DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
From the IC-2730 manual regarding alphanumeric names. The menu steps to display them at the lower right of the page.
need some help deciding on a 2m/70cm radio
- Thread starter BigDaveZJ
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DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Seems silly to pull out the laptop and go through all the effort to flip the switch when a few steps through the menu can turn them on. Certainly easier to put the tags themselves on when you program the memories, though.Much easier to do with the RT software
I got my tech license a year ago and and a 2730 shortly after. It took a little bit of time to get the hang of programming the 2730 manually, it really isn't that bad. I've programmed about 50 frequencies in different banks without issue. I will say that I found the naming of the functions to set XMT and RCV PL tones a bit confusing compared to my Yaesu FT-65 Handheld. For instance, the Yaesu calls the transmitter PL tone something like 'Transmit tone' while, if I recall correctly, the 2730 calls the transmitted PL Tone 'Repeater'. To me, the Iccom point of reference seems backward, but I get it now.
Programming custom names on the 2730 with a knob interface seems to be easier than using the touch tone phone type keyboard entry of the FT-65. Others have complained that custom names are only 6 characters long. I see their point, but 6 characters is not a show stopper.
One nice thing about remote head of the 2730 is that a 4 conductor phone cord with the correct connectors can be used between the body and the head. I installed the provided cable to from the body to the dash mounted head location. I have a homemade bracket with some self adhesive velcro to hold the head in place. If I want to move the head to the back of the van, or outside under the awning, I can plug in my homemade cable into the head and body and move the head to where I want to use it. As noted elsewhere he mic plugs into the head.
The 2730 doesn't come with any mounting brackets for the head or body. Didn't bother me, I made my own.... but check into it, the OEM brackets are pricey
I have the left side receiver using the built in speaker and the right side using and aux speaker. For whatever reason, the Aux speaker provides better volume.
I'm using a Larsen dual band 1/4 wave NMO mount antenna in the center of the roof. Works good.
I really like dual receive capability, I don't think I would buy a mobile without it.
I finally setup Cross Band repeat, haven't used it other than to test it out.
One last thing, the white back light is pretty bright, I have it turned all the way down. My head unit is located low and centrally mounted under the dash. if it was up high, I think it would be too bright during night driving.
All in all, I would buy a 2730 again, unless I decided a different set of features (APRS, digital mode, etc.)
Programming custom names on the 2730 with a knob interface seems to be easier than using the touch tone phone type keyboard entry of the FT-65. Others have complained that custom names are only 6 characters long. I see their point, but 6 characters is not a show stopper.
One nice thing about remote head of the 2730 is that a 4 conductor phone cord with the correct connectors can be used between the body and the head. I installed the provided cable to from the body to the dash mounted head location. I have a homemade bracket with some self adhesive velcro to hold the head in place. If I want to move the head to the back of the van, or outside under the awning, I can plug in my homemade cable into the head and body and move the head to where I want to use it. As noted elsewhere he mic plugs into the head.
The 2730 doesn't come with any mounting brackets for the head or body. Didn't bother me, I made my own.... but check into it, the OEM brackets are pricey
I have the left side receiver using the built in speaker and the right side using and aux speaker. For whatever reason, the Aux speaker provides better volume.
I'm using a Larsen dual band 1/4 wave NMO mount antenna in the center of the roof. Works good.
I really like dual receive capability, I don't think I would buy a mobile without it.
I finally setup Cross Band repeat, haven't used it other than to test it out.
One last thing, the white back light is pretty bright, I have it turned all the way down. My head unit is located low and centrally mounted under the dash. if it was up high, I think it would be too bright during night driving.
All in all, I would buy a 2730 again, unless I decided a different set of features (APRS, digital mode, etc.)
DaveInDenver
Middle Income Semi-Redneck
Regarding cross band repeat, just know it's generally not legal with most of these radios since they do not correctly identify themselves. The Kenwood TM-V71 and TM-D710 are capable of adding a call sign but they're the only ones AFAIK.
The problem is the receive side can't identify itself. When you transmit from your HT you can do that. You're using simplex on, perhaps, UHF into the radio and it's re-transmitting on VHF. So you can say "KA0BCD using 446.000 simplex cross band on 147.600 repeater" so that anyone listening on either 446.000 or 147.000 (for the sake of argument it's a -600kHz offset) input will understand what's going on. But when someone else talks into the repeater it'll they're giving their for 147.000 and the repeater adds it's call sign for 147.600 but your radio won't add it's own on 446.000.
To use cross band on a radio that does not identify itself you can only have it listen and extend your TX range. Your HT has to in this case hear the repeater directly and not via the cross band. So you set up a simplex channel on the mobile radio for the input of the repeater rather than a repeater channel that does the RX/TX switching offset for you automatically.
The problem is the receive side can't identify itself. When you transmit from your HT you can do that. You're using simplex on, perhaps, UHF into the radio and it's re-transmitting on VHF. So you can say "KA0BCD using 446.000 simplex cross band on 147.600 repeater" so that anyone listening on either 446.000 or 147.000 (for the sake of argument it's a -600kHz offset) input will understand what's going on. But when someone else talks into the repeater it'll they're giving their for 147.000 and the repeater adds it's call sign for 147.600 but your radio won't add it's own on 446.000.
To use cross band on a radio that does not identify itself you can only have it listen and extend your TX range. Your HT has to in this case hear the repeater directly and not via the cross band. So you set up a simplex channel on the mobile radio for the input of the repeater rather than a repeater channel that does the RX/TX switching offset for you automatically.