Posted: 8/18/2016 7:42:22 PM EDT
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Over the years, my buddies and I moved in opposite directions. I'm north, one south and 2 about half way. My buddy is 30 dead south, with others right in the middle. We've all decided to take the test and get licensed by the FCC. That said, I was looking at the Yaesu VX6R as my first radio with a Signal Stuff Super-Elastic Signal Stick antenna. Is this is good option?
here is map. From top of map to bottom is about 30 miles. These are some stations Ive found from a map. Im at the very top, he's at the very bottom. 
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I don't have any experience with that specific radio or antenna, but you may be asking the wrong question.
It would probably be a good idea for you to do much more investigation into the details of the repeaters on that map - including who runs each one, open/closed access, repeater antenna elevation, etc. |
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VX6R was my first and remains my only HT. It's rugged, intuitive, and is incredibly versatile.
I can't think of any reason not to recommend it. One note worth mentioning....extended QSO's will heat it up pretty well. The battery definitely gets warm. Another thing is that on a long transmission, if you are running on battery power, the radio will eat the battery pretty quickly. That said, when I'm mobile, I can simply plug it in and keep it at 13+volts. Great radio with really nice audio for such a compact, waterproof model. |
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I would be very tempted to wait on the new Kenwood HT if I were in the market.
If you couldn't wait then I think that new ID51a plus 2 is the next one on my list. My daily driver is a motorola xpr7550 but that is because of the amount of DMR in the area. I have a dstar radio in the truck but there are 0 dstar repeaters in the area. I really like digital and that is the way the market is going but the good thing is all radios still do analog. |
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I have a VX-7R and it's been a really solid radio. The only negative that I can say about it is that I find the menu and key sequences to be very difficult to remember how to work. If I don't have the manual with me I can't do more than basic functions. Same with my FT-7800R though, sadly. Read the manual and see if you can imagine remembering everything. I can remember a lot of obscure technical stuff very easily, but not Yaesu menus.
The comment about researching repeaters is a very good one too. |
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Quoted:
I would be very tempted to wait on the new Kenwood HT if I were in the market. If you couldn't wait then I think that new ID51a plus 2 is the next one on my list. My daily driver is a motorola xpr7550 but that is because of the amount of DMR in the area. I have a dstar radio in the truck but there are 0 dstar repeaters in the area. I really like digital and that is the way the market is going but the good thing is all radios still do analog. this? http://www.gigaparts.com/Product-Lines/2M-1-25M-70Cm-Radios/Kenwood-TH-F6A.html?gclid=CKO2ioi1zM4CFcdehgod1z4D5A |
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At a 30 mile distance, you're definitely going to have to rely on repeaters, so check out what's available. The surrounding terrain will also determine range. If the antenna on you hand held doesn't reach it, a good antenna on your roof probably will work if the repeater is approximately half way between the two of you.
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I found out a real cool trick with my HT's.. I have a comet gp15 vertical on my house which I use with a base station radio. For kicks i made an adapter for my HT and using the vertical on the house I can do simplex at 5w for nearly 25 miles. But for the cost of a vx7r you can buy two 50w mobiles plus maybe an antenna. The HT's are good but i found that i didn't use them as much as I thought I would.. You might see if you can get your hands on a ht and try it. For what you want to do I would say skip the HaT route and just buy a single band mobile....
Prosise |
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Since your looking to get your license I would strongly advise you to listen to the ham radio 360 podcast. Start at the beginning episode 1 and work your way thru the podcasts. They are very helpful. http://hamradio360.com/ which are tailored for the New Ham..  Â
  Some ideas for 2m mobiles.. And you cannot go wrong with any brand (kenwood, Icom, Yaesu) IMO. I have only owned yaesu mobile radios which were picked up used. FT-3200dr : 134.95 $ digital & analog 2m. FT-2900R :  154.95 $ 2m analog 75w FT-1900R :  124.95   55w 2m radio  Comet GP-6 149.95  :  http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-001499  Note: you will need to also pick up a power supply, If you think you will ever get into HF make sure you get a 30A supply, I like the ALinco DM-330FXT.  http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-013308   very nice power supply & very quiet.   149.95 power supply 150.00 2m mobile (avg price) 149.95 gp-6 (6db gain at 2m).  Around 450$ and you will have a very good range with 2m, or you can go 440..  Will need some coax but this is around 1$ per foot..  (you will likely need programming software for these mobile radios so your looking at 40$ for the RT systems software. But if you and more guys are getting involved try and share the cost..)   VX-6r Ht around 240$ VX-8r Ht around 330$  I picked up several Ht’s over the last year, many at local swap meets. You can get a killer deal on mobile/ Ht’s if you look on craigslist but you will need to test the radios before buying. If you ever run across a Boefang for 20’ish pick it up, it’s a good radio to give to a buddy, or as a disposable radio.  Trust the guys on this forum.   I have three good Ht’s and two are used, one by the wife for Skywarn weather, the other for my backpack which has never been used.. But you never know. I think that if you go mobile you will be able to talk to all your friends. If you live in a area that will not allow antennas on top of your house you can use a mobile 2m antenns which are good but compact... Good luck Prosise ps . the HTs are really good tools to own but costly . My goto ht is a vx-3r which is only 1.5watts and 120$ because i mainly listen with a ht. |
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http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht/4074.html
That is the Kenwood HT I am talking about. |
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Quoted:
Since your looking to get your license I would strongly advise you to listen to the ham radio 360 podcast. Start at the beginning episode 1 and work your way thru the podcasts. They are very helpful. http://hamradio360.com/ which are tailored for the New Ham..     Some ideas for 2m mobiles.. And you cannot go wrong with any brand (kenwood, Icom, Yaesu) IMO. I have only owned yaesu mobile radios which were picked up used. FT-3200dr : 134.95 $ digital & analog 2m. FT-2900R :  154.95 $ 2m analog 75w FT-1900R :  124.95   55w 2m radio  Comet GP-6 149.95  :  http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-001499  Note: you will need to also pick up a power supply, If you think you will ever get into HF make sure you get a 30A supply, I like the ALinco DM-330FXT.  http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-013308   very nice power supply & very quiet.   149.95 power supply 150.00 2m mobile (avg price) 149.95 gp-6 (6db gain at 2m).  Around 450$ and you will have a very good range with 2m, or you can go 440..  Will need some coax but this is around 1$ per foot..  (you will likely need programming software for these mobile radios so your looking at 40$ for the RT systems software. But if you and more guys are getting involved try and share the cost..)   VX-6r Ht around 240$ VX-8r Ht around 330$  I picked up several Ht’s over the last year, many at local swap meets. You can get a killer deal on mobile/ Ht’s if you look on craigslist but you will need to test the radios before buying. If you ever run across a Boefang for 20’ish pick it up, it’s a good radio to give to a buddy, or as a disposable radio.  Trust the guys on this forum.   I have three good Ht’s and two are used, one by the wife for Skywarn weather, the other for my backpack which has never been used.. But you never know. I think that if you go mobile you will be able to talk to all your friends. If you live in a area that will not allow antennas on top of your house you can use a mobile 2m antenns which are good but compact... Good luck Prosise ps . the HTs are really good tools to own but costly . My goto ht is a vx-3r which is only 1.5watts and 120$ because i mainly listen with a ht. The FT2900 isn't worth the extra 1.3 dB of output over the FT1900. Just my opinion though. My current daily carry radio is a Motorola XTS3000...and a Motorola Astro Saber. I rarely turn them on but my mobiles are always on. As far as home goes, I've never really lived in an area with a substantial amount of utilized repeaters so often a GM300 programed up with the local repeaters and a handful of simplex frequencies is what I've used, at least were portable coverage in the house has been non-existent. |
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For not much more than the cost of a VX6 you could get TWO full power 2m mobiles, one of the car and one for home. A little scrounging and maybe a touch of homebrewing for antennas and you'll have a lot more performance. Or a UV-B5, a mobile and antenna and such.
Almost every new amateur makes the same mistake... spending a lot on a fancy HT to get started. For most amateurs an HT is the least used radio. My advice, get a cheap HT and put money into the more useful gear. |
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If I was starting over, I would go for a mobile station first to get a bit more power and increased features for the money. Not only do mobile stations have more power, but they are also more likely to be connected to a good antenna. If you all want to chat it up, pick a common antenna and point a yagi at it. HTs are great, but not a good choice, imho, for an only radio. Kenwood tm-281a is a good priced winner (2m only) There is a fusion repeater in Lancaster so maybe the Yaesu FTM-3200dr would work (2m only) Arf loves the Kenwood tm-71a for dual band work. (dual band) Icom 880h can be found cheap if D-Star is popular. |
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I've had the earlier version of the Icom IC-2300 for about 5 years.
It's compact, rugged, inexpensive, and simple to program and operate. A quarter-wave mag mount antenna on my SUV lets me hit repeaters within about a 30 mile range, depending on terrain. If you're good at DIY projects, plans for several antennas for roof mounting are available on line. Here's one. |
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Pretty much the same opinion as others. You need a 50 watt mobile and an HT. Personally I would get a Baofeng UV-B5 or 6 and a dual band mobile. But I spend infinitely more time on 70cm than 2 meters. YMMV I really like my Yaesu FT-7900. It's simple, straight forward and a really good radio. I'm probably going to sell my Kenwood V71a soon. I've had a lot of problems with garbage in my audio when I x-mit. I've been told it sounds like I'm raking my mic across my beard when I talk. I can assure you that I am not lol.
Good luck with whatever you choose and welcome to the club. |
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My first radio was a Kenwood TM-281 - I bought the MTC New Ham Package
It may not be the greatest deal but I was on the air right out of the box and it was a good radio to get my 2 meter / 440 feet wet. The 281 ended up i the truck and I'm using a Kenwood TM-V71 as my current base. It's great to be able to cross band repeat with an HT on 1 watt around the house and hit all the local repeaters. If I ever need a new moblie rig it'll probably be another V71A. I have way too many HTs but usually grab the Kenwood TH-F6A or the good old Yaesu FT-60. |
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Shoot me an im or email. Craigslist3z at charter dot net and i will forward you to a guy who is paying it forward. Singlebander 2m mobile. If you can show proof of your ticket we can do some paying it forward . I cant guarantee anything so you will have to get your ticket....
Prosise |