The utility of a handheld radio means that most hams will have at least one and often more than one. It is often the case that a hams’ first radio will be a handheld radio. ‘Twas thus for myself. Over the years I’ve had a few but it all started with this one:
Yaesu FT-209R (2m)
When I got my license in 1985 I bought my first transceiver. This radio came in two versions, the FT-209R with 3.5W of output power or the FT-209RH with 5W.
I reasoned that the increased battery life was worth more in a handheld radio than 1.5 dB of additional transmit power. Along that same line of thought I opted for the higher capacity FNB-4A battery pack (500 mAh) over the lower capacity FNB-3A (425 mAh) battery pack. I also bought the MH-12 speaker-mic, the MMB-12 mobile hanger bracket and the NC-15 quick charger/power supply. I still have it all except for the mobile hanger bracket.
Yaesu FT-60R (2m/70cm)
The old FT-209R provided great service for many years. Then I pretty much stopped doing ham radio stuff in the late 1990’s. Fast forward to 2013 when I figured I kind of missed radio stuff and I really needed a more modern handheld transceiver.
I wanted some modern features like 2m and 70cm in the same radio, wide-band receive, proper CTCSS support, software programmability and a lot more memories and with textual labels, too. I ended up with another Yaesu, this time an FT-60R, which I like very much.
TYT MD-380 (70cm w/DMR)
Not terribly long after I bought the FT-60R I thought experimenting with DMR (via the DMR MARC system) would be fun. I was too cheap (don’t be that guy!) to buy a proper DMR radio (meaning a gently used Motorola) and I bought this hunk of rubbish instead. I bought it, like most people I suppose, because it was cheap.
I thought “I know it’s cheap but how bad can it be?” Knowing it’s provenance, I kept my expectations low. Yet this miserable turd of a radio still found ways to disappoint. It wasn’t long before I bought a real DMR radio, a Motorola.
Motorola XPR6550
I have two of these excellent radios. One in VHF (for 2m) and one in UHF (for 70cm). The XPR’s are not available in a dual-band configuration, they are all mono-band units. Hence the two radios. These are the best handheld radios I have ever owned, by any measure.
The engineering, the construction, the execution, the software, the utility, the usability, the durability are all the very best the industry has to offer. Motorola has no equal in the VHF/UHF FM radio world. While these radios are not, strictly speaking, intended for amateur radio service they excel at it. They are of course commercial radios and in wide usage by first responders and a great many others industries around the globe.
The downside for hams is that one must acquire the programming software from Motorola to program them. They are not programmable via the front panel. Tuning randomly around the band is not an option nor is adding channels on the fly from the front panel. It requires a little adjustment in how you program and use your radios but you end up with a radio that is more functional and usable.
The radios themselves are not massively expensive on the used market. Yes, they cost more than a new, basic Kenwood, Icom or Yaesu would. And yes they lack some of the bells and whistles that are wanted by the bells-and-whistles crowd. But they offer things radios targeted at hams do not. Like a proper way to organize 1,000 memories into zones and scan lists. And DMR, of course, if you are into that.
Comparing regular ham radios and commercial radios has led this ham to realize that the commercial radios are far more suited to the way that I personally use radios than the ham units are. I don’t mind paying a little more to get the superior functionality, durability and reliability. I need reliable communications from a robust and durable radio and the ability to store hundreds of repeaters and have them organized into geographic zones with associated scan lists. The Motos give me that. And they are as tough as nails and a pleasure to use.
Here’s the spec sheet for the curious:
Icom IC-M73 (Marine VHF)
Strictly speaking this is not a radio for the amateur bands. Rather, it is a marine VHF radio. When our friends on Vancouver Island bought a sailboat I right away went and got my ROC-M (Restricted Operator’s Certificate, Maritime) radio license and bought this handheld transceiver.
Any excuse to get another radio license and another radio, right? I love VHF and I love FM so there is that. I wear a life-jacket when we are sailing so I should carry a radio, too.
For any other Canadians curious about getting their ROC-M certification, search the internet for “ROC-M training” or “ROC(M) training” and you will find a number of organizations that provide this as part of getting trained and certified to operate a pleasure craft like a sailboat or powerboat or what have you.
It’s an easy course and the only subject matter is radio operating. Any ham already knows most of the things needed so it’s just one day or a couple of evenings of your time. And the fee for the course.
Retevis RT10 (for the 33cm amateur band)
I’ve been wanting to experiment with 900 MHz for some time. Why? Because it’s there, that’s why. I have a c0uple of commercial mobiles that I can use on 900 MHz but I didn’t have a handheld. So when I saw that Retevis made a handheld specifically for the 33cm band and that it was naturally inexpensive I bought one.
