Originally Posted by
pinzgauer
Really just the usual suspects. Yaesu/Vertex, Kenwood, and Icom would be my pick, in that order. All have inexpensive starter 2m mobiles that are very good radios.
I would avoid the temptation to get a Chineese generic as 1st radio even though they can do many things. It's just a pain to set them up unless you know what you need, and you usually can't do front panel programming
HF for any non LOS situation. I've used it to get weather reports on an upcoming storm while camping in Cataloochee (big bowl) with scouts.
Was our main link back to HQ when entering Katrina, and was the only link for the first few days.
Hmm, either you need/want comms or you don't. I'll give a few examples:
Katrina- 2m informal and formal simplex nets sprung up, and were the main local comms
SIL had to evac from keys, stuck on Turnpike in huge traffic, cell phones saturated / unusable, low on fuel, and van running warm. Decided then and there to get her license as she knew from being around me that you could always get on a repeater to get help even if cell was saturated/dead. She did it, and will be on 2m driving out on this evacuation.
Stuck bad in a friend's jeep with street tires (made the mistake of letting him drive). Zero cell service due to being in valley/woods. Was able to hit 2m repeater and make an autopatch.
Comms while camping with scouts in remote areas with no cell coverage. (Okeefenokee, etc). Pretty amazing what you can do with a 25w man portable HF rig and a "toss it in a tree" light dipole. (I have a VX-1210. Had PRC-104 as well until recently. The 1210 rules)
I've used it many, many times. But if you don't need it, don't sweat it.
Larsens have become more expensive. But the Japan antennas (to me) just are not as rugged. I've never broken a Larsen 5/8 wave 2m whip or a 2/70. I've broken multiple import antennas.
Generic advice in every manual. I've been in and around 2 way & amateur radio business since mid-70's. Have never seen a car that had RF sensitivity issues worse than buzz on speakers. They have to meet environmental conditions that are far higher than incidental radiation from ham radio. In fact, gas engines are one of the most severe RF environments that exist.
Again, either you need/want it or you don't. If you are in a bowl blocked by hills, you don't really have to worry about hurricanes.
Just be aware that a handheld in a car, even with external mag mount antenna, won't be much use in most situations. Better than no comms, for sure.
The Baefongs properly programmed can be handy for convoy/neighborhood stuff. Set them up for GMRS & MURS, etc.
Myself, I'll always keep HF + VHF + UHF in my primary 4x4. Sometimes I have two HF rigs active, FT-857 for net's and then one scanning on ALE. Bed mounted SGC 237 autotuner plus lightly loaded whips give me 75m-6m capability instant band change. I keep a PRC-47 sectional fiberglass whip that I can swap on when stationary that gives me a full 1/4 wave on 20, and great low band performance. 60m works great in that regard. Keep a spool of wire to throw up in a tree and clip to the end of my normal 8' whip that will give me base station sigs when parked. I usually run it at a 40-45 degree angle to maximize NVIS radiation.
With ALE and Pactor I can do email, file transfer, or most commonly short text in addition to linking up with base stations largely regardless of propagation.
But that's just me. Your needs may vary!
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