Hello all,
My first activation was on Brownclee and as there are other comms on the top near to the trig point my poor little Baofengs RX was suffering somewhat. I’m keen to stick to a VHF/UHF handheld with external antenna for QRP 500mw operation so I wondered if the more established brands Receivers are any better ?
Thanks all
Brad M0PAB
Baofengs are fine, i have used mine plenty of times for activations even inhigh RF areas! The secret is the Sotabeams 2M VHF filter, and a decent resonant antenna! (something like the spectrum comms Slim G)… it will TRANSFORM your little baofeng 
Alan
Thanks Alan for the reply, The filter looks ideal and at a reasonable price !
yea, you wont regret it, i use mine ALL the time!
Alan
Brad,
Save your money and get a decent handheld instead of a filter. You won’t need one for 99% of the 333 G & GW summits.
A Yaesu FT-65 won’t break the bank. Together with a decent small antenna (e.g. a Diamond RH-770 and/or a small roll-up slim Jim on a small pole) will allow you to activate most summits.
The filter can help with severe interference but there are ways around this (location, antenna direction, etc) and I never needed one for any of my activations.
73, Robert
Baofengs generally work, but when they don’t you might not even know. I was doing an activation with a buddy, he with a Quansheng and me with a Kenwood D74. We both had the same antenna (a halfwave whip, just different connectors). Standing side-by-side, I was picking up stations clearly and his wasn’t even breaking squelch. If not for me being there on the same frequency, he wouldn’t even know what he was missing. I was thinking about getting one of those Quanshengs up to that point. Thing is, he also has an Icom V8 and if he had been using that, he wouldn’t have missed anything (I did hand him my radio to get the QSO).
Chris
I agree with Chris KI4POT, I had the same experience with my friend and I on a summit and trying for a S2S on 2m over a distance of about 30km. My Yaesu was hearing the other S2S but my Friends Cheaper brand could hear nothing of him.
vk5cz …
I’d recommend an Alinco DJ-VX50. Very nice ergonomics, and ideal for SOTA.
Antenna wise, a Diamond RH770 is excellent but best is the slim G on a 6m mast.
Are the measurements available for things like 3rd order intercept etc? So we can see how it actually measures up against known excellent radios.
Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. Just buy a radio that works properly.
Should be able to pick up a used one on fleabay for under £60
Can’t beat it for value …mine is still going strong in its 5th season of abuse
Rick
I didn’t look for any but have since found this. I chose it for SOTA based upon:
I could not find another radio for sale new that meets those requirements. All the excellent HT radios don’t appear to be for sale any more and cost more used than this.
I’ve also owned the yaesu FT-65 and the Alinco is nicer to use.
Thanks again everyone , I intend to spend some time up on Tiiterstone Clee playing radio as it is very close to me.I have used a few Yaesu Mobile radios in the past but their RX side also collapsed (FT1500m) They were terrible mobile as well ! I’m guessing it was just that model. I am keen on having the 500mw capability of the Yaesu radios as I like working QRP but was worried about one being just as bad as the Baofeng or other Yaesu radios I’ve used.I’m going to have to bite the bullet and decide which was to go.
Thanks again all.
IP67 is excessive for SOTA, especially when you consider virtually no HF rigs are rated that high (except for the Lab599 transceiver). It’s nice to have, but I wouldn’t accept a lesser performing radio for that spec.
On that list from QRPBlog, the Yaesu FT-60 is still available new and the Icom IC-V8 is frequently available on eBay for about $50, putting it in the price range of a new Chinese HT. I had an IC-V8 that sat in standing water, with fully charged battery installed, for several days (long story involving a car accident), yet it still works fine.
Chris
Yaesu UK say the FT-60 was discontinued in 2009 and the FT-270R in 2010. Both are splendid handies for SOTA use. Maybe they are still availble in the US but not in Europe.
Yes. Their reputation has pushed up the prices secondhand. I decided that my VX-170 was just so good I kept my eyes open for one on eBay and got one missing an antenna and with a dead battery for £35 which is still a bargain.
It’s a case of scanning the secondhand sites daily for when the good stuff comes up.
Well that’s a bummer. They’re definitely still available here. HRO in my area still sells them and it appears they’re in stock nationwide in HRO:
YAESU, FT-60R, Transceivers HT Dual Band 2m-70cm, FT60R
Chris
Do I see an opportunity for someone to do a bulk buy in the US for shipping back to Europe?
If I was still traveling to the UK like I was pre-Covid, I’d bring you a few.
The bigger issue is whether or not the US version aligns to them same band limits as the UK. There might not be a difference, but I’m not sure…
There’s a guy in FB Marketplace in this area selling an FT60 for $99. Says it’s “barely used”. I’d buy it but the pic shows a EU or UK power plug (looks like the ones your bathroom “shaver” outlets use).
Chris
Well I bought a US spec Icom ICOM 80 in 2009 (to play with DSTAR). The Icom spec said it could cover EU 70cms (430-440) but performance was not guaranteed only US (440-450). It was perfect.
My VX170 was EU spec (144-146) but 30secs with the soldering iron and the band select diode was out and it covered 144-148 and it worked fine. I used it to activate the 1st W6 SOTA peek W6/CT-037.
I’d expect an FT-60 to cover 144-148 and 440-450 and have US repeater shifts. But these are always adjustable in software or with links.
I’ve taken my FT-817 up there quite a few times and never had an issue, on HF, 2m or 70cm. Indeed, I don’t ever recall having had any issues on any summit with the rig. However, as with most things, others may have found differently.
As for the FT-60, been I’ve looking for one for a while. Their scarcity is an indication of just how good these rigs are. I wonder how the FT-65 stands up against it. Has anyone owned both rigs?