Steve,
I know you think you asked a technical question but I believe it is more
philosophical. I am interested in other replies, however, I really like my
Kenwood TM-V71a. It has a mDin6 connector for data and a mDin8 connector
for rig control & is well supported by people that make decent cables. I
use 3 of them in my shack setup and one in my truck. There are other
models from Kenwood based on the TM-V71a that have APRS & digital voice
functionality but I'm more interested in using the RPi for that so I
just want a solid radio that is easy to use without those add-on
features and supports 1200 baud/9600 baud packet.

The philosophical part goes like this:
There are two kinds of people in the world, those that drive Fords & the
those that drive Chevys. There is no changing each of their
minds. Similarly there are 3 Kinds of hams those that like iCom, Fujitsu
or Kenwood. I suppose there is a forth category those that like the
Chinese brands but I haven't seen any with mDin6 data connectors.

You can spend some/all your time & look at feature comparisons & specs
and end up with either a Ford or a Chevy but I prefer a Toyota. Which
ever radio you choose I am sure it will serve you well. Let us know
which one you choose and your criteria for choosing it.

BTW the Kenwood TM-V71a is a dual band 2M/440 radio that supports 9600
baud packet.

/Basil N7NIX

Steve McGrane <temporarilyoffline@gmail.com> writes: