‰  NOW 35 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM SEPTEMBER 2016 QST  PAGE 48‰

ERGONOMICALLY, THE UNIT FELT GOOD IN MY HAND.  THE BUTTONS WERE LARGE
ENOUGH TO BE MANIPULATED EASILY, AND I COULD READ THEM EASILY DUE TO
SUFFICIENTLY LARGE LABELING AND BACKLIGHTING.  FIVE WATTS IS A LOT OF RF
POWER OUTPUT, AND WHILE ITS A LONGSTANDING AXIOM THAT A BIGGER ANTENNA
TRUMPS MORE POWER, I FOUND THAT THE HIGHER POWER OUTPUT GOT ME INTO A
RATHER DISTANT REPEATER, DESPITE THE RADIOS SMALL RUBBER FLEXIBLE ANTENNA.
I FOUND ALL OF THE FUNCTIONS, ADJUSTMENTS, AND OVERALL USER FRIENDLINESS TO
BE MORE THAN SATISFACTORY.  CONCLUSION I ENJOYED GETTING TO KNOW AND
OPERATE THE BCH 220.  IT WAS FUN TO GET BACK ON A BAND THAT I HADNT USED IN
MANY YEARS.  THE RADIO IS WELL DESIGNED, WELL ENGINEERED WITH A PANOPLY OF
FEATURES, EASILY PROGRAMMED FROM THE RADIO OR BY THE PROGRAMMING
CABLE/SOFTWARE, WHICH WAS ALSO EASY TO USE AND WORKED VERY WELL.  THE
INSTRUCTION MANUAL IS WELL WRITTEN AND WELL ILLUSTRATED, AND I DIDNT HAVE
ANY PROBLEMS FINDING THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO PROGRAM AND USE THE RADIO.
AT A PRICE OF JUST 85, THE COST OF A FEW GAS FILLS AT THE PUMP, I FEEL THAT
THE RADIO IS A REAL BARGAIN.  ALTHOUGH NOT QUITE AS SMART TO GET STARTED
WITH AS QUICKLY AS SOME OTHER RADIOS IVE USED YOU HAVE TO PROGRAM THE SPLIT
FREQUENCY AND DUPLEX MODE, FOR EXAMPLES THATS NITPICKING.  ONCE YOUR
FAVORITE FREQUENCIES ARE PROGRAMMED, YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT
‰  END OF 35 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ