Quote:
1leglance previously said:
I am going to agree and disagree here at the same time...
A handheld is a great way to get into Amateur Radio but you will find that an external antenna will make a huge difference...just ask that guys that use a 5watt handheld and quality antenna to reach some serious distances...
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i am going to back up lance, i have been a HAM for a few years now (so still kinda new) but I got a
VX-7R HT and with the antenna that comes with it (a.k.a. RubberDuck) it was VERY poor at hitting the repeaters along the mountain range around here, it was fine for simplex that was in the nearby area, so i got a better antenna, this one
Diamond SRH77CA and then i could hit all the repeaters quite well, but not when i was in my FJ, i would still have issues off and on, your signal effectiveness drops A LOT inside a vehicle, so i mounted another antenna, this one
Diamond NR770HB on the bandi mount (I had to drill the bandimount hole a little bigger than what it comes with for the HAM antenna mount) and ran the cable into the interior and now i mount my HT by my e-brake with some heavy duty velcro. Now i get VERY good reception and can hit the repeaters with great effectiveness, simplex is also great too
NOW,
while that setup is about as good as a mobile HT setup can get i think, it will be much better when i get my mobile rig, this one:
Kenwood D710
so, in my experience, each step that i took above i gained a VERY noticable increase in performance
good luck, HAM is AWESOME!!!
