So last weekend Steph and I went down to HRO and I talked with one of the gentlemen there about the Icom IC-T7H that I’d been looking at. He said that while that is a good radio, he thinks I might be happier with the Yaesu VX-5R for a few reasons. For one, it also has 6m capabilities, though there’s no 6m repeaters around here so I probably won’t use it much. It also has a much longer battery life, and one of the semi-important features I like is that it’s manufactured to military specs. The entire body of the radio is solid metal! While the whole thing fits in the palm of my hand, it weighs a good amount. Kinda refreshing from the tiny plastic electronics I’m used to seeing.
So, I bought one (it was only about $40 more than I planned on spending). I’ve already got all the local repeaters programmed in, as well as the local police and fire frequencies which are fun to listen to. Now I just have to wait until I take my test, and then see my license posted in the FCC’s database, before I can push the little “PTT” button on the side. Now *this* is a true test of one’s willpower :>