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Recommended mobile radio for new technician

Turbo T

Turbo T

Certified CB Rambo
Feb 2, 2011
963
142
53
Long story short, I passed my technicians exam today. They say by Wednesday I should be on the FCC's list of techs, and by Friday I should have my ticket in the mail.

So now I'm in the market for a mobile rig for a good mobile that I can use. I see Yaesu makes some, Kenwood makes some, Icom and Radio Shack have them to offer as well.

What would you recommend for a first timer as far as a mobile? I'm not even sure where to start.

Thanks in advance.
 

it depends,

i would say get a ht,and a small mbl amp.My self thats what i would do.That way you take it with you so someone doestnt take it.I would get a dual band or better,that way you can go anywhere.Get something that you can program without aq computer.There are many to chose from.I have one thats impossible to program,and my new ft250 is a breeze.And dont forget that you have 6mtrs and 10 mtrs also.Both bands have had some great dx this week alone.And gettting better.Feel free to emal me if you have any questions,73s de n0zna/John oh yeah congrats...
 
Are you looking for a VHF/UHF radio or a HF rig?


For a VHF radio I like the Yeasu 2900 for 2 meters,simple to program and operate..I bought one new earlier this year and I am very happy with it

For the antenna I am running a Larson nmo-150......very good antenna
 
The answer kind of depends on how far you think you are going to go with Ham radio.
My first radio was a Two meter HT, but if you are already doing the study for your General, you might want to hold back, save a few more coins and try to get a rig that you can grow into.
If you can find a reasonable all mode/all band rig you can us your Tech privilege`s now, and when you up-grade....you will already have a full use rig.
If you are on a real budget, you can start with a HT, or say a dual band mobile..
If you want to start to play on HF, find a ten meter radio, and go for that on the lower part of ten...or you can even re-rock a SSB CB if you want to spend the lest amount possible.
Are you planning to up-grade soon?

73
Jeff
 
n0zna said:
i would say get a ht,and a small mbl amp.
Click to expand...

Thanks, what's an "ht"?

kd-5-bgt said:
Are you looking for a VHF/UHF radio or a HF rig?
Click to expand...

A VHF rig, maybe one with UHF. From what I've gathered from my local amateur club, 2 meters is pretty active but 70 cm is not. However the antenna I purchased today at the ham fest is a Tram 1180. I was told it's good for 2 meters and 70 centimeters.

So as of right now I'm weighing my options on radios.

At first I considered getting a Yaesu. But then I had another technician ham tell me the Kenwoods were better.


AudioShockwav said:
The answer kind of depends on how far you think you are going to go with Ham radio.
My first radio was a Two meter HT, but if you are already doing the study for your General, you might want to hold back, save a few more coins and try to get a rig that you can grow into.
If you can find a reasonable all mode/all band rig you can us your Tech privilege`s now, and when you up-grade....you will already have a full use rig.
If you are on a real budget, you can start with a HT, or say a dual band mobile..
If you want to start to play on HF, find a ten meter radio, and go for that on the lower part of ten...or you can even re-rock a SSB CB if you want to spend the lest amount possible.
Are you planning to up-grade soon?

73
Jeff
Click to expand...

Hey Jeff. I'm actually going to see how I like being a tech. If I decide I really enjoy being a tech and want to branch out further, I'll shoot for my general.

\But that does make sense to buy a one time deal with all the freqs and just use the ones that pertain to your license. Only thing is I don't have a ton of cash to spend, but I do have a few hundred dollars to purchase a radio.

As for converting a SSB CB to run on 10 meters sideband, that sounds cool, yes I would want to do it on the cheap. My question is can one of those old 23 channel SSB rigs work in the 28.300-28.500 mHz once converted? Or does it have to be a 40 channel SSB rig?
 
Also I have considered giving hand helds (is that what you mean by "ht"?) a shot. I really want a mobile. But I did come across 2 hand helds...

A Kenwood TH-225A in which they claim the PB-12 is dead and that it will need repacking or replaced. They say it includes antenna but does not include charger. They want $55 for it. Worth it?

The other is a ICOM IC-2AT for $30. Worth it?
 
If you're not sure whether or not you're going to go after the general or extra license classes, I would target a good vhf/uhf rig. You mentioned that you have a couple hundred dollars to spend. If that's the case, I would pass on the really old, inexpensive stuff that you've mentioned so far. Instead, I'd look for something that is recent on the used market like this Yaesu FT-7900:

FT-7800 R very good condition | eBay

The problem with buying really old gear is that it can be difficult to find parts or someone to work on it if it develops a problem. Also, like all technology, there have been quite a few advances in recent years. I say buy a good, recent model mobile and a good antenna and have fun.
 
Turbo T said:
Also I have considered giving hand helds (is that what you mean by "ht"?) a shot. I really want a mobile. But I did come across 2 hand helds...

A Kenwood TH-225A in which they claim the PB-12 is dead and that it will need repacking or replaced. They say it includes antenna but does not include charger. They want $55 for it. Worth it?

The other is a ICOM IC-2AT for $30. Worth it?
Click to expand...


My vote is "no" on both counts.
 
I will Agree with both post`s that Mole made, if you are in an area with good repeater coverage, you will get good use out of a VHF/UHF rig.
If you want to play on ten meters,you have a couple of options.
I would stay away from the older 23 ch rigs, a lot of them would require that you replace a whole bank of crystals to get very much coverage.
The older Cobra 148 GTL makes a good ten meter radio, all you have to do is unlock the claifier and change one crystal.
Find the 11.3258MHz crystal and swap it for a 11.6908MHz , that gives you 28.060MHz to 28.500, and you need 28.300 to 28.500, ken`s electronics has the crystal for $15 bucks.
You can even find new in the box radio shack HTX 10`s on ebay often for about $120 bucks, and if you did up-grade you will have FM, and offsets.
And Yes, HT is Short for Handy-talkie ...Or handy scratchy as we used to some times called them, lol.

73
Jeff
 
If you are going to be mobile only I would get a dual band vhf/uhf full power mobile rig such as the Kenwood v71a "just an example" I never liked the ht thing because I live so far from any repeaters. If you are going to bring this into the house, I would suggest more radio like the icom 706mIIg or like. As a tech you will have 2 meter ssb and 6 meter ssb to play with.
 
The Yaesu ft-7900 like Mole suggested would be a great mobile, if you wanted something a little further up you could look at the FT-8800 or FT-8900 (I have both but prefer the FT-8800) then there's always the FTM-350 which is a dual band with APRS built in.
 
Thanks for the advice.....

I have been eyeing the dual band radios...most of them are too rich for my blood. :eek: I'll need to start saving up, doing odd jobs on the side, etc. to afford one.

Hutch why the FT-8800 over the FT-8900? I see the 8900 offers 29/50/144/430 MHz whereas the FT-8800 is 144 and 430.
 
Hutch why the FT-8800 over the FT-8900? I see the 8900 offers 29/50/144/430 MHz whereas the FT-8800 is 144 and 430.
Click to expand...
The 10 and 6 meter bands in the 8900 are pretty useless because the radio can only do FM. Unless you have a lot of 10m or 6m FM repeaters in your area, you won't use them much, so it's extra money spent on a mostly useless feature.

The primary difference between the 7900 and the 8800 is the crossband repeat capability in the 8800.
 
Personally I use a Kenwood TM-271A 2-meter radio in my mobile. It's very affordable, plenty powerful (60W) and very rugged. In fact, it's more like a commercial (police, fire, etc) radio than a ham radio in terms of ruggedness and appearance, very sturdy. It is also capable of nearly continuous operation due to a very good heatsink configuration.

I also use a Comet SBB5-NMO dual-band antenna with a trunk-lip mount. This antenna works great, with low SWR on both bands.

The reason I use a 2-meter single-band radio in my mobile is because 90% of VHF/UHF activity throughout the country is on 2m. There is some 440 activity, but most folks use 2m more.

I also have a few of the Chinese dual-band HTs, which cover me for 440 as well as provide extreme mobility. The Wouxun and Quansheng offerings are the best IMO. I just take one with me if I feel like I might need 440, and I can connect it to my mobile antenna for better coverage since it's dual-band capable.

For VHF/UHF, this setup keeps me well covered, and it's actually a very affordable setup all-told.
 

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