Best Ham Radio

Input on what you run? If so what product?

 

I have a Yaesu 7900, it's a dual band with a remote mount. I have good signal reports, clear audio and full quieting.

Right now I only have a 1/4 wave mag mount. The original plan was a 1/2 wave but this works so well I haven't had to change

Things to consider are ease of programming (I had to use RT systems) menus, backlights, and open to mods. I can transmit and receive out of band if I need to. In an emergency I can use FRS, GMRS and MURS at full power.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...callsign-thread.260643/page-392#post-23982853

 

146.520 on your avatar man

 

https://www.gigaparts.com/yaesu-ft-7900r.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5-Xih8Ke6wIVUR-tBh0x-Q5uEAAYASAAEgIuyfD_BwE

I’ve not taken a test yet I just want it for trail runs. Is this over kill? In my area I might wheel alone at times

 

I prefer yaesu products. They are pretty reliable but reall any major brand will be fine. I am looking at a icom hf bade right now so I might stray.

 

Yeah that's it, I posted this pic in another thread but I'll show u. The remote faceplate feature is nice because you have more options to place the controller. And its easy to take off and hide.

Any vhf radio will be far superior to a CB, I was making contacts 100mi away and it was crystal clear.

Just go name brand, I'd avoid the Chinese radios until you figure the ins and outs a little better. They sometimes have weird quirks that dont make sense.

 

I’m running a Kenwood TM-D710G with a

$62 Comet SBB-2 146/446 MHz Dual Band Mobile Antenna 18" PL-259

Comet SBB-2 NMO mount drilled on the roof. Really like it and easy to program on the fly. Remote head is a great option for mounting. Got mine mounted on a Lido seat bolt mount.

 

Thanks man I won’t spend a dime on china

 

Wow that looks high dollar. You must be a serious Ham operator

 

Is there a "quality budget" ham radio? I know pretty much nothing about ham except that everyone says its better than CB, and you need a license...

I have a small group of friends that I travel with and would like something better than walkie talkie. I'm not interested in talking to people around the world, just something reliable that I can use to talk to my buddies that are out of line of site.

 

Could you please barney the last two paragraphs up for me

 

What's your budget? You can transmit 2 watts on MURS without a license, it works really well I use it alot in the woods. Get a license and repeaters extend your range, almost unlimited range. I was talking to a guy in the UK on 5 watts via echo link.

 

I have a small basic antenna, planned on a bigger antenna but my current setup works well enough to not need modifications.

RT systems is a $50 piece of software to program your radio, but it works very well. The free version works, but I prefer the more expensive program for this specific radio.

During an emergency you can use any means of communication to get help. My radio is modified to transmit and receive on frequencies that are typically blocked. But it's good to have just in case.

 

$40 Baofeng UV5R Dual Band 3800mAh Rechargeable Two Way Radio Walkie Talkies for Adults with Earpiece,Speaker Mic and Programming Cable Full Kit (Black-1Pack)

Baofeng UV5R for group runs

 

Uv5r is borderline acceptable. I've had a not so great experience with them.

But maybe I got a bad batch. The ones I have wont open the squelch, even with a good antenna. I have an ed fong j pole strung 20' up in a tree and the uv5r wouldn't hear it. But an icom ht with a stock antenna was picking it up just fine.

I've heard some uv5r have firmware issues, I might have a bad set. But I dont know how to tell !

 

I just ordered BF-F8HPs with a Nagoya antenna. Had the same previously but sold. Not sure if you’re looking for handheld or not.

 

Has anybody tried to run a J-pole antenna mounted stealthy-like in the bed?

 

There is a cable you can buy to connect to PC for programming. I believe you can also update it that way. I want to say I got a base file with settings more dialed in from another TW thread to flash it with.

 

I have a pivoting mount I use with an old firestick, loosen up the bolt and the bracket will rotate into position. I dont use CB anymore so I wrapped the antenna in LEDs and hung a flag on it.

I have all the programming stuff, and I use chirp on it. I've been less then thrilled with the uv5 so I'll I'll probably end up giving it away to the next person I see do something nice on the trail.