Help Choosing a HAM Radio

[Zorba]

Many of the Chinese radios don't need a "mod" at all, they'll do GMRS frequencies right out of the box - or right out of the box after a magic key press. Technically illegal, but there ya go!

 

[U8MYDZT]

Many of the Chinese radios don't need a "mod" at all, they'll do GMRS frequencies right out of the box - or right out of the box after a magic key press. Technically illegal, but there ya go!

SWIM thinks this is a risk worth taking. (The legal part not the crapy radios)

 

[bobthetj03]

This guy mostly talks about HT's, but I like his style.

 

[bobthetj03]

I saw that one too, that seems like one of the better options if your going to get all the extra features. Since it appears to have a much more modern UI.

@Midnight LJR , did you decide on a radio. I'm guessing that 2 years later you made a decision, lol!

 

[Midnight LJR]

@Midnight LJR , did you decide on a radio. I'm guessing that 2 years later you made a decision, lol!

I got the TM-D710GA, Alex helped me get it setup for GMRS channels since I am slacker and didn’t finish my ham license yet. I really need to get that done….

 

[NskLJ]

I got the TM-D710GA, Alex helped me get it setup for GMRS channels since I am slacker and didn’t finish my ham license yet. I really need to get that done….

I was able to take it at a local Red Cross for $5. A ham club gave the test once a month.

 

[bobthetj03]

I got the TM-D710GA, Alex helped me get it setup for GMRS channels since I am slacker and didn’t finish my ham license yet. I really need to get that done….

Come on slacker! Get that ticket! That's the Kenwood unit? That is a nice radio.

 

[KingCarGuyZ]

I got the TM-D710GA, Alex helped me get it setup for GMRS channels since I am slacker and didn’t finish my ham license yet. I really need to get that done….

Excellent radio, hard to get your hands on but highly sought after, this is currently my VHF/UHF shack rig. use it for AX.25 Packet radio (win-link and APRS) and it sounds absolutely excellent on FM. its signal rejection is superb and it seems to reach just a little bit further on transmit and it hands down pulls in more distant stations on receive.

you can do a mod for a bluetoth TNC connection and a couple of other neat things. You can probably pick up a DTMF decoder board to splice in for cross-band repeater duty (once you are licensed) as they stopped equiping them somewhere into the "G" sub-model. That radio is waaaaaaay overkill for GMRS (and not technically legal), but it will serve you well and has plenty of overhead to grow into.

 

[Midnight LJR]

Excellent radio, hard to get your hands on but highly sought after, this is currently my VHF/UHF shack rig. use it for AX.25 Packet radio (win-link and APRS) and it sounds absolutely excellent on FM. its signal rejection is superb and it seems to reach just a little bit further on transmit and it hands down pulls in more distant stations on receive.

you can do a mod for a bluetoth TNC connection and a couple of other neat things. You can probably pick up a DTMF decoder board to splice in for cross-band repeater duty (once you are licensed) as they stopped equiping them somewhere into the "G" sub-model. That radio is waaaaaaay overkill for GMRS (and not technically legal), but it will serve you well and has plenty of overhead to grow into.

That’s ok, pretty sure everything is illegal these days. I will be getting my license though in the near future now that we are all settled in at the new house.

 

[KingCarGuyZ]

That’s ok, pretty sure everything is illegal these days. I will be getting my license though in the near future now that we are all settled in at the new house.

I'm going to tell you honestly... I definitely don't ever run my 5100 on GMRS when we do trail rides, and the enforcement on that rule is defiantly stringent

Edit: I was going to fix the Typo.... and then it was just too funny.