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Which Handheld is Best

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wood0615

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Joined
Jul 10, 2015
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3
Location
Sherrills Ford, NC
I am a Reserve Deputy in NC. Unfortunately, that means I get the bottom of the pile when it comes to radio equipment, so I am looking for an inexpensive handheld UHF radio to replace an old Motorola HT750. The ht750 will not transmit unless I am in the Sheriffs department, which makes it useless when I am on a call. So, question is, what radio with transmit and recieve power in a hilly terrain could I look to purchase on ebay?

I would like to stick to less that 200 dollars.

Our system is uhf, and on repeaters in a fairly large county. Frequency is in the 450 to 470 range.

Not knowing much about the radioes, I hope that is enough info.
 

MTS2000des

5B2_BEE00 Czar
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
5,173
Location
Cobb County, GA Stadium Crime Zone
I would like to stick to less that 200 dollars.

Plenty of new basic conventional radios from reputable manufacturers sell for around that price point, Kenwood TK-3312 is a good choice, well under $200 used, around $250-300 new.

. So, question is, what radio with transmit and recieve power in a hilly terrain could I look to purchase on ebay?

for public safety use, I STRONGLY advise against buying a duty radio on Ebay, or from any unknown source.

Look,. I get you're a reservist and don't have thousands of dollars for your gear. But you wouldn't buy some POS HiPoint 380 for a duty gun from some "guy off the street", and you should not buy a tool that will be your LIFELINE from someone you don't know nor know the history of.

It's really best to find a local dealer, yes, you will pay more. You will also get what you pay for, and get a paper trail which may be important should, hopefully never, something happen down the road.

Your safety and the safety of your brother/sister officer depend on you to have the right tools to do your job. If you insist on buying a used portable, buy it from someone you know and get it fully checked out by a qualified technician before putting it into duty service. You would do this with your sidearm, you should do it with your comm gear and anything else that is critical it function to save your life!

Our system is uhf, and on repeaters in a fairly large county. Frequency is in the 450 to 470 range.

You should contact whoever at your county dispatch handles radio communications and confirm the following: not just what type of system they are using currently, but if they have any plans to upgrade or migrate to something else, like your statewide VIPER network in the near future. They may also be able to direct you to a reputable local dealer, or even have a spare portable they aren't using in a radio cache they can loan you.

Not knowing much about the radioes, I hope that is enough info.

All the more reason to get with whoever in your agency manages comms and have them assist you. While this forum is a great resource for radio hobbyists, your first stop should be your agencies' communications unit and get with the point of contact for who manages the radio system.
 

DJ11DLN

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2013
Messages
2,068
Location
Mudhole, IN
+1,000 on post #2. I have been in those shoes and I know how it is...we didn't even have old issue radios, it was buy your own or do without. Check with your dealers, they may have some good used units taken in on trade for sale. I found that if I told vendors I was a RDS, I often (not always) got at least a little discount and sometimes it was substantial. A dealer will be able to check the gear out and make sure it is reliable and safe, as well as getting it programmed properly for your system. Sometimes a little more $$$ spent now is worth a fortune later. Stay safe.
 

SteveC0625

Order of the Golden Dino since 1972
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Oct 24, 2009
Messages
2,795
Location
Northville, NY (Fulton County)
Is the HT750 issued by the department or your own property?

I'd be wondering why the HT750 is no longer working well. There's lots of possibilities including weak battery, physical damage, etc. But a big one is the possibility of changes in the department's radio system. If that is the case and the 750 is still in good working order, putting out proper power in particular, replacing it with another portable will be an exercise in futility.

Before I would plunk down any money for a new radio, I'd want to know for sure what's going on with the old one.
 

CCHLLM

Member
Joined
May 10, 2003
Messages
1,020
I agree that the 750 is a good radio and should perform well for many years. It probably needs a good bench tech session and a battery. As a retired emergency services volunteer, I also understand that budget constraints don't always allow for good maintenance on older second line duty radios.

With all that said, since you are providing your volunteer time to public safety, and since you aren't able to utilize the PM function here as of yet, contact me by email (profile page) and maybe I can solve the problem with a donated mid range UHF display radio.
 

mformby

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2005
Messages
167
Location
East Texas
I spent 25 years in the 2-way business, the last 10 as a Motorola dealer/agent/MR. The HT750 is a great radio. I would first have it tuned and the battery checked by a reputable dealer. I would rather spend $200 on that radio than on a cheap or used radio of unknown quality/problems.

I agree that the 750 is a good radio and should perform well for many years. It probably needs a good bench tech session and a battery. As a retired emergency services volunteer, I also understand that budget constraints don't always allow for good maintenance on older second line duty radios.

With all that said, since you are providing your volunteer time to public safety, and since you aren't able to utilize the PM function here as of yet, contact me by email (profile page) and maybe I can solve the problem with a donated mid range UHF display radio.
 

wood0615

Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
3
Location
Sherrills Ford, NC
Thanks to all who replied!!

I appreciate the feed back. A couple of posts have said the ht750 is a good radio. That said, I think I will take the radio in and pay myself to get it looked at.

CCHLLM, thanks for the generous offer. It is always fantastic to know there are those who care, especially in todays environment where many don't exactly like the police.

MTS2000des, DJ11DLN, SteveC0625, and mformby- Thanks again for your input!
 

CCHLLM

Member
Joined
May 10, 2003
Messages
1,020
The HT750 is an excellent radio in its tier, and while no radio is perfect, the Waris series is still around while a lot of others are gone. Yes, it is a bit long in the tooth, and the end is near as a current production item, but it has proven its mettle over the years as a mid tier contender. If the money spent on the service work doesn't work out, the offer still stands. If you are mid NC, I have some local avenues for you to try also.
 
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