First things first: This radio is not for everybody. But if you live in an area where NXDN repeaters exist for amateur radio use, this radio is a great choice. This radio is also UHF-only, capable of 400-470MHz (TX/RX). Those needing 2-meter capability, should look at the 3161 series, which aside from the frequency coverage, is identical to this unit.
With the increasing number of NXDN (both Icom's iDAS and Kenwood's NEXEGDE) repeaters popping up here along Florida's Gulf Coast, I invested in this radio a few months ago, having already owned a mobile version that I've set up for base operation.
From a size standpoint, it's larger than most of the gear built for the amateur community in the past few years. Still, it's fairly lightweight, thanks to the Lithium-ion battery, and ergonomically comfortable to handle and operate.
The -DT model features a two-line alphanumeric display, and a full 16-key touch pad (the P0-P4 keys, although not labeled as such, will send the A-D tones, for those who need them). There are variations of this radio, albeit less common, that offer a simpler, four-key pad, and/or a smaller display.
Being a commercial radio, this radio is not field-programmable. That means, you need to program all of your needed frequencies ahead of time, using programming software and a cable, both of which must be purchased separately. With room for 512 channels, there's plenty of room to add everything you might need. After a few minutes of getting familiar with the software, it is fairly easy to program the radio. Loading a database into a radio, typically takes under a minute.
Once the radio is programmed and powered-on, the audio quality is well above average. The radio features a speaker that can get loud without getting distorted. Transmitted audio quality is just as good, and I've received a number of raving (and unsolicited) reports about how this radio sounds to others.
In addition to traditional analog modes, this radio will also support NXDN digital. Having been a former D-Star user, I can say that the audio quality is far superior to D-Star, and is able to maintain intelligible quality, at greater distances. However, for those who use the repeater linking and gateway features of D-Star, you will find that these are not available on NXDN radios. The radio is also capable of mixed-mode operation, so for repeaters that support both analog and digital operation, this allows you to monitor both modes at the same time.
Both Kenwood and Icom manufacture NXDN gear, and with very few exceptions (none of which affect amateur radio operations), the radios are interchangeable with each other. So if someone has a Kenwood NXDN repeater in town, you can still use this Icom radio to access it.
Since purchasing this radio, I've used it to provide communications during a recent MS Society bike tour. While bicycle mobile myself, the radio was used heavily (analog only for this event), and enjoyed the same coverage and signal quality, as high-power mobile units on the course. Although I purchased a second battery to ensure I had enough power, I ended up not needing it. I used the radio for over 12 hours each day, and had power to spare, well after I crossed the finish line.
Having such a wide frequency coverage, this radio will enable those who are authorized to do so, to program commercial and/or GMRS into the same radio, potentially reducing the amount of equipment that one would have to carry.
Bottom line, for those who are able to take advantage of a new digital mode on the amateur bands, this is a great radio to add to your collection. Sure, it costs considerably more than most amateur-only gear, but its performance makes it well worth the investment.
One caveat: Icom makes the 4161 in a 400-470, and a 450-512 version. When ordering, be sure you're ordering the correct model. |