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General Discussion / Cheap Dual-Band HT
« on: December 31, 2012, 07:10:49 PM »
If you're interested in a cheap handheld dual band (VHF/UHF) 5 watt radio, with narrow band capability, check this out: http://tinyurl.com/afmwf6v
The cost is $65 US for an individual one, and $300 US for a six-pack. The radio gurus I know think it's a heck of a bargain, and I sprung for one for Kate's Christmas. It looks okay to me, though the instruction manual could be a bit better, and I'll probably be getting a second one. And several of our SAR folks (as of now, the people of our rope team) are considering it, too. I think we'll get at least one six-pack. (1)
My radio gurus recommend springing for the programming cable (programming software is free), but to skip the high-gain antenna (which apparently doesn't offer much advantage).
The down side: Unlike our Yaesu FT-60R radios, it probably isn't very weatherproof, nor will it accept AA or AAA batteries.
But it's very small and I've never seen anything like it for the price.
(1) Our agencies are changing from wide-band to narrow-band, which is a capability our current radios lack. This has engendered quite a bit of grumbling amongst the troops, since many of us have gotten our ham licenses and purchased several wide-band radios each, at considerable personal cost, specifically for our SAR activities (base station, with antenna, coax cable and power supply; mobile radio for vehicle with antenna; and HT, plus accessories like extra batteries, speaker mic, high-gain antennas, etc.).
Just FWIW.
The cost is $65 US for an individual one, and $300 US for a six-pack. The radio gurus I know think it's a heck of a bargain, and I sprung for one for Kate's Christmas. It looks okay to me, though the instruction manual could be a bit better, and I'll probably be getting a second one. And several of our SAR folks (as of now, the people of our rope team) are considering it, too. I think we'll get at least one six-pack. (1)
My radio gurus recommend springing for the programming cable (programming software is free), but to skip the high-gain antenna (which apparently doesn't offer much advantage).
The down side: Unlike our Yaesu FT-60R radios, it probably isn't very weatherproof, nor will it accept AA or AAA batteries.
But it's very small and I've never seen anything like it for the price.
(1) Our agencies are changing from wide-band to narrow-band, which is a capability our current radios lack. This has engendered quite a bit of grumbling amongst the troops, since many of us have gotten our ham licenses and purchased several wide-band radios each, at considerable personal cost, specifically for our SAR activities (base station, with antenna, coax cable and power supply; mobile radio for vehicle with antenna; and HT, plus accessories like extra batteries, speaker mic, high-gain antennas, etc.).
Just FWIW.