hahaha.... don't say that. That would mean $$$$'s more were spent up to that point... lol.
My First Radio
- Thread starter nater
- Start date
hahaha.... don't say that. That would mean $$$$'s more were spent up to that point... lol.
nater
Adventurer
All,
Sorry for the delayed response, I was traveling and did not have access to the forums.
I guess my thoughts were that the FTM-400DR is an solid 2m/440 rig, with some additional capabilities which I may or may not use. I have played with the radio at universal radio, and I guess for me the touchscreen is easier to use than the buttons and knobs of the other offerings (I am showing my age here). I do appreciate the advice, and will look at the 8800/8900 radios while I am there tomorrow. I also plan on picking up a cheap dual band handheld to play with at the same time, and keep in the truck while on trips.
Sorry for the delayed response, I was traveling and did not have access to the forums.
I guess my thoughts were that the FTM-400DR is an solid 2m/440 rig, with some additional capabilities which I may or may not use. I have played with the radio at universal radio, and I guess for me the touchscreen is easier to use than the buttons and knobs of the other offerings (I am showing my age here). I do appreciate the advice, and will look at the 8800/8900 radios while I am there tomorrow. I also plan on picking up a cheap dual band handheld to play with at the same time, and keep in the truck while on trips.
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
The touchscreen is nice, major change in radio interface. Sort of like the jump from manual VFO dials to digital displays. Whether that's an improvement or not I guess depends on the individual, but I think it's appropriate for the FTM-400 because you can customize the display to show the important things in different modes, so station list, reply for APRS, squelch, reverse on voice, etc.
If it's in your budget the TM-D710 and FTM-400 are top shelf radios. They are fine analog FM radios, just all those extras are not free if you never use them. I happen to have an FT-8800 still, which was my first 'good' mobile radio in my truck. In some ways it's probably superior to the FTM-350 but the difference on voice is minimal. They both receive about the same, their transmission quality is indistinguishable to the other station.
The reason I say it's better is that the simple interface and no APRS means fewer menus to dig through to change stuff (like display brightness, the FTM screen is annoyingly bright at night if set high enough to see in daylight, so it has to be dimmed) and the face is smaller, thus easier to install.
I've said it before and will reiterate, the FT-7800 and FT-7900 are IMHO about the best example of a mobile FM radio as there ever has been. The interface makes sense, the buttons and dials are the right size, lit and clear. The radio performance is hard to beat. The price is right. But it's not dual RX, doesn't do background APRS, etc. That stuff is nice but understand that it can be distracting and clutters the design.
If it's in your budget the TM-D710 and FTM-400 are top shelf radios. They are fine analog FM radios, just all those extras are not free if you never use them. I happen to have an FT-8800 still, which was my first 'good' mobile radio in my truck. In some ways it's probably superior to the FTM-350 but the difference on voice is minimal. They both receive about the same, their transmission quality is indistinguishable to the other station.
The reason I say it's better is that the simple interface and no APRS means fewer menus to dig through to change stuff (like display brightness, the FTM screen is annoyingly bright at night if set high enough to see in daylight, so it has to be dimmed) and the face is smaller, thus easier to install.
I've said it before and will reiterate, the FT-7800 and FT-7900 are IMHO about the best example of a mobile FM radio as there ever has been. The interface makes sense, the buttons and dials are the right size, lit and clear. The radio performance is hard to beat. The price is right. But it's not dual RX, doesn't do background APRS, etc. That stuff is nice but understand that it can be distracting and clutters the design.
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