Posted: 11/15/2012 9:36:51 AM EDT
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This thread is a long time coming.
So you are new to Amateur (Ham) Radio. First things first have you read these? AR-Jedi's Can't fail thread AR-Jedi's Ham Radio 101 And if you had any questions unanswered from those two read this one FrankSymptoms' Too confused to ask thread Now that you are read up (really read them) you may have some questions left about gear. What is the best AR? Is an Ale better than an IPA? Ford or Chevy? All of those debates have there supporters and there is no difference in Ham radio when it comes to gear. You may want a mobile or base rig as a first, but this thread is for HT's and it will lay out some pros and cons of each. Lets start at the top. Who makes what? The big three as they are called are: Icom HT's Kenwood HT's Yaesu HT's There are others manufactures as well: Alinco isn't "in the big three" but if there was a big four they would be Wouxun is a Chinese HT that changed a lot in Ham radio due to its price point Baofeng is even newer to the American market and comes cheaper in price than the Wouxun So now that you have done some window shopping lets look more into the subject. What "bands" are active in your area? For a HT they can come from 28MHz-900MHz, but the big three (in order) are 2M (144-148MHz), 70cm (420-450MHz), 1.25M (222-225MHz). Look here and search for what repeaters are in your area. It is also a good idea to meet up with a club to see if those repeaters are active and what kind of foot print they have. There are a number of 2M repeaters in my area one has a coverage of 90+ miles and one has a 10 mile coverage one way and a 20 miles the other way. So there are variables that the members of a local club can fill you in on. Now you know the brands and bands available to you, what about modes? Are there any D-Star repeaters? If so you may want to go with an Icom. What about IRLP nodes? If you want to talk on those you will need a DTMF key pad. Past that what kind of environment do you plan on using your HT in? Yaesu's are know for there durability but some say the audio is a little low due to the covering over the speaker and mic, once again a pro/con. At $60 or $100 the Chinese HT's take a beating but are not rated for it. When looking at any radio gear I like to visit a few sites. First the manufactures site usually has a PDF of the original brochure and owners manual. Then I goto Rig Pix to get an overview. This is mostly for used gear that is not on the manufactures site No search would be complete without reading an Eham review I also like to check ebay, Eham classifieds, Swap.QTH, and QRZ for any deals on used equipment or to see what kind of resale value the radio has. I will name the top HT's that are discussed here as well as what I have seen commonly in the wild. Icom V80 Kenwood TH-72d, TH-F6a Yaesu FT-60, VX-6,7,8 Wouxun UVD-1,3,6p Baofeng UV3,5 This is by no means a complete list however they seem to be the popular ones. Something to keep in mind. The Chinese radios are a pain to program without a computer. Most HT's today allow entering memories from a computer program. The program can be a factory released program or something like KC8UNJ's Commander software , or The multi platform CHIRP software. These tools are great for entering large numbers of repeaters or importing databases from software like ARRL's travel plus. However it is still critical to know how to program your radio from the keypad. For that the Niffty guides are great. Something else to look into are external antennas. If using the HT in a car a good mobile mag mount with help the radio a TON. If you are out doors or using your HT as a base radio the N9TAX Slim Jim or Ed Fong jpole PDF (can be bought from ebay) are great. A more permanent setup would be something like The Arrow J Pole. Keep in mind when using an HT with these antennas an adapter is needed. The most common are SMA male to UHF female Rev SMA to UHF Rev SMA to BNC What I ask of you after reading this. First DO NOT QUOTE THIS POST that way if something is wrong I can change it. Also PLEASE WRITE REVIEWS of gear that you have or have had. Create a separate reply to this thread for your review, also only one review per reply. Multiple people can review the same piece of gear. I will update this thread with hyper links below this post. No need to create a new thread just do your review in a reply to this thread. Try to follow this format [img URL of HT] Manufactures website link Rig Pix link Eham review link any pictures you may have of it in a go kit or being used, abused or tested. and your review with things you like and things you don't like about the radio. |
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SCWolverine Wouxun KG-UVD1
SCWolverine Wouxun KG-UVD2 gcw Kenwood TH-D72 gcw Yaesu VX7r SCWolverine Baofeng UV-5r Derek45 YAESU FT-60R HomeSlice Yaesu VX-6R compuvette Icom ID-31A zapzap FT-270R |
Wouxun KG-UVD1
Wouxun KG-UVD1 RigPix Link Eham Review 4.3/5 
The KG-UVD1D was purchased as my 2nd Wouxun HT (ARFCOM-Buy Both). I bought the 2m/220mHz from Main Trading Co. as a refurb for $79.99 shipped. The unit was purchased to access the Upgraded 220 machine here in Upstate SC. As mentioned above, this is my 2nd Wouxun purchase. I have been pleased with the service from each unit. In times past I have mentioned it was my belief that the Wouxun HT was the best $120 a new ham can spend. For programming, I use the Commander Software. Programming from the keypad is a pain in the rear...and maybe the only serious minus I can score the unit on. I've used this unit in portable and mobile (ext antenna 2m) enviroment with the shoulder mic with great success. I recommend these sundry accessories to compliment this great little low cost unit: Shoulder Mic 12v Car Cig Plug AA Battery adapter SMA antenna adapter for Mobile User N9TAX Slim Jim Antenna for Base Use Programming Cable I initially purchased the D2 unit after studying the reviews/raves here on ARFCOM; and I'm glad I did. The 2m/220 1D has worked well for me...YMMV SCW |
Wouxun KG-UVD2
Wouxun KG-UVD2 RigPix (minus the flashy cover) Eham Review 4.6/5 
Showing Detail of SMA/BNC Adapter 
Deployed with N9TAX "Slim Jim" roll-up dual-band antenna. LINK 
Attached to the Tactical Diaper Bag This was my first ever Ham Radio Purchase. I used the D2 as a portable, mobile and base radio for months after getting my Tech Ticket. With an external (mag mount) antenna it made an excellent "Mobile" rig. The D2 is my Go-to HT, and right now works as portable/mobile in the family Suburban. In times past I have mentioned it was my belief that the Wouxun HT was the best $120 a new ham can spend. For programming, I use the Commander Software. Programming from the keypad is a pain in the rear...and maybe the only serious minus I can score the unit on. I recommend these sundry accessories to compliment this great little low cost unit: Shoulder Mic 12v Car Cig Plug AA Battery adapter SMA antenna adapter for Mobile User N9TAX Slim Jim Antenna for Base Use Programming Cable I initially purchased the D2 unit after studying the reviews/raves here on ARFCOM; and I'm glad I did....YMMV SCW |
Kenwood TH-D72
Kenwood Site Rig Pix Eham 4.5/5 I got this radio on a trade, with the MSRP around $500 I don't think I would have bought one new. However now I think its worth every penny. What makes this radio different from most (except the Yaesu vx-8r) is that it has a built in GPS and TNC for doing APRS. But not only will it do APRS but it can digipeat. It interfaces with Xastir nicely and if an amp was added would make a great APRS station at home. It also has a USB port for programing and connecting to APRS software. So that eliminates the need for an expensive cable. It comes with an 1800mAh battery that without using the GPS or TNC last a long time. But if the GPS is turned on the battery can go pretty quick. I also like to use it for sky command with my TS-2000 which takes a little to setup but fun once it's going. The price is expensive but the radio is built tough, has the best menu of any HT (IMO) and has a ton of features |
Yaesu VX7r
Yaesu Site Rig Pix Eham 4.0/5 I also got this radio in a trade. I never had any desire to get it but thought I would give it a try. I got it with a bunch of accessories which were all Yaesu and very high quality. The radio is solid as a rock and a small. The screen is a dot matrix instead of LCD like most HT's so you can set icons for different things as well as have a number of different display options instead of just two lines. The battery dimensions are small but still holds 1500mA the AA pack only takes 2 AA instead of 4 like most. It also has a wide RX and can TX on 2m, 70cm as well as 1.25m and 6m But for me the cons outweigh the good. The menus are a pain to navigate and key functions that are usually one button operations are buried. 6m is pretty much pointless with the factory antenna and 1.25m only puts out 300mW which is nice to see a 220 rig on the market but nothing is close enough for less than 1/2 a watt. Something that doesn't take away from the radio itself but something in my eyes is the mic pin. Yaesu uses a TRS 3.5mm jack instead of the 2.5mm/3.5mm like the Kenwood, Wouxun, and Baofeng. There is nothing wrong with that design wise however non of my speaker mics or homebrew cables work with it. All in all it is a good radio with great battery life and plenty of features. The menu system and lack of power on 220MHz have me planning on selling/trading it for a Kenwood TH-F6a |
Baofeng UV-5r
Import Comm Link Eham Review 4.0/5 ARFCOM Thread Link ETA: I don't have one-yet, but thought it should be posted here with all the chatter in the above thread-SCW |
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Quoted: Baofeng UV-5r http://www.wouxun.us/item_images/UV-5RC.jpg Import Comm Link Eham Review 4.0/5 ARFCOM Thread Link ETA: I don't have one-yet, but thought it should be posted here with all the chatter in the above thread-SCW $42 on Amazon with Prime |
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This is my favorite affordable dual band HT.
YAESU FT-60R http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/4286 eham 4.6/5.0 reviews 
$139 at R&L http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-007323 The FT-60R includes wide receiver coverage, outstanding audio quality, the most CTCSS/DCS flexibility in the industry, and a new Emergency Automatic Identification (EAI) feature for search-and-rescue work. The FT-60R's small size allows you to take it anywhere - hiking, skiing, or while walking around town - and its operating flexibility brings the user many avenues of operating enjoyment. Its incredibly tiny FNB-83 Rechargeable Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery Pack provides up to 5 Watts of transmit power on the 144 MHz and 430 MHz Amateur Bands. Besides 144- and 430-MHz transceive operation, the FT-60R provides receive coverage of the VHF and UHF, the VHF AM aircraft band, and a wide range of commercial and public safety frequencies! 108-520MHz/700-999.999MHz (*CELL BLOCKED) AUTOMATIC REPEATER SHIFT (ARS) CONVENIENT ACCESS KEY FOR VERTEX WIRES CTCSS & DCS ENCODE/DECODE W/SPLIT TONE & DCS ENCOD HIGH POWER OUTPUT: 5 WATTS HUGE LCD DISPLAY LONG-LIFE FNB-83 (7.2V 1400mAh Ni-MH) MONO-BAND AND MEMORY-ONLY OPERATING MODES NINE DTMF AUTO-DIALER MEMORIES NOAA SEVERE WEATHER ALERT W/ALERT SCAN ONE-TOUCH NOAA WEATHER ACCESS OVER 1000 MEMORY CHANNELS W/ALPHA NUMERIC LABELS RF SQUELCH(ONLY PASSES SINGALS EXCEEDING LEVELS) RUGGED DIE-CAST, WATER RESISTANT CASE CONTRUCTION TEN MEMORY BANKS FOR CHANNEL ALLOCATION TRANSMIT TIME-OUT TIMER(TOT) & AUTOMATIC POWER OFF TWO FRONT PANEL PROGRAMMABLE KEYS YAESU'S EXCLUSIVE ARTS(AUTO RANGE TRANSPONDER SYS) |
Yaesu VX-6R Yaesu Site Rigpix eHam Review (4.5/5) I have 2 of these, in addition to a speaker mic, AA battery pack, 12v and rapid desk charger. Pros Solid/durable radio, one of Yaesu's "rugged" designs. Waterproof. tri-band, though 220mhz is only 1.5 watts. Wideband receive (AM Broadcast - 999MHZ cell blocked). LIon battery that seems to hold a charge for quite a long time of no use even after years of service. Small enough to carry around in my laptop bag. Has several "advanced" features like "WIRES" that I've never used. Cons menus suck, and unless you use it frequently, you'll need a cheat-sheet to make it do what you want on VFO. I think programming software exists, but I did mine manually, and it was a PITA. The stock antenna is pretty much a dummy load. I have a Comet HT-224 on mine with much better success on 2m and no degradation on 220/440, though it's longer. These may be nearing end of life for Yaesu, because they don't exist on their main HT web page anymore, though google will still find the page for me and many dealers (I use R&L and HRO) still stock them. I bought them because of the durability, and I havent been let down. They may not be the best performing xmit/rcvr, but they are tough as hell. Two weeks ago my dog apparently snagged mine out of the gator, chewed the hell out of the antenna w/ some damage to the case, and left it in the front yard. My daughter finally found it 3 days ago laying next to a puddle, speaker down. I swapped out the antenna, fired it up, and threw out my call on the local 2m repeater for a signal/audio check, and got back a reply that all was good. It's been dropped onto the pavement, into water, and abused beyond what most of my other HT's would sustain, and keeps on ticking. I like it a lot because of that, in spite of it's usability difficulties. ETA: Internetz legend has it that if you free-band it using this mod, that it'll tx on 6m FM, though I haven't tried it. I'm sure it'll need a different antenna if you go down that path. |
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I've had a Woxun UDV1P for a long time, at least three years. People complain about programing it without a computer but I've never had any trouble. There are two ways to program tx rx freq.s. one way is to enter the freq, offset and ctcs or dpls and save it to a channel. The other way to do it, and you have to do it if it is some weird offset that you cannot enter or cross band, is to enter the rx freq with the ctcs or dpl and then save it to a channel. Then you enter the tx freq and save to the same channel.
Programing it with a computer is much easier if you are programing a ton of channels but I have only done it that way once. I did all my initial programing on the unit and only picked up a cable to do it with the computer later out of curiosity. |
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Has anyone had the Yaesu FT-270R besides just me? I have used a 270 a few times. Its a solid 2m radio which is fine if there is no 70cm in your area but you see most people wanting a dual band. There are a few reasons for a dual band such as working satellites and cross band repeat. The only thing I don't like is the 1400mAh battery, its a little small but still lasts all day. |
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I definitely have an HT problem.
Icom W32A Dual band 2m and 440 Icom U82 440mhz x 2 Icom V82 2m Icom F3061 VHF and 2m Icom F43S GMRS and 440 Icom F40GT GMRS and 440 (2) Icom F40 16 channel GMRS and 440 (2) Motorola GP380 2m (2) I carry one of the F40GT's and the F3061 daily. I use the W32A in the backcountry since it can use the 15 inch BNC extended antenna. The F40s, V82, and the U82s can use the 6 cell AA battery packs that I have for them. Pictures later when I can get the family together. RS |
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Has anyone had the Yaesu FT-270R besides just me? I have used a 270 a few times. Its a solid 2m radio which is fine if there is no 70cm in your area but you see most people wanting a dual band. There are a few reasons for a dual band such as working satellites and cross band repeat. The only thing I don't like is the 1400mAh battery, its a little small but still lasts all day. I do notice that my Baofeng outlasts it. I just wish you could clone it from say…a FT-2900. I also wish the the menus of the two were the same, but they are slightly different even though the two radios have nearly the same features (besides the obvious one is a 5W HT and the other a 75W mobile). |
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Has anyone had the Yaesu FT-270R besides just me? I have used a 270 a few times. Its a solid 2m radio which is fine if there is no 70cm in your area but you see most people wanting a dual band. There are a few reasons for a dual band such as working satellites and cross band repeat. The only thing I don't like is the 1400mAh battery, its a little small but still lasts all day. I do notice that my Baofeng outlasts it. I just wish you could clone it from say…a FT-2900. I also wish the the menus of the two were the same, but they are slightly different even though the two radios have nearly the same features (besides the obvious one is a 5W HT and the other a 75W mobile). It looks like the RT systems software is available for both radios. I have never used it but it should use a standard file where freqs can be copied back and forth. Part of what I look for in a new radio is if it will work with at least chirp. |
I recently picked up an Icom ID-31A as I have a semi-local DStar repeater and I wanted to play....
I have to say, vs. my Yaesu HT's (a VX-8DR and a VX-8GR) it is MUCH easier to program. Plus, it comes with software and has a microSD slot. Icom is currently providing a 2gb microSD right now with the ID-31's. You just save the config to the SD, load it in the software in your computer, modify as needed, save, and reload into the HT. Piece of cake! Plus, the menus and buttons on the radio are logical and easy to use. Take a lesson Yaesu! Upsides: Easy to program Great UHF performance Small Decent battery life Good menus/button funcions Dstar out of the box Cons: UHF only! kind-of expensive, but reasonable for a top-tier HT I like it and based on it will look a little harder at Icom gear going forward. ETA - I use RT Systems software to manage the memories on my Yaesu HT's. I had no problems exporting a file from RT Systems and importing the repeaters into my Icom using the supplied software. |
| The thing I don't like about RT, Windows only (for guys who don't use Windows it's a bit of a pain but there are ways of getting around that) plus, the software isn't exactly cheap. On the other hand, with chirp you just have to let Dan get ahold of that radio so he can adapt it over. That usually involves sending a radio to him however. But I guess since there is some 270 users here then we should probably throw it up on the thread. |
Well here is the Yaesu FT-270R.
The one pictured is my personal radio as well as my first VHF radio. Wearing a Smiley Antenna (Slim Duck series) FT-270R eHam Smiley Antenna Co Been wanting to get the waterproof speaker mike for it as well as a MOLLE radio pouch (what does everyone else like on the radio pouches?) just have to take the time to order. ETA: Got a cheap weatherproof speaker/mic. Found a radio pouch for it (for now). Stuck it on my backpack and I'm always walking around campus with it now. Took a bit of a heavy hit this afternoon at Red River. Everything still works. 
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<snip> Been wanting to get the waterproof speaker mike for it as well as a MOLLE radio pouch (what does everyone else like on the radio pouches?) just have to take the time to order. http://www.extremeoutfitters.us/ This store is down the road from me and are a great bunch of guys. http://www.extremeoutfitters.us/tacticaltailorradiopouchsmall.aspx The above is a tactical tailor pouch that I fell in love with at my last visit. It is velcro so it can adapt to a bunch of sizes and is simple. I have been issued pouches for Motorloas and mbiters and 152s and each radio has a different pouch that is bulky and pretty much only works on the one radio. This TT pouch would work with just about every HT I have ever used. I have my ham club breakfast in the morning and while it would be twisting my arm I could make a stop in and take some pictures with my different radios. and if you do have a big radio like a motorloa this one will work http://www.extremeoutfitters.us/tacticaltailorradiopouchlarge.aspx ETA Looks like they have a blackhawk pouch on closeout for $10 http://www.extremeoutfitters.us/strikegen-4mollesystemradiopouch-prc-112lg.aspx |
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I have two Yaesu FT-60R’s and love them but, to be fair, I’m still new to HAM radio and these are the only HT’s I’ve owned. I looked at the VX-6R based on AR-Jedi’s recommendation but decided that he FT-60R was a better fit. I had no need for tri-band as there are no repeaters here on 220 and my portable radio (FT-8800) is a dual band anyway. Also important for my decision was that the $145 price tag was easier for me than the $270 for the VX-6R because I wanted multiple radios. I wanted to stick with Yaesu because I wanted the features to be consistent with my FT-8800.
Pros: Small & Lightweight Good audio quality Good range for tx and rx Great value Cons: Menus are hard to navigate Water resistant, not water proof I’ve had good experience with the FT-60R for range and clarity. I can use them to communicate with my home station (an FT-8800 attached to a roof mount GP-9 antenna) at approximately 20 miles away (my home is well elevated in an otherwise flat county). I can even hit a repeater that is about 15 miles away from my basement at home using the FT-60R and the rubber duck antenna it came with. I can also get the local NOAA weather station in the basement with the rubber duck antenna, which is handy in hazardous weather. If I attach the FT-60R to my home mounted GP-9 using a patch cable it extends the range significantly. I have used it to talk with other HT’s as far as 15 miles. I believe the other party was using a Kenwood, not sure which model. I don’t know how “water resistant” the FT-60R is but it hasn’t ever given me any trouble when used outside in the weather. I haven’t tried submersing it just to find out, however. I know the VX-6R is rated to be submerged. The menus and programming take some practice. I'm getting pretty fluid with it now but it was slow and cumbersome at first. I don't have much to compare it to but I've heard this complaint about these radios and it makes sense. They offer lots of features and once you get them dialed in it isn't hard to access the features but programming is a pain. I just picked up the software and cable for both the FT-60R's and my FT-8800 because I made a complete repeater list for my region and knew I wasn't going to take the time to manually program them all in. Overall I’m very satisfied with the radio, especially at the price point. I plan to pick up at least a couple more as money allows so I have one for every member of the family. |
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What antenna is that on your VX6, and how well does it perform compared to the factory dummy load? shown is a Comet/Maldol "stubby" antenna, model MH-209SMA. gigaparts website says "discontinued" -- bummer. http://www.gigaparts.com/store.php?action=profile&sku=ZML-MH-209SMA ETA comet website still shows it as an active product: http://www.cometantenna.com/products.php?CatID=1&famID=1&childID=4 the aerial part of the antenna is quote "mushy & flexible" -- which is good if you store the radio someplace where the antenna gets jostled, like in a bookbag or courier pouch -- as there will be much less stress on the SMA connector. the design of the base of this antenna maintains the water-tight integrity of the radio. it seals perfectly against the OEM gasket. as for RF performance, IMHO it works better than the stock antenna. 
ar-jedi 
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size of VX6R vs VX170... ar-jedi http://losdos.dyndns.org/public/ham/yaesu-vx170/pics/DSCN2602.JPG http://losdos.dyndns.org/public/ham/yaesu-vx170/pics/DSCN2608.JPG http://losdos.dyndns.org/public/ham/yaesu-vx170/pics/DSCN2610.JPG http://losdos.dyndns.org/public/ham/yaesu-vx170/pics/DSCN2619.JPG http://losdos.dyndns.org/public/ham/yaesu-vx170/pics/DSCN2632.JPG Thank you for your attempt at showing the size difference of the two radios, but I am still having trouble getting a feel for the different sizes. Could you take a picture of the radios with something like an apple or head of lettuce so I can get a better idea? Thanks. |
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I’m still relatively new to HAM radio so I don’t have the large and diverse collection of radios many users have. Up to this point I have purchased and used only two models of radio, the Yaesu FT-8800 mobile and the Yaesu FT-60 HT. I chose these radios based on reviews and recommendations from people with far more knowledge and experience than I had and I have to say that both have been outstanding radios.
I recently purchased a Baofeng UV-5R because of the amazing price ($40/ea). I have wanted to have a few more HT’s around for some time but the $150 price tag on the FT-60 prevented me from doing so. The price on the Baofeng makes purchasing in quantity much more feasible so I decided to give one a try. Here are my impressions thus far (I compare it directly with the FT-60 because that is the only benchmark I have). The good: Price. A full function dual band HT for $40 is quite a value. I can buy four of these radios for the price of a single FT-60. This makes me far less concerned about using this radio in the field and possibly damaging/destroying/losing it. The size. This radio is both smaller and significantly lighter than an FT-60. When I got my FT-60 I thought it was amazingly small and light (I’m used to a Motorola Public Service radio) and the UV-5R is even smaller. Dual channel display/monitor. I really like the two channel display and monitoring capability. I can stay on a primary channel that I’m using but still monitor a second without having to scan an entire list. It is pretty handy. The bad: Range. The UV-5R has less range than an FT-60. I suspect this is in part due to the reduced power (4W on the UV-5R vs the 5W of the FT-60) but I believe the antenna is more to blame. The UV-5R has a much shorter antenna, which makes it smaller and easier to pack and carry, but almost certainly is less efficient. You can get a better antenna for a reasonable price ($12) but that adds literally 25%+ to the price of the radio. Despite having reduced range, I could still communicate on repeaters as far as 15 miles so it isn’t like this radio is useless, just not as good as the FT-60. Scanning. The UV-5R scans very slowly. If you have a large number of channels it takes some time for the radio to make a complete cycle. This can be annoying as you will miss traffic much more frequently. The FT-60 also has memory banks that allow you to quickly change the group of channels you are scanning, which I’ve found to be a very handy feature. The UV-5R only has one list of channels it will scan. Any programmed memory channel is either on the list or off of it. Narrow receive. The UV-5R will not receive outside the 2m and 70cm bands. This means I cannot receive my local emergency frequencies in the 800mHz band. Programming. The UV-5R typically uses a programming cable that is a knock off. This means you have to go to some trouble to find an older version of the driver for the cable (from 2007) and not let your computer download a more recent version. The software is also poor and I have found that using the CHIRP software is much better. It took me a few days to learn all this and get the programming working which was much more of a PITA than with the FT-60. It was, however, much cheaper than buying the software and cable for the FT-60 from Yaesu. Misc: The UV-5R has no blocked frequencies for transmitting in the 2m or 70cm bands. If it will receive on a given frequency, it will also transmit on that frequency. This could be handy in an emergency (it works on my local volunteer fire department frequency) but it also means you have to be mindful of where the limits on HAM frequencies are in order to remain legal. One could very easily stray outside of the legal frequencies without meaning to or even interfere with emergency responders if they had those frequencies programmed into the radio. The UV-5R can tune in FM radio stations. I found this to be somewhat of an oddity. I doubt I will put it to use, but it is interesting regardless. The UV-5R has a built in LED flashlight. Again, an odd feature but perhaps it could be useful. Here is a picture of the handheld communications devices we have at my house. From left to right: Pantech flip phone, iPhone 4s (w/Otter Box), Baofeng UV-5R, Yaesu FT-60, Motorola XTS 2500. 
Also of interest is the weight differences between devices. The Pantech is the lightest at 100g. The iPhone is almost double that at 199g. The UV-5R is almost the same as the iPhone at 209g. The FT-60 is nearly double the UV-5R at 372g. The Motorola Police radio is by far the heaviest at 637g. |
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I picked this guy up the other week. I've really been enjoying it so far.
This is an Icom F4021T that I picked up for $135 (including the charger and programming software). Cost me less than the FT-270 I posted previously. Only thing I had to get that I didn't have for it was the OPC-617 cable. I really like this radio but I think it would be a little more difficult to find for the same price I got it for. 
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Just got an Icom F4061S Thursday and finished programming some freqs this morning. Paid 150.00 plus shipping. Now my two carry radios match battery packs. It is a 450-512 mhz radio, but seems to work just fine in the 440-450 ham band. RS My 4021T does just fine in the 436 MHz area…its also a 450-512 split. |
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I first got an Baofeng when I got my tech and it is a nice decent radio but in no way weather resistant --there are visible gaps around the flashlight LED and the face mic etc. If dropped or in a wet enviornment its toast. The MTS2000 is sweet more sensitive and with the best audio quality both ways and the chassis is o-ring sealed --they are heavy compared to modern HT's and no dual band models. Oh and not field programmable. The Yaesu is a tri-band (and more if you freeband it --it will do 220 etc) and there are quite a few 6 meter repeaters around here plus its submersible and light every day the moto is my favorite especially on the WAN repeater but you do need the moto SW to program them and its somewhat archaic and can be diffcult till you figure out how to do it --but there is a huge online community of fans. Plenty of help and SW out there. They are more addictive than black rifles --almost. I eventually want to put an ASTRO spectra in the truck one of these days ---agian too bad they dont make a dual band. Sitting here on the seven springs WAN rptr -the MTS is bringing in the traffic loud and clear the UV-5R is intermittently breaking squelch with noise unless I move it to the window and the Yaesu wont pick it up unless I move it way from the computers and the W-LAN router under the desk.  " /> |
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I have a few:
Yaesu VX-6r (140, 220, 440) Alinco DJ-G7T (140, 440, 1.2G) Baofeng UV-5RC (140, 220) Baofeng UV-5RA (140, 220) Baofeng UV-5R (140, 440) Icom IC-Q7A (140, 440) Vertex VXD-720 (440 DMR) I had a few others but they got sold to fund other expansion plans. |
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Here is a Very Detailed Thread in regards to the Baofeng UV-5R
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/664274_Baofeng_UV_5R_information.html |
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I was going to send this as an IM to the OP, but I have seen this same misstatement elsewhere, and decided to clarify this here.
Near the end of the first post: Keep in mind when using an HT with these antennas an adapter is needed. The most common are SMA male to UHF female Rev SMA to UHF Rev SMA to BNC Some radios use SMA Male antennas. Some use SMA Female. SMA RP (aka SMA Reverse Polarity) are not ham antennas. Those are antennas for certain WiFi routers, such as D-Link. The SMA Reverse Polarity has a pin in the middle where the regular SMA has a hole, and vise versa. There are both SMA RP Male and SMA RP Female connectors. SMA RP Male/Female will not make up with regular SMA Male/ Female. This is an on-purpose design to prevent just any old ham antenna from being attached to WiFi routers. The reason is to prevent using antennas with greater gain, to purposely limit router range. You will not find "Reverse SMA" ham antennas, though they may be so miss identified. They are SMA Female. Example, many Yaesu HTs use SMA Male antennas. The tiny UV-3R uses SMA Male antennas. There is a threaded metal stud sticking up from the top of these HTs and the antenna screws down over that stud. The antenna is referred to as SMA Male because it screws onto an HT with a male thread. The UV-5R uses SMA Female antennas, not "Reverse". There is an internally threaded socket on top of the radio, with a threaded studd sticking out from the bottom of then antenna. These antennas are referred to as SMA Female because they attach to an HT with a female threaded socket. |
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Quoted:
I first got an Baofeng when I got my tech and it is a nice decent radio but in no way weather resistant --there are visible gaps around the flashlight LED and the face mic etc. If dropped or in a wet enviornment its toast. The MTS2000 is sweet more sensitive and with the best audio quality both ways and the chassis is o-ring sealed --they are heavy compared to modern HT's and no dual band models. Oh and not field programmable. The Yaesu is a tri-band (and more if you freeband it --it will do 220 etc) and there are quite a few 6 meter repeaters around here plus its submersible and light every day the moto is my favorite especially on the WAN repeater but you do need the moto SW to program them and its somewhat archaic and can be diffcult till you figure out how to do it --but there is a huge online community of fans. Plenty of help and SW out there. They are more addictive than black rifles --almost. I eventually want to put an ASTRO spectra in the truck one of these days ---agian too bad they dont make a dual band. Sitting here on the seven springs WAN rptr -the MTS is bringing in the traffic loud and clear the UV-5R is intermittently breaking squelch with noise unless I move it to the window and the Yaesu wont pick it up unless I move it way from the computers and the W-LAN router under the desk. Motorola has field programmable capability (opt. Q52) but won't sell it to us it seems, they do have a dongle enabled field programmable (opt. Q51) that can be ordered. I suspect that they do not allow us to have programmability in the field is because it covers a wider spectrum than the HAM band. |
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Quoted:
I have a few: Yaesu VX-6r (140, 220, 440) Alinco DJ-G7T (140, 440, 1.2G) Baofeng UV-5RC (140, 220) Baofeng UV-5RA (140, 220) Baofeng UV-5R (140, 440) Icom IC-Q7A (140, 440) Vertex VXD-720 (440 DMR) I had a few others but they got sold to fund other expansion plans. Quoted:
I have a few: Yaesu VX-6r (140, 220, 440) Alinco DJ-G7T (140, 440, 1.2G) Baofeng UV-5RC (140, 220) Baofeng UV-5RA (140, 220) Baofeng UV-5R (140, 440) Icom IC-Q7A (140, 440) Vertex VXD-720 (440 DMR) I had a few others but they got sold to fund other expansion plans. And how do you feel about them? I mean posting the bands is nice, but what do you like and dislike about each one (preferably one radio per post, as per the OP). Quoted:
Also PLEASE WRITE REVIEWS of gear that you have or have had. Create a separate reply to this thread for your review, also only one review per reply. Multiple people can review the same piece of gear. I will update this thread with hyper links below this post. No need to create a new thread just do your review in a reply to this thread. Try to follow this format [url=http:// http://] Manufactures website link Rig Pix link Eham review link any pictures you may have of it in a go kit or being used, abused or tested. and your review with things you like and things you don't like about the radio. |
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There must be something going around, I just got a XTS2500  Quoted:
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I recently picked up a Moto HT750. It's the only Motorola radio I have that can be programmed through Windows. It's not a bad little 16 channel radio... There must be something going around, I just got a XTS2500 BRD (Black Radio Disease) 
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BRD (Black Radio Disease) Quoted:
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I recently picked up a Moto HT750. It's the only Motorola radio I have that can be programmed through Windows. It's not a bad little 16 channel radio... There must be something going around, I just got a XTS2500 BRD (Black Radio Disease) I wouldn't say that. Every Maxtrac, Radius, GP300, GM300, Spectra, GP300, HT750…has been given to me. Never have I spent a dime on a batwing radio… |