New Radios

lazypengu1n

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After doing some searching, I decided to go with a D-Star HT and Mobile.

HT - Icom ID-51A
Mobile - Icom-5100A

The HT compared to the other entry level HTs I have is like night and day. I have not setup the Mobile yet, but have all the parts and will make a new thread when I do the install.

I was able to hit the local Salem and Westford repeaters. There's a channel B and C? What does that mean? I can't register yet since I don't have my call sign yet. I tried to look at the available reflectors and what not, I was not able to see anything.

Driving to work today, I was able to connect to Salem B and hear the conversations on both Salem and Westford. I tried to connect to Brookline since it was closer but there wasn't any traffic there.

Any recommendations on how to listen to chats during the commute? So far, I've been able to hit a few just by scanning the band. The conversations are usually between 145.000 - 146.000
 
New England Repeater Directory start plugging some in, depending on your geographic location.

Also curious about that 5100A.... nobody on the internet seems to be able to answer whether or not that receiver has a loose front door on it. I've stayed away from dual band radios for a long time because they just pull in too much intermod, and half of them sound like a video game machine on RX because of all the intermod.

-Mike
 
The hardest part was trying to figure out which on to get, the ID-2730 or the ID-5100A. I like the GPS and find the nearest tower using an SD card and csv file to upload the data. I'm still trying to figure out the way reflectors works, I can't see any but I suspect it's because I'm not accessing the tower using a registered callsign yet... 8 more days... I hope.

I am going to build my own mobile AP so then I can change reflectors at will because from my limited understanding, changing a reflector on a tower not only changes it for me but for everyone connected to it. Makes sense but seems kinda self-fish. I like the idea when applied locally during the daily commute but I want to make contacts outside the local area and beyond.

I am going to build a ZUM Spot, so that way I can jump to any of the DV modes. I may get a seperate HT for DMR. My work pays for unlimited data so why not just use it in the truck and be my own master.
 
Both are really great analog radios on their own. Dstar is the icing on the cake. Crank up some of the YouTube vids out there to get up to speed on these feature-rich rigs.
 
Westford ‘b’ is 442.450, ‘c’ is 145.330. They are different repeaters.

I have the id51a. It is a rock solid ht. I use it at 95% of the public service events I work. I did 2 things to it, installed a Pryme whip, and added a ‘tigertail’ (yes they do work, I have swept them with and without).

I have yet to work an event that uses dstar.
 
Hey guys, i have had my technician license for 18 years now and I really haven't used it .I got it back in '01 when I thought the world was going to a lot different in the near future and cell communication wouldn't be reliable. At any rate I don't know if this is the right thread for this question. But I'm pretty much a noob in the HAM world. I just never had the need or opportunity to use it, regardless I am looking at mobile radios and I have done some Google searching, but what is the best radio for the buck for a beginner?
 
My (possibly passé) reaction is look at 2m/440MHz dual-band mobile rigs from Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood (which will still have multiple models from each manufacturer that cover a price band),
and then look at the pricing on the web sites for stores like Ham Radio Outlet or Universal Radio.

Some models will have very, very long-lived manufacturer's discount coupons,
and you want to use that information to come up with the true retail price.
73's,
/AHM
 
Of all of my HTs I personally like the Yaesu the best. It was a little bit difficult locating a programming cable for it. I do that because I use an application called Chirp to program the radio from the computer. The Yaesu is interesting because it not only works in the 2m/70cm bands but it can work in others as well. I have police, aircraft and marine frequencies programmed in it. When I am down in RI I will oftentimes listen to the marine frequencies to see how far out to sea I can go for range. All in all it's been awesome.
 
I have a Yaesu FT-2980 dual band 2M/70CM 80 watt radio and it appears to be a solid radio you can get one from Ham Radio Outlet on sale for $149.00 (sale ends 1/31/2019) I don't think you can do much better for the cost. You would need to mount it in the car (Mobil) or get a power supply 20 amps or more to run it and of course an antenna a low cost one would be around $50.00.
 
I have a Yaesu FT-2980 dual band 2M/70CM 80 watt radio and it appears to be a solid radio you can get one from Ham Radio Outlet on sale for $149.00 (sale ends 1/31/2019) I don't think you can do much better for the cost. You would need to mount it in the car (Mobil) or get a power supply 20 amps or more to run it and of course an antenna a low cost one would be around $50.00.
Hmm, that link isn't dual band. strictly a 144MHz rig.
 
I've been studying for my tech license and have been eyeing the icom 4100a, looks like it has a lot of the features of the 5100 but can be had for about 300. I have a leixen vv-898s on the way that will hold me over for a while and then I'll just put it in my work truck. I've heard it's a decent little rig for the money.
 
Westford ‘b’ is 442.450, ‘c’ is 145.330. They are different repeaters.

To expand on this, DSTAR specified that mode A is repeaters on 1.2GHz, B is treaters on 440MHz, and C is repeaters in 2meters.

You might hear “50 Charlie” on the Westford repeater. This means the ham is using a reflector on 2 meters. The 50 covers New England region.
 
I’ve got both the ID51a and 5100 rigs. Both are great rigs. I highly recommend the RT Systems programming sfoftware. It makes programming the digital modes very easy. Manual programming is a pain.

You will need a software package and cable for eac. They are different.
 
I actually use the Icom software for the id51a. Works ok, and via sd card makes it so that you don’t need a cable. I refuse to give another dime to RT Systems until they change their cd key scheme.

ETA, Icom software was free when I got my radio.
 
Solikely a silly question but what the hell, asking it on the NES board it’s not like I will be beaten down. What the hell are these radios for? Why would I ever want one?
 
Solikely a silly question but what the hell, asking it on the NES board it’s not like I will be beaten down. What the hell are these radios for? Why would I ever want one?
Replace radio with gun and you’ll get your answer.
 
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Solikely a silly question but what the hell, asking it on the NES board it’s not like I will be beaten down. What the hell are these radios for? Why would I ever want one?

-You have a dying urge to get involved in a dying art. [laugh] Think 2 way communications before cellphones, but like AHM says, applications are wide. Lots of
preppers buy this stuff too, for example. Emergency communications. etc.
-You like to communicate with people you don't necessarily know, sometimes across the world. Sometimes on a regular basis.
-You like to tinker with and (possibly) build or at least assemble stuff (like if a soldering iron scares you, this probably isn't a good hobby... you don't need to have big nerd chops or know how to build your own radio or anything like that, but knowing or wanting to learn how to fix ticky tack BS is pretty useful skill set for this stuff)

It's also worth noting there is a service called Amateur Radio.... but the reality of it is thats really just the surface.

-Mike
 
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