Radios

[mattghost]

so heres my thought. im looking for a radio that will work as a scanner for apco/digital bands ( fire ems police etc) but im also looking for the same radio to be able to transit on bands ( ham radio, weather spotting, air traffic, etc) im getting sick of carrying around 2 radios when i want to do both types of things.

Any suggestions anyone??

 

[clbsquared]

Just off the top of my head, it sounds like you're going to need a dual band radio. Motorola's upper tier APX line will give you the functionality you need. But they're pricey. I'm unsure about programming the ham bands, though. But scanning P25 systems with an APX radio is a tricky thing. Especially with the newer firmware. Lots of legal issues can ensue if you get caught. You could possibly do what you want with an Astro / XTS series radio. The XTS line is not dual band capable though.

 

[cmjonesinc]

Then there's also the "air traffic" requirement in that list. Aviation is going to be below the receive range of an apx and is also AM.

 

[clbsquared]

Yep. Didn't even think about that. And then there's the DMR issue as well.

So, No, there is not a radio capable of doing it all, yet.

Sent from my HTC One A9 using Tapatalk

 

[jonwienke]

You need a scanner, plus a radio for whatever system(s) you need to talk to.

 

[mmckenna]

Short of high end military stuff, you are not going to get all that plus VHF AM air band in one radio.

The cost of a tri-band commercial radio with P25 is going to be well into the thou$ands of dollars. Also, programming them to work with trunked systems comes with some challenges.

It's usually much easier and cheaper to get a scanner for the public safety listening and a suitable amateur radio for the ham bands. AM Aircraft is going to take its own radio.

That is, unless you recently won the lottery.

 

[jaspence]

Radio

There are a few ham radios that can do at least part of the air bands. My Yaesu FT-60R has very good coverage for VHF aircraft and includes 330 to 336 mhz. It is also a solid, easy to program hand held, but is being replaced by the FT-65R, which reports say is nowhere near as good.

 

[majoco]

The airband people aren't going to be very happy with this unexpected radio popping up on their frequencies either - you might get a visit from some people. There certainly aren't many ham band radio's that transmit AM anyway.

 

[toastycookies]

There are a few ham radios that can do at least part of the air bands. My Yaesu FT-60R has very good coverage for VHF aircraft and includes 330 to 336 mhz. It is also a solid, easy to program hand held, but is being replaced by the FT-65R, which reports say is nowhere near as good.

Never knew the FT-60R did AM xmit on the airbands.

Is it still only the 1 watt like the vx7r on 6 meter?

 

[W8RMH]

The FT-60 does not transmit on AM.