Today Bob K8LR, Buddy KB5ELV and Joel W0CAS discuss some radios that may be good for a new blind ham.
Suggested list of the Best ham radios for new blind hams
note the links below for the radios. This is only one place you can find these radios. You may find them at a better price at some other store.
These choices at this time are still in production as of December 2020
HT (Handy Talkie) radios
1. Baofeng DM1801. Analog/DMR This may be the one to get. Needs to have the Open DM1801 firmware installed to make fully accessible.
Amazon.com: BaoFeng DM-1801 DMR and Analog VHF/UHF Dual Band Dual Time Slot DMR Ham Amateur Two Way Radio 1024 Channels Tier I & II Compatible with MOTOTRBO, Free Programming Cable: Car Electronics
2. Boafeng RD5R Analog/DMR. Needs to have the Open RD5R firmware installed to make fully accessible.
https://www.radioddity.com/collections/consumer-radios-amateur-radios/products/radioddity-x-baofeng-rd-5r-dmr-ham-amateur-two-way-radio
3. Radioddity GD77 Analog/DMR. Needs to have the Open GD77 firmware installed to make fully accessible.
https://www.radioddity.com/products/radioddity-gd-77-dmr-two-way-radio
4. Kenwood THD74a Analog/D-Sttar
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-015269
Hot Spots for digital radios
1. Shark RF OpenSpot3 DMR, D-Star, YSF and P25
https://www.sharkrf.com/products/openspot3/
2. MMDVM hotspot from R and L Electronics
http://www.randl.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=75171&osCsid=jhlg2tp9os1itnsr7nk0pglg05
3. Pi Star hotspots can be bought from Amazon compleat or as a kit.
AllStar nodes
1. Clear Node
https://www.node-ventures.com/
2. G7RPG Micro/Hub
https://m0hoy2.wixsite.com/hubnet/g7rpg-microhub
3. Shari Node
https://hamprojects.info/shari/
Mobile radios
Kenwood TMV71a duel band 2meter and 70 centimeter. Needs a VSG1 voice chip added.
https://www.mtcradio.com/kenwood-tm-v71a-144-440-mhz-mobile-in-stock/
HF radio
Kenwood TS-590sg 100 watt 160-6 meter all mode AM,FM, CW and SSB. Needs a VSG1 voice chip added
https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/kwd-ts-590sg
Used Radios
You may also find used radios at a cheaper price. I do not recommend a new blind ham buy used radios until they know more about the hobby or have a Elmer or club member they trust to buy from.
