are all in the central part of the state. It does us in the 4 corners of the state no good. Its great if you live in the area of repeaters like this. However, DSTAR is not as popular or as widely accepted when compared to conventional repeaters. The costs are not worth it for a lot of people who own repeaters. For instance, down in our neck of the woods, there is the very popular 441.700 machine, the N1KGM repeater which is a linked repeater. I know the owner Kevin, and he says that he will NOT put a digital repeater or upgrade to digital. Its not worth it. We do a lot of work with OEM and Homeland Security people. The repeater needs to be made available to anyone with regular equipment. If most of the people in the coverage area that volunteer dont have the equipment then it makes no sense. Again, if you folks in the rich central part of the state can afford it, then Im happy for you. The rest of us, will be fine without Dstar!

Manny
All the more reason to stick with P25. Quantars can go analog or digital depending on input to the repeater. :wink:
 

Tom_G

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Manny,
Just as an FYI,
The 2 other repeaters I mentioned that will be converting over will be on West peak on Meriden Mountain.
Not sure if you can reach that from your neck of the woods or not but I figured I would mention it to you. (If you can hit 145.490 today you would be able to hit the new one.)

For a while, Icom was giving repeaters away to resellers that met certain sales goals.
They also severly discounted them for a while which is why we have so many around here.

And all this time I thought you were down in the richer portion of the state towards Fairfield county......... ;) 73, Hope to catch you are the NARL HAM Fest on 6/21

http://www.narlhamfest.org/
 

Grog

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Great... there goes 400 more bills. :roll:


Even though it sounds like it's just a glorified 7r I gotta have one.

This is what I want...

A HAND HELD FT-817!!! WITH COVERAGE TO 174 MHZ. I asked and engineer from Yaesu about it last year at Dayton and he thought I was smoking a bowl. But think of it. The 817 is only 5 watts anyway. Why not make it the size of a Bendix/King with all the features of the 817 and 7r with a large LiIon bottom mounted pack and submersibility. Now that would be some s*** right there.



Even better, make it so it would take /\/\ XTS batteries. There would always be the AA clamshell case as well as Impres 4150s. Plus you could always go up to 5000mah if you want aftermarket :D
 

N1SQB

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"And all this time I thought you were down in the richer portion of the state towards Fairfield county"

Nope, but even they dont have any use for Dstar!.....;-) I can NOT hit the 145.490 from my deck at 475ft above sea level here at home, so there goes that new Dstar radio I was just running to buy! Darn!
LOL

Lou, I agree with the P25. If I can just convince the owners of the repeater!.......

Manny
 

stickair

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I just like P25 coz, I think that's IC-F3161DT/T that it chosses automatically the channel 'n digital or analogic depending of the smeter, 'n if 'u want, 'u also can program the radio to choose the zone depending the position catched from the gps (optional, I think). The radio's monitoring every moment the smeter of all the channels while 'u can tx for another channel, or rx.
'n 'u can link an analogic repeater with a digital repeater, 'n do like a transponder, like the Yaesu FT-8900, but doin' this with a professional equipment.

Anyway, I know that analogic system's over reach of anyone, but it would be stop here 'n not continue goin' forward. Remember the Code Of The Radio Amateur, the key 3 says "THE HAM RADIO'S PROGRESSIST: : He keeps his station agreein' the progresses of the science 'n he manipulate it efficiencily 'n regularily".

We can't stop here or go back. We have to fact up new equipment 'n keep us goin' forward.

73's.
 

jon_k

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Saw the VX 8R at hamcom. It seems more like a toy and you could have fooled me if you said it was waterproof. It does not look as rugged as the VX-7R either.

I'm wagering that if I purchased a 7R and 8R and took them both everywhere, the 8R would crack open or something if dropped. The 7R has taken multiple hits, with the bumpers on the side it keeps on trucking. The 8r that was on display felt like it was molded plastic.

The 7R appears to be a rugged design that the 8R just doesn't seem to have. In a way being smaller is nice... in a way it just makes it seem/feel flimsy. I'll be happy with my 7R. If they had kept the design and added APRS then I'd consider an 8R. As it stands... why'd they ruin the great package? Why make it smaller?

--

As far as DSTAR, some people got a grant here from someone to put up 5 repeaters in the Tarrant county area. A fellow told me to expect them sooner rather than later to start popping up. I'll wait a while for people to jump on board and see what they say first. For a $300 addon module to my 2820 it's a risky upgrade. (After all, I would be able to throw that down on a VX-7R for APRS and GPS purposes.)
 
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k6lcs

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A Lot of Radios...

...three yaesus...and I have an icom in the back of the truck...99% of my ham use is motorola gear...

Wow...if these 4 radios represent just the other 1 percent of your stuff, that means you have 396 Motorola rigs.

And I thought I had compulsive buying problems...

Anyway, the Kenwood TH-F6a and its full power output on 220 as well as 2M and 440, seems to be the ham HT of choice out here in Southern CA.

Personally, I like the the FT-60R. Use 'em all the time for my satellite demos. Bulletproof construction, strongest belt clip design of any ham HT on the market, 1000 memories, 108-to-a-gig (essentially) receive, large display, and a great optional AA battery case scenario: with AAs, you're working at FULL POWER, if need be. Slap the AA case on the TH-F6a, and you're working at 1/2 of one Watt.

And the price of the FT-60R is well under $200. Yes, it's only single receive...but CAN be programmed for satellite work and TX on one band and RX on the other.

But the VX-6R was the unit I chose to take with me on a recent 5-day trip. Something about the BOLDNESS of the font used in the display, and the small size. The VX-3R and '6R were both used this last trip...

And so it goes.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359
 

k6lcs

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Plastic vs. Metal Cases

...The 8r that was on display felt like it was molded plastic...

I'd take a radio housed in polycarbonate any day over one in a metal housing.

A dropped polycarbonate case is going to "give" and NOT transmit as much physical shock to its internal components as a metal case.

All current Motorola Professional HTs are polycarbonate...I think, with their market share, they know how to do things right.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359
 

jon_k

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...The 8r that was on display felt like it was molded plastic...

I'd take a radio housed in polycarbonate any day over one in a metal housing.

A dropped polycarbonate case is going to "give" and NOT transmit as much physical shock to its internal components as a metal case.

All current Motorola Professional HTs are polycarbonate...I think, with their market share, they know how to do things right.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359

Can't say the whole case is metal, it just feels solid The bottom has rubber bumpers to stop the force of being dropped.

What I meant by the 7-R is it just doesn't seem to be built as rugged. No bumpers, doesn't feel durable in your hands. I guess the way it feels means as much as anything else.
 

prcguy

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People keep knocking the VX-7 due to its low power on 220 and its really not a problem. I talk through every So Cal 220 repeater just fine with my 300mw VX-7 and there are no repeaters that my 5w 220 handheld can work that the VX-7 cannot. Are there any VX-7 owners that have an issue with the 220 power or is it just Kenwood owners?

My experience (in So. Cal) is about 3 TH-F6 owners to about 10 VX-7 owners. I think the real HT of choice around here is the new VX-3 which is about the size of a VX-7 battery. Everybody seems to have one!
prcguy
Anyway, the Kenwood TH-F6a and its full power output on 220 as well as 2M and 440, seems to be the ham HT of choice out here in Southern CA.

Personally, I like the the FT-60R. Use 'em all the time for my satellite demos. Bulletproof construction, strongest belt clip design of any ham HT on the market, 1000 memories, 108-to-a-gig (essentially) receive, large display, and a great optional AA battery case scenario: with AAs, you're working at FULL POWER, if need be. Slap the AA case on the TH-F6a, and you're working at 1/2 of one Watt.

And the price of the FT-60R is well under $200. Yes, it's only single receive...but CAN be programmed for satellite work and TX on one band and RX on the other.

But the VX-6R was the unit I chose to take with me on a recent 5-day trip. Something about the BOLDNESS of the font used in the display, and the small size. The VX-3R and '6R were both used this last trip...

And so it goes.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS / KAF3359
 

mancow

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I want an FT-817 in an HT body but the Yaesu engineer thought I was smoking a bowl when I mentioned that to him at Dayton. :roll: Why not? It's already 5 watts and battery powered.
 

stickair

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By the way, I thought the admin may make a Yaesu forum.

So, about the VX-8, have you touched it?
I think all of that are suggestions, and not real. I agree with you to think about anything but it's converting like a reality. I don't know if that case are of metal, plastic, rugged or not rugged. I think you don't know it also. So I prefer to keep me waiting to touch it to say yeahh or noahh. I don't know what I'll do if the VX-8 are not much tough like the VX7, but anyway, if it's not sufficiently resistant, I'll mount a soft case to protect it. I can pay the new Yaesu coz I know that I'll have it for along time (3 years, more r less).
I'm interested with the APRS, ARTS, and some other features integered in the Yaesu VX-8, that I can't have with any other radio.

I don't believe that Yaesu does a low tough radio.
Think about Yaesu VX5, VX6, VX7... these're the more resistants. And also, I wouldn't agree, and I think there are much of people that also wouldn't agree. Starting from you and me!

73's.
 
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