Fieldcraft Next HAM HT analog or digital

[aslrookie]

Right now I have a UV5R. Considering it's just a cheap china radio, I don't want to put my only backup comms in the hands of a $35 radio or buy 5 of them to have as backups to the backup. The Yaesu FT-60R seems like a nice option for analog and a $160 price point is feasible. The popular DMR radios seem to be the AnyTone radios. The problem is, nobody in my immediate network has DMR capabilities. They just have UV5R radios. I may be able to convince a couple of them to get DMR radios and ditch the UV5R, but I am not 100% certain.

Also, for reaching out for additional resources, would DMR be a disadvantage in that way? Since we already have UV5R's, we could potentially use those for specific purposes.

 

[Disfunctional_Engineer]

This radio doesn't seem to do digital modes based on looking real quick. Most radios that do digital modes will do FM as well. If you don't transmit as FM the digital receivers won't hear you. Also worth noting is that all the digital modes (dstar, fusion etc.) are incompatible with one another as of right now.

 

[aslrookie]

The FT-60 is analog, the digital/FM HT I am looking at is the FT-70DR which uses fusion. It’s only $25 more than the 60, so I’m looking at it like why not for only $25 more than an analog only radio?

 

[Disfunctional_Engineer]

That looks like a neat little radio for under 200. Reading into it the radio supports a feature where you can automatically retransmit on the mode that it last received. E.g. if you received Fusion you'd transmit back that way, or if you received analog from a Baofeng you'd transmit back that way. The only down side would be if you were talking digital to digital and wanted analog radios to be able to hear. Although you may consider that a feature too because not everyone with a Baofeng could hear what you're saying too. By no means secure but less insecure if you will.

 

[zim65]

I have an FT-60 and it is a solid analog radio. It is what I recommend new hams get as a 1st ht. Don’t have an FT-70 but know hams that have them, only complaint I hear is battery life. I also have an Anytone 878 and it is an excellent radio also.
I’m going to assume that you are licensed because digital radios require a ham call sign.
You can go to eham and read user reviews of all the radios.

 

[aslrookie]

I have an FT-60 and it is a solid analog radio. It is what I recommend new hams get as a 1st ht. Don’t have an FT-70 but know hams that have them, only complaint I hear is battery life. I also have an Anytone 878 and it is an excellent radio also.
I’m going to assume that you are licensed because digital radios require a ham call sign.
You can go to eham and read user reviews of all the radios.

Not licensed yet. I missed the tech exam last time by 1 point. I've been studying up more, and I should be good-to-go for the next tech exam. I originally got the UV5R as an entry to the radio world as a low-cost option incase I felt it wasn't something worth pursuing down the road. Instead, I've gained more interest in it with the different capabilities available that I didn't previously know about. If my work schedule didn't interfere with exam dates so frequently, I would've been licensed by now.

 

[Marbles]

If you pay for the digital, it can be used analog and you have the capability for digital if you ever want it. Digital will give you longer effective range for the same transmit power.

 

[Alpine 338]

Digital will give you longer effective range for the same transmit power.

No, not necessarily. Our experience with the VHF band, when forced to go from Analog to Digital Narrowband (P-25), our effective range was reduced, and reliable communication was also reduced.
Initially, we were suprised our LOS (mountain top to mountain top unobstructed) comms were extended, but long term found that varying terrain, vegatation, and the shadowing effect reduced performance greatly.

Look at Los Angeles County, and all the problems they have since they went digital, and trunking compounded the problem.

That's why many Firefighting agencies got an exemption from the FCC to keep VHF Analog.

 

[aslrookie]

I ended up going with a Yaesu FT-70D. It's nice having the ability to do both analog and digital. It's also cool listening to the AM bands for air traffic.

 

[Marbles]

No, not necessarily. Our experience with the VHF band, when forced to go from Analog to Digital Narrowband (P-25), our effective range was reduced, and reliable communication was also reduced.
Initially, we were suprised our LOS (mountain top to mountain top unobstructed) comms were extended, but long term found that varying terrain, vegatation, and the shadowing effect reduced performance greatly.

Look at Los Angeles County, and all the problems they have since they went digital, and trunking compounded the problem.

That's why many Firefighting agencies got an exemption from the FCC to keep VHF Analog.

Interesting. When I was a volunteer firefighter we got some Motorola's capable of both analog and digital, as not all the radios where changed out our traffic remained analog. However, in several of the holes in the district where an analog signal would not get out you could switch to digital and get loud and clear transmissions.

However, I should have know better than to assume that applied across the board.