|
|
| Author |
Message |
ball
|
|
2m Mobile Transceiver
| 
Sep 15 23:56 UTC 2006 |
Does anyone have any thoughts on Icom IC-V8000 Vs IC-2200H?
|
| 26 responses total. |
tod
|
|
response 1 of 26:
|
Sep 16 17:23 UTC 2006 |
What are yours?
|
krokus
|
|
response 2 of 26:
|
Sep 17 03:36 UTC 2006 |
Not much, other than I don't think I'd buy either one of them.
One of them now allows to send GPS data, when connected to an external
GPS unit. Welcome to what Kenwood was able to do for quite awhile.
The more important thing is to figure out what you're wanting out of
a mobile unit. (Size, RF TX power, AF power, bands, MARS/CAP mods,
remote front panel, etc...)
|
ball
|
|
response 3 of 26:
|
Sep 17 15:10 UTC 2006 |
Size: small is good, provided the front panel controls aren't too
horribly fiddly. Power: 10W would probably suffice. I'll probably use
it on a lower power setting most of the time anyway. Bands: just 2m.
I'd love a 70cm or dual-band, but 2m is inexpensive and there's plenty
of people to talk to there. I don't need MARS and I don't even know
what CAP is. A remote front panel would be very nice.
|
gull
|
|
response 4 of 26:
|
Sep 18 18:36 UTC 2006 |
Having had a rig for a while with a remote front panel, I highly
recommend it. It really increases your options for doing a neat
installation. Most cars these days just don't have a lot of room on or
under the dash for a radio. A remote front panel also lets you mount
the panel up near your line of sight, increasing safety.
If you buy a rig with a remote panel option, buy the remote kit with
the rig, even if your current installation doesn't require it. That
stuff has a way of getting harder to find later.
|
ball
|
|
response 5 of 26:
|
Sep 19 00:25 UTC 2006 |
I'm not sure either of the Icoms that I mentioned have that option,
which is a shame because between the driver and passenger seats is a
well with an armrest for a lid. I could conceivably fit the radio in
there with heatsink topmost, add an air intake low down at the rear
and a quiet exhaust fan high at the front. I could probably find room
for a remote front panel somewhere on, or near the dashboard.
|
krokus
|
|
response 6 of 26:
|
Sep 19 04:13 UTC 2006 |
From what I'm seeing, with current models, you'll have to go for dual-
band to get the remote heads. Having the dual-band isn't a bad thing,
in and of itself.
You can also check for used units on eham, ebay, rec.radio.swap, etc...
|
ball
|
|
response 7 of 26:
|
Sep 19 04:40 UTC 2006 |
I don't have the gear to test or repair a modern used radio
transceiver. Dual band would be nice, but is beyond my budget. Single
band 70cm would be nice, but costs a lot more than 2m and although
70cm would give me access to things like IRLP, I know that there are
people I could talk to on 2m.
|
gull
|
|
response 8 of 26:
|
Sep 19 06:35 UTC 2006 |
I have a dual-band 2m/70cm radio. I've rarely used the 70cm capability
since graduating from college. (W8YY's repeater at Michigan Tech is on
70cm.) In fact, I've been thinking about swapping my dual-band
1/4-wave antenna for my 2m-only 5/8-wave whip, to get more range. I'm
not sure how much it'd help around here, though; I think mostly I'm
just getting "holes" caused by terrain.
|
ball
|
|
response 9 of 26:
|
Sep 19 15:46 UTC 2006 |
I currently use a dual-band whip (Pryme RD-98) on my low power 2m HT.
I bought it with an Icom T7H in mind, but now I'm leaning more toward
a mobile.
|
gull
|
|
response 10 of 26:
|
Sep 19 21:08 UTC 2006 |
A mobile is much more convenient in the car. You lose a little
versatility compared to a hand-held, of course.
|
ball
|
|
response 11 of 26:
|
Sep 20 01:07 UTC 2006 |
Certainly lose some portability, but you gain some potential output
power and don't have to do battle with batteries (other than perhaps
the one(s) in your vehicle).
|
rcurl
|
|
response 12 of 26:
|
Sep 20 05:53 UTC 2006 |
You don't have to battle with batteries in handhelds in cars either. There
are power adapters available that plug into the auxillary power outlets
(a.k.a. "lighter outlet").
|
nharmon
|
|
response 13 of 26:
|
Sep 20 12:20 UTC 2006 |
IIRC, handhelds do not have the transmit power than mobiles do. And
they're easier to steal than a well mounted mobile.
|
rcurl
|
|
response 14 of 26:
|
Sep 20 18:13 UTC 2006 |
Both true. They are also not usually connected to a higher gain and more
efficient external antenna in vehicles.
|
ball
|
|
response 15 of 26:
|
Sep 20 22:42 UTC 2006 |
Re #12: Do modern HTs work without a battery installed if you are
using external DC power? Would they lose their programming when the
ignition was turned off?
|
gull
|
|
response 16 of 26:
|
Sep 20 23:17 UTC 2006 |
In my experience even not-so-modern ones work without a battery
attached, and retain their programming. (Otherwise they'd lose it
every time you switched batteries, anyway.)
I just find dealing with an HT in the car to be kind of a pain.
There's usually no good way to fasten it down, and with power, antenna,
and mic connectors attached the tail tends to wag the dog.
|
rcurl
|
|
response 17 of 26:
|
Sep 21 00:34 UTC 2006 |
For a while I used an HT with external power and antenna in a car. I kept
it in a window-edge cup holder. It worked OK, but was very inconvenient to
select channels or scan. With a mobile you can read what you are doing.
Yes, the external power on my HTs are units that slip in in place of the
battery.
|
krokus
|
|
response 18 of 26:
|
Sep 21 03:58 UTC 2006 |
Whether the portable works without the battery attached is a model-by-
model thing.
Yes, a mobile will give you significantly more power output. Most
portables will give you upto five watts, when hooked up to 12 volts,
but get really hot that way. A decent 2m mobile will provide anywhere
between 40W and 75W, depends on the model.
There is the option of hooking up an external amp in the car, AKA a
"brick" amp. But the cost of this would compare to a good used mobile
radio, maybe even a dual-bander.
I just did a quick check, and Mirage has a dual-band amp that has an
MSRP for $170, and puts out 45W on 2m and 35W on 70cm. I found some
used dual-band mobiles for a little over $200 on eham.
|
ball
|
|
response 19 of 26:
|
Dec 10 22:12 UTC 2011 |
Five years later and I still don't have a mobile radio. :-(
|
keesan
|
|
response 20 of 26:
|
Dec 11 03:40 UTC 2011 |
What is a mobile radio? Different from portable?
|
rcurl
|
|
response 21 of 26:
|
Dec 11 05:51 UTC 2011 |
I got a new mobile 2m/70cm - a couple of years ago, but haven't
installed it yet. Problem is figuuring out how to mount it in my car
(plus, procrastination).
Sindi, a 2-meter mobile radio refers to a radio amateur radio operating
in the 2-meter band. Example at http://is.gd/XrzxDB
Andy, would be be interested in my old radio? It should still be good
(or money back), but only 2-meter.
|
ball
|
|
response 22 of 26:
|
Dec 11 14:22 UTC 2011 |
Re. #20: A mobile is a car-mountable (in this case 2m ham
band) transceiver. You may also see handheld
transceivers (HTs) which have a battery and are limited
to lower power levels.
Re. #21: I'm interested but I'm also very short of money
because of Christmas.
|
keesan
|
|
response 23 of 26:
|
Dec 11 16:22 UTC 2011 |
Portable ham radio is called mobile?
|
rcurl
|
|
response 24 of 26:
|
Dec 11 22:09 UTC 2011 |
Sometimes, but usually radio amateurs refer to radios that ae built into
vehicles as "mobile' (see http://is.gd/ho8fEX). "Portable" also cover
radios that can be set up elsewhere outside the vehicle, but if an
amateur called a built in radio a portable, he or she would not be
ostracized (too much...).
From http://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-glossary
"Mobile device -- A radio transmitting device designed to be mounted in
a vehicle. A push-to-talk (PTT) switch activates the transmitter."
"Portable device -- A radio transmitting device designed to have a
transmitting antenna that is generally within 20 centimeters of a human
body."
(I think the latter is a little too strict, as I have used remote
antennas on a portable radio, to get more elevation say.)
|