Yaesu VX-8GR vs. Kenwood TH-D72

[depark]

1If you are mainly thinking of APRS for SAR and emergency, I think you'll be disappointed in that SARs and emergencies don't happen enough to make APRS fun.

Im have to agree with Snakyjake. The SAR team that I am on will use APRS occasionaly and only if the responding members have the capibility (APRS equiped radios). There are not that many search's that happen with that ability. It is a great asset for the search manager and communication team to see exactily where teams are but sadly not there all the time.

 

[fmajor]

Thanks guys for the info RE: AARS. I know virtually nothing about the commo side of things, just wanting a radio that i can contact help with if i'm in a bad situation in the backcountry.

I'm an avid hiker/backpacker outdoors kinda guy and need something that's gonna be light and reasonably safe in inclement weather conditions (thinking hard rain, dropped in snow, heavy moisture in the air, etc).

From my novice understanding, the VX-8DR seems like a better HT for my needs.

 

[mrnecsteve]

I was contemplateing both radios on monday 2/20/12.....until I read the wikepedia article on d-stars . I came home with a th-72a. The Usb connector,APRS,and the ability to do free firmware updates,and the no fee software "sealed the deal"for me.
I had my th72a at home for 1 hour and immediately updated the firmware.
Very easy task.
The Ham radio market is WAY overdue in that particular category of "post sales support)

 

[kd7jym]

I have both a VX8DR and a VX8GR. Ignoring price, to me these are some things to consider in comparing them:

PROS FOR THE DR
the DR is waterproof to some extent, the GR is just "spray resistant"

the DR has a dedicated speaker/mic jack with a screw on connection

some of the commonly used buttons on the DR are bigger than on the GR. this is nice when using it with gloves.

the DR's GPS module can be mounted on the radio or on the mic. When hiking I use it on the mic and clip the mic on my backpack strap where its in the clear, while the radio is stowed.

with my radios at least, the GPS on the DR outperforms the one in the GR by a huge margin. sitting outside in the clear the GR can take several minutes to get a fix while the DR will get a fix in seconds inside the house.

DR covers 6m and 220Mhz bands. The reality of this is that most people will never use these bands in the circumstances you described since 220 relies on infrastructure that is uncommon. 6m FM has a similar problem, but also the antenna is too short to be suited for it. Some repeaters do exist, and you can take advantage of these bands if you're in a group equipped for these bands as well, but for general everyday use you're probably going to stay within 2m and 70cm.

PROS FOR THE GR
GPS is integrated, not an extra option that has to be externally attached. this is big in terms of carrying it, because its not enough to say its inconvenient to remove the GPS from the DR when its not needed. Every time I do it I wonder how many times its going to take to wear out the connection or lose a piece.

GPS can be turned off, on the DR the only way to turn it off is disconnect it from the radio (maybe this has changed?), and having it connected but not using it wastes battery.

One thing that is nice about them both as a pair, they use the same batteries and fit in the same drop in charger.

My two cents on this, if you plan on abusing the radio and getting it wet, or you want something that can do pretty much anything, the DR is going to be the better choice. On the other hand if you simply want a dual band HT that can do APRS, the GR is the way to go.

 

[JVT]

TH-D72

I can't reall compare like some of you. I have only owned the kenwood.But I have noticed the support is good .All emails are answered within a couple days. My speaker gave up after 5 months and I was sent a new speaker and got it in 3 days of emailing my invoice. I run it at 3/4 volumne and higher.That could be the reason for the failure. I just asked for the part and didn't want to send it out.
I have a habit of staying with people who treat me good .
Maybe I shouldn't have posted here because of not owning both and never used the support for the VX8DR. It could be Just as good.
jim

 

[fmajor]

So, here's an 'innocent' BTTP!!!

Any owners/users that can contribute their valuable experience/opinion to this thread?

I'm still in the "Studying/Prepping for my License" stage, but time is on my side!!! More time = easier to save for the right/best HT for the newb!

 

[PikeCreeker]

Thanks for the thoughts on the Yaesu vs. the Kenwood. I'm a new ham who's trying to choose between the two.

 

[PikeCreeker]

This is an old thread but I don't think it'll hurt to leave my comments.

I'm an old pilot and I have some thoughts on civilians transmitting on aviation frequencies. I'm getting back into the airline business after a decade away, and a new phenomenon I've noted is people on the ground transmitting things that make them laugh (burps, animal sounds, music) on the aviation emergency frequency (in my experience this occurs almost exclusively in the southern US - draw your own conclusions).

I initially wondered how civilians got hold of radios that transmit on the AM air band but I think I figured it out. Anyone can buy a Yaesu VX-7 and, following instructions on YouTube, in less than five minutes modify it to transmit on the air band. I assume some other HTs can be just as easily reconfigured.

I could write pages about why it's stupid to distract pilots maneuvering aircraft in crowded airspace at 80% of the speed of sound, but that can wait for another day.

What interests me more, at the moment, is the idea that having the ability to transmit on aircraft freqs adds a reasonable margin of safety in the wilderness. It really does not.

There are simply too many variables that must cut in your favor to initiate a rescue response by contacting an aircraft a minimum of 6 miles away (if it flies directly over head) moving at 8 miles per minute and flown by two very busy pilots with their attention focused on the air traffic control frequency rather than the emergency frequency.

I've been flying for 25 years and I have a good idea of what goes on in most cockpits. Don't bet your life on a passing aircraft. Take a satellite phone or an EPIRB with you into the wilderness. Sure, it'll be more expensive than unsoldering a couple of jumpers in your HT. But, what's your life worth? How much would your kids say your life is worth?

 

[snakyjake]

If I could distract a pilot 6 miles away at 8 miles per minute, then sending a SOS signal shouldn't be a problem.

If I can gather the attention of a few busy pilots with a mayday distress signal, I'll take the odds they'll report it....they wouldn't want to illegally ignore a distress signal.

Not all aircraft fly that high or that fast (nor do all have radios).

Flares work, so do other options, and I like redundancy.

This is an old thread but I don't think it'll hurt to leave my comments.

I'm an old pilot and I have some thoughts on civilians transmitting on aviation frequencies. I'm getting back into the airline business after a decade away, and a new phenomenon I've noted is people on the ground transmitting things that make them laugh (burps, animal sounds, music) on the aviation emergency frequency (in my experience this occurs almost exclusively in the southern US - draw your own conclusions).

I initially wondered how civilians got hold of radios that transmit on the AM air band but I think I figured it out. Anyone can buy a Yaesu VX-7 and, following instructions on YouTube, in less than five minutes modify it to transmit on the air band. I assume some other HTs can be just as easily reconfigured.

I could write pages about why it's stupid to distract pilots maneuvering aircraft in crowded airspace at 80% of the speed of sound, but that can wait for another day.

What interests me more, at the moment, is the idea that having the ability to transmit on aircraft freqs adds a reasonable margin of safety in the wilderness. It really does not.

There are simply too many variables that must cut in your favor to initiate a rescue response by contacting an aircraft a minimum of 6 miles away (if it flies directly over head) moving at 8 miles per minute and flown by two very busy pilots with their attention focused on the air traffic control frequency rather than the emergency frequency.

I've been flying for 25 years and I have a good idea of what goes on in most cockpits. Don't bet your life on a passing aircraft. Take a satellite phone or an EPIRB with you into the wilderness. Sure, it'll be more expensive than unsoldering a couple of jumpers in your HT. But, what's your life worth? How much would your kids say your life is worth?

 

[m6bxg]

In all honesty the simple solution for an SOS moment is to carry a Spot GPS Messenger or better still carry a PLB such as the FastFind 210,220 series.

These units send your GPS signal to a geo stationary sat and back to earth in around 3 minutes, locally it send the same signal out on the old aviation distress frequency.

There really is no need to mod a radio to aviation use as this opens it up to abuse, if you worry that much about getting into a sos moment then buy a PLB like i did, i do long distance running and general dont carry a phone, the plb is the best option.

If you want a robust radio then use the vx-8dr,