[Elecraft] OT to the Max: HTs for the Visually Impaired

[Phil Wheeler]

Thanks, Buddy.  I've copied N4WM on this reply.  Re the FT-470: We were 
musing about that one this morning and how easy it was to use compared 
to the newer rigs.  In fact, he has one available but it has problems 
and is probably not worth the price of fixing it.

73, Phil

davros@ycardz.com wrote:

>Hey Phil,
>
>Now here's something I know a little about, for a change...LOL
>
>You're right. The VX-5, from what everyone tells me anyway, isn't very
>blind-user-friendly. Sure, you can proram it with the computer software,
>but that sorta defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
>
>I would not recommend the Icom IC-T81A that I currently own, as it suffers
>from the same problem.
>
>However, for new HT's, the Kenwood TH-F6A (and for that matter, most
>Kenwood gear) gets good marks from the other blind hams I know. Kenwood's
>generally been pretty good about making their rigs somewhat accessible, in
>comparison to some of the others. 
>
>Also, I understand the Icom IC-T90A is pretty accessible as well. The only
>real problem as I understand it is the nonstandard keyboard layout, but one
>can learn a new keyboard. The nice feature the T90 has that no one else has
>is cw freq readout! (Well, I mean, the KX1 has it, but as you say......not
>FM. Not VHF. Not UHF either.) While it apparently has a better receiver
>than does the TH-F6A, it doesn't have 220 (the Kenwood doesn't have six
>metrs though); the Kenwood has an all-mode SW receiver and the T90 does AM
>receive; and the T90 doesn't have dual receive (but is quite a bit
>cheaper). 
>
>For used rigs, other Yaesu models are fantastic. A sham they decided they
>didn't give a damn about us anymore, but there you are. The FT-530 was one
>of hhe easiest-to-use, most accessible HT's I'd ever used. The FT-470 was
>OK too, although the 530 was better. Also, the ADI AT-600 and clones (such
>as the short-lived Radio Shaft HTX-204) were very easy to use as well. So,
>of course, were the great brick HT's like the Icom IC-32AT, not to be
>confused with the IC-W32. Any of the Kenwoods seem to be OK as well. 
>
>Vy 73, 
>Buddy, KB5ELV
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>mail2web - Check your email from the web at
>http://mail2web.com/ .
>
>
>
>  
>


--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts ---
multipart/alternative
  text/plain (text body -- kept)
  text/html
The reason this message is shown is because the post was in HTML
or had an attachment.  Attachments are not allowed.  To learn how
to post in Plain-Text go to: http://www.expita.com/nomime.html  ---