Yaesu/Vertex/Standard makes good gear. As Philip points out, you're in large part paying for the ability to transmit, but if you're interested in getting your ticket it could be a great idea.

Just my highly biased 2 cents - having a radio to hear what's going on can be very helpful, especially in an urban setting. Having a handheld radio transmitter can be a lifesaver, especially in a wilderness situation.

My current scanner is a Radio Shack Pro-106 digital trunking scanner. Very very capable and astonishingly complicated to program and operate. Software is needed to program it. Or find a scanner geek to do it for you. Not even reading the manual is sufficient.

See the website RadioReference.com for more.

I have a VX7 and think it is an awesome little radio.

If you get a VX7, then you can use VX7-Commander software to program it (Jim Mitchell also provides software for other radios):

http://www.kc8unj.com/

And I also needed this since my computer didn't have a serial port:

http://www.ttl2usb.com/

Regards

Not to hikejack... but does anyone have an experience with the Yaesu VR-500?

It might be something the OP could be interested in if he didn't want to transmit. I'm currently looking at either this radio or the ICOM RX7.

I would only add that while a few people have admonished the original questioner about transmitting without a license, I would point out that the FCC allows transmissions on ANY FREQUENCY at ANY TIME by ANYONE (including unlicensed operators) for a true emergency.

But I would also add that if you did not use the radio regularly, especially for some of the new radios, and not knowing about repeaters, duplex operation, calling frequencies and such, you would be picking a REALLY Bad time to try to mount the learning curve for such things. . .

BTW, yes I am licensed (K0WHH). And I need to sit down and take the pesky General exam!

Regards,
Wesley

Correct. If I was looking for a "survival" radio, I certainly would pick a transceiver over a receiver. As pointed out, there is a learning curve, but well worth the effort.

It is the same in the UK, in an emergency the rules officially go out of the window.

But:
using a transceiver is not as easy as falling off a log, indeed there is a learning curve.

So how will you climb up that curve without a license?

Getting on air legally is easy and cheap, you won't regret it.

MichaelC,

What do you want to do with the radio?

Said another way ... What do you want the radio to do for you?

If you're trying to learn about weather, then a weather radio is far cheaper and provides the emergency warning feature.

If you're trying to get news and local information, then an AM/FM radio would do better than a ham radio or police scanner. Of course, AM/FM radios usually offer weather information too, especially in emergencies.

I have yet to see what I perceive to be a good weather/AM/FM radio combo that provides SAME emergency notification, but I haven't looked too hard. I tend to bring weather radios when I'm outdoors and haven't had much use for AM/FM. At home I rely on weather radios and TV.

If you're trying to broadcast to get help, then a cell phone and/or a PLB does much MUCH better than a ham radio. Of course the PLB isn't the same as a local 911 service through land lines or the cell phone.

I understand what you're saying in the first paragraph, but that's not the problem. You cover only a part of it in the second paragraph.

I have no idea how anyone with a new transceiver would learn how to use it, even with the manual. I remember by first HT and reading the manual - I had no clue what those words meant. I talked to many hams about what th' heck tones were and whether I needed SQL or Tone-SQL, what VFO was, and much, much more. Among other issues are what frequencies do you call to get help on? If the non-ham has his radio programmed for local repeaters, I pity the poor real hams who get their controlled nets totally screwed up by some guy who has no clue how to use a radio to get help.

And I'm serious on this last point. Our repeaters in the Bay Area are often tied to the local police and sheriff's departments, and they're used as resource and tactical networks in emergencies. Having some knucklehead interrupt search and rescue or traffic for Red Cross or Salvation Army services would be obstructive and damaging to the community's need for help and ability to provide it. I would not be happy that some jerk bought a radio with the plan of getting his personal help if he ever needed it and who then screwed up coordinated relief efforts with his personal emergency.

I encourage you to get your general. As you know, there's no morse requirement now. My wife and I studied online and took the free online sample tests, and we passed with flying colors. With an HF radio, you can then participate in health and welfare nets from the various hurricane, earthquake, and tsunami disaster sites. It's a very valuable hobby in times of need.

As an update, I ended up getting the VX-7R. It was a little less expensive than the 8R and I don't think I needed any of the extra features anyway. I also picked up the AA battery pack so I can run it off AA batteries if the power is out. And although the manual doesn't say so, it does work with NIMH rechargeables too.

I took the Tech and General tests in January and passed both, so I'm good to go with the license. I bought a pocket repeater directory and programmed in all the local repeaters.

So far it works great for AM/FM, Weather, and VHF ham bands. I've programmed in the CB frequencies, but it only picks up signals from very close by. The antenna is just not designed for the lower frequencies. And unfortunately, our law enforcement here uses a digital trunking system, so I can't pick up any of that. All in all, it's a great little radio. Though, I may look into getting a mobile rig for my vehicle since the handheld doesn't have much range.

Thanks again for all the advice.