Kenwood TH-D72 2m/440 APRS HT Review

[ka4kam]

well if aprs is in use during a emergency searchers or rescuers can be seen and locations can be seen, i think It can be valuable to know where your operators are if they had a field assignment during a disaster.

edit well I am a little late with this post you already said it all

 

[Moleculo]

Dstar is fun but if you lose internet then you lose dstar.

That's not true at all. You only lose the internet linking capability

Is anyone aware of a comprehenisve listing of the ways APRS communications have actually been useful? I could brainstorm potential scenarios all day, but I have no idea if such ideas are practical.

I really doubt many people are going to see that question buried in a radio review thread. It would probably be a good idea to start a new thread on APRS questions.

 

[ka4kam]

my bad i should have stated it better that is what i was meaning you lose the internet linking capability.

 

[snakyjake]

This might take things off course. I've had a few emergency experiences, so I'll share some thoughts. Typically people don't really think things through. If you are with other Hams, amateur radio works. But if you need to communicate with non-Hams, then Ham radio can become a challenge and practically useless. So consider the logistics

If you really want/need emergency communication to get yourself out of trouble, consider SPOT or an EPIRB.

If I'm out and about and need to make an emergency mayday, I'm transmitting on air bands. If I'm not going to use SPOT or air bands, next is HF. Might want to consider FRS and CB too, in some areas it is more popular.

I also carry aerial flares.

If I'm in civilization, I'd use the Internet. The Internet was created for emergency communication.

The nice thing about APRS is that non-HAM's can benefit from the usage as recipients. I like beaconing on my road trips to let friends/family know where I'm at and when I'll be at their home. Also nice to keep track of the kids. Or use it to keep track of people on a drive or hike.

I like Ham & APRS for when Internet and cell phones aren't available.

What it really needs to come down to is this: What is going to be more fun? APRS is fun, and non-Hams can be involved. Check out APRSPoint. Or have a Ham operator send you a APRS text message to your cell phone. APRS is far more fun than 220 or D-Star.

Jake

 

[Need2Know]

I really like the geographic display qualities of APRS. I guess I'm looking at a neat technology in search of a need and not a need in search of a technology. I have been playing with both APRS-IS32 and APRS.FI. I have a ways to go to have the IS32 figured out. Yes, I need to go to a different thread category for that.

I'm still pretty much sold on the D-72. Its feature set offers more potential for at least the "experiment" and "discovery" aspects of the ham radio hobby. It will be a learning/teaching tool for me for a variety of technologies including VOIP, GPS, packet transmissions, computer interface technologies, etc.

I'm getting a bit anxious to pull the trigger on buying this thing, but I promised my wife and myself I'd sell my DSLR camera stuff first. I just sent the whole kit and kaboole to Adorma for appraisal, so possibly in two weeks the order will be in.

 

[Streetglideok]

I just got one of these radios and like it so far. The only hangup I have had, has been the USB com driver. It installed with no issues on my home pc with win7, but the laptop sporting win8, has been a different problem. It doesn't see any drivers in the file you download. Anyone had any luck?

 

[K0epp]

I've been using Win 8.1 with no problems.
Kenwood has an updated driver. Try downloading it from here: AMATEUR RADIO PRODUCTS SOFTWARE DOWNLOADS / Kenwood