Hey amper,
That sounds like a great plan, plus a lot of fun (shh, dont tell anyone)! That IC-7000 really looks VERY cool! Do you know when it is planned to be released? I might have to see about getting one.
Ford

I've seen estimates for the release of the IC-7000 anywhere from next month through the end of 2005, and I think I even saw one that said 2006. If it doesn't look like it will be coming out in a reasonable amount of time (and it still has to pass the FCC certs), I'll probably end up getting a cheaper radio. The main candidates right now are the Yaesu FT-8900R, FT-857D, and FT-897D, plus the Icom IC-706MKIIG. The 897 and 857 may have problems fitting into the space I have in mind.

As far as a scanner goes, I'm thinking the Yaesu V-5000. It's a bit big for the space I want to put it in, but it looks like it has all the features I want. I may want to save the space and try to find a smaller unit. For a CB, I'm thinking the Cobra 75 WX ST, because I don't need another radio bay for it--everything is contained in the handset.

Today, I picked up my first amateur radio, an Icom IC-W32A handheld 2m/70cm radio. It fit my requirements of working on at least the 2m and 70cm bands, plus NWS RX and capability of running on AA batteries. Icom also has the IC-T7H model, but the W32A can also operate as a cross-band repeater. I'm also thinking about replacing my Motorola TalkAbout 6250 GMRS radios with the Icom IC-F21GM.

I have the T7H, and have some friends with the W32a - they are both nice radios - the main advantages of the T7H is a MUCH longer battery life, due to only having to run 1 VFO, and price

At the time I bought it, the W32 was discontinued (they put it back in production) and I could not afford the W32 from the few dealers that still had them. Wish I had bought the W32

What's the point of the two vfo's? I'm trying to figure out how the crossband repeater works. It listens on two separate input channels (2m and 440) and sends on two separate output channels (440 and 2m)? So someone with a 2m HT can talk to someone else with a 440 ht, but two 2m users can't talk to each other?

Is it really that useful? Would you set it up on a hilltop (tall building etc.) to provide repeater coverage to some local area or what? How would you power it, and how would you keep it secure? Actually I guess just putting it inside a car (roof mount antenna) would be a big help in letting HT users talk to each other. But I think a traditional repeater, or crossband mobile rig, makes more sense than an HT for this purpose.

yeah, you can cross band repeat, but I find the biggest advantage of 2 VFOs is to listen to 2 conversations at once - not scanning, but actually HEAR. Comes in useful sometimes - I have my go boxes setup that when I hook up headphones, I get one rig in the left ear, the other in the right

Amper & others:

Let's let the dust, and mud, settle over this last little interlude of mother nature, and tell us how amateur radio did, or could have, helped?

I'm not throwing darts -- I just heard that the 'call in' radio stations were the best source of info.

Ham radio unlike call-in shows lets you get info out of a region when the phone lines are down. But I think digital modes are the best for this purpose.

I expect that you will see, over the next few weeks, just how important amateur radio is for emergency communications. Call-in radio shows are not set up to provide accurate and precise information. There are established networks of amateur radio operators (SKYWARN, RACES, ARES, Hurricane Watch Net, etc...go look 'em up) that have established relationships with governmental and non-governmental emergency service and disaster relief agencies.

As for the cross-band repeater capability of the IC-W32A, it doesn't look like it's limited to 2m/70cm operation. Either side of the IC-W32A can be set for VHF or UHF operation. So you could conceivably use it to relay 2m/2m or 70cm/70cm as well. I think you can even use it to link two other repeaters, as each side of the radio can operate as a repeater client. It's a pretty complex beast, and I'm still clawing my way through the manual.

Unfortunately, Icom doesn't offer a better battery pack than a NiCd. The AA pack *is* a 4 AA, unlike the only equivalent Yaesu (VX7R), which only takes a 2xAA pack. With 4 AA's, you can transmit at 1.5W, and NiMH or Lithium AA's should last quite a long time in this radio. I understand that there are third-party NiMH battery packs available.

As a side question, can anybody recommend a better antenna for this radio?

No - it's CROSS BAND repeater - it can NOT receive and transmit on the same band at the same time - to do that requires a farily sharp diplexer (aka "Cans") - it can be setup with both VFOs on one band, but the RX on one drops when the other is TX

There are aftermarket battery packs that are better than the stock pack, and I forget which Comet Antenna I have (the one about 19" long) - works great

That said, I've relegated almost all my "Ham" gear to backup status, and use almost all commercial gear