On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 07:56:07 -0600, Bob Miller
wrote:

On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 08:39:08 -0600, ned wrote:

Just joined Public Safety organization. Looking for inexpensive
($150) VHF (156.xxx). Have been watching Ebay and see some Kenwoods,
Yaesu/Vertex and Motorolas that might work, but I'm not sure which
models are easily field programmable without sending them off for
additional expense. Looks like many Motorola models require a rather
difficult interface (something other than a cable and PC software).

Can anyone suggest a FAQ or give recommendations as to which older
radios might be a good choice and relatively easily programmed?

Why don't you ask the people at your public safety organization?

As Bob implies, standardizing with the people you are working with is
very helpful.

Because of legalities from the FCC, any unit working in the commercial
range cannot be easily programmed in the field. A licensee is only
authorized for specific frequencies, and this includes public safety
organizations.

Most ham HTs do not need to be sent away for programming, very much
unlike the commercial rigs you seem to be familiar with.

If you have two of the same model, you can cable them together and
"clone" the memory from one to the other.

Alternately, you can get software for a PC (not Mac) which emulates
the other radio, and you can process a file on your PC to load into
the radio. Typical pricing is about $20 for the cable, $20 for the
software, no matter how many times you use them. Generally, you will
need a different set of S/W for each model you are dealing with.

If you really mean 156.xxx, that is well outside the ham bands, and
would require a commercial solution. There is no legal way to put any
ham HT into that frequency range.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom