The Bluetooth Ham Radio You Didn't Know Existed - VGC VR-N7500 | 4K
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- It's amazing how little Bluetooth integration there is between Ham and GMRS Radio systems, especially when it comes to smartphones. Ever since I got into messing with GMRS radio, I've wished there was a way to download frequencies to my ham radio via bluetooth and a smartphone app. Apparently this integration DOES EXIST in the form of the VGC VR-N7500 Dual Band Analog Radio with APRS GPS Integration. What's even more strange is, this radio has been available to Ham operators for a few years.
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You bring up good points. Both Apple and Android need to build very versatile external device controls into their smartphone operating systems. And that includes being able to display a screen driven by that device. I love my little NanoVNA, but the screen and the UI come up seriously lacking. It'd be far better and cheaper to build in the UI used a smartphone.
I love this radio!
I was able to send and receive text messages to my wife in Tucson while I was in the San Juan mountains without cell phone service. It worked great. My buddy John also tracked my whereabouts with aprs from his house, as well.
When Oliver and I took that quick trip to Colorado we also had no problems getting APRS out just using a Mobilinkd TNC modem and a 10 watt HT. Looks ghetto AF, but it works!
@@MattKester super can you video how did you do it??
@@uaesaqer ham radio crash course has a video on the radio that shows how. You click on any message, and then modify the destination address in the resultant dialog. (I think). Thinking about putting one of these in my mobile station.
I'm new to Ham, just got my Technician lisence. I bought a Yaesu FTM-400XDR mobile and a Yaesu FT5D handheld. I downloaded all the repeaters within 50 miles from me, and exported in in RT format, and imported into both radios in minutes.
Oh man… I’ve been drooling over the FT5 for quite a while!
Solid choices.
I need this for my new car and the fact that I am always in places with no cellular service ( i.e. APRS). I need APRS for my outdoor excursion.
Another issue with this radio, if you want to change frequency or any other function you have to use your phone.
This is illegal in Canada and from what I understand a lot of states.
Ham radios are exempt from this law but you would have a hard time arguing the ticket in a court. That your phone is exempt because its running your ham radio.
It has channel buttons on mic and There's a BT mic with a little screen. I don't tend to change channel with though it's my dedicated aprs/70cmcall monitoring rig. Ft400xdr for talking as while this radio is neat its just not as polished. Doesn't cost much more than a Bluetooth tnc though and frees my other radio to use both VFOs for voice.
What versions of Android does this radio support?
Too bad it cannot do DMR or P25 digital and analogue. This would have been a perfect mobile for ham radio. The manufacturer could create a firmware package that would allow only GMRS frequencies and their narrow bandwidth and low power to allow it to qualify to FCC regulations.
Are there any hackers who could break the code and add features that the factory lags in creating? Might be worth the effort if the factory is too lazy.
Looks like a good fit for my MX5 project. Nice review.
Had mine for 2yrs, and it works well, and with the Bluetooth mic works better than expected. All in all, except for how the software is configured to store the different repeaters or simplex frequencies is a bit unorthodox in banks of 16 per. WHY it is this way...I don't know, it should be like any other radios storing of frequencies. Other that, love the little radio.
Yeah, it’s definitely got it’s quirks. My biggest gripe is that the developer seems to have zero interest in making the product live up to its potential. My buddy Don is an app developer and he’s been trying to get with them for months to see what he could do to help them fix some of the problems and they seem to have zero interest in working with him. It’s a shame, because one of these days, there will be one of these Chinese companies that realizes if they can collaborate with someone over here who understands what users like me and you really care about, they will knock it our if the park!
I found this radio very interesting to put in my car and control it via the android head unit. Can you tell me if this radio has Dual(Multiple) Watch option so that you can monitor multiple frequencies at the same time ?
thank your for the review. can you test the repeater function ?
Was there any “hacking” involved if you have to “emergency” transmit on GMRS?
Negative, the app was very unrestricted when I used it. Cannot speak for any recent upgrades as I haven’t used this radio in over a year, however.
Did you have any issues receiving a GPS signal in the radio after installing it in a vehicle? I'd like to mount mine above the rear-view mirror in my vehicle, but guessing the roof will block GPS reception. I might have to make a different plan.
The GPS signal for positioning is taken from the phone GPS.
I would think most hams are on Android with it's flexibility as opposed to the "walked garden" of IOS
I’ve started to notice there’s not a lot of love for Apple products in this game. However, walled garden or not, they do control 50% - 60% of the global smartphone market share, which means companies are really missing a big swatch of people who might be interested, but get a less function, or oftentimes, non-existent app to interact with these devices.
I don't understand why these features aren't much more common.
Funny how app developers don't really want to put a lot of effort into providing software for a platform that has less than 10% of the total overall market and is notoriously difficult to work with. And then there are the (mostly) pretentious and self rightous users of this platform that also make it less desirable...
Might be interesting to check one of these out!
Thank you for the review!
Thanks, Andy. Yeah,y buddy Don’s an app developer and he’s been trying to get with these guys for months to see if they’ll let him have access to a lot of the code so he can help them make it better. Otherwise, it’s definitely half-assing it in a few key places, like the APRS messenger.
Mine makes a "roger beep" when UN-Keying (I DONT hear the Noise, it is TRANSMITTED, So everyone on air hears it!)..... although its not a beep, it sounds just like what you would hear on a lot of police or other public service radio after UN-Keying.......... Does ANYONE have any idea how to stop this on the VR-N7500 ?
Sounds like the APRS kicking in, transmitting it’s location. You can turn the APRS location function off.
Is there a version of the software that will run on Windows or a Mac laptop ?
Not that I am aware of, unfortunately.
You could try an emulator. Just google andriod emulator
Well this would be a good excuse to break free of apple's ecosystem. Android is much more open. Apple rules their app store with an iron fist and is overpriced in my opinion.
Lol. Gmrs it is
Ive had this radio for years now and still no update for ios app …. Horrible
Agreed. I have a friend who is an app programmer and has offered his assistant to the manufacturer directly to help improve the product without even asking for compensation and they've stonewalled his requests for the source code.
Ive had one of these for years sitting new in box waiting for iphone to make app better
Yeah.. we’ll see if that ever happens. I’ve had it installed in my vehicle for 2 years, still using the original iOS app they said would be up to Android standard “soon”…
p͎r͎o͎m͎o͎s͎m͎ ☹️