Hi Dave!
I own about 30*40 handhelds, along with many mobiles and a base station. So with all the HTs, I've had a lot of experience in that department. If I were you, I'd probably stick with Baofeng UV-82 (2M/70CM) and UV-82X (1:25M/2M). They are about 30 and 50 bucks respectively on Amazon. The one I own is the 82X, which is here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GFAJPC8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_.... The 82 is here: http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV-82-Black-Two-Way-Radio/dp/B00E4KLY34/ref=sr.... I have owned and used these little things and they are very durable, never had a single problem with one of them and I own 8:
When it comes to the biggies, Yaesu is good. Very durable and good quality. My favorite, but more expensive. Kenwood, if you drop it on the ground, you stand a good chance at sending it in and fixing it for at least a hundred bucks. I own two of the tribanders, which I love because 1.25 M is 5W, something Yaesu doesn't do.
Alinco I like because I use 1.25 M a lot, but cheaper radios. Still don't have trouble with them.
I've got a bunch of others, but these are my thoughts on these particular ones.
Take care,
Shon K6QT Layton, UT, USA
Shon R. Edwards, MA, AG (Czech Republic) Amateur call: K6QT 1039 N 2575 W Layton, UT, 84041-7709 USA Home phone: (801) 444-3445 E-mail: sre.1966@gmail.com
or
Shon Edwards 715 Strawberry Creek Private Rd. Bedford, WY 83112 Cell: (307) 248-2104
On Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 3:20 AM, Dave Nathanson < k6gzjo.lists.chirpusers@nathanson.org> wrote:
[This is sort of off-topic, but hinges on CHIRP support for the radio]
Howdy, I'd like to get a recommendation for a dual band mobile radio for a new ham that will (probably) not use it a whole lot. But it needs to work reliably enough, even if not a lot of features. Actually less features is fine, that is just less stuff to not understand & less to forget between uses! :-)
Mounting a UV5R in a car doesn't seem like a good idea. Can anyone offer anything good or bad about *any* "inexpensive" mobile dual band ham radio, including the *Leixen VV-898 or Jetstream JT270M* (apparently the same radio). It is one of the few cheap Mobile units I see on the list of CHIRP supported radios. http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home Amazon reviews seem fairly ok, especially for $99. I'm interested in a CHIRP-supported radio. This is intended for an 1997 Jeep Cherokee, and a small radio is probably a better match. It does need to be a dual bander.
If the cost gets anywhere even near $200, I'd just recommend the Yaesu 7900 or Yaseu 8800. But for this situation, I'm open to hearing about cheaper alternatives that I might be able to recommend until this new ham grows into the "sport".
Thanks for your helpful council.
73, Dave Nathanson KG6ZJO
PS: if you know of a better forum to ask about CHIRP compatible mobile radios, it's ok to shoot me a pm or direct email about it.
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