I’m kind of geeked right now because I’m waiting for my new VHF rig to arrive. It’s been such a long time since I bought a new VHF radio that the radios I currently have both use thumbwheel switches to change frequency. Seriously. The mobile rig is a 20 year-old Icom IC-22U, and the handheld is an even older IC-2AT. Scan rate is not only not programmable, but is determined by how fast I can punch the little + and – buttons.
What I bought is an Icom IC-207H (as you can see, I’m an Icom guy all the way). It has almost all the new fancy features, including dual band operation, up to 50W out on 2m (35W on 440), and 182 channel memories. There’s even a wireless microphone option that I thought would be pretty cool–I could easily talk on the radio while using my exercise bike. Unfortunately, that option costs $150–more than half what I’m paying for the entire rig.
The UPS website says that the box is currently in Minneapolis. It’s supposed to get here on Thursday.
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