I live about an hour from where i work. When i check repeaterbook i see there are a decent amount of fm fusion 2 and 70 stations near me. I also work in EMS part time so im curious as to what handheld would work best for me since im usually out and about on most days and away from my house and at work from my car. I know fusion is yaesu but is there a better non fusion model.
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You could take a look at the ID-52 if you like ICOM, it’s a great radio. Have you considered mounting an antenna on your car instead of the handheld since you want to use it primarily mobile?
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This is just personal opinion, of course. Antenna beats radio everyday of the week. As James already suggested, if you are in the car, the best thing you could do is get some kind of antenna mount (mag mount or clamp of some kind) and just put an adapter on the end of the cable to attach to your handheld while in the car. Having your HT in the car will always interfere with the signal to some degree. If using an HT in the car, I use the same holder as I do for my cell phone. Works just fine. That or just stick the cable on and drop it in a cup holder.
As to your original question about radios, like every other question in ham radio, “it depends.” If you want digital, but don’t care about Fusion specifically, James suggested a very nice, albeit very expensive ICOM. A still pricey, but less expensive digital option could be an Anytone 878UVII Plus or BTech DMR 6x2 Pro. Both are essentially the same radio with just a few differences. They also have bluetooth, which I personally appreciate and use all the time.
If you are not concerned about digital at all, you could just as easily spend as little as possible on a “toss around the car” handheld and go with the cheap “radio that shall not be named” (Baofeng). I have several handhelds and the Fengs work just fine with a good antenna and if you drop it, you’re obviously not out much. There are some decent mid-range HTs, but once you start looking at more expensive radios, you might as well invest in a very nice unit. If not, don’t feel bad about going cheap. If it does what you need, it does what you need. I’ll still stand by the antenna being the most important part of your communications success at any given moment. I have no connection to WRL or Signal Stuff or Exam Tools, just to be clear, but I love Signal Sticks for every VHF/UHF application. Great price for a nearly indestructible antenna, mobile or HT. Since they are all rated for at least 50 watts, it doesn’t matter if you want to stick them on a mobile.
You could go a bit fancier for a mobile antenna, but really no need. If you get their BNC mobile mag mount, a BNC Signal Stick, and a BNC adapter for your HT, you only really need one antenna. When you go to the car, just take the antenna off of your HT, stick it on the mag mount, and plug the cable into the HT when you close the door. Do everything BNC and you only need one antenna. Do it all the time. Ok, I’ll shut up now.
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Great info for new hams. Thanks
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