So, the only new radio is from Yaesu?

[N8IAA]

Dayton Hamvention (I'm not there or going to be), but no new radios or accessories? Every year something new comes out for the radio hobby. Someone even likened the VX8R as a handheld 847/857. I've yet in my 30+ years of shortwave, scanning, and hamradio seen a HT that does what a dedicated mobile does. Even a FT-817 doesn't come close to what most people want in an all mode radio. $900 for an Icom R2500 + the extra money for the P-25 card and a separate program to follow trunked systems. Who has all this disposable income to waste on overpriced radios. I can not wait for a quality SDR radio to come out that does the DC to Daylight and us truly user definable. Uniden and GRE are marketing radios that have to have numerable upgrades because the radios have been hurried out of development for sale to the public. We do all the de-bugging of the radios and pay $500 for the privilege. I have yet, and I know that there are others out there, to buy a radio when it initially comes out. Especially in the last 5 years when new radios are out yearly, or, nearly so.
Do-all, Be-all radios are confusing to people who have been out of the hobby for years and get back into scanning. The same for new scanner enthusiasts who buy a radio meant for the true and longtime scannerhead. I don't understand why the companies can't make radios that can be understood by most( check all the posts from 'newbies' here on radio reference).
I own a radio DJ-X10, that has beginner settings and advanced settings. I learned how to use the radio in newbie-mode before moving on to advanced. Made the radio easier to understand and use. People need to make use of the radio reference wiki's to buy the radio neccessary to monitor their area. They need to ask questions in the state forums for better responses to what they would need to monitor their state, county, and cities. I know that we are all ready to help, but, it is a daunting challenge for us who know to try to help those who don't.
Try reading the manual and understanding what makes the radio work. I know that it makes a difference when asking why something doesn't go the way it was meant to in your mind's eye We have all made mistakes and learned from them. I know people who are techno gurus that speak in a language above my knowledge of radios. I have found my niche and try to help where I can, not withstanding, help it if something is not said properly when I don't know it is wrong. PM's are a more personal and useful tool than bashing on the forums
Thanks for reading my tirade and don't flame please.
Larry

 

[raisindot]

Dayton Hamvention (I'm not there or going to be), but no new radios or accessories? Every year something new comes out for the radio hobby. Someone even likened the VX8R as a handheld 847/857. I've yet in my 30+ years of shortwave, scanning, and hamradio seen a HT that does what a dedicated mobile does. Even a FT-817 doesn't come close to what most people want in an all mode radio. $900 for an Icom R2500 + the extra money for the P-25 card and a separate program to follow trunked systems. Who has all this disposable income to waste on overpriced radios. I can not wait for a quality SDR radio to come out that does the DC to Daylight and us truly user definable. Uniden and GRE are marketing radios that have to have numerable upgrades because the radios have been hurried out of development for sale to the public. We do all the de-bugging of the radios and pay $500 for the privilege. I have yet, and I know that there are others out there, to buy a radio when it initially comes out. Especially in the last 5 years when new radios are out yearly, or, nearly so.
Do-all, Be-all radios are confusing to people who have been out of the hobby for years and get back into scanning. The same for new scanner enthusiasts who buy a radio meant for the true and longtime scannerhead. I don't understand why the companies can't make radios that can be understood by most( check all the posts from 'newbies' here on radio reference).
I own a radio DJ-X10, that has beginner settings and advanced settings. I learned how to use the radio in newbie-mode before moving on to advanced. Made the radio easier to understand and use. People need to make use of the radio reference wiki's to buy the radio neccessary to monitor their area. They need to ask questions in the state forums for better responses to what they would need to monitor their state, county, and cities. I know that we are all ready to help, but, it is a daunting challenge for us who know to try to help those who don't.
Try reading the manual and understanding what makes the radio work. I know that it makes a difference when asking why something doesn't go the way it was meant to in your mind's eye We have all made mistakes and learned from them. I know people who are techno gurus that speak in a language above my knowledge of radios. I have found my niche and try to help where I can, not withstanding, help it if something is not said properly when I don't know it is wrong. PM's are a more personal and useful tool than bashing on the forums
Thanks for reading my tirade and don't flame please.
Larry

Not going to flame you, sir, but, frankly, what is the purpose of forums like these if not to provide help to people? Sure, many of the questions are repeats, but, if you don't want to answer them or read them, don't. Sometimes the manuals don't make it very easy to understand how to do all things (the PSR500 manual is pretty tough, particularly since you either have to print out all 150 pages or read it on a PDF), so sometimes a user-friendly answer from some of the fine folks here can save a lot of time. Sure, there are those who get so frustrated that they use the forum to vent, but that's the price of free speech.

In terms of "scanners that do everything," I disagree with you in that I personally LOVE that the PSR500 can monitor everything and the kitchen sink and I don't need to invest in two or more scanners to get everything I want. The excellent third party software makes it easy to negotiate its technical difficulties. I think most people with a $500 budget would prefer to get the most out of that scanner, and today's digital ready scanners do that. I compare the PSR500 to the P-95 I just sold and it's like comparing a Model T to a Porsche.

In short, there's plenty of room here for people who want to answer questions, and those who don't. For those who like everything in a package, and those who want simple. For those who have lots of experience, and those just getting into the hobby. Why not support everyone who comes here, even if they're asking the same questions that have been asked before? I'd rather see more duplicated threads than a dead forum (and, believe me, nothing is worse than a dead BBS).

Just my .02.

Suzie

 

[N8IAA]

I love high tech radios myself. Less in my case is more. My intentions were to bring attention to those that buy radios without doing the neccessary detective work to see what is needed for what they want to moniitor. The Radio Reference Wiki is a wealth of knowledge. Radio magazines like Monitoring Times and PopComm are excellent resources for new scanner owners. I don't mind aswering questions, or asking them. You helped me with a simple answer on the Win500 software. I have seen too many 'appliance operators' in my years as a scannerhead and ham radio operator. Learn on a simple radio, move up to a more advanced radio. Understanding how the radio and systems work by making mistakes is invaluable. I did, and am sure, you did too. We still will come out ahead for knowing why the mistake is made. Knowledge is the best tool to understanding why something works. I have taught ham radio classes and love when someone I helped gets it and goes on to do more than me with their knowledge. Just passing their exam is reward in itself. Local scanner people are a magnificent source of knowledge. There are numerous Yahoo groups and the regional forums here on RR have helped me and others. A little research goes a long way.
Larry

 

[raisindot]

I love high tech radios myself. Less in my case is more. My intentions were to bring attention to those that buy radios without doing the neccessary detective work to see what is needed for what they want to moniitor. The Radio Reference Wiki is a wealth of knowledge. Radio magazines like Monitoring Times and PopComm are excellent resources for new scanner owners. I don't mind aswering questions, or asking them. You helped me with a simple answer on the Win500 software. I have seen too many 'appliance operators' in my years as a scannerhead and ham radio operator. Learn on a simple radio, move up to a more advanced radio. Understanding how the radio and systems work by making mistakes is invaluable. I did, and am sure, you did too. We still will come out ahead for knowing why the mistake is made. Knowledge is the best tool to understanding why something works. I have taught ham radio classes and love when someone I helped gets it and goes on to do more than me with their knowledge. Just passing their exam is reward in itself. Local scanner people are a magnificent source of knowledge. There are numerous Yahoo groups and the regional forums here on RR have helped me and others. A little research goes a long way.
Larry

While I agree that it's best that people do their research up ahead, I would not necessarily advise them to "start with a simple radio and move up." Sometimes a simple radio can very quickly get you out of the hobby because it performs badly (as anyone has ever used a $100 SW receiver can tell you). Or even one that might be simpler or cost less might make you kick yourself later for not getting the better one that open up the frequency band for you.

Case in point: the first time I had even HEARD of the PSR500 was when I posted a question to a Yahoo scanner group asking whether it was worth moving up from my Pro-95 to on-sale RS triple trunking analog scanner. One one line response-- "Go look at the PSR500"-- sent me on a long journey that led me here and ultimately convinced me to buy the thing, even though, technically, it was way beyond my technical understanding and I still don't really understand what P25s or Signal Stalkers or the differences between trunking system--or how to do many of the more advanced thinngs with it. Does it matter? Not really--I worked my way up the learning curve--with great help from the people here--to a point where I do feel I'm getting the most from this magnificently expensive toy.

Suzie