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need help picking a radio


--weezl--

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i know there's a few threads here with the same basic question, but it's not quite the same circumstances...

i passed my test for canadian basic today, and passed it with 83% which means that I have basic+ or basic with honors, it allows me to do all frequencies...

the priority for me is VHF and UHF, (2m and 70cm bands) i was originally looking at the yaetsu ft2900, i like the fact that it's sealed, and has 75w of power, but it only does 2m, so while it is great on every other aspect, it doesn't cover the 70cm band...

i would like to be able to cross band repeat also, but it's not really a requirement... i also want one that is fairly affordable... i'm not worried about brand at all...

as for antennas, i will be going with a fiberglass antenna, mounted near the front of my box, yes, i know this is not the ideal situation for radios, but for my application, i think that would work best for me...

so, any 75w dual band radios that are sealed that you guys know about?

i wouldn't be opposed to running a tri or quad band radio either, as i am qualified to operate 0-30mhz, but i have no plan to at the point
 


Milton

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I know of absolutely no dual band (2m/75cm) rated at 75W. I own a FT-2900 (great radio) and a Kenwood D700 (2m/70cm). Any dual band cross-banding radio is going to be more expensive, the Alinco DR-635ST at 340USD is the cheapest. HRO is selling the FT-2900 for 155USD.

The FT-2900 does not have a remote head which makes installation more difficult. I have the D700 in my 2009 B2300, the remote head is located above the rear view mirror while the main unit is attached the rear wall of the cab. You cannot see the head unit from the front as the tint strip hides it. If I am working from a fixed location where I want the extra 25 watts, then I bring the FT-2900.

I know of no one using a fiberglass antenna for 2m/70cm. Antennas are all about location, there's little point in pumping 75watts into an antenna that wastes 30watts. Best location is on the center of the cab roof (nice and high, best ground plane, none of the body interferes with the radiation pattern, and the roof shields you from the rf). Remember that 2m/75cm is line-of-sight communications. If you go off road amongst the trees, just unscrew the antenna and screw on a little stubby.

Welcome to the hobby. Like most hobbies it's what are your needs/wants/desires and the depth of your pocket book. - N5HMJ
 

--weezl--

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well, crap, i was hoping to have one that will let me do 75w, but i had heard that no one else knows of one that powerful either... which is dumb, because in canada, the basic qualification gives you 250w input to the transmitter, and 560w pep output, and 30mhz+ (i think it's technically 29.5 but not 100% sure) legally, basic plus (what i will have when the paper work gets processed) is the same, as basic, but allows <30mhz, and advanced is 1000w input to the transmitter, and allows you to build and use radios that are not commercially made, and own/sponsor/maintain a repeater. with either of the basic qualifications, i MUST use a commercially manufactured radio (but one one designed for commercial use) so really, there's no reason i can see to have the ability to transmit more than about 75w... unless people typically go get a 150w unit for each band... but that seems expensive...

i'll take a look at the alinco dr-635st, there's some pretty good deals on the ft-2900 up here IIRC, they are really common and can be found used for cheap. as for the 2900, it's only single band, if it was even a dual band single vfo? i would get it without a second thought... the other thing that i'm being pursaded into being interested in is aprs, which i realize makes my selection smaller again, but it seems like it might be useful for me as 95% of the use of these radios at this point will be on the trail...

remote head, at this point isn't a big issue, as i plan to put it down low, infront of my shifter, where the pass airbag key is on older models, the ashtray on some, and tc on the new ones... there is a little cubby that i NEVER use, i can make it fit there pretty well IMO, but i do like the remote head above the mirror idea, like you mentioned... where does your mic wire to?

i know that the quality, tuning and mounting of the antenna is more important than the radio it's self (in a lot of aspects) but for my truck, the aesthetics and functionality of the truck, is, as, if not more important than the functionality of the radio... i may change my mind down the road, but until then this is how it is... as far as aesthetics go, i already have a 4 foot fiberglass CB antenna on my truck, and would want the other to match it, with the trails that I am on, the roof mag mount just won't work, there is a lot of low hanging trees that would rip it right off of the roof, scratching my paint in the process. and a lot of the times this comes up, there is no opportunity to hop out, move or remove the antenna either... down a hill, blind corner ect... i do agree with what you're saying about the mag mount though, it just won't work for my truck...

what i was looking into doing was buying a marine antenna that is very close to the right length, then cutting it to the right size for the 2m/70cm band... and where I will have it mounted, behind the cab will protect it from damage, and allow me to install it with a spring or something, so it will bend out of the way...

an alternative to this would be installing a whip antenna in a similar location, or where the stock radio antenna is (as my antenna was taken off about a month after i bought the truck because they are ugly) and moving the cb antenna up to match it on the drivers side, this would give me the hood and fenders to resonate...

as far as my needs and desires, i want/need a radio capable of transmitting on vhf/uhf (2m 70cm) and want one that can dual monitor and cross band, aprs i think will become incredibly useful for me in the future, and i think is worth the money at this point, other than that, i don't really know...

hf would be nice too, but for the jump in price, i don't think it's really needed

i shoudl also mention that i currently own a handheld 70cm radio with 5w transmit, which is part of the reason I want the cross band, if i hop out of my truck, i can still talk to people on the 2m band... this would most likely be used when i'm working the local rally, if i get into that (which i plan to)
 

--weezl--

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anyone know if the stock ranger antenna is plumbed with coax, and if so, what model it is (specifically if it's 50ohm) and if there are any antennas that you can just screw into the stock location...

i do not use my radio at all...
 

02RangerXLT

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A guy somewhere on here took a CB antenna and mounted it in the stock location by modifying the mount to fit a CB stud. Search the CB antenna/CB location thread. Same could be done to a 2M antenna
 

02RangerXLT

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No... this guy had a black ranger, and mounted it in the passenger side stock AM/FM radio space...

Something makes me think 04+ Black, Lvl 2 Ranger on 31's with Alcoa's. And for some reason I think he's from Canada?:icon_confused:
 
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--weezl--

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Not ringing a bell at all, also couldn't find a thread that I think is the one you're talking about... Any chance you could take a look? Even if it's just a link to the correct thread, I'll spend the hours looking through it for the post...

Or know how long ago it would have been?


Sent from somewhere naughty!
 

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