Picking a new dual band

[kenaiking]

I will start off by saying I am very new to HAM so please feel free to make other suggestions as well.

I am looking at adding a new dual band 2m/70cm to my truck. I have narrowed it down to the Icom 2730A, Yaesu 7900R and the Yaesu 8800R. I am leaning towards the Icom because I use Icom at work and they have been very easy to use and reliable. I like the wide receive capabilities of 7900 as well. I keep reading nothing but excellent reviews about both the Yaesu’s as well.

I would love some suggestions about what you would choose and why. Also what antenna you would run with it as well.

 

[Frdmskr]

Personally I am all about comfort. Try and find someone in a local club to see if you can try their rig. If not see a local ham radio store and try it.

That is the best answer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wirenut]

If you want cross-band repeat then the FT-7900 is not for you. Otherwise, it's a great radio. I have a FT-7800 and I really like it. The FT-8800 is also a great radio but the buttons aren't illuminated so it's difficult to operate in the dark. I've been a ham for 22 years and I've owned 7 Yaesus. Of the 7 only 2 ever gave any problem at all and they were very minor.
I've used an Icom 2340H dual bander for over 20 years. The buttons were starting to wear out so I bought another one off of Ebay. I also have 1 Icom 2350, almost an exact copy of the 2340 but one model newer. All three have been excellent. I use the cross band repeat function extensively which really works the finals but I've had no problems. I've been waiting for Icom to come out with a true dual band radio that wasn't ridiculously expensive because of DSTAR or APRS or whatever else they stick in these things. It looks like the 2730 is that radio. I would be very curious to try one if I needed a new radio right now. I don't. All three of my Icoms and my Yaesu are working great.
I'd try the Icom, especially for the illuminated buttons. Unless you don't need cross-band. Then I'd get the tried and tested 7900 instead of being a guinea pig on a new model.

 

[AlbanyTom]

I just bought an 8800. It was between that and the 7900. So I think you've narrowed it down to some good radios. My last mobile was an FT-2500, and honestly I would rather have put in an FT-2900 than any dual bander. I had to go dual band, though, to get a remote faceplate to fit in my truck.

Between the 7900 and 8800 I picked the 8800 because of the cross band repeat. I do public service events, and help with emergency stuff, and for this it can be a handy feature. You ideally have a second battery, and use that to run the mobile, then you can walk away from the truck with a 440 MHz HT and reach a distant repeater. It's mostly a convenience, though, certainly not a day to day thing for me.

The 8800 doesn't have button lights, but that doesn't bother me. You can program buttons on the mike to control things like reverse, power, and vfo/memory. What I don't like about the 8800 is that there is no "lock" button. Locking the radio buttons is a menu item. That's annoying, potentially dangerous, even, if you're depending on your radio for safety. The 2900 has a lock button.

Icom makes a nice radio, too, I have an Icom HT and a receiver. I went with Yaesu for the mobile just because it fit the bill and that's what I'm more used to mobile.

One tip would be to get the specs on the display and the main unit for each, and make sure they will fit where you want to put them. They're all about the same size, but I'd bet they are slightly different.

 

[4x4mike]

I've got an 8800 and like it a lot. I upgraded to it from a 2800. My biggest reason for upgrading was to get dual band, as such the 7800 was in the initial running. I also do service events and stand by emergency radio so cross band was a feature I really wanted and use. Both the 7800 and 8800 have removable faces if that's something you like. I do not remove mine and have the radio mounted in a DIN slot in my dash.

Before I purchased the 8800 I read about the unlit buttons. I too thought this wouldn't be an issue and for the most part it isn't. The 2800 I had, had much larger, softer and lit buttons and they were nice to use. If the radio is programmed you don't really use the buttons but when I need the buttons on the 8800 I wish they were rubber and larger.

FWIW I bought my 8800 new from HRO. Free shipping, mail in rebate and free remote mounting kit.

 

[kenaiking]

Thanks guys.

Right now HRO has some great rebates on Yaesu. I am thinking of maybe going with a bit more radio then I need because of the rebates. It may save me from a short term upgrade again

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Yaesu FTM-400DR? I like the digital modes and APRS capability as well as the touch screen.

 

[4x4mike]

The 400DR came out after I bought my 8800. At first I thought to myself, dang it, but then didn't beat myself up. One thing I was considering was age of the product when I bought it. The 8800 had been out awhile and I didn't want to buy it if the model was going to be upgraded. As far as the bigger manufacturers, updates aren't that common. I knew the 400 was in the works but when it came out I was fine that I missed it. For one the cost is pretty high. I have no problem with spending a lot of a piece that will serve me well but for what I needed it for it was too much. Another factor was the size. I don't like screen and accessories mounted all over the place. My current radio is in the dash and out of the way yet fully functional. The 400 would be stuck on an arm or mounting point I wouldn't be happy with.

One feature I wish I had was APRS. While some radios have it, it wasn't something that was really on the radar when I was shopping. Again I'm not super bummed I missed out. Reason being is that I'm not always in the vehicle. Some of my service events have me on foot or on a bicycle and APRS would be handy. Hence my desire for a handheld unit controlled APRS. I already have an NMO installed on my roof I can use and wiring power is easy. One draw back for the HT unit would be power but I'm not thinking it will be a game ender for me.

The 400 is nice, it's expensive and has a lot of features and accessories. It's just not the radio for me. Again, the 8800 had what I needed and honestly the features over the 7800 were the crossband repeat and dual receive.

 

[AlbanyTom]

For me, I don't see an advantage to a digital radio right now. They're more expensive, and everybody has a different system. When all the radios use the same digital system, and when it doesn't cost any more, I'd probably get it.

 

[jes3se]

I owned a 8800 a few years ago, and am sorry I sold it. Getting back into the hobby, I'm trying to decided between another 8800 and a kenwood v71a. Very similar products, but the kenwood lets you remotely turn the crossband features on from your HT if you want. A very interesting feature, but since I was last involved, the used market seems to have dried up.

 

[HenryJ]

Yet another 8800 owner. No regrets. Great radio and would buy it again. I radio tech for my full time job and our fire department. I get to play with lots of radios in the emergency services and some in the ham world.
The Yaesu 8800 holds its own with them all and exceeds when it comes to the crossband repeat. I hike the Owyhee canyons and having that capability is priceless. I will say the http://www.g4hfq.co.uk/ programming software makes the 8800 awesome to program. Big selling point for me is good programming software. The head on the 8800 is easily detached and a six conductor phone cable is all you need to a cable. Easy and cheap I like that too.

APRS is fun, but I keep that independent with a MicroTrak RTG.

 

[Frdmskr]

I agree with the threads consensus on the Yaesu line. I have an 8900 and found it very durable. The Yaesu mobile rigs are hard to beat when it comes to handling heat, jarring, and the "general beating the crap out of" factor. If you really want APRS, the Kenwood TMD710 is a bit more refined. I've not taken and beaten the crap out of one though. (I had the old version (700) and that seemed pretty durable but never beat on it off road.) Again, a rig is a comfort thing and you expressed a like for Icom. When you are on the trail you want to make sure the rig will survive and be intuitive to work with for you. So try any of the rigs mentioned and go with what works best for you.

 

[kenaiking]

Thanks for the info guys. I didn't consider durability and ease of you while on the trail. Now I am pretty stuck between the 8800 and the 2730.

 

[wildo]

Subscribed

 

[HenryJ]

When considering my purchase the cooling was a concern. I am in a high desert and the dust is a biggie. Initially I looked at passive heat conductors only. Good deep cooling fins and lots of them. My thought was that a fan is going to be a problem in the dirt.
I will say those fears were unfounded. The Yaesu FT8800-R that I purchased nine years ago is doing just fine with its fan cooling. It was mounted behind the back seat on the first truck. Dusty and dog hair.

In my current vehicle it rides under the center console. A little less dog hair and dust.

Time really flies. Coming up on a decade of use now. No problems what so ever.

 

[kenaiking]

So after a lot of thinking the 8800 is out. I love the reliability and you can hardly find even a slightly bad review but no back lit buttons would a problem for me. I drive in the dark a lot.

So now I have added another radio Kenwood TV-V71A to the list. Any opinions on it VS the 2730?