Wanting an HT that has good RX in VHF and UHF AM airband

[cameronw]

Hello all,

I am wanting to buy an HT for 2m/70cm. Also, I would like to listen to VHF/UHF AM airbands. Below is a list of what I am looking for. I may end up having to buy a radio and a scanner, it would probably be better in the long run.

Needs:

• Not a uv-5r
• 2m/70cm analog
• RX on VHF/UHF AM (scan is a plus)
• rugged enough for mild backpacking
• good front-end, i live near a few powerful v/u public service repeaters
• RX of weather band (S.A.M.E not a concern)

??:

• just found out my uni has a fusion repeater (i dont know if i want to go down to getting locked in to one standard)
• I'd like to take it as a runner in 5k's
• Good DC support for car operation

With all of this being said I realize that all-in-one always means compromise, so I may just buy an HT and a separate BC125AT (is it legal to bring an HT to a air force base airshow?). The FT-60R seems like a decent candidate, it is unfortunate that it still costs that much, but seems like a rugged radio.

Anyone have any thoughts or recommendations?

 

[footage]

Highly recommend FT-60R. Sensitive on AM VHF, more than my dedicated Yaesu airband HT. Fast scan. Durable as all heck. Small but not too small. Easier UI than most of the newer ham HTs. In RX mode one charge lasts forever. I bought a spare so I'm set up for 20 years.

 

[TailGator911]

Second the motion for the Ft-60R for a good, basic and tough little radio for OP's intended use.

 

[krokus]

Kenwood TH-F6 & TH-D72 can do most of those, but are now older units. (Should be inexpensive(ish) as a used radio.) The current model, TH-D74 has those capabilities, too.

As for taking with you on a 5k, that is up to you, but would look at the necessity.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

Also recommend the FT-60R. As to the question is it legal to bring an HT to a air force base airshow? In my experience no. They would not allow any hand held tranceivers at the air shows held at the Air Force base near me.

 

[N9JCQ]

I use my Kenwood TH-F6A for exactly what you are looking for. It goes to Oshkosh every year for the EAA flyin in July.

 

[SurgePGH]

Highly recommend FT-60R. Sensitive on AM VHF, more than my dedicated Yaesu airband HT. Fast scan. Durable as all heck. Small but not too small. Easier UI than most of the newer ham HTs. In RX mode one charge lasts forever. I bought a spare so I'm set up for 20 years.

A few questions about the FT-60R.
Are you able to program in this exact frequency? -> 151.3475
How many characters can you save a channel name as?
Are the alpha characters the boxy type letters or does it use a dot matrix style character?
Do you have a picture that you could post of an alpha-numeric channel name?

I've been interested in this radio for a while but these are a few issues I have to get past.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[sallen07]

Are you able to program in this exact frequency? -> 151.3475
How many characters can you save a channel name as?
Are the alpha characters the boxy type letters or does it use a dot matrix style character?
Do you have a picture that you could post of an alpha-numeric channel name?

No. "The radio does not allow frequencies on 2.5 kHz steps."
Six
Boxy

Keep in mind that the FT60 was introduced in 2004 and is still in production. If you are looking for a solid dual-band analog HT, this fits the bill. If you are expecting a modern multi-color display, not so much!


.

 

[k6cpo]

A few questions about the FT-60R.
Are you able to program in this exact frequency? -> 151.3475
How many characters can you save a channel name as?
Are the alpha characters the boxy type letters or does it use a dot matrix style character?
Do you have a picture that you could post of an alpha-numeric channel name?

I've been interested in this radio for a while but these are a few issues I have to get past.

Thanks,
Dave

I was unable to program that exact frequency, either by hand or in the RT Systems software. The radio does not have the ability to use 2.5KHz steps. The smallest available is 5.0KHz.

Six, including spaces and symbols, is the largest number of characters available in an alpha name.

The characters appear to be a combination of block and dot matrix. Very readable, however.

Here's a shot of the screen. My FT-60 has a crack in the window from where it was bumped against something, but the LCD screen was undamaged, so I didn't replace it. The radio still works fine.