Re: VR-500 vs. Icom R5
"Bob Parnass, AJ9S" <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.recreation.radio.hardware.yaesu.vr-500 |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
On Sunday 05 June 2005 10:16 am, billroeding wrote: > I am new to this group and looking at the VR-500, I currently own the > ICOM R5 and am not very happy with it. My primary use is for emergency > situations when I want to find out what is going on both locally and > around the world. The ICOM is just too hard to find a frequency in a > hurry. I have a VR-500, VR-120, and IC-R5 (etc.). VR-500 advantages over the IC-R5 include: - VR-500 easier to use, especially direct frequency entry, due to the VR-500's full keypad. VR-500 has analog volume and squelch knobs which are easier to use than IC-R5's pushbuttons. - VR-500 has a product detector for SSB and CW reception - VR-500 can display both the frequency and alpha label simultaneously - VR-500 has better frequency coverage adjacent to the 800 MHz band even though it has several frequency gaps elsewhere. The USA version IC-R5 omits key frequency ranges adjacent to the cell band. - VR-500 uses a common BNC antenna jack vs. IC-R5's weaker SMA connector IC-R5 advantages over the VR-500 include: - slightly smaller size - significantly better audio quality and volume (the VR-500 audio is anemic and often difficult to hear while driving in a car) - CTCSS and DCS decoding squelch - better AM BCB reception due to the internal bar antenna, though AM BCB reception on both models is inferior to a cheap AM radio. Locally, I use the IC-R5 more often than the VR-500 due to better audio and smaller size. When I travel on vacation, I use the VR-500 instead of the IC-R5 due to the ease of entering in new frequencies and the ability to listen to SSB ham radio operators if there is nothing more interesting in the area. I wrote free, open source software for the VR-500, IC-R5, and several other radios. You are welcome to download them from http://parnass.com -- ========================================================================= Bob Parnass, AJ9S GNU/Linux User http://parnass.com Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] List owner: [email protected] Ejoy the list!! Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VR-500/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/