On Oct 12, 6:24 am, Steve wrote:
On Oct 12, 1:51 am, Ross Archer wrote:



On Oct 11, 5:06 am, Steve wrote:

I would have labeled this as "off topic", but thanks to Tardo the
distinction between what's on/off-topic is now meaningless.

I'm thinking about picking up a new handheld tranceiver, probably a
dual bander for 2 m. and 70 cm. Decent audio would be nice and build
quality is important to me. I'd appreciate any advice about what to
consider and/or avoid.

Thanks,

Steve

* Is small, compact size important?

* Do you need "dual receive", with independent volume controls for
each band?

* Is an add-on alkaline battery case for emergency backup important?

* Is full 5 watt output important in your area?

The local ARES uses Yaesu FT-60Rs. They seem pretty sturdy, and you
can purchase an alkaline battery case for extended operations long
after the rechargeable pack runs out.

I highly recommend "eham" http://ww.eham.net:http://www.eham.n...ws/products/49

You're the third person to recommend the FT-60R to me, so I'll
definitely look at it closely. Compact size isn't too important,
though it's a plus. I probably do want the full 5 watt output on both
bands, if only because lots of HT's offer that and, while I might not
need it in my home area, I move around enough for it to matter.

One warning about the FT-60. The speaker-mic plug is located on the
right-hand side of the radio (rather than the more usual top). What
can happen when wearing it with a speaker-mic is occasionally the
pulling motion will pull the plug out a tad and cause the radio to
start transmitting.

My understanding is that people who use speakermics with this rig take
a rubber band along and strap it around the radio to prevent this when
using the speaker mic.

Having never used a speaker mic with this radio, it's not an issue for
me.

-- ross