45K40
03-18-2008, 08:40
The MBITR is a little pricey, but some old solutions for the US Army and USMC existed in the past: Icom IC-F3S, Icom IC-F43GS, and Icom IC-4008A FRS.
Has anybody here used these and if so, are they any good under real-world conditions such as UO? I am looking to equip a squad, but have a budget to go by. My intel says that overall, the Marines liked the IC-4008A FRS, but the soldiers did not care for the IC-F3S because of limited range/batt life. The soldiers were said to supplant the Icom with Motorola models, such as the Saber II and III, and others. I have used the Saber series OCONUS and as long as we had a repeater at 50 mile intervals, they worked pretty good. Downtown usage was good as long as not inside buildings. Saber series are obtainable, but the weight is a little high.I am looking for any affordable, lightweight solution and open to suggestions. Yes, I have searched this subject extensively, but find the feedback somewhat biased/limited. FRS is good enough for civvie use, but is entry level in comm world.
Criteria is light weight, AA or NiMH power, ability to use headset w/PTT, 24 hr operating life in rcv mode, MIL STD 810 C, D & E. Displays/keypads are optional,
45K40
Has anybody here used these and if so, are they any good under real-world conditions such as UO? I am looking to equip a squad, but have a budget to go by. My intel says that overall, the Marines liked the IC-4008A FRS, but the soldiers did not care for the IC-F3S because of limited range/batt life. The soldiers were said to supplant the Icom with Motorola models, such as the Saber II and III, and others. I have used the Saber series OCONUS and as long as we had a repeater at 50 mile intervals, they worked pretty good. Downtown usage was good as long as not inside buildings. Saber series are obtainable, but the weight is a little high.I am looking for any affordable, lightweight solution and open to suggestions. Yes, I have searched this subject extensively, but find the feedback somewhat biased/limited. FRS is good enough for civvie use, but is entry level in comm world.
Criteria is light weight, AA or NiMH power, ability to use headset w/PTT, 24 hr operating life in rcv mode, MIL STD 810 C, D & E. Displays/keypads are optional,
45K40