What ham radio to get

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bob69302

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Good morning ladies and gentlemen,
Please don't flame me by the title! I have searched and can't seem to find exactly what I am looking for, so I request your assistance.
I am looking for a mobile 10m ham radio that looks similar to my Uniden PC78XL. The radio needs to output no more then 20 watts PEP as its going into an amp. I would also like the radio to have NOAA and other emergency features (what features those are, I'm not exactly sure), and possibly a scanner function.
I hope these guidelines make sense. Please forgive me for my ignorance as i am very new to ham. Also no I don't have my license but I am studying right now for it. I'm just building my setup for my truck. I can send / post picture if people like.
Thank you for your time and effort,
Phil
 

TheSpaceMann

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Good morning ladies and gentlemen,
Please don't flame me by the title! I have searched and can't seem to find exactly what I am looking for, so I request your assistance.
I am looking for a mobile 10m ham radio that looks similar to my Uniden PC78XL. The radio needs to output no more then 20 watts PEP as its going into an amp. I would also like the radio to have NOAA and other emergency features (what features those are, I'm not exactly sure), and possibly a scanner function.
I hope these guidelines make sense. Please forgive me for my ignorance as i am very new to ham. Also no I don't have my license but I am studying right now for it. I'm just building my setup for my truck. I can send / post picture if people like.
Thank you for your time and effort,
Phil
I'd get an FT-857! Since you are a soon to be ham, you would have a mobile HF and VHF/UHF radio in one package that would work many different modes. 10 meters right now is fairly quiet. The FT-817 could also be an option.
 

bob69302

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I'd get an FT-857! Since you are a soon to be ham, you would have a mobile HF and VHF/UHF radio in one package that would work many different modes. 10 meters right now is fairly quiet. The FT-817 could also be an option.

Thank you very much for your reply. I forgot to mention I am running dual 102 whips off my military mounts. I realize the 102 will need to be tuned for 10m but can I use that whip for VHF and UHF?
Sorry for being so ignorant!
 

K7MH

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Thank you very much for your reply. I forgot to mention I am running dual 102 whips off my military mounts. I realize the 102 will need to be tuned for 10m but can I use that whip for VHF and UHF?
Sorry for being so ignorant!

Not so practical. A VHF 2 meter 1/4 wavelength whip is about 19 inches.
I would get a catalog from Ham Radio Outlet and get a bit more familiar with the different current models of ham rigs (and antennas) before deciding anything. 10 meters is pretty dead these days so maybe not the best band to be on. No telling if it will get much better or not but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting!!

Ham radio is not like CB in that CB has only those 40 channels on that one band that people are limited to so there are always a few guys on CB whether or not the band is open. Hams tend to go wherever the action is so if there is not much activity on 10 meters everyone will be found on some other band like 20 or 40.
There is usually a lot of activity on 2 meters with repeaters.
 

bob69302

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Thank you all for your advise. The reason I want to run dual whips is to make my truck look as much military as possible but use citizens bands. I am former military and I know I can not afford the radios that were originally installed. I realize I am asking one length of antenna to do way more than its designed for. Catch 22! Attached are two pictures of what I am going for...
 

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TheSpaceMann

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If you just want an inexpensive 10 meter mobile, you may want to look for a used HTX-10 or HTX-100 in good condition! You can often find them for around $100 or so.
 

bob69302

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Money is really not an issue. Performance and a wide range of communication is my goal
 

AC9BX

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If wide range of communications is more important I'd look for a multi-band radio and move away from the 10 meter idea. There's nothing wrong with 10 meters but these days and likely for the next few years there won't be much activity on 10.
I might argue having mismatched antennae looks more military.
The Yaesu ft-857d (or low power 817) as mentioned would be a good choice. You get 160, 80, 60, 40, 30 20, 17, 15, 12, 10, 6, 2 meters and 70cm. Or something like the Yaesu 8900, quad band, 10, 6, 2, 70cm.
 

prcguy

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The black antenna mounts are common for the 30-88MHz AS-3900 or the newer Shakespeare 30-512MHz antennas. Is that an AS-3900 antenna base with BNC connector you stuck the whip on or the older AS-1729 base that has a multipin connector and band selector switch on the bottom?

Either of those antenna bases have parts inside that you would have to completely gut and pass a wire through from the coax connector to the whip. Did you do that?

BTW, a shiney stainless steel whip and spring does not go on a CARC HUMVEE, get those off of there!
prcguy
 

wb6uqa

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10 meters

I like the Icom 706 Mk2G with the AH4 coupler. Should tune your 102 inch whip 6-80 meters. Radio has antenna input for Vhf and Uhf. Face can be mounted away from radio.
 

sloop

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I second thevote for theIC-7200 if you are going for the military look. You can also get it in olive drab or cameo colors. As far as power, the power is adjustable from 5 to 100 watts, but with 100 watts you won't need an amp.
 

cmdrwill

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I second the vote for theIC-7200 if you are going for the military look. You can also get it in olive drab or cameo colors. As far as power, the power is adjustable from 5 to 100 watts, but with 100 watts you won't need an amp.

I also have the ICOM IC7200, great radio, and I have most of the mods in it. On the antennas, I would get an antenna tuner, As PRC mentioned, first check if the mil mounts have the built-in tuner.
 
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