Ancestors

Toot

Written by Tilde Lowengrimm on 2025-01-12 at 23:55

Lazymind, I'm looking for a versatile little radio to pack in my go bag.

Receiving is most important: NOAA alerts, AM/FM, & public safety bands in NorCal. Compact rugged practicality is next: durable, good IP rating, small/lightweight, & USB-C charging. Transmitting is less important — if I'm evacuating, I should probably listen, not talk. I care more about band versatility than transmit power; I'd like to be able to reply to anyone nearby, whatever they're using. And I'm happy to rely on repeaters. Bluetooth, programming without needing a special cable, GPS, automatic repeater switching, all that jazz: nice to have, not essential.

I have an FCC license, but I'm not an expert. I might be extremely wrong about what I need. But if you know more than me, hopefully my description of what I think I want lets you deduce what I really need?

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Descendants

Written by Athena on 2025-01-13 at 00:18

@tilde I have a few thoughts:

1. My first thought is an XHData D608WB. Covers a lot of bases in an emergency: lots of radio bands, flashlight, charges with a hand crank and can work as a power bank in a pinch. The xhdata D221 would also work for smaller/lighter/cheaper and just a radio. Those are both receivers, neither are waterproof but like you can trivially stick em in a ziplock. If IP rating is important to you in a receiver, I’m not sure what to recommend unfortunately

2. as far as transceivers, for cheap I’d get a tidradio td-h3. They’re very inexpensive and broadly capable, Bluetooth programmable, speaks a pretty wide range of frequencies (2m/70cm ham bands, which is all you’re realistically going to get in a handheld), receives FM, NOAA, and air band but cannot receive broadcast AM. You can also trivially unlock it to transmit on GMRS frequencies as well, though actually transmitting on those frequencies with a radio also capable of transmitting on ham bands is technically illegal. I don’t think it’s IP rated. If you’re looking more upscale, a VGC VR-N76 has the same raw tx/rx bands but is IP rated, has a Bluetooth speaker mic available, and has a GPS built in and can send and receive position data and some other stuff via APRS (also usable via the questionable companion app)

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Written by Tilde Lowengrimm on 2025-01-13 at 01:03

@Athena The XHData is totally the wrong category for me. I just don't like hand crank emergency radios. They're worse power banks than power banks, they're worse flashlights than flashlights, they're worse radios than radios, and they tend to be bulky and awkward because people rarely actively use them, so there's no reason to improve UX papercuts.

The TD-H3 & VR-N76 are more like what I'm looking for, I think?. The things that I've vaguely had in open tabs are an Icom ID-50A or 52 for wild features, Yaesu VX-6R for compactness, or Wouxun KG-Q10H for the sheer versatility of being quad(!)-band (even if it's bulkier and I'd need to carry more antennas to really use it). Does that make sense?

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Written by AE4WX on 2025-01-13 at 00:20

@tilde You might need to transmit to call for help in an emergency. Don't rule it out.

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Written by Tilde Lowengrimm on 2025-01-13 at 00:47

@AE4WX Did it sound like I was ruling it out?

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