What mobile ham would you recommend?

[N7BKV]

Oh, and with the proliferation of Fusion systems I broke weak and bought a Yeasu FTM-7259DR this weekend at Summer Fest.

Fusion is not yet seriously here in Calif sierra foothills. But I looked seriously at the 7359.

BTW--Pershing? Me: 1st 41st 56 Arty Brigade. Schwabisch Gmund Feb 1972 to July 1974. How about you? Contact me at radio1@finscoffee.com

 

[jhooten]

Fusion is not yet seriously here in Calif sierra foothills. But I looked seriously at the 7359.

BTW--Pershing? Me: 1st 41st 56 Arty Brigade. Schwabisch Gmund Feb 1972 to July 1974. How about you? Contact me at radio1@finscoffee.com

HHB 3/84 76-78 and 80-82
HHb 3/9 in between
Commo Plt, TRC-80 Section.

There seems to only be one D-Star machine in the Austin and a half dozen Fusion.

 

[N7BKV]

Commo Plt? How did all that Pershing gear stack up against modern commo stuff? Did that experience give you a kick start into Ham Radio, or were you already a Ham?

 

[jhooten]

Commo Plt? How did all that Pershing gear stack up against modern commo stuff? Did that experience give you a kick start into Ham Radio, or were you already a Ham?

Early 60s four door sedan to current charger Hellcat.

Partially ended up in that MOS because of past radio experience.

 

[W5GX]

The xmit power setting is global, rather than on a channel-by-channel configuration.

What mobile radios marketed by Alinco/Icom/Kenwood/Yaesu have this feature?

It's odd you ask this - because I would have assumed every major radio offers this.

My FT-7100 allows each memory entry to store a power level.

But I started digging in a few manuals.

The FT-8900 does this, and the DT-735TE.

Icom and Kenwood don't seem to - judging by the IC-2730 and TM-V71.

When it comes to buying a new mobile, I will have to take that into consideration.

 

[W5lz]

This is a fairly easy question to answer. Guess that depends on what you consider easy and how much you know about ham radio to start with. There are two basic schools of thought on a 'first' or 'best' radio. One is that you start off simple and cheap. The other is that you get whatever radio fills your need/prospective need. That 'other' option is also probably the most expensive and hardest to learn to use. From experience, I would select the radio that does what I want it to do, while, at the same time looking for a really good bargain! That's not a 'fast' thing, it can get real slow. Now, you have to decide just exactly what would suit your needs the best (I have no idea). You would then probably have to save just a little bit more before you get it. In the mean time... what else happens to be floating around that you could use?
Not a very satisfying answer, huh?

 

[k6cpo]

Unless it's changed since the last time I blinked, Technicians do have CW privileges on 10m from 28.100 - 28.300...

All US hams have CW privileges between 28.000 and 28.300

I'm aware of that, but I was speaking to the FT-8900R, which is FM only.

I've had a blast with 10M FM in my mobile, and not only during band openings. There are quite a number of 10M FM repeaters on the air around the US and world. Because of their increased range I have 3 that I can hit via ground wave in my area... no "skip" needed.

That requires at least a General license.

 

[TailGator911]

Sometimes, the latest and greatest just might not be the bestest of the restest. It's all about what works for you. Case in point: I purchased the latest greatest Yaesu FT2-DR HT because it had an easier to read touch screen which I thought would be nice, different modes and updated features, etc. I tried to transition to this radio from my Yaesu VX-7R quad bander after years of satisfied use. I recently took both HTs on a 2-month RV excursion to Alaska and although the FT2DR was a very capable radio, I find that it is way more than what I need with modes and nodes and bells and whistles that I won't even use. There were too many times I put it away and went to my trusty old VX-7R for ease of use and familiarity. So, the latest and greatest just might not be the best way for a new ham (or one of us old hams) to start out with. Just a thought....

JD
kf4anc

 

[superdeez]

I'm a fan of the Alinco DR-135Tmkiii. Partially this is because I work on an airfield and the DR-135 has airband RX, so I can listen to that into and out of the airport. One other thing it .lets you do is turn the display into a voltmeter, which tells you system voltage. I use it as much for a VHF scanner as for a radio, but I like it enough I bought a couple of extra units so that I may use it for some time to come if Alinco stops production.

 

[AK9R]

I'm a fan of the Alinco DR-135Tmkiii. Partially this is because I work on an airfield and the DR-135 has airband RX...

The OP asked about dual-band mobile radios. The DR-135 is 2m only. Also, many 2m and dual-band radios marketed for the amateur radio market have air band receive, so that's not a unique feature.

 

[bharvey2]

A little late to the party but I think one of the best dual band ham radios is the Kenwood TM-V71A. It's well made, fairly intuitive to program, has good audio and the head can separate for mobile installation. That being said, I'd rather have the mic connect directly to the head rather than the base for easier detachment and installation. I have a couple of them and haven't had a lick of trouble.

 

[W5lz]

The only "mobile ham" I would consider would come in a re-sealable package, and sliced. Wal Mart has it, not bad, and comes in several flavors.

... this post is a comment on how questions are written.

 

[bharvey2]

The only "mobile ham" I would consider would come in a re-sealable package, and sliced. Wal Mart has it, not bad, and comes in several flavors.

... this post is a comment on how questions are written.

Well, that's "food" for thought. I've heard of the phrase "When pigs have wings" but now if we're talking mobile ham, "when pigs have wheels" could be an alternative.

 

[N4GIX]

If I strap on roller skates and carry my HT, wouldn't that make me a "mobile ham?"

 

[Firekite]

Yeah, a Kenwood NX-5700/5800 dual RF deck with single remote head.
Add in the FPP option, DMR option.

It'll be more expensive than the amateur radios, but it'll give you a lot more flexibility.

I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do for my mobile installation as well, to permanently replace my mag mount and CCR HT current setup, and I’m trying to figure out if I can/should “cry once” by going this kind of route versus my other leading contender the ham-specific TM-710GA. By what mechanism do the multiple RF decks play nicely through a single antenna? Or do they require multiple antennas, one per deck (per band, basically)? Can you add options/upgrades later like DMR, or must those be selected at time of purchase or not at all?

 

[mmckenna]

I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do for my mobile installation as well, to permanently replace my mag mount and CCR HT current setup, and I’m trying to figure out if I can/should “cry once” by going this kind of route versus my other leading contender the ham-specific TM-710GA. By what mechanism do the multiple RF decks play nicely through a single antenna? Or do they require multiple antennas, one per deck (per band, basically)? Can you add options/upgrades later like DMR, or must those be selected at time of purchase or not at all?

A diplexer will allow you to combine RF decks on different bands into one antenna.

If I was doing it, I'd go with separate antennas for each band. Diplexers have a small amount of loss, plus the selection of dual band antennas is kind of small. With separate antennas you can set them up the way you want.

DMR, P25, etc. are licensed options, so they can be purchased later on down the road if you decide.

Unless you specifically have a need (and license) to use the LMR channels, it's a very expensive way to do a dual band radio. For some users, the lack of a VFO is a deal breaker.
For a dual RF deck NX-5000 setup, your looking at close $2000 or more. The 710 is about 1/4 that price, plus you have APRS.

 

[W5lz]

I guess what it amounts to is, do you have radio requirements for other than amateur radio? If so, then that NX-5000 may be your best bet. If not, then why would you even think about it? That's a lot'a money!

 

[Firekite]

I guess what it amounts to is, do you have radio requirements for other than amateur radio? If so, then that NX-5000 may be your best bet. If not, then why would you even think about it? That's a lot'a money!

I agree that’s the general consensus. It’s essentially impossible to find the “perfect” radio for everyone, and if you’ve got the money you can do cool stuff with commercial grade gear. Yaesu pushes their proprietary C4FM hard, but even though Kenwood’s TH-D74A HT adds D-STAR, it doesn’t have DMR capabilities for some reason, and the current TM-D710GA mobile isn’t capable of either mode.

Considering DMR is only a ~$40 fee for their NX-5700/5800/5900 decks, I don’t know why they wouldn’t make it available on their ham gear, even the Ferrari level D74A latest and greatest. If you want DMR, and you want high quality gear, and you have the money to burn, you can get an awesome setup going with commercial offerings instead.

I think in my case, it’s not worth it. I’ll just end up going with the 710GA in my truck and call it good.

 

[N4GIX]

You might give some consideration to the Connect Systems newest CS800D part 90 approved dual-band analog/DMR transceiver, which is currently on a terrific sale. This combination below includes the new 7" diagonal color touch screen display! $399 for the combination. I have one in my car and two UHF only CS800 units; one for my office and another for my ham shack.

CS800D+CS-BFD Combo

www.csi-radios.com

 

[bharvey2]

As long as I can still tap-out my name in CW on the office Swingline stapler, I'm good to go.

You might give some consideration to the Connect Systems newest CS800D part 90 approved dual-band analog/DMR transceiver, which is currently on a terrific sale. This combination below includes the new 7" diagonal color touch screen display! $399 for the combination. I have one in my car and two UHF only CS800 units; one for my office and another for my ham shack.

CS800D+CS-BFD Combo

www.csi-radios.com

I purchased one about a month or so ago although I didn't get the large screen. The sale came about right after I received my CS800D. Although, I did get the radio at the sale price. While I like the radio (at least after a few firmware updates) I don't think I'd pick it for my first mobile dual band unless I were set on predetermined repeaters and frequencies only. Also, programming a DMR radio can be a bit intimidating for a newbie.

I'm curious, N4GIX, what is the radio just under the in dash stereo. Unless it's a 220Mhz radio, it looks like you have your bases covered with the 800D and the Yaesu.