Batboard

Does anyone have an opinion on the best remote-head VHF radio for an ambulance, preferably 100 watts or better and more than 32 channels. We are buying a new ambulance and might buy a new radio. We have Kenwood TK-730s in our ambulances now.

first question, are you licensed for 100 watts on all the channels you will be puttin in it? next question what frequency range and is it wide band or narrow band?

yeah, we can do 100 watts, our current radio is a 110 watt TK-730, 136-174 MHz, Wideband

even know it is 45 watts (for the most part thats all you need) CDM 1250/1550

We have CDM1250s in some of our members' POVs and they're nice, but thats just not enough power for the amount of area we have to cover.

jclendenen158 wrote:We have CDM1250s in some of our members' POVs and they're nice, but thats just not enough power for the amount of area we have to cover.

I agree!! Motorola makes a pm1500, I don't know much about it. Personally, My squad went to 2 cdm1250's and will hopefully get a repeater.

Your best bet is a Kenwood TK790 High Power dual head. For the rear Audiosears http://www.audiosears.com/ makes a great handset.

Jim

Who is the best Kenwood dealer?

a high gain antennae and a cdm will be equivalent to 100 watts. at least try a high gain antennae on one of the vehicles with a cdm in it right now and see what that does for you before you go spending more than you have to on a more powerful radio.

n7maq wrote:Your best bet is a Kenwood TK790 High Power dual head. For the rear Audiosears http://www.audiosears.com/ makes a great handset.

Jim

Definitely. On all counts. Plus if you call Kenwood they'll sell you the software and a cable for less what it would cost for Motorola Software. The 790s will also do dual head/dual band with a second drawer. Plus they are (and have been) narrowband capable since they came out.

are you useing a rpt

no repeater

Do you need to be Project 25 compliant.

I would go for either the Kenwood 90 Series or an XTL5000 O5. Both can do a dual head configuration, both are available Project 25, both are excellent performers. Kenwood will likely be easier on the budget, but it depends on you signalling, encryption needs also.

We used to run Kenwood TK-790s in our ambulances until we got free Motorola XTL 5000s with W7 heads from the State. Personally I like both of them, for what we use(d) them for. If I were to start from scratch, I would probably go with the Kenwood, $$$.

thanks

jclendenen158 wrote:Who is the best Kenwood dealer?

You'll have to go to your local dealer. Kenwood doesn't allow their dealers to do mail order or sell outside their area.

Someone on here mentioned a Motorola PM-1500. These are fairly nice radios. They
don't cost an arm and a leg, they are only trunk mount, only come in 100 watt power
level. The power can be controlled with the programming. Comes in VHF and UHF
flavors.

One point that many people don't know about the PM-1500 is that you can have up to
4 control heads connected. The control cable is very small, on the order of an RG-58
cable size. Control cables use a simple round push in connector on both ends.

Control head has only one line of 8 LCD characters I think. Just looked at the head
and it looks like 8 positions for the display. You can have different different zones
of 16 channels. You can set up a scan list. Not sure if it can be modified by the head.

Radio size is about the same as a high power XTL mobile.

Control head has 4 programmable buttons under the display. Volume is a rotary knob.
Frequency is changed by a rotary knob.

Radio is programmed through the round mic connector. Programming cable is a USB
connection and no RIB is needed.

Hope this gives you some info on the PM-1500 radio.

Jim

jclendenen158 wrote:Does anyone have an opinion on the best remote-head VHF radio for an ambulance, preferably 100 watts or better and more than 32 channels. We are buying a new ambulance and might buy a new radio. We have Kenwood TK-730s in our ambulances now.

Is the pm1500 currently available with more than 1 head? I know the hardware is there, but we were told a while back the multiple head option was not available yet.

Jim202 wrote:Comes in VHF... flavors.

Lowband too, or just highband?

Batwings21 wrote:Is the pm1500 currently available with more than 1 head? I know the hardware is there, but we were told a while back the multiple head option was not available yet.

Yes, the dual control head has been available for a couple months now.