Needing a Radio

[revrenhex]

Hello,

I am needing a new mobile (car) radio. I need it to transmit on the standard 150ish Mhz bands, but I want more.

I also want to be able to listen to everything VHF and UHF in the area. I can easily do both with a HAM radio with a MARS/CAP modification.

But here is where it gets tricky, I also want to listen to 800mhz trunked, does anybody know of a device that can do all of the above?

-Cliff

[firefighterbeau]

I've seen the VHF/UHF dual band, but never anything with 800 trunked also. If you just need transmit VHF/UHF get a dual band radio, and just buy a trunking scanner to monitor the 800 stuff.

[revrenhex]

I will probably wind up having to do that, I just had this dream of a single radio to do it all..............ahh well....

[sfdffemt17]

Radio

Sorry there is no commercially available work around for you. you will have to buy a dual band mobile as well as a trunking scanner.

[vfdguy]

illegal

I can easily do both with a HAM radio with a MARS/CAP modification.

Which would be illegal. Radios for use on commercial or public safety freqs must be FCC type accepted for that use. Ham radios are only type accepted for the amateur bands.

You could use a ham radio to monitor the vhf/uhf freqs you want, but to transmit you need a commercial radio.

[BirkenVogt]

Your best bet is to buy the 150 MHz radio you need for that part of it, and a decent scanner to do the rest. The cops, fire chiefs and Forest Service around here do it this way.

Birken

[sfdffemt17]

Type Accpted

Which would be illegal. Radios for use on commercial or public safety freqs must be FCC type accepted for that use. Ham radios are only type accepted for the amateur bands.

You could use a ham radio to monitor the vhf/uhf freqs you want, but to transmit you need a commercial radio.

This is a long standing debate, and I agree you are correct, the radio must be type accepted for what you are using it for. But it happens everyday, all over the country where departments are using non type accepted radios for such activities. The FCC is not going to waste thier time enforcing this, unless the person is misusing the radio and causing interference on frequencies they are not authorized ot be on.

[revrenhex]

Ok, to satisfy the "legal" aspect of it, i'll use a "proper" radio for txmiting, and a scanner for the rest. Any recomendations on a compact or remote head mobile radio?

[Frmboybuck]

Blah,blah,blah.....Who cares and NO one would ever know what kind of radio he was talking on unless he was showing it off. Ill bet my next years salary you cant tell me if a radio is type accepted just by listning to it.

[USAFSSGT]

What is a 800mhz trunk radio? Secure? I am confused?

[rfdlou]

MARS/CAP modification

A MARS/CAP modification to a Ham radio will only get you 142- 152 VHF and 420-450 UHF. and usually by just cutting a jumper wire. (Illegal unless you’re authorized) Public Safety freq. is higher up 153-174 VHF and 450-512 UHF. Ham radios can be modified to go that high but require a tech to undo the safeguards (a Federal offense) that the FCC made the manufacturer design in to the radio in the first place to make it “Type Acceptable” for ham use. If you’re caught accidentally causing interference with your illegally modified radio the fines are very steep.

[rfdlou]

trunking

What is a 800mhz trunk radio? Secure? I am confused?

Think of trunking as when you go to the bank. There are 5 teller windows open. If each window has its own line you may get behind someone with a long transaction. Most banks have one line that feeds into the next available teller. The teller windows are radio channels. It’s more efficient but requires a computer to run it and radios are expensive.

Try this: http://www.police-scanner.info/scann...io-systems.htm

[revrenhex]

"I never use this radio" but I do have a alinco handheld that i did a mars/cap mod on, and I can transmit VHF from 144-174mhz, well covering the public safety bands, and i only had to cut one wire to do so. But, "I have never used this radio" in service.

[Frmboybuck]

A MARS/CAP modification to a Ham radio will only get you 142- 152 VHF and 420-450 UHF. and usually by just cutting a jumper wire. (Illegal unless you’re authorized) Public Safety freq. is higher up 153-174 VHF and 450-512 UHF. Ham radios can be modified to go that high but require a tech to undo the safeguards (a Federal offense) that the FCC made the manufacturer design in to the radio in the first place to make it “Type Acceptable” for ham use. If you’re caught accidentally causing interference with your illegally modified radio the fines are very steep.

The MARS/CAP mod on 99% of radios will yiels 130-174 MHz. No tech is required in most cases. It can be done by the user. Like I said before NO ONE will know what radio you are using unless you tell them.

[sfdffemt17]

The MARS/CAP mod on 99% of radios will yiels 130-174 MHz. No tech is required in most cases. It can be done by the user. Like I said before NO ONE will know what radio you are using unless you tell them.

Yaseu VX-150 will give you 130-174. The freeband mod is usually more restrictive. I know the VX-150 works very well with the MARS/CAP mod. The VX-150 actually is an excellant radio for public safety. I have used it for "listening" for several years now due to the department purchasing crappy Maxon HT's. We now have Motorola's so there is a VX-150 for sale if anyone is interested.

Jon