Just wondering what kind of range you guys are getting with UV-5R radios.  I'm hitting a repeater 9-10 miles away with the stock rubber duck, and getting great signal reports.  That's much better than I expected.

Into a repeater, that's not super surprising if the repeater site is at high elevation and/or on a tall tower and giving you true line-of site or close to it.  Not all repeaters are equal in how much height advantage they have, so how well you can get into one is not always a good metric.  Simplex direct to another station at the same elevation as you with few obstructions between you, 1 or 2 miles would be impressive.  In most realistic situations, usually one mile or less.

20-25 miles, sitting on the couch.  *shrug*  Any 4-5W HT is gonna be about the same, the difference is going to be in the quality of the TX audio, and the quality of the receiver, mostly the selectivity, which baofengs do not have.

I'm getting about 2.5 miles consistent.

8-10 regularly when I still used it.  It was the repeater my buddy has and we all talked on. I use to get on some in another city north of me by about 15ish miles too. It wasn't as reliable. But would do it.

Theres a tower about 40 miles away that has a 2m and 440 repeater at 1500'. I've never tried getting into them at all. It's connected to a network. I oughta try one time.

But my HTs are almost only used for digital/VoIP modes now.

OP, as others have said, rangento a repeater is a different issue, as most are high as possible, giving you good LOS.  I can easily hit repeaters 25 miles away with stock antenna on any 5 watt ht from where I'm at.

Simplex range is different, as both stations most likely neither station will have great height AGL.  Terrain dictates, depends on signal path obstructions.

This is timely, as we continue to test this, and yesterday achieved 5 miles simplex, between a Baofeng UV-82, and TYT MD-UV380, both equipped with Nagoya 771 antennas.  Would not have been possible with stock antennas.

This is relatively flat ground, with trees and 1 & 2 story buildings in between.  Not heavy urban, but not completely unobstructed.  Was pretty cool.

Again, on 70cm.  Tried on 2m, NO-GO till about the 3 mile mark.  UHF is getting through and around the obstacles better.

A good 1/4 wave antenna may have you hitting repeaters 30-35 miles away.  A roll up slim jim (or other big antenna) high up can have you hitting them 47 miles away, in my experience.

Attic antenna is my next step.  Probably a J pole.  Then a 50 watt mobile to connect to it.  We have hills here, but the valley I live in opens up in the direction of the repeater I referred to in my OP.  Definitely not line of sight from my chair, but close to it.  Looking to hit even more repeaters in other directions, hopefully.

What repeater are you hitting?

One just south of LaCrescent, MN.

I am way south of you. I cannot hit any repeaters reliably with an HT, but with an Ed Fong Jpole at 30 feet, I can get repeaters from Dubuque to Madison, Hollandale, Dodgeville, Baraboo, and Monroe. I have been adding repeaters to the radio to see if I can reach them.

I live on the crest of a ridge about 30 miles NW of Phila., Pa.
With CHIRP I programmed all the repeaters (70 (!) counting 2 meter and 70 cm separately) within that distance and have reached ones at that 30 mile mark with good signal using a Nagoya 771 antenna.
I'm gonna guess I could go farther and still receive OK, but that's my particular experience with my location, the particular repeater's height off the ground and my antenna.
Lotta variables there.

It will get interesting once I get new antennas-one for the house and a roll up to carry.  I may live in a valley, but I can hike up to the ridge top in 15 mins.

Height is might

I would bet if you can physically see a repeater tower, the odds are you could hit it.  As soon as I get my licenses - I will probably start trying to test that assumption.  I know a couple hills that have some very nice views.
 The only real problem with that is figuring out which towers have repeaters in them (and which repeaters they are).  

Repeaterbook.com often gives the location of repeaters, and sometimes you can use google/Google maps to see an exact location, in overheads, for repeaters.

Just remember for 2M/70CM aka VHF/UHF it's all about the LOS.  Your repeater antenna is probably 400' - 500' off the ground giving you the range.  At ground level with normal obstructions simplex (radio to radio) range can be less than 1/2 mile.


.

I think most of the repeater book entries near me say coordinates unknown, location estimated.  Given how far it is between towns, that is +/-  5-10miles on average.  That said, I can get a pretty good guess at which clusters of antennas might be promising.

So many commercial and government towers in my area its impossible to guess which ones might be the ones where ham repeaters are located. Hundreds within 25 miles of me.