I don't think anyone has mentioned the ONE VALID use for an "open" radio
and that is MARS system service. It still exists and with the advent of
radios that can transmit almost anywhere without modifying the RF
circuitry, MARS ops have moved further and further away from the freqs that
are closest to the ham bands.
At any rate, wasn't sure if MARS had been forgotten :)
Why would someone buy an $1800 ICOM marine radio for MARS, when they could
get a $900 Ham radio and have both sidebands and other modes with the same
basic performance?
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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
