[aprssig] NEW! IC-V82 - VHF/APRS Transceiver

[A.J. Farmer (AJ3U)]

It's all about money - proprietary, patented features are what allow the
manufacturers keep their profits up.  Sure, they could put out an APRS radio
and compete directly with the Kenwood APRS rigs, but that would only lead to
a pricing war and both manufacturers would lose.  It's just like Yaesu did
with "WIRES" which is an obvious copy of the IRLP project.  IRLP = open for
anyone , WIRES = Yaesu compatible only.  APRS = open for anyone , D-Star =
Icom only.  They are trying to corner the market wherever they can.

On the flip side, you have to admit, some of the features of this radio seem
pretty cool:
- Digital voice comms
- Text Messaging (yes, I know you can do this with APRS)
- Callsign Calling (opens the squelch based on incoming callsign)

I would expect that VHF/UHF FM rigs are going to start to have digital
features like this in the future and start to catch us back up with the cell
phone industry.  It's just too bad that what will probably happen is Icoms
will only talk to Icoms, Yaesus to Yaesus, etc.  At least we can be thankful
that Kenwood has accepted the universal, open standard of APRS.  But as long
as Kenwood continues to sell mobile rigs for $500 and HT's for $350 each,
they have no incentive to bring a newer APRS mobile or HT to market. 

The technology and capability to make a kick-butt mobile APRS radio is
definitely available: Kenwood is already selling in-dash navigation systems
to the masses.  They have big, clear, color screens and they talk you to
your destination along with a moving map.   Plus you can play a DVD on it
when you don't need to navigate.  That's state of the art.  But it's no
wonder they are mass producing these things - bigger price tags, bigger
market, bigger profit, and plenty of buyers.  Why spend the development time
to make a APRS version of the same type of thing for such a small market?
They would have to sell it for $5000+ and then nobody would buy it...

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see some newer APRS rigs, but most of the
manufacturers are driven by only one thing...

Maybe the only way we are going to get a new "up to date" APRS mobile rig at
this point is to make it ourselves.  HamHud-LCD ??  Hmmm....

A.J. Farmer, AJ3U
http://www.aj3u.com


-----Original Message-----
From: aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org [mailto:aprssig-bounces at lists.tapr.org]
On Behalf Of Joe Della Barba
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2005 8:03 PM
To: TAPR APRS Mailing List
Subject: Re: [aprssig] NEW! IC-V82 - VHF/APRS Transceiver

The brochure says NOTHING about APRS, only that the radios can exchange 
position by sending NMEA data to each other. This radio also does NOT have a

GPS built in. Does anyone know why it is that no one will make a modern APRS

radio? Why can I buy a marine VHF with a built in moving map/gps and DSC 
position polling but Icom and Kenwood can't figure out putting a GPS in a 
radio when every cell phone will soon have one?
73 de Joe N3HGB 


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