[Linux-ham] radios

[Tanner Lovelace]

On Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 7:24 PM, David Black <dave at jamsoft.com> wrote:
> Hi Greg, and congrats on earning your tech ticket!
>
> FWIW, most HTs do accept external antenna connections and output 5W+
> when on a 12VDC supply.  *With a good mobile antenna setup*, that's
> plenty to get in to most local repeaters.

I disagree, especially since Greg is in Youngsville.  That's exactly
why I've moved away from using my HT in the car and gone entirely to
mobile radios.

> Yaesu makes the FT-817, a low power HF+6m portable/mobile rig but for
> some reason I thought it - or maybe it's a cousin, also did 2m/70cm.
> Maybe not.

The Yaesu FT-857 (possibly with added D on that model #) does HF/6m/2m/70cm.

> While you may not want to tote around a mobile rig, they do have a nice
> car installation capability and usually 50W/35W+ on 2m/70cm
> respectively.  The higher power settings can be handy for "metro"
> simplex work or if you're trying to hit a far-away repeater.

And, that's the main problem around here is that all of the repeaters are
"far away" repeaters.  I live in Durham, work in Cary, and the main repeaters
I use are

146.88 - Located in SE Raleigh, towards Clayton
442.150 - Located in Chapel Hill
146.64 - Located at the fairgrounds in Raleigh
147.225 - Located at the intersection of I-40 & I-85
444.1 - Located at the VA hospital in Durham
The 440 link system - located all over (and therefore more likely to be closer)

Almost all of those are quite a long ways away from where I'm located and
on my HT I cannot hit most of them at any given time.  If we were in
a single metro area it would probably be better but the spread out nature
of the Triangle does not easily lend itself  to the use of HTs.

> Among HTs, having owned at least two each of Kenwood, Alinco and Yaesu,
> I've had the best experience with Yaesu, in terms of reliability.  No
> idea about ICOM or Standard though - they may be wonderful.

I've had 2 Icom HTs (2AT and T81a) and both of them worked very well, they
just don't have enough power for this area.

Cheers,
Tanner Lovelace
KB4TYE
-- 
Tanner Lovelace
http://wtl.wayfarer.org/
(fieldless) In fess two roundels in pale, a billet fesswise and an
increscent, all sable.