First Radio?

[Mongoose]

Hey Binrat, did you get your Kenwood 281A yet and if so what are your thoughts?

Moleculo, I think I will be going with the Kenwood TM-V71A because of the great ratings and also because I live in a condo with HEAVY restrictions on antennas and no place to hide one except in the attic. So I think the Kenwood with the cross band repeater will work better for me. I need to find a mobile dual band antenna that won't break the bank, I was looking at the Tram 1185 but then also looking at the oh so popular Comet CA2x4SR, I just don't have a mount for it.

 

[Moleculo]

I was looking at the Tram 1185 but then also looking at the oh so popular Comet CA2x4SR, I just don't have a mount for it.

The Comet CA2x4 is nice if you have a reason to need a good performing antenna over a fairly wide frequency range. It's a little pricey, though. Just start with the Tram or similar if you're just trying to get on the air - you can always justify spending the extra cash down the road if you can justify it.

 

[binrat]

Hey Binrat, did you get your Kenwood 281A yet and if so what are your thoughts?

Not yet. I will post up once I have it with my thoughts on it.

 

[binrat]

Not yet. I will post up once I have it with my thoughts on it.

I stand corrected. Its mounted in the truck this afternoon,took 15 minutes. Nice little rig. Need to program it and get on the air. I will post upmy thoughts of it within a day or two.

 

[binrat]

Well, a quick note on my thoughts on the 281a.
Compact and very basic with some good features hidden away, access via the menu. (which is not complicated) It took me less time to figure out how to program local repeaters then it did to put Anderson connectors on the power wires. Transmit and the receive is good, changing to different repeaters is a breeze while mobile, the feel of the mic in your hand is nice.
The only negative thing so far is I don't like the tone of the speaker (seems tinny to me) but is not a show stopper.

 

[2RT307]

Might not be a deal breaker for you, but the V71A has higher output power (50 watts) than the Yaesu (35 watts) on 440. I really like my V71A so far.

73,
Brett

 

[Mongoose]

So where is the best place to buy one, any recommendations?

 

[2RT307]

So where is the best place to buy one, any recommendations?

I bought mine from MTC in Paris, TX... because I wanted to support "the local guy". You can probably find cheaper deals out there, especially with regards to shipping. Gigaparts, HRO, AES, etc., are all worth checking out.

73,
Brett