Nope, not at all, i use a Yaesu FT4XE hand held, connected to a spectrum communications Slim G via a SOTAbeams 2M bandpass filter, All of my activations have qualified on 2M and have had contacts well over the 100 mile mark. remeber you are on top of a hill! Height is might, and if people are listening they will reply!
Bear in mind more power out = more power in, and YOU have to carry that power up the mountain with you! keep it simple, keep it lightweight, keep it QRP!!
Hope this helps
Alan
Hi,
Only licensed for 6-7 weeks, but I thought Iād share. Hope this helps.
Today was an interesting day for me - I activated two summits (G/SC-001, and G/SC-005). All I used was my Quangsheng UVK5 and a 2m flowerpot antenna hoisted up on a 3m fishing pole. They claim 5w output on this portable radio.
At my first summit someone was receiving me 59 in Honiton, yet I was receiving them 58 despite them using 25w. Of course, I canāt totally rely on the S-meter on this HT.
At my second summit, my CQ calls were being heard and responded to, but I couldnāt hear the responses. I had to disable the squelch to get my third contact. There were some interesting tropospheric conditions at play to be fair - someone on the IOW could hear me, but I couldnāt hear them - this was relayed to me by my fourth contact in Wales.
Iām tempted to invest in a HT with better receiving capabilities at this point, given that I was getting out but unable to hear responses.
Keen to follow this thread for further opinions.
Regardless, your first activation will bring a smile to your faceā¦ (I was fist pumping with joy!!). So glad to have discovered SOTA.
73
M7OMZ.
Thanks, existing equipment to start with and testing an exploration from there 
Youāve hit the nail on the head here! As long as there people within range listening out for you, 5W is more than enough. This post reminds me of my first activation which was on G/SE-009. My plans to use hf came to naught due to me forgetting a critical adapter, so had to resort to 2m. I struggled to raise enough contacts to get the 4 needed for the point, but found a local net to break into where the participants were more than happy to work me to give me the required number of contacts. G/SE does seem to be on the harder side in terms of 2m, but where thereās a will thereās a way!
Ta
Thanks, definitely helps
Thanks, very useful to hear your experience. The Ft818 I have has always had good reception when I used it to date - need to use it more now , and from the adivice provided on the thread 5W is absolutely fine which is most splendid. My son has a UVK5 which looks a nice HT. He has not used it much but will be getting out and about soon as well.
get the SOTABeams 2M bandpass filter for it, it will DEFINATELY increase his QSO count with a baofeng HT! infact if im honest, most HTs benefit from it!
Alan
the front ends on these chinese and alot of other handheld are frankly crap, they fold under the slightest pressure! I know i may sound like a broken record, but get a SOTABeams 2M bandpass filter, and ill bet you would have been able to hear all the inbound QSOs! ive had the same problem, and infact my first activation was nearly a failure due to struggling to get 4 contacts, I was told about the filter, and got oneā¦ tried it on my next outing and the difference was UNREAL! now i never activate without it, and i rarely miss a contact now!
honestly you wont be dissapointed!
Alan
Hi Tony,
Lots of people as always trying to help out by sharing their experience.
I live in he South of England and if youāre interested, happy to come along and have a joint activation at some stage.
73, Robert
M0RWX
I got there by coincidence. I once climbed a summit with my 5-el yagi but forgot the boom in the car. When I was up there the only option was just using the feeding element solely. I got stuck to it as it was most convenient. Any full size antenna will perform noticeably better than the stock rubber duck HT antenna. HB9CV is equal to my fold dipole but proved to be difficult in tuning. 3-el yagi or cubical quad would be the best choice but itās getting biggy. Double quad or Oblong ant would be next choice. Even more elements could cause missing stations out of the directionā¦ I love moving antenna while operating to optimize reception which results in better reception at the other station as well. I think this method gives plus 25% QSOs - so with mounting a J-pole or vertical fixed you will be fine as well. Let us know your experience. 73 Martin
will definitely suggest it
That sounds like a splendid plan
73
Iāve only been activating since September 2023 but have activated more than 60 summits now.
I like to use 20m SSB when I have time but have done plenty on 2m. A Slim Jim supported by a Tactical Mini SOTAPole has worked really well and way better than any kind of āset topā antenna Iāve tried.
If Iām pushed for time and itās not too windy, Iāve been known to sit cross-legged on ground, with the pole wedged between my legs and shoulder, with my operating arm around it. It might sound silly but it works for me. I activated G/NP-004 like that this very morning.
73, Denis, MW0CBC.
I think it might take me way longer to activate 60 summits, thats very good going 
When conditions are in your favour you can get from the Northern Lake District into Staffs on 5w or 10w and a flowerpot antenna . Nice to make that contact on Sunday Neil. from G/LD-020 .
On the subject of gear , plenty options posted for 2E0IYM to consider, and for me it depends on the type of summit, how strenuous the walk may be , and the weight I am prepared to carry . Most 2m trips are using an FT-65 5 Watt, hand held and a flowerpot antenna and, or , a home made 3 element beam if it would be an advantage the elements of which can be removed and stowed inside the plastic conduit which makes the main beam.
Richard.
Cheers. I retired at Christmas so have a bit more time now which helps. Been hillwalking all my life really plus caving, climbing and mountain biking from time to time too although not as confident with exposure as I once was.
Hereās me holding my pole(!)
Cheers,
Denis
Believe me, that free time wonāt last! As a retiree myself, I am now doing more than when I was in full-time employment!
How about introducing your āSOTA Dogā that is sitting there behind you in the picture? There is, by the way, also a thread on this reflector just showing activators with their dogs.
73 Ed DD5LP.
Thatās Myfanwy (Myfy, or quite frequently, ābloody dogā 
. She comes on occasional activations with me but not too many as she never sits still for long and loves nothing more than tangling herself in wires and cables!!
I was running my own business (Iām a wildlife biologist and ecologist) so I really am less busy now than I was before I retired 
Cheers,
Denis MW0CBC
Thanks Alan - Iāll look into that.
At G/SC-005 I disabled the squelch, and had S4 noise with my flowerpot antenna. Removing the antenna brought it to S0, so I know it wasnāt the S meter at least.
Will that band pass filter bring it down a few notches, or is it mainly to help if there are broadcast stations nearby? They may well have been some in the area, but Iām completely unaware at this stage.
