I think the point here is that Yaesu specifically chose a connector that was either impossible or nearly impossible to find on your own. Hence, you almost HAVE to order their special cable from them.

I used to own Yaesu products exclusively but found their support to be the shittiest of all the manufacturers out there, hands down. I dumped all my Yaesu gear in favor of other more palatable equipment, who offer far better support in the long run.

I'd be pissed too if I bought a two or three thousand dollar transciever that either didn't come with the connectors, or couldn't be found on the open market.

Yaesu obviously knew what the deal was with that one. "Yaesu Did It Again".

Jumping through all kinds of "hoops" is specifically engineered into all rebates. As already stated above, the only real purpose of a rebate is the manufacturers hope that you'll forget, not bother with, or somehow not meet the rebate requirements. Thus, they don't have to pay.

Just like all other baloney scams in the world, the rebate is one of those that actually pays sometimes but is engineered with such difficulty that you'll fall short of at least one of it's requirements.

Real nice . . . .

I miss my original HTX-202. Wish I still had it . . .

For those who operate APRS stations with mapping, you can clearly see VHF propagation patterns by simply looking at your APRS map. When propagation is favorable you will see stations well beyond the normal realm on the map.

Although I use APRS for its intended purpose, I still rely on what I see on the map to indicate current propagation.

I too recall receiving the 'Out of Memory' error several years ago while using Win98. I still use WinAPRS version 2.51 but my PC operating system is now WinXP and I stopped having that issue after switching to it.

Unfortunately I don't know the fix if you plan to continue using Win98 though.

Happy Holidays!!

Wow, if I were local to you I'd be happy to program your Visar's for free. I've always provided free programming services to amateur's and those in need. I have no vested interest in the money-making aspect of this service and have always been happy to help in this regard when possible for reasons just like this.

Unfortunately for you I'm in south FL !

I know this has nothing to do with the Ten-Tec issue but Caity, K7VO, was mentioned here and I was very surprised to read of her legal issues (reading from the website previously posted).

I've always had a great amount of respect for Caity, as she is one of the ladies in the amateur community who really knows her stuff.

Although I don't know the details of that situation, I was sorry to read of the allegations

I have several pieces of commercial gear that was converted for amateur radio (33cm) use. Many people use the Motorola Maxtrac mobile and the MTX9000 portable series radio's for this purpose and they work exceptionally well once converted. I also purchased a kenwood TK-981 mobile radio that didn't require ANY hardware modification whatsoever to work on 33cm, and I highly recommend this model for anyone who isn't comfortable trying their hand at converting commercial equipment to the 33cm band.

The Kenwood TK-981 is a rather small 15-watt mobile with a very nice amber backlit 10-character dot-matrix display. The programming software can be found just about anywhere (I would be glad to *help* anyone locate this software at no charge), and the programming cable is cheap and can be found on ebay, and works with a multitude of other Kenwood models.

900 MHz propagation is similar to UHF. Openings are rare so I wouldn't get into 33cm with the thought you'll be catching many openings. I have been fortunate enough to take advantage of a few openings but this in no way compares to HF openings so I don't want you to get the wrong idea! 33cm is best used through repeater systems, period. Simplex range is limited as well, although I do use it when I'm within a mile of another user (yes, I said ONE mile!).

Programming the TK-981 is easy but does require a tiny utility to convert what is essentially commercial frequencies to amateur ranges of operation. This is a simple .exe file you run and does NOT require special equipment or rocket science to operate. I would also be glad to assist anyone interested in using this software until they care comfortable with it. The software uses current high-end processor PC's (not the ultra-slow 486's the older Motorola RSS requires), and the cable interface uses a standard DB9 serial port, port replicator, or a USB-to-Serial adapter to operate. I have tested my cable with all three of these methods of cabling the PC and radio together so it doesn't matter which method you choose, as they all work without problems.

I originally got into 900 MHz amateur for the learning experience. I was already familiar with converting motorola equipment for other amateur bands but had yet to 'play' with 33cm. Fortunately there was local interest and even a repeater that helped foster further interest. Hoever, I recently moved and was elated to find THREE 33cm repeaters in my local area, all with daily use. I've even been able to make use of the calling channel when nearby stations are within range (and I mean NEARBY!). Many area's have adaopted 927.500 MHz as their official FM calling channel, which is what's used in my area as well.

900 MHz amateur has been loads of fun for me but I would recommend getting in to it only if there's already a repeater in your area, or if you wish to put one in operation in your area. There are many who see no use for 33cm, however, it is merely one band among many. Just because someone has no interest in it doesn't mean there isn't a following elsewhere for it. Many people who aren't in to HF operation could say the same thing so it isn't an issue of what a single individual thinks on here. If you feel you would benefit from it in some way then I would say to do it. I for one would be glad to assist you and answer any questions you may have prior to purchasing anything.

In fact, anyone interested in 900 MHz amateur can email me anytime at thebakerman1@gmail.com and I'll be happy to help in that regard.

Cheers

Using ANYTHING other than what RT Systems puts out. I wouldn't buy their bug-filled software if it was the only thing out there, and I mean that quite literally.

So far all three types of software I've purchased for different radio's has had real issues from the get-go. Zero customer service too so don't expect any help from the people who actually developed and wrote that crap.

Yaesu has made a serious error in their continuance to contract RT Systems as their amateur software provider.

Glad to hear your going to use FTB8900 software!

Another good reference is to read the reviews on this site of both types of software. It will be clear as crystal after you read the reviews as to which software is preferred by those who actually use either type.

Good choice though by using FTB8900.

As someone else previously pointed out, you do have to be aware of any orders you place with companies that may have higher-then-expected shipping (or other) charges.

I have dealt with HRO and GigaParts regularly over the years and have found them to be the best companies I could deal with. The only reason I don't normally buy from AES is merely due to being subject to paying sales tax, which can add a lot of $$ to a high-dollar purchase. Otherwise, I've also found them to be great to deal with. HRO has free shipping on any purchase over $100 (unless its for something funky), and GigaParts offers free shipping for orders over $200 (which most of mine are anyway). I don't think AES offers free shipping though.

Texas Towers has it's following as well, although not nearly to the degree the previous three companies already mentioned. I purchased from Texas Towers once and that was enough for me to quickly establish them on the No-Purchase list. I found them to have higher than average prices with a return policy that was more of a hassle than the other places mentioned.

Haven't heard of Ham City until now. I just looked them up and apparently their an extension of Jun's Electronics, which I've never had any experience with. Their prices appear to be very good though but it doesn't appear they offer free shipping on orders of a certain dollar amount, which can make a difference if your buying a lot of big heavy stuff.

Just because a company offers free shipping doesn't make them great. There are several factors in why people deal with one company over another. I know in my case I deal almost exclusively with HRO in Atlanta because they already have great prices and will match any competitors in-stock price, and they've helped me in many ways they didn't actually have to several times. One such time I received a radio that didn't work properly and they (HRO) shipped a replacement without having first received the first radio back. Obviously they wouldn't do this for just anyone, but having dealt with them as long as I have they knew they could trust me in this regard in sending the first shipment back and didn't make me wait the extra time to first receive it before sending the replacement. That kind of trust, great prices, free shipping, and overall great rapport with the staff is why I (and many others) deal with one company over another.

I'm sure everyone has their favorites in who they deal with, and there are many more out there who are equally as good to deal with who haven't been mentioned here. But these are who I've dealt with over the years, what aspects of doing business are important to me, and why I continue to do business with them.

Good luck and enjoy your new equipment!

Check here for the best software I've found for the Yaesu FT-8900R:  http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=3158

The junk offered by RT Systems is pure CRAP. I won't buy anything offered by those people, and their customer service is NON-EXISTENT. Loads of issues with everything they put out. But the above link is for the FTB8900 software, which works perfectly every time.

FTB8900 software is the only way to go if you have an FT-8900R radio.

In order to do what you want to do you will need a wireless setup in your laptop. Your choices are to use a PCMCIA wireless card or one that uses your USB connection. I also use NetStumbler to monitor local WiFi traffic, and I use a PCMCIA 802.11b/g card that has an external antenna connector, as most times I require the use of a high-gain antenna. These are all things to consider when purchasing this type of setup. But if you desire to monitor your WiFi traffic and "see" various signal strengths you'll definitely need some sort of wireless card and software such as NetStumbler to do this.

In terms of possible interference from amateur radio gear and your Onstar system, I once had a serious issue of a mobile ten meter radio I installed in my car completely knocking out the receive signal of my Garmin GPSV receiver. Although this is a different installation than what your describing, it represents the potential for serious interference of these types of installations.

My issue was so bad I was forced to remove the ten meter mobile and replace it with something else, as the radio was apparently oscillating at such a frequency that either matched the GPS receive frequency, or at least was a harmonic of it. In either case it rendered my GPS receiver useless, so I would say you at least have the same potential.

I think your best best it to test your Icom 706 in the vehicle in question to see if you experience any issues like I had. Be sure to use your 706 in all capacities possible with that model to ensure your won't have troubles at some point.

Aside from that I would also agree that GM likely gives such a warning because their attorney's make them do so. It's not surprising the service people didn't know anything about what you were asking, as I doubt they really ever see that sort of "issue".

I have a friend who works for the city and has an issued Trailblazer with a Motorola laptop (Mobile Data Terminal), an 800 MHz mobile radio system, a Kenwood TM-D700A dualband amateur radio as well as a couple portable radio's on various bands, and he has never reported any trouble with his GPS system they use.

Of course, "their" GPS systems differs from that of an Onstar system so this would not be an accurate comparison to your installation. That's why I strongly urge you to thoroughly test your particular setup before making a final decision to make things permanent.

The good news is there are other amateur radio manufacturers out there who make high-quality equipment to suit your needs. I admit though it's a little odd they would outright refuse to sell you one of their products, but I haven't read your reviews of the previous radio's you spoke of. Most other companies wouldn't really use that as a reason not to sell you further products but apparently TenTec chose a different path in this case. Typically you don't find companies employing the kind of tactic that say's we won't sell to you if you don't say good things about us. I don't have the full story so I can't say for sure that's what happened here but it appears this is what the original post is saying.

The bottom line is there are other manufacturers to choose from who make excellent products so it's not as if you can't but a radio at all. There are always other manufacturers who are more than willing to sell you whatever your looking for, regardless of how you ultimately rate their product.

Although TenTec can do whatever they want, on the surface it looks somewhat juvenile to turn someone away because they had to have a previous return or repair, and subsequently gave a poor rating of those products as a result of their personal experience. But again, without knowing the details about the situation it's hard to say for sure what actually transpired here. Doesn't look too good on their part though.