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Wanted to thank all that took the time to participate in this wonderful program. This is what makes the Amateur radio community so great. So now. I have been requested by the kids to upgrade my ham ticket to general so they can talk to him next year. Wife's face when they said that in front of us... Maybe daddy, can convince mommy a IC9700 would give us the best shot. Knowing full well a used IC7300 with a good antenna could do it for a 1/5 of the price and NO I have no HF gear nor a shack even setup or planned.. Either case, thanks once again to all that participate in programs like this with your own dime and time. It is these hidden gems and the people that take the time to do this that make the world a better place. http://www.cqsanta.com/

I remember when Standard was its own radio company, unaffiliated with Yaesu. Mirantz was the audio equipment division of Standard, but they also made some very good vhf and uhf handheld radios under the Standard name. As for Yaesu, they made the best Japanese ham radio gear. All of the ham radios were Yaesu, and Vertex was their commercial division. My first HF rig was a Yaesu FT-101. My (I think) third was also a Yaesu; an FT-840 that I still own and use.

Ouch, sorry to hear. Kenwood sounds like a good option then. I would look into Motorola gear too and Icom could be another option. As for Vertex Standard, they used to be Yaesu before they were acquired by Moto, but Moto took the LMR division Vertex Standard and gave up the Ham radio division, Yaesu, which is not a part of Motorola, nor shares anything with them. Vertex Standard is no more. G.

I was away from the computer earlier. Now with a minute to check I found https://abeep.com/collections/mobile-radios/tk-8180-series Kenwood TK-8180HK, UHF 450-520 MHz, 45W, 512 Ch. sale $ 588.00 regularly $ 735.00 Kenwood TK-8180K, UHF 450-520 MHz, 30W, 512 Ch. sale $ 483.20 regularly $ 604.00 See what I mean. However, for a refurb I found https://refitradio.com/products/kenwood-tk-8180-h-mobile-vehicle-radio Kenwood TK-8180HK, UHF 450-520 MHz, 45W, 512 Ch. $219 with a 6 mo guarantee.

Look around, they are available. But, the, the price is steep. The reconditioned or refurbished units seem to sell at fair prices. Still used, but probably safer than an eBay cheapie.

Another note about programming Kenwood 8180 - - - If you have ever played around with one of the Leixen V V 898 mini dual-banders, then you already have the correct programming cable for the Kenwoods.

The TK-8180H is still listed on Kenwood's website as being available new. There are also used ones available. I can highly recommend those. i own 2 of them. https://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/lmr/tk-7180h_8180h/ These have to be one of the last great Wide-Band analog capable units from Kenwood. They program with easy-to-use Kenwood software, using the RG type mic plug, not the DB-25 on the back. The DB-25 is the accessories plug that has all the ins and outs and signals required to use these in a repeater, or to interface to a digital linking system. Best of all, the 8180H is type accepted for part 95.

Alinco radios are CCRs, made by Anytone... so avoid those. My recommendation would be to get a Vertex Standard VX-5500, the 450-490 MHz model. That radio has a very tight receiver and its a phenomenal radio. G.

Good Morning; Have you considered Alinco? They offer a Part 90 200 channel UHF mobile with 45 watt - 25 watt - 10 watt transmit, the DR-438 is UHF, the DR-138 is VHF http://www.alinco.com/Products/ham/mbl/DR-138HT/ http://www.alinco.com/Products/ham/mbl/DR-138HT/DR-138_438brochure.pdf Remtronix is the USA distributor for Alinco, I did need set-up support for my first h-t and they were great, both over the phone and via e-mail https://remtronix.com/land-mobile-radio/analog-radios/dr-438t/ The list price is $249.99, but shop around on the pricing Remtronix is selling it through Newegg: https://www.newegg.com/alinco-dr-438t-two-way-radio/p/16Y-0031-00004?Description=dr-438&cm_re=dr-438-_-9SIA5RC1W26967-_-Product Programming software and cable package: https://www.rtsystemsinc.com/DR-138-programming-software-and-USB-cable-s/2266.htm I almost purchased a new-in-package Midland mobile for $50.00 at a pawn shop last year (I don't remember which model) I passed on it and after reading all the posts here, I'm glad that I did I have not read any negatives about Alinco radios I have two different Alinco Part 90 h-t's, I intend to get a 3rd model h-t, and then I will probably buy the DR-438 and a ¼ wave NMO GMRS activity here around Clearwater, FL is starting to get off the ground, so I haven't gotten much use out of my radios yet, but I did use one of the h-t's on vacation in East TN in June, and I was told that it sounded really good, I'm going to stay with Alinco Just my two cents Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Probably to prevent “like-flation”