Outdoor Adventure USA

This week we will be examining the various 2 Meter radios that are currently on the market, comparing features, performance, and cost. We will list almost all of these radios below, and will discuss as many as time permits in the actual net. Since almost everyone listening to the net will have one or more 2M radios, or have owned more than one in the past, this will be a good opportunity for us to hear from you. We know our favorites and want reports on all of the other radios out there.

We will incorporate as much input on these radios as possible, including our personal reviews, your reviews, and the eHam reviews and ratings that each radio has earned. For those not familiar with the eHam website, we strongly recommend that you at least look at the reviews that many other Hams have given these radios when you consider buying a new rig. Part of the advantage of the eHam reviews is that you can get a good feel about the strengths and weaknesses of the radio you may be considering. The index page for these reviews is: http://www.eham.net/reviews/ . In the products we list below, we will give the eHam rating (on a scale of 5, the ratings go from 0, the lowest, to 5, the highest) as well as the number of reviews which went into the rating. So it will look something like this: 4.3/357. The individual reviews make for good reading.

Here are the available 2M (including dual band radios for VHF and UHF) from Kenwood and Icom:

KENWOOD

1. Kenwood TM-V71A Dual Band
http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Communication ... es/TM-V71A

eHam - 4.6/85

General Features
High RF Power Output (50W)
1,000 Multifunction Memory Channels
Dual Receive on Same Band (VxV, UxU)
EchoLink® MEMORY (Automatic Dialer)
EchoLink® Sysop Mode For Node Terminal Operation
Multiple Scan
Invertible Front Panel

2. Kenwood TM-D710 GA Dual Band http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Communication ... /TM-D710GA

eHam - 4.2/66

General Features
High RF Power Output (50W)
1,000 Multifunction Memory Channels
Dual Receive on Same Band (VxV, UxU)
EchoLink® MEMORY (Automatic Dialer)
EchoLink® Sysop Mode For Node Terminal Operation
Multiple Scan
Invertible Front Panel

3. Kenwood TM-281 A 2M Only http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Communication ... es/TM-281A

eHam 4.5/53

General Features
High power 65W output
Weather Alert
Large Front Speaker
Vivid amber LCD display with 32-step brightness control
200 memory channels, plus one call channel
CTCSS & DCS Encoder/Decoder
U.S. MIL-STD 810 C/D/E/F/G

ICOM

1. IC-2300H 2m Only
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... tions.aspx

eHam 4.4/10

General Features
65W of output
Tested to the latest MIL-STD-810 G Specifications
207 Alpha-Numeric memory channels
Built-in CTCSS and DTCS encoder/decoder

2. IC-2730A Dual Band
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... fault.aspx

eHam 4.0/2

General Features
50 watts of output on VHF and UHF
MIL STD 810 Compliant
HM-207 remote control microphone
Free download PC programming software
Weather channel receive with weather alert (USA version only)
CI-V remote control capability (through the OPC-478UC)

3. IC-V8000 2M Only
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... fault.aspx

eHam 4.4/190

General Features
75W of output power
HM-133V, remote control microphone
CTCSS and DTCS operation standard
Weather Alert Scan
Standard DTMF encoder and optional decoder
FM narrow mode switchable

4. ID-5100A Dual Band Analog and Digital Transceiver
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... fault.aspx

eHam 4.1/25

General Features
50W output power on both VHF and UHF bands
GPS receiver
touch screen operation
Dual receive
CTCSS/DTCS encoder and decoder
CS-5100, cloning software supplied

5. IC-2820H Dual Band FM Transceiver (Optional D-Star Digital)
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... fault.aspx

eHam 4.7/3

General Features
Diversity receive capability
50W output power on both VHF and UHF bands
522 memory channels
Separate controller from main unit
Band scope function
Max. 45 channel/sec. high speed scan capability in programmed scanning mode
9600bps packet terminal, mini DIN (6-pin) connector
Weather channel with weather alert function
Optional GPS

I've used many of the popular 2m / 440mhz mobile radios (being the gadget-aholic that I am), including Kenwood TM-742A, TM-V71A, TM-D710A, Yaesu FTM-10R, FT-8800R, FTM-350AR, and FTM-400DR...and all have their pluses and minuses...but as I get older, some features stand out when using a mobile radio, on the trail or on the highway - clear audio, easy-to read display, convenient installation, and logical operation.

I'm currently using a Yaesu FTM-350AR at home as a base, and using the Kenwood TM-D710A in the FJ (it interfaces easiest with a laptop for APRS), and a Yaesu FTM-400DR in my Volt (great color touch-screen display, very easy operation, and best stand-alone APRS display, along with digital operation).

Here are pics of some of them:

ALINCO
1. DR-635T Dual Band 2 m / 70 cm
http://www.alinco.com/usa.html

eHam – 3.8/50

General Features
• Power 50W 2m / 35W 70cm
• 200 memories
• Cross band repeater function
• Removable control head
• Receive frequencies 87.5-107.995; 108 -173.995-335; 335=479.995 MHz

YAESU
1. FTM-400DR Dual Band 2 m / 70 cm
http://yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=Displa ... Archived=0

eHam – 4.0/25

General Features
• Power 50W 2m / 50W 70 cm
• 1000 memories
• Cross band repeater function
• Double conversion receiver; twin RX
• GPS / APRS
• Optional bluetooth
• Removable control head
• Receive frequencies 108-470; 800-999 MHz

2. FT-7900R Dual Band 2 m / 70 cm
http://yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=Displa ... Archived=0

eHam – 4.4/62

General Features
• Power 50W 2m / 40W 70 cm
• 1000 memories
• Removable control head
• Receive frequencies 108-520; 700-999.99 MHz
• NOAA weather alert

3. FT-8800R Dual Band 2 m / 70 cm
http://yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=Displa ... Archived=0

eHam – 4.5/188

General Features
• Operates as 2 radios in one
• Power 50W 2m / 35W 70 cm
• 1024 memories regular
• 6 hyper memories
• Cross band repeater function
• Double conversion receiver; twin RX
• GPS / APRS
• Optional bluetooth
• Removable control head

4. FT-2900R 2 m
http://yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=Displa ... Archived=0

eHam – 4.4/69

General Features
• Power 75W 2m
• 221 memories
• No cooling fan
• NOAA weather alert

Checking in KE0DEK, soon to be K0WDE I believe. I think my local is having an issue with timing out the reflector, Ive been able to listen to a good bit tonight. I'm a new ham with the tm281a by kenwood as the mobile in my tacoma, it has been easy to figure out how to program by hand. It does well on 2M but is very basic and i will buy another rig. Milspec dust proof. But basic...

Thanks for the help registering last week Dave, look forward to participating soon.

Andrew

odomandr wrote:Checking in KE0DEK, soon to be K0WDE I believe. I think my local is having an issue with timing out the reflector, Ive been able to listen to a good bit tonight. I'm a new ham with the tm281a by kenwood as the mobile in my tacoma, it has been easy to figure out how to program by hand. It does well on 2M but is very basic and i will buy another rig. Milspec dust proof. But basic...

Thanks for the help registering last week Dave, look forward to participating soon.

Andrew

Andrew

I'm pleased that we were able to get you registered. We are mostly back to normal, but there are still few lingering glitches that need fixing. See you on the nets!

The net recording is now available at http://www.oausa.net/content/2-meter-radio-roundup

ki6kui wrote:The net recording is now available at http://www.oausa.net/content/2-meter-radio-roundup

Awesome - Thanks, Ken