Improving your Handy Talkie

My first Handheld was a Standard 6 channel crystallized radio. Someone came out w/ an add-on adapter that would up it to 11 channels.
My wife (N4ANF) and I each had one. Then we both got Icom IC2at H-Ts. I ran across this photo of me when I was Photo Editor of the Watauga Democrat in Boone NC. We had been on a manhunt for a jail escapee that shot and wounded a deputy w/ a shotgun. This was day two and we were all a little punchy. You can see the Icom on my belt w/ an aftermarket "stubby-ducky" antenna. I was being an "aggressive journalist". The deputy lost the sight in one eye but other than that he was okay physically once the pellet holes all healed up. Bad guy was recaptured on the evening of day three. I still have the "Stubby-Duckie" antenna... seen here. Like W4HWD I lusted for the Santec 144 . My H-T of choice now is my Alinco DJ-G5 that's 20 years old. I also have discardable Baofeng.

 

I have that same antenna on my VX-7r. It seems to perform nearly as well as the factory antenna (on 2m, it's a single band antenna), but much more compact. I "chased" a SOTA activator from about 20 miles away with that combination. Granted, he was using a yagi on summit, but both of us were running 5w.

Chris

 

Bonjour, le miens était un BC-611... Je l'ai toujours !

 

What did you use the radio for?

 

My first Handy Talkie was a Motorola HT 220 with the 8 freq board about 1975.
Rory, K5CKS

 

73 88 FROM NICK SY1 DFB ATHENS GREECE EGALEO CITY HAVE FOUND DB-10 POLMAR HAND HELD 10 WATT RADIO TO BE GREAT TO USE AS PORTABLE MOBILE AND AT HOME!!

 

Goto 1 hr 25 minute if you want to cut to the chase.

 

I improved my bayoturd portable by tossing it into the wood chipper the tree service brought here the other day to clear the way for more HF antennas!

Portables do have a use, I own several but damit buy a real portable from a reputable manufacturer and loose the whacker speaker mic!

 

My first HT was a Drake TR-22

 

my handheld is the yaesu ft60 r shame the batteries dont last very long

 

Grin... have you ever tried to carry, power and install a HF rig in a row-boat or deer stand?

 

Not a big fan of many China made products, but, I dropped mu Baofeng 30 feet to the ground from a deer tree stand, needed a new antenna but still works well. Not sure my yaesu or icom would have survived the same drop.

 

I bet my VX-7 would have. I can probably use it to beat a deer to death.

HF-wise, my KX2 is small enough to bring up in the stand with me, but I'm not sure I'd risk it. Maybe if I fashioned a safety harness for it as well. Hmm, now I'm wondering if I can set up some sort of treestand-mounted HF whip.

That said, I was doing a SOTA activation this summer and suddenly felt like I was being watched. I turned around and there was a doe not 20' away just staring at me. She stood there for the longest time before sauntering off.

Chris

 

Your right but the baeofungus has a front end you could drive a truck through. Ok in the woods but I used one for a couple of weeks and it would overload with a pager service 8 miles away.

 

Not much into boats or killing deer but if I were I have no doubt my FT-818 would do just fine. Thanks for caring.