Begining the HAM Radio research. Assitance is welcom

[Beowulf]

I was actually thinking 3-4 foot was small. Hearing that length is a good choice is nice to hear.

Is there an optimal antenna for each radio, or is there one antenna that is really considered the best for 2m dual band transceivers?

 

[frgtwn]

Mike location

Don't let the remote faceplate/mike jack location bother you. It is fairly simple to run a line from the remote location to where ever you want the mike jack, on a Yaesu.

 

[Beowulf]

I've seen many people mounting secondary speakers. Can't these be connected directly to the OEM stereo speaker through and Aux jack?

 

[Beowulf]

What does the Mic extension for the Yaesu look like? I am guessing it is just a longer cable that I could neatly tuck behind the faceplate and run the actual mic out anywhere I deem convenient.

 

[gary in ohio]

I was actually thinking 3-4 foot was small. Hearing that length is a good choice is nice to hear.

Is there an optimal antenna for each radio, or is there one antenna that is really considered the best for 2m dual band transceivers?

Antenna size will vary based on band, For VHF and UHF the 3-4ft is a good number as you move into the long range HF length goes up. As you move to 6m and HF antennas length will increase. On HF 9-16ft is the norm for a mobile antenna.

 

[Charlie56]

What does the Mic extension for the Yaesu look like? I am guessing it is just a longer cable that I could neatly tuck behind the faceplate and run the actual mic out anywhere I deem convenient.

Thats exactly what you can do. You can by a 15-foot 6-pin R-45 extension cord and a female-female coupler for about $5 at an electronics store.

 

[Beowulf]

At this point I am leaning towards the Yaesu FT-7900R. What is a comparable unit from Icom and Kenwood?

 

[gary in ohio]

At this point I am leaning towards the Yaesu FT-7900R. What is a comparable unit from Icom and Kenwood?

The 7900R is the lower priced Yaesu dual band. Its a single band (at a time) receiver where the 8800/8900 are dual receive. Its a nice radio and has a remote head. The closest Icom is the ICOM IC-208H and Kenwood doesnt really have a lower end dual band right now..


Gary

 

[w squared]

I have an FT8800, and am very happy with it so far. I particularily like the ability to scan a group of preset frequencies while continuously monitoring a local simplex channel or a specific repeater.

So far, the 50W that it offers paired with a relatively high gain antenna (the Comet CA-2X4-SR) on a tailgate mount

seems to give me the ability to hit at least one repeater even if I'm in a valley a fair distance into the foothills....and most of the time I can do it with 5 watts instead of the full 50.