Any recommends on a Base/mobile vhf/uhf transceiver with low MDS and good selectivity?

[Muzic2Me]

same as the the title

[MichaelLAX]

MDS?

Mobile Data Service?

[Muzic2Me]

No, sensitivity. Minimum Detectable Signal. level. 

[gortex2]

For LMR radios the APX7500 series can be had in V/U. What exactly are you planning to use the radio for ? 

 

[Muzic2Me]

Personal communication. Wondering if anyone had some input to what rig they might have that has good  Rx sensitivity. I hear the Kenwood TM-V71A was a decent radio.

[axorlov]

For good selectivity you probably want to look into LMR gear. Part 90. TM-V71A is a good ham radio (too bad I sold mine), with APRS, AX25 modem and kitchen sink,  but will not beat good Part 90 single-bander with narrow UHF filters. And also not cool with FCC to use for GMRS.

[OffRoaderX]

Used Motorola XTL5000 - VERY good (LMR Part 90) radio.. Capable of 110watts, but of course you have to dial that back if on GMRS.  VERY high selectivity and very high sensitivity.

[PACNWComms]

For cheap Part 90 radios, I used to run a tack (VHF and UHF) Vertex VX-3200 mobiles in my old Pontiac, as they fit the dash well. At that time, I also used stacked CDM series Motorola, and later XPR series Motorola mobiles. Now, i use a combination of CDM and XPR series mobiles (VHF and UHF single band radios), and they work very well. Of course you need Motorola CPS, and appropriate cables and computer to program them. For UHF GMRS you of course may have to dial them down depending on the power, I use 25 Watt radios for this reason, and get out well for most of my uses. 

For my current daily driver, I had a lot less room for radios, so ended up getting a Radioddity DB20-G, which is decent, but it is not Motorola for sure. Great little radio, but it is nowhere as sensitive or selective as a Part 90 radio. 

[Muzic2Me]

2 hours ago, axorlov said:

For good selectivity you probably want to look into LMR gear. Part 90. TM-V71A is a good ham radio (too bad I sold mine), with APRS, AX25 modem and kitchen sink,  but will not beat good Part 90 single-bander with narrow UHF filters. And also not cool with FCC to use for GMRS.

HAM is what I’m looking into. I know this isn’t the site for it, but do know a lot of HAMs are on here to give opinions. Thanks for info.

[Muzic2Me]

2 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

Used Motorola XTL5000 - VERY good (LMR Part 90) radio.. Capable of 110watts, but of course you have to dial that back if on GMRS.  VERY high selectivity and very high sensitivity.

I’ll have to check this one out also. Thanks for info. 

[Muzic2Me]

39 minutes ago, PACNWComms said:

For cheap Part 90 radios, I used to run a tack (VHF and UHF) Vertex VX-3200 mobiles in my old Pontiac, as they fit the dash well. At that time, I also used stacked CDM series Motorola, and later XPR series Motorola mobiles. Now, i use a combination of CDM and XPR series mobiles (VHF and UHF single band radios), and they work very well. Of course you need Motorola CPS, and appropriate cables and computer to program them. For UHF GMRS you of course may have to dial them down depending on the power, I use 25 Watt radios for this reason, and get out well for most of my uses. 

For my current daily driver, I had a lot less room for radios, so ended up getting a Radioddity DB20-G, which is decent, but it is not Motorola for sure. Great little radio, but it is nowhere as sensitive or selective as a Part 90 radio. 

Thanks for sharing the info… I’ll have to look into all the radios mentioned to dial in for one. Thanks again

[MichaelLAX]

Well my 2 cents:

Radioddity DB-20G (a/k/a Anytone AT-779UV)

$109 

20 watts

fits in your palm

cigarette lighter plug

GMRS, MURS, 2 meters, 70 cms)

Outperforms my Yaesu FT-857d on 2 meters and 70 cms, so I now have one in my car and one in the shack

[OffRoaderX]

1 hour ago, MichaelLAX said:

Well my 2 cents:

Radioddity DB-20G (a/k/a Anytone AT-779UV)

That radio is pretty much the opposite of what he asked for. Not great sensitivity and very poor selectivity. Not even in the same ballpark as something like that XTL5000 or probably most other commercial/LMR radios.

[PACNWComms]

3 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

Used Motorola XTL5000 - VERY good (LMR Part 90) radio

That is a great radio. As is the XTS3000/5000 handhelds. My only issue with them, is that many of the organizations that use those radios, really used them, a lot. Public safety, fire, EMS and military. Be sure to buy them from someone/seller (I like SunnyComm) that actually checks them with Autotest capable test service monitors. Online auction sites often have ones that look good but have almost/or already failing internals.

Much like many of the auction site XTL1500/2500 and XTS1500/2500's that have no functioning backlit display, volume only goes to 50%, speakers with metal shavings on the magnet, or cold solder joints on the: antenna, volume/on/off pot, and channel selector. None of these items will show on an Autotest, they require physical inspection. Good vendors will do both.

[Muzic2Me]

3 hours ago, MichaelLAX said:

Well my 2 cents:

Radioddity DB-20G (a/k/a Anytone AT-779UV)

$109 

20 watts

fits in your palm

cigarette lighter plug

GMRS, MURS, 2 meters, 70 cms

Outperforms my Yaesu FT-857d on 2 meters and 70 cms, so I now have one in my car and one in the shack

Nice!!! Jealous!!!!   I knew I should have added more outlets for PSUs.:).  

[MichaelLAX]

2 hours ago, Muzic2Me said:

Nice!!! Jealous!!!!   I knew I should have added more outlets for PSUs.:).  

PSUs? Power Supply Unit?

[tcp2525]

15 hours ago, Muzic2Me said:

Personal communication. Wondering if anyone had some input to what rig they might have that has good  Rx sensitivity. I hear the Kenwood TM-V71A was a decent radio.

Speaking of the V71a, best dual band mobile rig on the market. I'm glad I have four of them as Kenwood discontinued that radio. One on each motorcycle, one in the car, and one spare. These radios are high performance and virtually indestructible. Wish Kenwood  would make a comparable GMRS radio.

 

[gortex2]

I run the XTL5000 at home on both UHF and VHF for HAM stuff as well as public safety. Great receivers in them. If you do some online searching they can be found pretty reasonable especially in non P25 flavors. In my vehicles I run the APX.  They will cost a bit more but 6500 analogs are out there as are 7500 but finding a APX 7500 VHF/URHR1 is challenging. Not many were made so it most likely will be an R2 which is out of the ham band and not useable. 

[MichaelLAX]

 

22 hours ago, MichaelLAX said:

Well my 2 cents:

Radioddity DB-20G (a/k/a Anytone AT-779UV)

...

21 hours ago, OffRoaderX said:

That radio is pretty much the opposite of what he asked for. Not great sensitivity and very poor selectivity. Not even in the same ballpark as something like that XTL5000 or probably most other commercial/LMR radios.

Well you may not have noticed I opened my comment with the idiom:  "my 2 cents" which is a quick way to say that the upcoming comment is the opinion of the author and humbly may not be worth much, hence: 2 cents.

After the OP defined MDS for me, I returned to the sidelines to let those much more familiar with these types of radios give their experienced comments about Motorola, Vertex, Motorola, Kenwood,... and did I say Motorola?

That is, until the OP posted this message:

22 hours ago, Muzic2Me said:

HAM is what I’m looking into. I know this isn’t the site for it, but do know a lot of HAMs are on here to give opinions. Thanks for info.

While the OP did not designate a frequency band, power output, mode, etc., it occurred to me that a GMRS user who also operates Ham Radio might be interested in the limited number of Part 95 certified (as opposed to Part 90 radios that can operate in the Ham bands) higher power mobile radio that can easily be opened for Ham 2 meters and 70 cms operation and which only costs $99.

And after 60 years of being licensed as a Ham Radio operator, I have learned that there is ALWAYS a more expensive radio that can be purchased that has more bells and whistles and better specs than the last one.

Now my personal anecdotal experience on this radio, which I am willing to bet dollars to donuts, is more extensive than yours (even given your wonderful YouTube review of the DB20-G); and I have discovered that this radio has much better sensitivity and selectivity than its specs rating:

Using my Delta A-B-C-D antenna switch to compare simplex signal reception on 146.52 and 446.0, this radio outperforms 2 meters and 70 cms reception on my Yaesu FT-857d, by pulling in stations that are just completely missing on the FT-857d.

Admittedly, a multi-band HF/VHF/UHF radio, such as my Yaesu FT-857d is not going to perform as well as a dedicated 2 meter/70 cms radio, but I also compared these stations reception against my ICOM IC-R7000 and the received signal strength was always better on the AT-779UV.  And using the MON button to turn off the squelch completely, I can really pull stations out of the mud on this radio!

For example, there is a YouTube video that provides a live scope view of 146.52 MHz in the South Bay Area of Los Angeles and while I was chatting simplex with a station down in Downey, I could not hear or see my signal on this scope, but when the station came back to me, he could be heard and seen on the YouTube video.

Selectivity:

The Los Angeles market is quite crowded on both the GMRS simplex and repeater channels, yet I have never experienced any cross-channel interference on the AT-779UV even when there were transmissions on adjacent channels (not by channel number, but by their interstitial spacing by frequency, whether on the input or output frequency).

And using my rooftop Comet antenna, I am able to communicate with different GMRS and Ham repeaters on the same frequency, even though they are spaced geographically in opposite directions (for obvious reasons).

Amazingly, I even can communicate quite comfortably on the DELTA 700 repeater in the Inland Empire, from my Valley Village (East San Fernando Valley) location!

The same is true on my reception of Ham band signals as well.

So, although YMMV, did I mention this radio only costs $99?!?

At the end of the day, I am curious if the OP found this information valuable and given his response so far, it is unclear to me that he did, or if he is making a joke at my expense :

19 hours ago, Muzic2Me said:

Nice!!! Jealous!!!!   I knew I should have added more outlets for PSUs.:).  

 

[MichaelLAX]

AND: FYI, the City of Malibu is funding a GoBOX implementation of the Raddiodity DB20-G for distribution to its citizens for communications during times of distress and/or emergencies.

So it would appear that they are not worried about selectivity of that radio, and given the terrain up in the Malibu Hills, they are not worried about the sensitivity either.

[axorlov]

10 hours ago, tcp2525 said:

One on each motorcycle, one in the car, and one spare

Questions: what motorcycle(s), cruiser, dirt, street, etc...? How exactly installed, hidden, open, removable, etc..? Do you use voice while riding (I don't plan to)? Antenna?(!!!) What about the antenna?

[tcp2525]

22 minutes ago, axorlov said:

Questions: what motorcycle(s), cruiser, dirt, street, etc...? How exactly installed, hidden, open, removable, etc..? Do you use voice while riding (I don't plan to)? Antenna?(!!!) What about the antenna?

Here's what the old V71a looks like on the bike. Control head is on a custom made slide mount that electrically connects when inserted. PTT under left grip. Coiled microphone/speakers cable plug into the bike via waterproof RJ45 jack. Antenna is a Larsen NMO-2/70B Black antenna mounted on homemade and sealed half wave grounding mast with "N" connector on bottom. Antenna/mast assembly is easily removed via three set screws and the LMR240 cable is safely stored on the female "N" connector after unscrewing protective cap. All connections are waterproof.

 

The above description is for the 2014 Goldwing Valkyrie. The red bike is a 2018 Goldwing Tour DCT. I do actively use my radios on both bikes every day when commuting or touring. The red bike has a different antenna mount so I can use it for a secondary radio or just AM/FM. That's all done with RG400 cable.

 

 

 

[Muzic2Me]

11 hours ago, tcp2525 said:

Speaking of the V71a, best dual band mobile rig on the market. I'm glad I have four of them as Kenwood discontinued that radio. One on each motorcycle, one in the car, and one spare. These radios are high performance and virtually indestructible. Wish Kenwood  would make a comparable GMRS radio.

 

I don’t think they are discontinued.. I’ve seen them on line. Unless they are refurbished ones.

[tcp2525]

Here's what the antenna bracket looks like that I made for  the red bike. It bolts underneath the top case and the RG400 feeds to the radio(s), and yes, the SWR is pretty damn good on both bikes and I have no issues transmitting 50w on either band.

[tcp2525]

5 minutes ago, Muzic2Me said:

I don’t think they are discontinued.. I’ve seen them on line. Unless they are refurbished ones.

Yes, definitely discontinued. Check HRO's discontinued section and you will be shocked at what they are asking and the amazing part is they are selling like  hotcakes.

 

https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-008951

[Muzic2Me]

2 hours ago, MichaelLAX said:

 

Well you may not have noticed I opened my comment with the idiom:  "my 2 cents" which is a quick way to say that the upcoming comment is the opinion of the author and humbly may not be worth much, hence: 2 cents.

After the OP defined MDS for me, I returned to the sidelines to let those much more familiar with these types of radios give their experienced comments about Motorola, Vertex, Motorola, Kenwood,... and did I say Motorola?

That is, until the OP posted this message:

While the OP did not designate a frequency band, power output, mode, etc., it occurred to me that a GMRS user who also operates Ham Radio might be interested in the limited number of Part 95 certified (as opposed to Part 90 radios that can operate in the Ham bands) higher power mobile radio that can easily be opened for Ham 2 meters and 70 cms operation and which only costs $99.

And after 60 years of being licensed as a Ham Radio operator, I have learned that there is ALWAYS a more expensive radio that can be purchased that has more bells and whistles and better specs than the last one.

Now my personal anecdotal experience on this radio, which I am willing to bet dollars to donuts, is more extensive than yours (even given your wonderful YouTube review of the DB20-G); and I have discovered that this radio has much better sensitivity and selectivity than its specs rating:

Using my Delta A-B-C-D antenna switch to compare simplex signal reception on 146.52 and 446.0, this radio outperforms 2 meters and 70 cms reception on my Yaesu FT-857d, by pulling in stations that are just completely missing on the FT-857d.

Admittedly, a multi-band HF/VHF/UHF radio, such as my Yaesu FT-857d is not going to perform as well as a dedicated 2 meter/70 cms radio, but I also compared these stations reception against my ICOM IC-R7000 and the received signal strength was always better on the AT-779UV.  And using the MON button to turn off the squelch completely, I can really pull stations out of the mud on this radio!

For example, there is a YouTube video that provides a live scope view of 146.52 MHz in the South Bay Area of Los Angeles and while I was chatting simplex with a station down in Downey, I could not hear or see my signal on this scope, but when the station came back to me, he could be heard and seen on the YouTube video.

Selectivity:

The Los Angeles market is quite crowded on both the GMRS simplex and repeater channels, yet I have never experienced any cross-channel interference on the AT-779UV even when there were transmissions on adjacent channels (not by channel number, but by their interstitial spacing by frequency, whether on the input or output frequency).

And using my rooftop Comet antenna, I am able to communicate with different GMRS and Ham repeaters on the same frequency, even though they are spaced geographically in opposite directions (for obvious reasons).

Amazingly, I even can communicate quite comfortably on the DELTA 700 repeater in the Inland Empire, from my Valley Village (East San Fernando Valley) location!

The same is true on my reception of Ham band signals as well.

So, although YMMV, did I mention this radio only costs $99?!?

At the end of the day, I am curious if the OP found this information valuable and given his response so far, it is unclear to me that he did, or if he is making a joke at my expense :

 

Was not at all making jokes. I’m gathering real life knowledge through operators experience with the equipment.
 

I try to avoid past mistakes of rushing in and buying , only to learn it was not what I really wanted or does not perform as I thought.Money, unfortunately, does not grow very fast on my tree out back.

In a nutshell, I know it comes down to my choice of rig. … “ do I want a tri-band antenna, do I want three specific antennas for each Band, do I want one radio that can Tx on several bands, or X amount of Transcievers?”…..  

It’s a great forum to hear everyones opinions on their experience.