
Pathfinder I
When I had a Baofeng handheld and a mag mount antenna, I was able to hit the local repeater more than 20 miles away down in a valley. Night and day difference with an external antenna vs the rubber duck.How do you find the range and usefulness of the handheld ham? I too have a cb mounted in my Suburban (because I had one) and planned on adding a 2m mobile radio but am seriously considering a handheld.
I would like to be able to communicate with logging trucks on forestry roads (LMR frequencies here which means I could listen but not legally transmit with HAM), I volunteer with rally racing events from time to time (HAM radio operators required), I am a SAR volunteer (HAM operators useful but we use licensed frequencies normally) and I wanted a method of emergency communication when out in the bush.
Some of the Chinese handheld ham radios are actually part 90 certified and can LEGALLY be used to transmit outside of the 2m amateur band (assuming legal use of any given frequency). This means I could talk on the forestry road frequencies, have my own backup radio for SAR, and throw it in a backpack to use it for direct radio communications in an emergency when hiking/camping/skiing in the backcountry as well as potentially use if for GMRS comms.
The handheld has a lot more uses, but 5w vs 80w...
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