2m qs?

[preacherman]

Ok I have been studing for my ham for a while now and should take the test soon. So I am about to purchas my first radio (I can't afford two yet and plan on having both a handheld and a moble). Here is my question:

1st radio
Handheld or mobile
2m or 2m/440 combo

I am looking for something entry level to start with. Any advice would be great.

 

[Pskhaat]

Tough call!

I'd say mobile, but HT is darned useful outside the vehicle.

2m/70cm I believe is well worth it. There are many remote places with oddly just UHF coverage.

 

[gary in ohio]

The correct answer is, "It depends"

Where your located, the number of repeaters in your area. Dual band is always the best since it gives you more flexability. If your away from the city then mobile is the way to go. If you stay inside the city limits or repeater range then a handheld and good mobile antenna can be enough. Maybe a ht and amp.

 

[k6uk]

Amps are so expensive you might as well get another radio.
I would say get a mobile... you can always get an HT later, and you will - but make your first radio one with a little power.

So I would get a Yaesu FT-7800 - you get a lot for the price. Lots of memories, and you can recieve 800 mhz public service frequencies when you're bored. Remote head. It's a great rig.

I hardly use my HTs day to day, but I have my mobile rig on whenever I'm on the road.

Your milage may vary.

-Mike

 

[Brian McVickers]

Not knowing your budget
I would go with dual band because it is more versatile.

Regarding mobile vs HT
I would try and determine wich one you will use the most and buy it new.
Then buy the other one used.

In my case I will use a mobile more than an HT but still needed/wanted the HT for several reasons. I purchased a mobile 2m new, new mobile dual was out of budget, and then I found a used dual band HT.

:sombrero:

 

[Clay]

I have an Icom IC-V8000 in my rig that I really like, because I like 2 meters the best and it's 75 watts so it has really good range. I also have a Yeasu VX-150 HT that is pretty much indestructable. Both work good for what I need. If I were to do it again and I was just starting out I would do it the same. A single band 2 meter mobile rig with 65-75 watts is pretty inexpensive and a good deal. You can get a radio and antenna for around $200 and be just fine.

Now that I know better, though, my next set up is going to be a mobile radio that is dual band and dual recieve for the capability of the cross band repeat function. I like this because I could use my HT to talk to the radio in my truck like a repeater and that way if I'm on foot I can still have some pretty good range. This is nice, but the set up would be considerably more, like in the $600 to $800 range.

 

[devinsixtyseven]

Here's my reasoning, to be acted on in the next month or two .

I'll be using mostly the 2M band, and mostly to communicate over longer distances with greated fidelity than cb and frs offer, but mostly those distances will be simplex among vehicles in the same group...mostly.

So, I'll be getting the HT first...five watts is plenty to go the distance between vehicles most places on the same trip--half a watt was plenty the other day going between one side of Keystone and the other on GMRS frequencies. The HT means I can spot other vehicles (tho I'll be getting spotted via hand or GMRS radios til I have a mobile as well) clearly and effectively.

I can also take the HT in the backcountry where I don't have the vehicle--hiking, backpacking, backcountry skiing and snowboarding, MTB, or anything I see fit.

Yaesu makes a couple weatherproof HTs, the VX-6R (2m/6m), VX-7R (2m/6m/70cm) and VX-170/177 (2m/6m only, respectively).

I'll get the mobile when I have the time and money to invest properly in the setup like some of the other guys here.

-Sean

*edit* Uh...like k6uk says below, I was remembering things wrong...substitute 70cm for 6m most places up there and it's mostly correct...

 

[k6uk]

The VX-6R is a 2m/220(aka 1.25M)/440(aka 70cm) rig, the VX-7R is 6M/2M/220/440 and the VX-177 is a 440 HT. Just to keep things clear.

I can attest to the durability of the VX-150/170/177 radios, they are larger - but have a lot of audio! The VX150 (not dunkable) is a real bargain around $110

Good luck! You'll like whatever you get!

-Mike

 

[asteffes]

Isn't Yaesu planning a VX-5R dual-bander, too? Might be a nice, inexpensive option.

Something to keep in mind: An external speaker-mic often makes for much better audio into and out of an HT. They also make using an HT in a vehicle easier. I would highly recommend one. The Yaesu one for the radios above is about $65.

Another good thing to have is either a spare battery or a battery tray that accepts standard alkaline AA cells as a backup.

 

[crawler#976]

1. A mobil rig will be cheaper - be it a single or dual band.

2. In the inter-mountain west, having a little punch is handy. 5W is sufficient for vehicle to vehicle simplex, and will get out to quite a few repeaters, but I routinely use the full 65W on 2M to hit distant repeaters - some in excess of 60 miles.

3. A real antenna does make a difference. If you decide to get an HT, get an external antenna for it.

4. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have saved up a little bit more $$ and bought dual band 144/440 radios. I like my Yaesu FT-2800M's, very durable, tough, and powerful, but as I progressed in my short experiance with Ham radio, I'd have used the 440 band to access IRLP repeaters. There seem to be a lot more of the 440 IRLP nodes out there.

 

[preacherman]

Thanks for the input. I am still trying to decide what to do. I hike and MTB alot so the handheld would be good, but I also spend alot of time in areas where a powerful mobil would be nice. Bottom line is I need both, so I really don't think I can go wrong with either one because I know I will be getting the other soon too.

 

[asteffes]

Then I would get the one you think you'll use more for now.