$639! Are you kidding me?

[KA9MOT]

Who buys something like this? Is this one of those cases that somebody has more money than brains?

Folks, I introduce you to the Icom ID-51:


http://youtu.be/C6nHIqWz0Nc

"OH WOW! Low 2, I don't even know what that is." :lol: :rofl:

"Stay tuned for a mod video." :lol:

[KB3LAZ]

I have never understood the amount of money that some people spend on HT´s but it is their money to spend and they are free to enjoy the hobby as they see fit.

[KJ3N]

I have never understood the amount of money that some people spend on HT´s but it is their money to spend and they are free to enjoy the hobby as they see fit.

And yet, some of these people complain about the cost of an HF rig, while blowing $800 on the latest Whiz-Bang HT and all the accessories. :roll:

[KB3LAZ]

And yet, some of these people complain about the cost of an HF rig, while blowing $800 on the latest Whiz-Bang HT and all the accessories. :roll:

Yep, I have always said that if I were going to spend that much money on an HT it would have to be an FT-817. Not quite an HT but close enough.

I bought a VX7RB some years back after it was out for awhile and on sale. To this day I still think I spent too much. I only use it a few times a year. If ever I buy an HT again it will be one of those Chinese cheapies for 50-60$.

However, as I said, to each their own.

[AE1PT]

I think that like anything else we wear or parade about in public some of these HT's are status symbols. They are definitely part of a pecker measuring contest for those obsessed idiots that wear the vests with 3 or 4 stuck in various pockets. WGAF?

[KK4AMI]

The way I lose stuff, I'd rather buy 7 cheap Chinese HTs for that price. My XYL is already threatening to tie a string on my cell phone like a pair of "idiot mittens", so I don't lose it or forget to carry it again.

[wa6mhz]

Not only is the HT pricey, but once U get involved in D-Star, the CLUB to access the D-Star is pricey. Think it is around (OMG!!!) $100 a YEAR!!!! Just to access D-Star! Without the D-Star club, the HT is equivalent to a $50 Baofeng!

[X-Rated]

The way I lose stuff, I'd rather buy 7 cheap Chinese HTs for that price. My XYL is already threatening to tie a string on my cell phone like a pair of "idiot mittens", so I don't lose it or forget to carry it again.

That's where I am as well. Chinese radios do the job that I require and I have a few of them. I still have my VX-5R as well that I am totally in love with, but I hate losing it, so the Chinese radio's go on the road with me and the VX-5R stays at home.

[X-Rated]

Not only is the HT pricey, but once U get involved in D-Star, the CLUB to access the D-Star is pricey. Think it is around (OMG!!!) $100 a YEAR!!!! Just to access D-Star! Without the D-Star club, the HT is equivalent to a $50 Baofeng!

Totally sucks. I had not known that.

[WX7P]

Who buys something like this? Is this one of those cases that somebody has more money than brains?



The guy lives in Sherman Oaks, CA. Ritzy area. He's probably got plenty of money to blow on this kind of junk.

[KJ3N]

Not only is the HT pricey, but once U get involved in D-Star, the CLUB to access the D-Star is pricey. Think it is around (OMG!!!) $100 a YEAR!!!! Just to access D-Star! Without the D-Star club, the HT is equivalent to a $50 Baofeng!

Your club is probably ripping you off.


Totally sucks. I had not known that.

Whether or not it costs you to access the D-Star network has a lot to do with the folks running your local D-Star system. Some charge for it, some don't.

[W3WN]

Not only is the HT pricey, but once U get involved in D-Star, the CLUB to access the D-Star is pricey. Think it is around (OMG!!!) $100 a YEAR!!!! Just to access D-Star! Without the D-Star club, the HT is equivalent to a $50 Baofeng!It does?

One of the local clubs, the North Hills ARC, has a couple of D-Star repeaters up. As far as I know, they don't charge anyone a premium to use them.

There's just got to be more to the story Pat. This sounds like the actions of one or more local clubs -- maybe it's a way to keep the unwashed out, by their definition of the unwashed?

[N8YX]

They see me rollin'keyin'. They hatin'.

[KC2UGV]

It does?

One of the local clubs, the North Hills ARC, has a couple of D-Star repeaters up. As far as I know, they don't charge anyone a premium to use them.

There's just got to be more to the story Pat. This sounds like the actions of one or more local clubs -- maybe it's a way to keep the unwashed out, by their definition of the unwashed?

Or, a club trying to keep misogynistic whiners who do nothing but complain about money, while hoarding hundreds of $300+ radios.

[wa6mhz]

OH, they went UP!!!!!



The system covering SoCal is called the PAPA system and dues are up to $120 annually!!!!
http://www.papasys.com/showthread.ph...highlight=dues



Great repeater system though! But then, for $120 a year, it SHOULD be!!!

http://www.papasys.com/



"

[N2CHX]

It does?

One of the local clubs, the North Hills ARC, has a couple of D-Star repeaters up. As far as I know, they don't charge anyone a premium to use them.

There's just got to be more to the story Pat. This sounds like the actions of one or more local clubs -- maybe it's a way to keep the unwashed out, by their definition of the unwashed?

Wow, so some clubs are charging money to access "premium" repeaters now? That's definitely not the spirit of ham radio I grew up with.

[X-Rated]

Wow, so some clubs are charging money to access "premium" repeaters now? That's definitely not the spirit of ham radio I grew up with.

I can see both sides. On one hand, these repeaters are not free to maintain and this system looks pretty extensive. On the other hand, no one is forcing anyone to pay the premiums. One can pretend that these repeaters do not exist and use something else. In the old days when there were no other repeater options, it sucked to have people ask for a large sum of money to use the local repeaters because there was little other options. Around Chicago, there are dozens and dozens of repeaters and hardly anyone uses them anymore. Most are there free to use and the premium repeaters get the most use. Go figure.

[N8YX]

Wow, so some clubs are charging money to access "premium" repeaters now? That's definitely not the spirit of ham radio I grew up with.

Same here. And these clubs wonder why they're dying due to lack of members.

[N2CHX]

Same here. And these clubs wonder why they're dying due to lack of members.

Exactly. Had this been the norm when I was young I never would have gotten into ham radio. My first computer cost less than that and I had to save for quite a while to buy it. It's more than I paid for my first radios as well. And this is accounting for inflation.

[KC9SQR]

As the old saying goes.. A fool and his money will soon parted...

It doesn't look like that fool had that money very long... I'd never spend that kind of money on an HT.. Much less an HT that is basically a fancy proprietary version of Echolink...

I know it's not just that.. It's also digital over the air... But they do push the whole thing of being able to dial a few DTMF tones and talk to another part of the country or world pretty hard... Eh, Echolink does that for free, and is more wide spread....

When these companies stop thinking that these digital radios are the holy grail of ham radio, stop smoking crack or whatever it is they're smoking, and come back to the real world.. With some real world pricing, I'll consider it... Until then, not my cup of tea....

[kb2vxa]

Sherman Oaks, exclusive neighborhood. D Star, exclusive club. Exclusive, excluding the riff raff meaning Misfits so to borrow a phrase from the Sweat Hogs, up your skyscraper nose with a rubber duck. HARUMPH!

[n6hcm]

I've had a VX-7R for years, and it's what I use at home mostly ... I did receive, just today, a Baofeng UV-5R+ (at least that's what I bought--the box is labelled UV-5R Plus and UV-5RA ... which is it?!?). I've liked using the VX-7R and I wanted a radio I wouldn't mind using on the MUNI so I got the Baofeng. So far, with the radio still in the box, the big question is "do I have a UV-5R+ or a UV-5RA?" ... branding by amateurs.

[kb2vxa]

No, rather slick Chinese packaging, they save making boxes that way.

[N2RJ]

Repeaters aren't free but charging money to use them seems to be against ham spirit.

That said I've never paid to use a repeater, ever.

[kb2vxa]

I found one in southern Ocean County when I lived there I didn't use much not being into repeaters as a hangout but mobile extenders as per original intent. Our periodic Islander Sue KB2SFH however was a regular until she received a not so nice letter telling her to pay a user fee or not use it, she chose not to use it and privately had some rather "nice" things to say about the user group. I can understand paying club membership dues and if a repeater or two come with the package fine, but this isn't a club repeater. I've used plenty of privately owned repeaters and was encouraged to use them by the owners free of charge. Now THAT'S true Amateur spirit.

"That said I've never paid to use a repeater, ever."
Me either. They can bite my shiny metal arse, the one with the hot 4-400 in it.