Re: Topband: Maritime gear programmable on ham bands?

["Tom W8JI" <w8ji@w8ji.com>]

> I don't think anyone has mentioned the ONE VALID use for an "open" radio 
> and that is MARS system service.  It still exists and with the advent of 
> radios that can transmit almost anywhere without modifying the RF 
> circuitry, MARS ops have moved further and further away from the freqs that 
> are closest to the ham bands.
> At any rate, wasn't sure if MARS had been forgotten :)
Why would someone buy an $1800 ICOM marine radio for MARS, when they could 
get a $900 Ham radio and have both sidebands and other modes with the same 
basic performance? 

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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK