HAM radio options

[SuperBuickGuy]

As you know, I do Search and Rescue. I get the privilege of supplying my own gear (no cynicism, honestly - I get to buy gear and my wife says "good")

We transmit and receive on 155 mhz - aka race radio or commercial radio bands. Of course, I also am an amateur ham so I frequent (haha, pun) 2m and 440mhz. In addition to that, we operate with fire departments and police departments that, for the most part, operate on 800 mhz.

I need to transmit on 155, 2m and 440. I need to monitor 800.

The suggestion is this the Anytone AT-5888uv. The criticism of that radio is it isn't terribly good at squelching out the interference from pagers and it cannot monitor 800 mhz so I'd have to buy a scanner. What I really like about that radio is you can cross-channel, which makes your mobile unit into a portable, personal repeater.... and that would be really handy, to use my handhelds at 5 watts and be able to boost out of the mountains when I need to (at least stand a better chance of doing so).

Is there a radio that satisfies the needs? I've also consider doing a MARS & CAPS upgrade to an Icom or Kenwood, but I'm not sure that they are capable of narrow banding the commercial frequencies...

thoughts?

 

[h2005]

Get a Kenwood TM-V71A. You will be able to monitor 800 mhz too.

 

[RamRod]

I don't know a thing about HAM radios but this is something on my list to learn!

What drive me nuts is that every new group I go out on a trail run with seems to be running a different communication system, CB, Ham, FRS, VHF, ect


Sent from handheld smoke signal device

 

[LagunaH1]

As you know, I do Search and Rescue. I get the privilege of supplying my own gear (no cynicism, honestly - I get to buy gear and my wife says "good")

We transmit and receive on 155 mhz - aka race radio or commercial radio bands. Of course, I also am an amateur ham so I frequent (haha, pun) 2m and 440mhz. In addition to that, we operate with fire departments and police departments that, for the most part, operate on 800 mhz.

I need to transmit on 155, 2m and 440. I need to monitor 800.

The suggestion is this the Anytone AT-5888uv. The criticism of that radio is it isn't terribly good at squelching out the interference from pagers and it cannot monitor 800 mhz so I'd have to buy a scanner. What I really like about that radio is you can cross-channel, which makes your mobile unit into a portable, personal repeater.... and that would be really handy, to use my handhelds at 5 watts and be able to boost out of the mountains when I need to (at least stand a better chance of doing so).

Is there a radio that satisfies the needs? I've also consider doing a MARS & CAPS upgrade to an Icom or Kenwood, but I'm not sure that they are capable of narrow banding the commercial frequencies...

thoughts?

Hmmm..... that's a really good question.

This one fits most of the requirements except being able to receive in the 800 Mhz band, and I'm not sure if it can to cross band repeat
http://www.powerwerx.com/two-way-radios/mobile-radios/db-750x-dual-band-commercial-mobile.html#desc

A "good old" Yaesu FT-8800 can do cross band and can receive in the 800 Mhz range (Except for cellular frequencies) but it can't run 5Khz Narrow mode

The Yaesu FTM-400DR can do Cross band repeat (although it's not real intuitive to set up and use) has wideband receive and if I read the manual correctly it also looks like it can run FM in 5 Khz narrow mode.

Out of curiosity: Do the LE radios you need to monitor run FM or are they a P25 type standard?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Hmmm..... that's a really good question.

This one fits most of the requirements except being able to receive in the 800 Mhz band, and I'm not sure if it can to cross band repeat
http://www.powerwerx.com/two-way-radios/mobile-radios/db-750x-dual-band-commercial-mobile.html#desc

A "good old" Yaesu FT-8800 can do cross band and can receive in the 800 Mhz range (Except for cellular frequencies) but it can't run 5Khz Narrow mode

The Yaesu FTM-400DR can do Cross band repeat (although it's not real intuitive to set up and use) has wideband receive and if I read the manual correctly it also looks like it can run FM in 5 Khz narrow mode.

Out of curiosity: Do the LE radios you need to monitor run FM or are they a P25 type standard?

I don't know, I'll ask next chance I get. I got shot down on doing a MARS & CAPS upgrade because it doesn't modulate(?) the frequency well enough for SAR/LEO work.

 

[LagunaH1]

I don't know, I'll ask next chance I get. I got shot down on doing a MARS & CAPS upgrade because it doesn't modulate(?) the frequency well enough for SAR/LEO work.

If that's the case then my guess is that you would need a radio which is type approved for commercial use. The good news is that any radio which is type approved for commercial use also may operate on HAM frequencies (As long as it's operated by a HAM, of course)

 

[LagunaH1]

Also keep in mind that LE radios could very well operate using encrypted digital signals in which case you unfortunately would be out of luck unless they would let you borrow one of their radios. If they are digital but not encrypted then you could quite possibly get a scanner to monitor them

 

[LagunaH1]

*bump*

-Just curious what you ended up doing?

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I'm waiting for the Anytone 5888 vu III to come out.... should be available soon

they're saying july or august availability

 

[LagunaH1]

Cool!

Good luck