I have had mine for about a month and love it.  I have some ham repeaters programed up as well as the 7 noaa freqs and the local pd/fd as well as the county eoc freqs.  When you program it I would suggest getting the programing cable and using the free software.  All you have to do for the frequencys that you want to receve only on are to just input the recieve frequencys and leave the transmits blank.  Then if you do acdiently key the radio it will just beep telling you that your not transmitting.  I do the same thing with my Motorola HT600s and get the same beep.  Using this method will keep you from inavertly transmitting on any frequency where you might cause interference with a QSO.

I just picked up one of these this week.  For what I bought it for it is a dandy little raido.  I wanted something that wasn't too expensive to toss in my company car to monitor local repeaters and wx stations while driveing around the wilds of western Oklahoma.  I also wanted one that had a dual monitor function for V/V while out doing storm spotting with the local club and Skywarn group.  I wanted to be able to monitor both our local rpeater and the one that is linked to the National Weather Service in Norman OK at the same time.   Now I've only had this thing for a couple of days but paired with a Diamaond RH77CA antenna I think its going to get a lot of use.  For one thing it's a lot easier to carry around than my HT600 or FT-470 that I was toteing around.

Yes they can and they work great there.  I have two 6 chanel ones that I have programmed to match each other both with a couple of the local repeaters, a couple of simplex freqs and the local NWS chanel.  I had kept one in my company car and one in the house but I need to reprogram them since we added the tone to the club repeater.

Right now I am using the Tram clone of the Larson NMO2/70C on a Hustler NMO mag mount.  I wound up with the Tram as the day I went into Austin Amatuer Radio Supply they didn't have the Larson in stock only the 2/70B and I didn't want the exposed coil.  The Tram was about $25.00 and I got the Hustler at a ham fest for $3.00.  The Hustler came with an antenna that also looks like the NMO 2/70C but I was told that it was only resonating on 70cm.  I have been pretty happy with the Tram running 45w from an old Icom IC27H in my truck.

As a phone co comm tech I can answer this one.  They have a reversal in them so that the tx from your equip goes to the rx of the phone co equip and vice versa.  Tip goes to ring and ring goes to tip.  Those terms come from the old bayonet type plugs from the manual switch boards.    Hope this helps.

I see your in OKC, if you get something working point it west and see if you can hit our club repeater.  Its the Custer County ARC repeater on 145.190 MHz (-) 88.5 PL – KE5RRK.  It's 200' agl in Clinton.  We have had sucess with someone in Yukon with a yagi able to hit it.  And I know I can get to it from the west side of El Reno with my mobile IC-27H.

KE5OFO - Weatherford OK.

I don't know how well this would work.  I love geocashing with my kids and we do use radios but we used FRS radios just to keep in touch while in the woods.  My boy thought is was great to tromp around in the woods to find his first "treasure" when he was about 4.

Kerry
KE5OFO

You might check with Shakespear and see if you can get them there.  I have a few from when I worked at a radio shop that was a Shakespear dealer.  They were used for the top half of the Big Stick CB antenna so you may be able to order them as replacment parts for that.  

I use them with a hombrew budistick setup instead of the telescoping whip and built a mount for them to use a couple for a rotatable/vertical dipole for 10 meters.

Do you need more radials for CW?

I'm glad you posted this topic.  I am in the same situation and need to do the same thing.  This was a good reminder as it had gotten forgotten in the list of other things I have to do.

Kerry
KE5OFO

I have used a Turner +3 with great sucuss with an older Kenwood TR-7500 and plan on wiring it for the Icom 27H that I am using now.  I would think that it would work just fine for your application as well.

Kerry
KE5OFO

Don't limit yourself to just mice.  I am reworking an analog joystick as a ptt/vfo switch and headset adapter to use with an Elecraft K2.  The joystick I have has two triggers one finger and one thumb.  The finger trigger will be PTT and the thumb will switch between vfo's since mine is set up for the Kenwood standard.  The joystick cable is being replaced with a mic cord and the appropriate jacks are being mounted in the rear of the joystick base to plug in either a computer headset or a phone type headset.  I'm also thinking about adding another jack to allow for a foot switch.

If your looking for a very simple to operate single band radio and he has no need to scan the VFO and doesn't need more than 32 programed frequencys may I sugest a Motorola Maxtrac.  I have one and love it.  Extreamly simple to use and no menus or other things to distract while driving, just put it on the chanel you want and go.  The only downfall is getting it programed but you might be able to find a ham in your area that can do that for you.

Kerry
KE5OFO

Well I didn't get a chance to play with these this weekend.  I was all set to go outside and play around when the sky opened up.

I did however find a 50' chunk of 300 ohm twin lead that I had bought for something in the past and now have some feedline to play with.  Just have to figure out how to feed the K2 with it.  I don't want to cut that chunk smaller yet as I think I will use it as a feed line once I get a permanat QTH set up.  I will have to see what I can come up with for a Balun.  

I wish I had the money right now to just break down and buy a decent tuner with a balun in it.  That would come in handy right now.  

Kerry

Yea I can see where in the trees solid twinlead might work better.  Right now I don't see that as a problem.  This will most probably be setup as a sloper at my apartment with one end attatched to the 2nd story balcony across the court yard.  And when in the field it will probalby be used with my 24' protable mast as either a sloper or inverted V.

Kerry
KE5OFO