[aprssig] D700 or... ? for simultaneous voice and packet

[Randy Allen - KA0AZS]

I think the (now discontinued) Kenwood TM-V7A would do this with an external TNC.  It was released prior to the TM-D700, and IIRC it would automatically switch to the data band to transmit from the TNC, and hold off transmitting if the voice band was active.

If I read the various catalogs correctly, it has been replaced by the TM-V708, which is basically a D700 without the built in TNC and APRS firmware.  I don't know if it will perform with an attached TNC as you wish.  By the time you buy one of these and an external TNC, you might as well as just get a D700.

Maybe you can find a used V7A.

73 and good luck.


On Fri, Feb 17, 2006 at 11:45 AM, Josh Freeman wrote:

> I'm about to be in the market for a new mobile rig for the car. I'd like 
> to be able to transmit my position via APRS whenever I'm on the road, 
> but I have to be able to operate voice at the same time. I know the D700 
> can do this, but it's not cheap, so I'm looking into other alternatives.
> 
> Unfortunately, it seems that just because a radio is dual-band 
> dual-receive and "packet ready" does not mean that both bands can be 
> used for transmit at the same time. For example: the FT-8800 can be set 
> for packet RX on the "B" band, but any TX always has to be on the "main" 
> band, regardless of whether it's voice from the mic or packet from the 
> data connector. So... do you know of any other rig that can operate as 
> the D700 does, except with an external tracker or TNC? (Note that a 
> two-rig solution of any kind isn't acceptable to me, for several reasons 
> I won't bore you with.)
> 
>  I don't really have a use for dual-receive unless the radio can operate 
> as I described, so it's either find one that can, give up on full-time 
> APRS and buy an FT-7800, or buy the D700 in spite of the expense and 
> things I don't love about it.
> 
> Thanks for any input -
> Josh KI4ITI



Randy Allen, KA0AZS