Best Handi-Talki Out There Now?

[Fred (FL)]

I have not been on 2 meters, of VHF/UHF, since
my long drive days in Baltimore, and Laurel,
MD.

What is the most popular, reliable and bestist
- mobile handi-talki, out there now?

I did eham review searches on IC-T90A,
TH-F6A and Yaseu's VX-6R and 7R.  Seems like
for every one - some one or 2 hams found a
lemon and bought one them gave them fits.

The wideband, Am & shortwave receive capability
- sounds interesting, for my US/Canadian border
location.  Who know I can eavesdrop on the
freighters as the ply their way up and down
the St. Lawrence.

:(   de Fred N3CSY


       
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[Bob Nielsen]

I've been happy with my VX-6R, although I understand that you can't  
connect it to a grounded mobile antenna with the cigarette-lighter  
charger attached or bad things happen (maybe a DC block in the  
antenna line would help, but I haven't verified that).

Bob, N7XY

On Jun 9, 2007, at 2:19 PM, Fred (FL) wrote:

> I have not been on 2 meters, of VHF/UHF, since
> my long drive days in Baltimore, and Laurel,
> MD.
>
> What is the most popular, reliable and bestist
> - mobile handi-talki, out there now?
>
> I did eham review searches on IC-T90A,
> TH-F6A and Yaseu's VX-6R and 7R.  Seems like
> for every one - some one or 2 hams found a
> lemon and bought one them gave them fits.
>
> The wideband, Am & shortwave receive capability
> - sounds interesting, for my US/Canadian border
> location.  Who know I can eavesdrop on the
> freighters as the ply their way up and down
> the St. Lawrence.
>
> :(   de Fred N3CSY
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ______________Ready for the edge of your seat?
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[Ron D'Eau Claire-2]

I have an Icom WM32A that I picked up in 1999. Works fine, when I can figure
out how to work it. Claims to have an "Intuitive" interface. Perhaps to C3PO
or R2D2, or one of their human clones, but not to this mere mortal.
Otherwise it works fine. It is both 144 and 440 MHz and capable of full
duplex operation using both of those bands. Guess that's one of the
"features" everyone needed. Right.... Receives both FM and AM and tunes the
aircraft and weather frequencies.

My favorite was an old Kenwood from the 1980's - all thumbwheel switches, FM
only and simple to operate. In a moment of madness I sold it.

Ron AC7AC



-----Original Message-----
I have not been on 2 meters, of VHF/UHF, since
my long drive days in Baltimore, and Laurel,
MD.

What is the most popular, reliable and bestist
- mobile handi-talki, out there now?

I did eham review searches on IC-T90A,
TH-F6A and Yaseu's VX-6R and 7R.  Seems like
for every one - some one or 2 hams found a
lemon and bought one them gave them fits.

The wideband, Am & shortwave receive capability
- sounds interesting, for my US/Canadian border
location.  Who know I can eavesdrop on the
freighters as the ply their way up and down
the St. Lawrence.

:(   de Fred N3CSY


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[Brian Lloyd-6]

On Jun 9, 2007, at 2:55 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> I have an Icom WM32A that I picked up in 1999. Works fine, when I  
> can figure
> out how to work it.

Welcome to the wonderful world of bad user interfaces (UI). One of  
the problems is that, in the rush to add more and more 'features' to  
the radio, someone forgot to ask the users if they needed or wanted  
'em at the expense of being able to make the radio actually work.

> My favorite was an old Kenwood from the 1980's - all thumbwheel  
> switches, FM
> only and simple to operate. In a moment of madness I sold it.

I still have an IC-2A kicking around. I couldn't bring myself to get  
rid of it as it just worked too well and I never forgot how to make  
it work no matter how long it had been since I picked it up.

I also have an Icom IC-T8A three-band handheld and an IC-706mkII.  
Both radios have their manuals sitting next to them as I can never  
remember how all the features work.

Most bad UI designs come from feature overload. Once you put a  
computer in the box the tendency on the part of programmers is to  
just keep adding little features just because they can. The other  
source of bad UI design is the desire to make the application  
"customizable".

BTW, I am keeping my IC-2A.

73 de Brian, WB6RQN
Brian Lloyd - brian HYPHEN wb6rqn AT lloyd DOT com


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[Leigh L. Klotz Jr WA5ZNU]

Kenwood TH-F6a.  It has a BFO and does TX on 1.25m.
73,
Leigh/WA5ZNU
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[k7svv]

I'll second the TH-F6a.  It's a great HT but so is the VX-2 except for that
darn PTT button.  Hard as the dickens to push.

John   [K7SVV]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Leigh L Klotz, Jr." <[hidden email]>
To: "Fred (FL)" <[hidden email]>; <[hidden email]>
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 6:42 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Best Handi-Talki Out There Now?

> Kenwood TH-F6a.  It has a BFO and does TX on 1.25m.
> 73,
> Leigh/WA5ZNU
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>
>
> --
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> Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database:
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>
>

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[Paul - VE1DY-2]

This is interesting Bob.  I've read similar about the TH-F6A, which
has kept me from buying it, but I hadn't read that about the VX-6R
before.

Too bad the fuse in the F6A is an smt fuse on the board.

Thank you,

73, Paul

--
Paul - ve1dy - Halifax, NS
SKCC #91, QRP-L #416, K2 - 5678
www3.ns.sympatico.ca/ppike


On 6/9/07, Bob Nielsen <[hidden email]> wrote:
> I've been happy with my VX-6R, although I understand that you can't
> connect it to a grounded mobile antenna with the cigarette-lighter
> charger attached or bad things happen (maybe a DC block in the
> antenna line would help, but I haven't verified that).
>
> Bob, N7XY

> >
> > I did eham review searches on IC-T90A,
> > TH-F6A and Yaseu's VX-6R and 7R.  Seems like
> > for every one - some one or 2 hams found a
> > lemon and bought one them gave them fits.
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[Fred N. van Kempen]

Hi,

I use a Kenwood F7E (2m/70cm with wideband all-mode
receive, nice to monitor HF) and it works like a
charm, both on the duck (I don't use the Kenwood
duck, but, rather, a Diamond SRH-999 mini-duck) as
well as on external ants through SMA.

Of all my handies (yes, I do have a few), I still
like the F7 the most.

Cheers,

Fred PA4YBR/KA4YBR


-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Paul - VE1DY
Sent: zondag 10 juni 2007 12:33
To: Bob Nielsen
Cc: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Best Handi-Talki Out There Now?

This is interesting Bob.  I've read similar about the TH-F6A, which has
kept me from buying it, but I hadn't read that about the VX-6R before.

Too bad the fuse in the F6A is an smt fuse on the board.

Thank you,

73, Paul

--
Paul - ve1dy - Halifax, NS
SKCC #91, QRP-L #416, K2 - 5678
www3.ns.sympatico.ca/ppike


On 6/9/07, Bob Nielsen <[hidden email]> wrote:
> I've been happy with my VX-6R, although I understand that you can't
> connect it to a grounded mobile antenna with the cigarette-lighter
> charger attached or bad things happen (maybe a DC block in the
> antenna line would help, but I haven't verified that).
>
> Bob, N7XY

> >
> > I did eham review searches on IC-T90A,
> > TH-F6A and Yaseu's VX-6R and 7R.  Seems like
> > for every one - some one or 2 hams found a
> > lemon and bought one them gave them fits.
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[Phil Kane-2]

On Sat, 9 Jun 2007 14:55:43 -0700, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

>I have an Icom WM32A that I picked up in 1999. Works fine, when
>I can figure out how to work it. Claims to have an "Intuitive"
>interface. Perhaps to C3PO or R2D2, or one of their human clones,
>but not to this mere mortal.

  Gee, Ron, I'm sorry that you didn't mention that when we met at
  Sea-Pac last week!  I've been using that HT for about 5 years
  for both hamming (both 2m and 3/4m) and monitoring my other
  hobby - chasing and photo-ing the railroads.  It's easy once
  one gets the hang of it. Then again, I have 5 ICOM transceivers,
  including the HT.... <g>

  My only "gripe" - which is my problem, not ICOM's - is that I
  have to use the lighted magnifier to read the pushbutton labels
  and occasionally have to refer to the step-by-step directions
  in the manual.

--
   73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
   Elecraft K2/100   s/n 5402

   From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
   Beaverton (Washington County)  Oregon



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[Ron D'Eau Claire-2]

Ha, ha!! Phil, you are an FCC engineer (retired) who also became a lawyer!

I'm a field technician who was lucky not to have been arrested by you during
my tenure servicing shipboard radio systems <G>. (I do recall one of your
staff calling me on my cell phone from the FCC monitoring station insisting
I was responsible for some lengthy unauthorized transmissions on emergency
VHF channel 16 - until I put another FCC engineer, who I was on a ship with
at the time doing a SOLAS inspection, on the phone to confirm I wasn't
responsible for the signal.)

It's a matter of how our minds work differently! I can get the Icom to work
perfectly but a week later I've forgotten how I did it. Clearly your memory
of the button-press sequences is better than mine.

I probably would never have made it as an FCC field engineer either!

I didn't have my HT with me at SeaTac, but sure enjoyed chatting with you
face to face at the Elecraft booth!

Ron AC7AC



-----Original Message-----
On Sat, 9 Jun 2007 14:55:43 -0700, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

>I have an Icom WM32A that I picked up in 1999. Works fine, when I can
>figure out how to work it. Claims to have an "Intuitive" interface.
>Perhaps to C3PO or R2D2, or one of their human clones, but not to this
>mere mortal.

  Gee, Ron, I'm sorry that you didn't mention that when we met at
  Sea-Pac last week!  I've been using that HT for about 5 years
  for both hamming (both 2m and 3/4m) and monitoring my other
  hobby - chasing and photo-ing the railroads.  It's easy once
  one gets the hang of it. Then again, I have 5 ICOM transceivers,
  including the HT.... <g>

  My only "gripe" - which is my problem, not ICOM's - is that I
  have to use the lighted magnifier to read the pushbutton labels
  and occasionally have to refer to the step-by-step directions
  in the manual.

--
   73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
   Elecraft K2/100   s/n 5402

   From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
   Beaverton (Washington County)  Oregon




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[AJSOENKE]

Alinco makes some very nice handhelds - low cost and highly  functional.
 
Al WA6VNN



************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
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[Julian, G4ILO]

So, is Elecraft going to be making a VHF HT kit then?
--
Julian, G4ILO
G4ILO's Shack: www.g4ilo.com
K2 s/n: 392  K3 s/n: ???
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[Paul - VE1DY-2]

Would be nice wouldn't it.

--
Paul - ve1dy - Halifax, NS
SKCC #91, QRP-L #416, K2 - 5678
www3.ns.sympatico.ca/ppike


> So, is Elecraft going to be making a VHF HT kit then?
> Julian, G4ILO
> G4ILO's Shack: www.g4ilo.com
> K2 s/n: 392  K3 s/n: ???
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[Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ]

Let's let this one rest for now. Its a little [OT] and is one of those
topics that will never conclude :-)

73, Eric   WA6HHQ
Elecraft List Moderator
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