A new addition to the N8CD HT family prompted me to write another review. I wasn’t planning on doing another review in the series after #8, but the radio manufacturers keep producing products that I can’t resist.
The Kenwood TH-D74A has about every tech feature you could want in a radio (with the possible exception of not having DMR) all packed into a reasonably sized package. 
The Yaesu VX-8DR is a lot of radio in a small package.
First – some background on “dual-band”, or even tri-band and quad-band mean. There are 3 meanings for “dual-band” radio in amateur radio specifications, and it isn’t usually clear from the brochure which definition is used for a radio. 
The Yaesu FT-2DR is a fantastic handheld radio that operates 2m and 70cm FM, along with Yaesu’s Fusion digital mode. It has a built-in GPS receiver that is sensitive enough to operate even inside some houses, and can use that GPS with the best implementation of handheld APRS I’ve ever experienced.
Given the lack of System Fusion digital mode activity in North East Ohio, I’m not going to go into the details of how this radio operates in that mode. 
The Motorola XPR-6550 is different from the other ham radio oriented radios that are part of this review series. It is built for commercial and business operations, not for ham radio. You’ll often see the XPR-6550 hanging on the belt of police and fire personnel, factory workers and hotel/event staff. 
My name is John, and my call is N8CD. I was originally licensed in 1978 as a Novice class at the age of 12, and before the time I was 14 I had my Technician class license. Since then, I’ve bought, traded, and sold a lot of different radios, and particularly a lot of different handheld radios. 
