XPost: rec.radio.amateur.moderated
Amateur/Ham Radio
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2 Meter Mobiles: TM-281, FT-2980, IC-2300
Posted: 01 Jan 2022 10:41 PM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru3tg8/2_meter_mobiles_tm281_ft2980_ic2300/
Introduction
From buying and selling radios to meet different needs, I have now owned
all three of these two-meter, monoband, mobile transceivers. Because many reviews simply list the features of these radios, I wanted to collect my
own thoughts on the particular strengths of each transceiver, with the hope that they might 1) help others make a decision and 2) encourage some
discussion about the 2M mobile market.
I think two meter mobiles are great; they do one thing, but they do it elegantly. I have an ID-4100a as my base VHF/UHF radio, which I like a lot,
but it has a larger footprint, smaller speaker, loud cooling fan, and a 2x higher price tag. Unless 70cm is really important in your area, I think any
new ham on a budget would be well served by using one of these two meter
radios as a base station and using a quality HT for 70cm and car. And none
of these 2M radios have a fan, making them perfect for quiet use in the
shack. If you shop around the holidays, you can usually get a really good
deal. Kenwood TM-281
I had this radio first. Its strongest feature is actually the simple and indestructible hand microphone. Kenwood radios are known for their
excellent audio quality, and the mic on this transceiver is no exception. I ended up selling it fairly quickly for three reasons. I liked the menu
system, simple control face, and few number of buttons on the mic. You can
do many things with the mic, except the main settings menu is accessed only
by pushing in the VFO knob, creating a single point of failure (first
strike). And fail it did. Soon, the knob became loose, and it was difficult
to press because it would just sink into the chassis of the radio, jiggling
the screen with it (second strike). Finally, I had trouble keying up some
of the local, Yaesu-brand repeaters, possibly due to how the radio
transmitted CTCSS tones. That may or may not be Kenwoods fault, but nevertheless, switching brands eliminated the issue. Also, the low-power setting on this radio is 25 watts, which, though not a deal-breaker, I
found annoying.
The price of the 281 is now soaring illogically above its peers, maybe due
to low supply or discontinuation? Yaesu FT-2980
I replaced my Kenwood with this Yaesu 2M radio and fell in love with it. If youre used to Yaesu transceivers, youll have no trouble adapting to this
rig. Something I like about Yaesu radios in general is that they seem to
keep the buttons to a reasonable number, and all of the settings are
accessed via a single menu. So when in doubt, just look in the menu.
Right away, I noticed that this unit had a much faster squelch than the Kenwood, which eliminated the loud squelch tail at the end of each received signal. In addition to a mounting bracket, the radio comes with
high-quality, plastic feet to lift up the front of the transceiver so that
the bottom-facing speaker is not muffled.
This radios strongest quality is that it feels absolutely indestructible.
The heatsink is solid alloy, the buttons and knobs are stiff (in a good
way), and the screen is gigantic. If you value the 80 watt rated output,
the 2980 would make an excellent base radio. Overall I just enjoyed using
what felt like a well-manufactured tool.
There are two potential drawbacks. First, the scan speed is the slowest of
the three. Second, the transceivers large size ultimately meant that it
didnt fit in my car. Its big and heavy. I eventually sold it, because at
the time I thought I might like to put a dual-band transceiver or some
other solution in my car. ICOM IC-2300
After pondering the price and tradeoffs of the available dual-band radios,
I ultimately decided to stick with the solid simplicity of a 2M transceiver
for my car and ordered the 2300 for an attractive sale price.
Overall, Im really impressed and happy with the radio, and it is the most customizable of the three. Here are my favorite aspects of the radio: The squelch has S-meter and RF attenuation modes in addition to the usual noise squelch The radio is small: probably a third to a half the volume and
weight of the Yaesu, making it much easier to fit in most vehicles It sips power. Compared with the beefy draw of the 2980, which would have required
me to purchase a new power supply to use it at full power, the ICOM draws
only ~9A at full 65W output, and the QST review measured this figure even
lower The screen, though smaller and more cluttered than the 2980, is exceptionally sharp and has a selectable background color
Drawbacks with the ICOM. If Yaesu takes the one-menu approach (which some people dont like), ICOM goes in the opposite direction, putting a dedicated button for every feature. If you look at the microphone, youll see what I
mean. This meant that I really had to sit with the manual to learn what
every button does. Now, fans of ICOM argue that all of the features can be accessed via the mic and via the face plate separately. I found this to be true, but there arent a lot of cross-overs between the mic and the face
plate. For example, each power level has its own button on the mic, but the face plate just has one button marked "low," which toggles among them.
Another example: the mic has a dedicated button for accessing memory bank
mode, which is accessed differently via the face plate. The net result is
that you must learn two different ways to access the features, and the
manual (which must be downloaded) often forces the reader to skip around
and cross-reference terms.
That said, Im really happy with the ICOM now that Ive gotten over the
learning curve. I was worried that the ICOM wouldnt feel as solid as the
Yaesu. I would say that, where the Yaesu feels like a hunk of metal at home
in a humvee, the ICOM feels like a piece of precision electronics.
Conclusion
With the inexplicably high price tag and problems of the Kenwood, I cant recommend it. If price is equal and youre deciding between the Yaesu and
the ICOM: get the Yaesu if you value durability, simplicity, and power; get
the ICOM if you value small size, power efficiency, and potential for customization. However, if the ICOM isnt on sale, I think most people could
buy the Yaesu (nowadays for $150) and never be disappointed.
Reddit, what do you think? submitted by /u/1KilgoreTrout
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Complete (tr)uSDX Unboxing, Build & Test
Posted: 02 Jan 2022 03:00 AM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru7g7v/complete_trusdx_unboxing_build_test/
Finally! It’s here – (tr)uSDX by DL2MAN. This is the final version of the popular uSDX Prototype from DL2MAN – Manuel.
(tr)uSDX is both similar and also kind of different from the original
project, particular the versions sandwich versions by Manuel.
Read this to learn the difference
https://itshamradio.com/usdx-forked-out-to-trusdx
David DL1DN from QRP Lifestyle gave us a complete review, unboxing and test
of the official (tr)uSDX by DL2MAN – German Group Buy Build.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3IjAeIPwJk submitted by /u/VU3HZW
[link] [comments]
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Jan 2, 1800-2359UTC is ARRL Kids' Day!
Posted: 02 Jan 2022 12:59 AM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru5smf/jan_2_18002359utc_is_arrl_kids_day/
Get on the air and make contacts with kids trying out ham radio. Got a kid/grandkid? Hop on the air with them and call CQ. more info here:
http://www.arrl.org/kids-day submitted by /u/Ironring1
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Useful Ham Radio Apps
Posted: 02 Jan 2022 04:18 AM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru8izw/useful_ham_radio_apps/
Hi everyone,
Do you have any interesting or useful Ham Radio apps?
Sometimes I like to browse F-Droid for cool apps and yesterdat I found one called Loud Bang:
First WSPR) client for android that can not only transmit beacon signals
using phones audio output, but also receive and decode beacons using phones audio input.
It can use devices camera flash to trigger yout radios transmit circuitry,
GPS to automaticaly update your GRID location the app transmits, and
network to send received packets to wsprnet.org
https://f-droid.org/packages/aq.metallists.loudbang
GitHub Rep:
https://github.com/TheMetallists/LoudBang
Havent tested it yet but I think the idea is pretty cool...
If you have more interesting apps, please share :) submitted by
/u/ido1990
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HF on an extreme budget.
Posted: 02 Jan 2022 03:37 AM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru7y0j/hf_on_an_extreme_budget/
So Im about to re-license and I want to get back into HF. Im in an
apartment situation and undersand im going to be dealing with limitations.
What is the most low cost HF+tuner+antenna you can think of? I mostly work phone and PSK Im open to QRP equipment, however due to a couple head
injuries Im not so good for assembling kits and I have no other radio to
align a kit radio from. Im also open used equipment but I have no idea
where to look anymore without getting ripped off.
Love to get everyones thoughts. submitted by /u/W6NZX
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Does anyone have a kenwood tk-2170? Is it a good vhf walkie? What can you
about this model? I know that many rescue and firefighters use them.
Posted: 02 Jan 2022 02:58 AM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru7ess/does_anyone_have_a_kenwood_tk2170_is_it_a_good/
submitted by /u/Professional_Fun_826
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How often does the ISS do their SSTV events?
Posted: 01 Jan 2022 08:38 PM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru1pb0/how_often_does_the_iss_do_their_sstv_events/
I recently got my first SDR a few days ago and it’s been an amazing experience learning what SDR has to offer. Like the title says, how often
does the ISS usually do these events? -Thanks submitted by /u/kennyschroeder21
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IRLP
Posted: 02 Jan 2022 01:02 AM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru5uf1/irlp/
Hey guys. I have a repeater near me. Its a VHF IRLP enabled repeater. I
have never heard someone use IRLP on it though. Just wanted to see if it
worked or not. If you want to help me do a test just send me a quick PM.
Thanks submitted by /u/fryedgaming
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Ok maybe I need to do a bit more research but I remember programming my
Boefeng UV-5R with Chirp to be a lot eaiser. Running Arch Linux
Posted: 01 Jan 2022 08:32 PM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru1lga/ok_maybe_i_need_to_do_a_bit_more_research_but_i/
submitted by /u/W6NZX
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Buck vs ARRL study materials
Posted: 01 Jan 2022 07:57 PM PST
https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/ru0xtx/buck_vs_arrl_study_materials/
Ive seen some positive reviews on here of Craig Bucks study materials. Does anyone have a comparison between Bucks and the official ARRL Q&A book? submitted by /u/RedAnneForever
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