Ravi, That was an excellent testimony for amateur radio. Welcome back to the hobby. Hope to hear you on the air.
Seven-Three, Michael - K5WRN qrz.com/db/k5wrn On Mar 5, 2015 4:42 PM, "Ravi Ratnala via BVARC" <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks Glenn, Michael, Cookie - excellent information, and excellent > points, all! > > I totally agree about the shortcomings of rubber duckies on HTs. The > folks I bushwhack, etc. with, we all use HTs to keep in touch, so it's all > about simplex. My Baofengs have served that function perfectly to date - > and at ~$40 each, they're almost disposable. Even so, mine have been > dropped, dumped in mud, and exposed to rain, and so far they're all still > going. > > Probably the best thing I can say about the Chinese radios though, is that > they got me back into ham radio after about a 35-year hiatus. I was first > licensed as a 5-wpm CW Novice when I was in 4th grade. Radio kind of faded > away from me after that, largely due to a lack of both gear and hams who > were interested in talking to a kid. > > Anyway, before my buddies and I started using 2m HTs for recreational > comm, we used FRS radios. Well, I was shopping for some "better" radios on > Amazon one day, and stumbled across the Baofengs. Recalling the days when > I was a kid, struggling to figure out how to afford / build my own radios, > I was astonished that one could get on the air so easily. > > One week later, I took my Tech and General exams, and I've been back ever > since. > > Even better still, the cheap radios helped me convince a number of my > buddies - who had ZERO interest in ham radio before - to get licensed. > (I'm still working on my XYL . . . .) > > Most of those folks haven't moved on to better radios, learning about > antennas, HF, etc. like I have - but a couple have. Regardless, in my > opinion, anything that gets more people involved in our hobby - or even > *aware > of it* - is good for all of us. > > 73, > > KF5YHP > > > WILLIS COOKE via BVARC wrote: > > Ravi, I don't think there is any HT of any brand that will do what you > want. I have a Kenwood TH-F6 and it certainly will not. I am definitely > not a Yaesu guy, but I would prefer any Japanese transceiver to one from > China. I would recommend that you not plan on any rubber duck to repeater > communication over 10 to 15 miles unless you plan to climb a repeater tower > with it. I have a dual band mobile Kenwood in my vehicle and on frequent > trips to Oklahoma I seldom make contact outside the metroplexes of Houston > and Dallas. I would not plan on any communications while off-roading, back > country, backpacking, or mountaineering except with people in your party > who will stay within one mile of you. I sometimes use my HT for > communications within one mile while at MSWE or a convention, but I seldom > find them useful. They would probably be useful at Dayton, but I have not > seen them be useful at Ham Com in Dallas, and the Houston hamfests are > small enough that most use eyeball QSOs. Sorry, but I can't give you any > encouragement at all. I have never seen APRS, a build in TNC or C4FM be > useful for anything but in selling transceivers. I have only been a ham > for 59 years, but In that time the only time that ham radio was useful for > local communication was around 1975 when there were no cell phones or GPS. > > Willis 'Cookie' Cooke, > BVARC MSWE Chairman, 2014 & 2015 > TDXS Contest Chairman > K5EWJ & Trustee N5BPS > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Ravi Ratnala via BVARC <[email protected]> <[email protected]> > *To:* BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB <[email protected]> <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Thursday, March 5, 2015 2:17 PM > *Subject:* [BVARC] Knowledge / Opinions about Digital / D-Star / C4FM > (System Fusion)? > > Friends, > > Ok, I'll go ahead and open the ol' can-o-worms: The radio I'm buying > happens to be a Yaesu FT1DR. > > The main reason for the purchase is that I want a new V/U dual-band HT > that will be rugged enough for EMCOMM work, as well as the off-roading, > backcountry backpacking, and mountaineering I do. > > I was considering the VX-6R and VX-8R before I found the FT1DR. The main > reasons I chose the latter over the others are the facts that it has a > built-in GPS, does APRS natively, and has a built-in TNC for data (if I > ever decide to wander down that trail). In other words, I'd buy this radio > even if it didn't operate C4FM (digital voice). > > In the interest of disclosure, I do *tend *to be a Yaesu guy, but I'm > never a blind ambassador to any brand name. I also count an Icom, an > Alinco, and several Baofengs among my gear, and I recommended a Kenwood > TH-F6A to a friend recently. > > Now, here comes the VHS v. Beta part: > > 1) What's the general feeling out there with regard to the digital voice > modes like D-Star and System Fusion (love / hate / too early / never be > standardized / all stink / etc)? > > 2) With regard to System Fusion, how many of you actually have the > capability, or plan to at some point? > > 3) Does anyone know whether / how many System Fusion repeaters there are > currently in the greater Houston area? Or of any plans to deploy? > > I'm just trying to get a general feel for how useful that particular > feature is likely to be. And to stir up a hornet's nest, of course. ;-) > > All opinions / rants / flames welcome. > > 73, > KF5YHP > -- > Ravi P. Ratnala > CEO > Index Solutions, Inc. > Two Allen Center > 1200 Smith Street, 16th Floor > Houston, TX 77002 > (877) INDEX-99 > www.indexsolutions.com > > _______________________________________________ > BVARC mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > BVARC mailing > [email protected]http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org > > > _______________________________________________ > BVARC mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org > >
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