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While cleaning up my office...

S

Stever

Member
Jul 15, 2008
29
0
11
Ontario, Canada
EDITED: Mods, I guess this should have been posted in the HT area. Sorry.

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I found an old Realistic HTX-202 brick! I had completely forgotten that it was in my junk drawer. I hadn't turned it on in almost ten years, but I plugged it in and she fired right up. The antenna has long gone as has the mic.

htx202.jpg


Now, I've got to scare up an antenna. I contacted MFJ for a cheap speaker mic and they said the MFJ295I will plug right in. I've also got to get a cigarette lighter power cord for the truck.

Most of you probably must think I'm nuts, but I'm tickled pink! I used to use this radio on hunting trips and hamfests. The internal battery is still holding a charge (touch wood) and hopefully that will buy me enough time to get a replacement battery and holder.

Did anyone ever have one? Maybe the 440 model?

Lots of memories and a one tough, capable little radio!


Steve :)
​
 

Not much. It was on special for $99.99. I think it was regularly $129 or something like that. Amateur gear has really dropped in price over the past 10 years. I paid $400 for a Yaesu 2400 2 meter radio in 1992. The equivalent machine sells for about $170 today.

HF equipment today is half the price compared to when I got into the hobby. Amazing.
 
Actually those radios were quite good quality. I have the HTX-404 that I bought on a close out sale many years ago and it is still going strong.I wish I had of gotten the 2m model as well but they were completely sold out by the time I decided to get one.If memory serves me correctly one of the older Icom HT's has a battery pack that will slide right on.
 
I'll try and locate a battery pack for it.

If memory serves, some Icom stuff fits on to this radio but I believe that the manufacturer was Maxon. The speaker mic that MFJ recommended is built for Icom radios.

Steve :)
 
Cleaning

Google for the parts you need!! That HT is alot better then the CRAP you can buy today!!! Google [Taking alook back at the HTX 202]
 
Last edited:
Wow! Lucky you. (y) I had one of those radios several years past and I really liked it.I know several people in my area that still use the 202 daily and swear by them.One guy I know says they are the finest HT ever made,and I believe him

Very tough,easy to program,and well worth the time to get rigged back up.

I would like to have another one :)
 
I still use mine every dayas a base unit nice little unit I use it with a 30 watt mirage amp and a 2 meter ringo I like it a lot..Ithink its the icom 2at thats the sister to it if I remember right
 
Those have some of the best TX audio of a handheld and will just keep going forever. There are still locals that continue to buy them up at hamfests and have a drawer full of them as spares.

It's pretty common to find them for $25 in excellent shape, so keep your eyes open.
 
I got mine when I got my ticket in '93, I think it was on sale for 199 at that time. Used it as an HT and mobile with the obligatory Radioshack 5/8 wave magmount.

I sometimes hooked it up to a homebrew 3 el quad at home and when the band was open I could work a state or two away with just the 5 watts from the 202.

They are well built little radios, for sure. I gave mine to a buddy last year, rather than see it just sit in my desk drawer unused.
 
I cleaned it up and ordered a new ducky, mic and DC power cord. With taxes and shipping, the damage came to a little over $80. I ordered everything online and laughed when I realized that I only paid $100 for it new.

The buttons needed work. They hadn't been played with for a few years and everything was clogged with dust. The radio seems to work fine now. I haven't been able to test it yet. I have an old scanner antenna hooked up to it right now but it's not the best.

The wife suggested that I re-connect the discone. I might just do that.
 
Have no fear. I've been doing this for a long time.

The scanner antenna was put on to check if it could hear anything. The order that I placed last Friday was filled and either went out Saturday morning or will go out tomorrow morning. It will only take a couple of days to get here.
 
"They are well built little radios, for sure. I gave mine to a buddy last year, rather than see it just sit in my desk drawer unused."

Gawrsh, i thought it was on permanent loan ;-)

anyway , yeppirs here it sits , and it works well

got it hooked up to a home brew "copper Cactus"
(AKA) J-pole , and it gives me about a thirty mile radius
on 5 watts ,
 
Everything arrived in the mail yesterday. I cannot hit any repeaters from where I live, at least, not using the ducky. I have a discone however and it has the reach. All is well.

There are only a couple of 70cm repeaters around, so I think I'll put this in the truck as a walk around radio and re-install a 2 meter mobile.
 

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