Radioddity and the LATEST Bao Feng 10 Watt radios are Yaesu design, licensed by Yaesu.
I didn't realize the prices on the FT4 had shot up so much, but the FT4 from Ham Radio Outlet is only $109 right now.
The parent company of Yaesu is Vertex Standard, one of two major suppliers of radios to the Goobermunt.
All Yaesu radios are just the Mil Spec Vertex standard model with a different label.
AND Yaesu is the only radio out there with a 3 YEAR warranty, all others run 90 days to on year max.
The factory repair facility for Yeasu, should you need it in or out of warranty, is 4 hours away in Cypress, CA.
Others are either in China or some place a long ways off. Buy multiple disposable radios, or one that you can bet your life on and that will last a lifetime.
Dual Band 5W VHF/UHF FM Ultimate Compact Handheld Transceiver
www.hamradio.com
Or Gigaparts, same price
GigaParts is the premier destination for the latest in technology products and hobby gear, catering to a wide range of interests: Amateur Radio: A variety of amateur radio equipment and accessories. Computers: Custom PC builds, gaming computers, and ready-to-go PCs. Astronomy: Telescopes...
www.gigaparts.com
The FT65 is also on sale at Ham Radio Outlet, (HRO)
2 Meter/70cm Dual Band FM Handheld - Compact, Light and Very Rugged
www.hamradio.com
Now, the secret to long range comms with a 5 watt or 10 watt hand held...........I'll tell ya, then I have to kill ya...........
A high quality super rubber duck antenna AND a tiger tail (you make that yourself).
With any radio signal, you need a ground plane for the signal to push off against.
Look at it this way.....put Usane Bolt in a space suit, and set him outside the ISS in free space. I don't care how fast he is on earth, he's not going very far or fast no matter how fast he pumps his legs, no "friction" nothing to push off against.
With a hand held, the chassis is metal and through capacitive coupling. YOUR BODY becomes the ground plane to give the signal from that Super Rubber duck antenna (or the piss poor stock rubber ducky) something to push off against.
Now add the tiger tail. That's a piece of fine wire (insulated or bare, doesn't matter) of 22 to 30 gauge, for a 2 meter / 70 CM dual band, cut to a length of 20-5/8 inches long, then one inch of one end is stripped bare (if it's insulated wire that is) and wrapped in a loop around the base of the SMA connector for the antenna, then the antenna is screwed back on finger tight.
Let the tiger tail hang down the side of the radio.........SHAZAAAM! you just made your antenna system a DIPOLE with a great ground plane, and your distance went up significantly for transmitting.
Remember to always hold the radio with the antenna VERTICAL, don't go turning in on its side horizontally like you see your favorite action hero do in the movies or TV, that severely limits the range when using a repeater, or when operating Simplex.
If the other radio you are trying to communicate with is a repeater, its antenna will be Vertical and thus the signal out of it will be vertically polarized. If you turn your radio horizontal, the signal leaving it when you transmit is horizontally polarized, and thus the intercept point for both your radio and the repeater, or the other hand held or mobile, will be at the very small point where the two different polarized signals CROSS.
VHF and UHF frequencies both work best when vertically polarized, HF, both polarizations are used, depending on if you are looking for DX (distance) comms, or going for a NVIS (Near Vertical Instance Skywave) close in skip.
If you are going to go cheap, then these Bao Fengs from Amazaon are about the best bang for your buck.
You get TWO, three antennas for each, including the super rubber duck, hand mikes, chargers, etc.
