Yaesu came out with a new radio.. now Icom?

[Hit_Factor]

I would also not wait to perform a GPS search with the 5100 to find nearby D-Star repeaters either. Just program the nearby analog repeaters and be ready, regardless of radio. Contact one or two local amateur clubs and they should be able to provide an accurate list.

It's instantaneous if the GPS has a lock, it's also for analog repeaters, not just DStar.

Either way this feature is probably not particularly useful in this use case.

I'm still puzzled why the Fire Chief thinks amatuer radio is a resource he needs to talk to.

 

[belvdr]

I'm still puzzled why the Fire Chief thinks amatuer radio is a resource he needs to talk to.

Agreed. I never heard of emergency personnel communicating directly over amateur radio, but I guess it happens. We still don't know if they want receive only or the ability to transmit.

 

[prcguy]

In many areas fire stations, police stations, hospitals, etc, have emergency plans that include amateur radio and they have practice drills. In my area ARES is affiliated with many hospitals in the area, Los Angeles City Fire Dept, Los Angeles County Sheriff and others have amateur radio in their disaster plans. Those are not little podunk city agencies either.

I'm still puzzled why the Fire Chief thinks amatuer radio is a resource he needs to talk to.

 

[Hit_Factor]

In many areas fire stations, police stations, hospitals, etc, have emergency plans that include amateur radio and they have practice drills. In my area ARES is affiliated with many hospitals in the area, Los Angeles City Fire Dept, Los Angeles County Sheriff and others have amateur radio in their disaster plans. Those are not little podunk city agencies either.

I've been a member of podunk agencies, and currently run with the big boys when it comes to Emergency Response. I'm also a RACES member.

 

[bill4long]

I don't think a GM300 has enough channel capacity to program all the possible amateur frequency combinations that might be needed in an emergency and I've had frequency plans change at the last minute in amateur disaster practice drills. Plus you would need two radios for dual band. If I were building up a new command vehicle with fancy APX radios I would not be looking for 30yr old obsolete radios with no FPP and no features to install with them. I think a good dual band amateur radio is the answer and in my experience most Icoms seem to work better in high RF environments than most Yaesus.

The GM-300 radios have 16 channels. At any rate, I am a heavy Yaesu and Icom user for VHF/UHF, and I agree. Except that all the Icom mobiles that I've used, the power section ("finals") run hot. I would put a fan on it if it doesn't already have one. The 4x4 CPU fans work nicely.

 

[K9DAK]

I'm still puzzled why the Fire Chief thinks amatuer radio is a resource he needs to talk to.

Our FD and EMA have found it extremely useful. There have been times when EMA/CERT have been on callouts or training exercises when severe weather was approaching, and the ability to talk with the county's RACES Skywarn net was invaluable. And sometimes when working an event like our Triathlon, our /\/\ HTs couldn't quite cover the entire course, but the ability to use the RACES ham repeater saved the day. Most of the EMA staff are licensed hams (as is the Fire Chief) and many of the CERT members are as well. Ham is an integral part of our operations.

 

[krokus]

If a Part 90 radio is used, having only the pre-programmed options available could become a problem, if the situation dictates using another frequency, or a CTCSS tone or DCS code that is not programmed. (While a rarity, it could be critical if things have gone askew.)

 

[prcguy]

And they always do go askew. Look at it this way, if a commercial radio is put in for amateur use and when, not if something needs to change during an emergency, would you want to be the one who recommended the commercial radio and have to explain why their was a failure to communicate?

If a Part 90 radio is used, having only the pre-programmed options available could become a problem, if the situation dictates using another frequency, or a CTCSS tone or DCS code that is not programmed. (While a rarity, it could be critical if things have gone askew.)

 

[W5lz]

I think the EM director would do well to find out what -modes- are used locally (maybe regionally?). Having 'D-Star' (pick any mode you want) capability if it isn't used locally is sort of foolish. He's on a budget so $$ is a factor too.