Ham Radio??

[Jason Foster]

My husband and I are looking into a dual band mobile radio. Are there any recommendations for one that is GPS compatible? We were looking at a Kenwood D710 but I am not sure if there is anything better/cheaper for beginners.

That is where Kenwood exceeds the rest. Go for the 710

 

[kmreid]

Thanks Jason. Glad to know that we are on the right track with that.

 

[Rick Wilson]

If you want a radio that works "no matter what" look at surplus Motorola Spectras. I have several 110 watt units that have been flawless. Can find at many hamfests in the several hundred dollar range despite the MSRP of $2500. Simple no frills control head that is hard to mess up in the heat of the chase. Downside is they must be pre-programmed. With 129 channels (modes in Motospeak) not too difficult to manage.

You will be hard pressed to find a mobile radio that consistently gets 5 of 5 stars by the actual owners on eHam.net.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2996

If you want to be heard, get a good antenna and these babys will TALK. The receiver rejects intermod better than any ham rig that I have found.

 

[Karen St John]

One thing I would think about is what your local club and or Skywarn/ARES/RACES people are using, feature-wise. Get yourself communicating with them, then when you want to add features, there are more radios out there. Which is part of the fun of ham radio! My first radio was a Yaesu, from my dad for Christmas (he was so glad to have his techno geek eldest daughter get a license, lol!) so I am partial to them, but the best thing to do is consider with whom you will be communicating.