I am back on VHF and UHF amateur radio again. My old equipment, an Icom IC-24AT proved out to be a totally dead cat. (Sorry cat lovers, but it happens.) I had to get a new one.<\/p>\n
The small hand held “Handy Talkies” or Handheld Transceivers (HT) have gained a lot of “features” since the late nineteen\u00a0hundreds when I purchased the Icom. A plain old HT radio only, no longer\u00a0exists.<\/p>\n
The long standing Yeasu FT-60 shown here is as close as I could get to a “minimal” dual band hand held. I am not quoting price, just features. The FT-60 has over 1000 memory channels as if I would ever need or use that many. Just because they are there doesn’t mean I have to fill them up. The other radios of this type are chocked full of extra features like sending pictures or linking to the internet. I don’t need that just now… Maybe later.<\/p>\n
I am considering getting involved with microwave experimentation and a working HT\u00a0on voice\u00a0is a necessary\u00a0accessory\u00a0for coordination before the microwave link is established. The old, “Can you hear me now?” sort of thing. Or maybe, “Watson, come here…” Cell phones do all the rest.<\/p>\n\n\t\t