One of these days when I can afford it I will purchase a mobile radio for my vehicle. I have looked at quite a few of them in my various catalogs. There are some radios at the ham radio websites that have some interesting features. It is is just very difficult to choose form this list, but I will after income tax ha ha.
I did check out the usual ham radio websites such as Ham Radio Outlet, Universal Radio, AES Electronics and DX Engineering. The other source of information I checked out was at Eham.net, because I find the abundance of information very helpful. The other considerations I take into account are the size of the radio and the size of the display on the radio. I tend to like a bigger display, because as I get older little tiny characters get harder to see.
One of the other choices I look are what frequencies can the radio cover. When I check out the websites I seem to be drawn to the amateur radios that cover the high frequencies as well as the vhf and uhf frequencies. The only thing that stops me is the cost of the radios in that category. I will just have to save up my pennies.
My preferences seem to be with Yaesu, Kenwood and Icom. One of my favorites is the Yaesu FT-857D mobile radio. It gets very good reviews at Eham.net, which are up around 4.5 out of 5. One it's in a small package, Covers a wide range of frequencies and puts out 100 watts. It covers the HF frequencies, 6 meter 50 mhz band, the 144 Mhz and the 430 Mhz band. For More information check out the radio at this link http://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=102&ProdID=698&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0 . Here is a picture of it below.
The next brand of mobile radio I like is the Kenwood TS-480SAT. I run a Kenwood TS-2000 and this mobile seems to be comparable to it. This radio covers the High Frequencies as well as 50 Mhz. The only drawback it that it does not cover the 2 meter band. There is a model called the TS-480HX that puts out 200 Watts, which is a nice feature. The TS-480SAT does put out about 100 Watts, which is not too bad. I think I would definitely have some kind of amplifier involved for that extra punch when it's needed. Here is a link to the manufacturers website for more information http://www.kenwoodusa.com/Communications/Amateur_Radio/HF_Base_Mobile/TS-480HX-480SAT . Seen below is a picture of the radio.
My third choice of mobile radio in this category is the ICOM IC-7000. It seems to pack a bunch of features into this package. It covers the HF Bands, 50Mhz Band and the 144Mhz Band. This radio puts out the typical 100 Watts of power. I do tend to like the colorful display and the large controls. Here is a link to the ICOM website with a quite a bit of information http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/hf/7000/default.aspx . Here is a good picture of the ICOM IC-7000.
There is a new mobile radio that came out made by ICOM called the IC-7100. It does cover the HF frequencies, 6 meter 50Mhz band, 144Mhz band and the 430Mhz to 450Mhz band. The nicest new feature is the touch screen capability. It does put out from 2 watts to 100 watts and varies on the 144Mhz as well as the 430Mhz bands. Here is a link to the manufactures website with good information http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/amateur/hf/7100/specifications.aspx . Below you can see a good picture of it below.
I would also like to add that there are many other ham radios in the mobile category that I do like, but do not cover the wide range of frequencies. They do have quite a few good features and the reviews are all good. Once again I would advise to check out the websites that sell the merchandise . They are DX Engineering, Universal Radio, Ham Radio Outlet and AES Electronics. Here are just a few pictures below.
There is just so much information for mobile radios I just can't cover it all. All I can say is check out the reviews at Eham.net and check out the manufactures websites.
Thank You for reading from Dan KC2YTI 73s.
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