No problem Rob, do you know what time you’ll be up at Wendover? I might be able to pop up if it’s a morning activation. I’d be interested to know how the 2m activation goes either way.
I was planning to use the SOTABeams SB2 and I’ve also got one of those hamshop handheld Yagis. I also have a Moonraker 5ele Yagi but that’s too heavy for all but the easiest summit, more for contest use.
I’m impressed by the build quality of the 270e feels like a tank!
Cheers, James M0JCQ
Be about 3pm I think. I’ll do some fm too from the 270r and report back.
R
Pretty quick activation. 2m ssb I worked G0TRB in Tamworth and G0RQL, Don in Devon. 10w ssb through a very simple halo, 7’ off the ground.
4 QSOs on fm, two in Kent. Using ladderline slimjim.
Sure I could have done more but one of those quick activations.
All the best,
Rob G7LAS
Thanks Rob, I looked for spots around 3pm but seemed like you only went QRV slightly later. I’ll give 2m FM a go up there at some point 
By the way, hope you enjoyed Bletchley Park, did you get a chance to operate GB3RS?
I use a Wouxun KG-UVD1P 2/4M as my back up radio for sota or if I am traveling lightweight for VHF you cant go wrong with SotaBeam MFD, cheap, lightweight and works.
I regularly get a couple of 4M contacts using a telescopic antenna directly attached to the radio.
Don’t discard the Baofeng radios, you can get a good 2/70 HT for less than £30, I have come across hundereds of people using them and the only people who don’t like them are the ones that don’t own them.
I would be tempted to change my 2/70 HT for one with APRS.
Good luck
Martin M0JZT1
Still very happy with my VX170 but I left the charger in W6 on the last visit.
Anyone know of a European source for a compatible charger?
John G8XTJ
Hi John
The VX170 uses the standard Yaesu NC-88 charger which is available from most of the UK based radio supplies. Have just checked ebay and you can order it through there for between £13-20 providing you don’t mind waiting a week for it to come in from Hong Kong.
73 Glyn G4CFS
It’s the same size connector as the FT817 so you can use the 817 charger if you have one. Failing that, if you have a DC lead, just connect it to 12V or so to charge the VX-170.
Thanks very much gentlemen
John G8XTJ
While the Baofeng is a good yet cheap radio it is not a good choice for SOTA. The receiver on the Baofeng is not that good. I found while activating that there were stations calling me that I could not hear on the Baofeng but could hear just fine on my Standard C558A. There have been instances as a chaser that I could hear an activator just fine with an S3 to S5 signal TX at 5 watts but they could not hear me at 50 watts. They were using a Baofeng. Stick with a Yaesu, Kenwood or Icom for weaker signals. I have also used the MFJ Long Ranger telescopic 1/2 wave HT antenna with good results, giving me a 3 S Unit advantage over a quarter wave HT antenna. But it did not help the Baofeng much.
Jeff, K6QCB
Hi James,
I have both rigs, the KX3 and the 578 and Ill have to tell you that the 857 is not as easy to pack (protect the knobs etc) or take with you (weight + tuner) as the KX3!
Packing and protecting was my main concern, more than weight really.
I feel like a different person now with the KX3!
Tasos
Hi James,
I realise I’m coming into this late and you have decided to get the one rig for top band to 70cm - The 857 is no doubt a good choice, the one downside being its and its battery’s weight.
I notice only one person mentioned the Chinese dual band HTs and I know several people will bring up specs say they are far inferior to the likes of Yaesu, Kenwood and Icom HTs. But they also cost a lot, lot less. As always you get what you pay for. The Chinese HTs have two advantages in my personal opinion. Should it get dropped and broken or lost, it would be just a UKL25 rather than 150-200 loss and, certainly in the case of the Baofeng UV-2Rs, they use an amazingly sensitive SDR chip for the receiver.
As you mentioned possibly also wanting to do some satellite work, the Arrow antenna is very useful being a 2m and 70cm yagi on one boom. When not using it for satellite work, by the addition of 4 holes and a mounting bracket, it can be mounted either vertical or horizontal on the band in use. It also packs away nicely into it’s roll-up carrying bag. If you purchase the antenna with the duplexer, be careful on power levels as the duplexer is only rated at 10w. Feeding the antennas independantly you wouldn’t have this issue, however the FT857 has a single combined (N-Type) antenna conector for 2m and 70cm.
The new FT991 apparently still has a combined antenna connector but this is now an SO-239 rather than an N-Type. While SO-239 is not really meant for 70cms, I suspect the number of rigs with problems after someone forced a PL-259 plug into the N-type socket and the damage occuring to the finals later when someone uses the correct N-Type equipped cable (because of the thinner centre pin, now having an open circuit antenna connection) were so many that Yaesu decided the few watts lost through the SO239 was worth it to avoid the damage continuing with the N-Type vs PL259 issues.
Have fun with the FT857!
73 Ed.
In reply to:
"certainly in the case of the Baofengs, they use an amazingly sensitive SDR chip for the receiver."
I don’t see how that is possible, at least with the UV5RA. I was on a summit with a Baofeng UV5RA with an MFJ Long Ranger 1/2 wave antenna and a 20 year old Standard C558A with a Comet 1/4 wave antenna and there were stations I could hear Q5 on the Standard and the Baofeng was hearing nothing, not even bursts of noise with the squelch set to 1. Also other activators with Baofengs could not hear my 50 signal while I could hear their 4 watt signal Q5. I don’t see how they have a sensitive receiver. They are great for repeater work or a don’t worry about radio but not for weak signals.
Jeff, K6QCB
As you say the chinese HTs need the optional extended aerial Jeff (not sure if I would personally go with MFJ, but that’s a different discussion point). For sure, using the standard rubber ducky these HTs are as deaf as a doorpost.
My reference Baofeng is the super-cheap UV-2R, I don’t have the UV-5R. We compared that with a Yaesu VX and a kenwood HT. Albeit these were old HTs. The Baofeng UV-2R performed better than either of the other two on receive (of course the extra TX power of the Yeasu and Kenwood gave them a stronger transmit signal).
It’s possible that the UV-5R uses a different RX set-up - at one point there was a rumour that it was built on the same production line as the Wouxon. The Wouxon’s receiver is not as good as the Baofeng UV-2R.
I should have been more specific on model. It’s all the more amazing that the cheapest radio around at the time had the most sensitive receiver! Now it’s very possible it wont handle strong signals nearby anywhere as well as the $200 HTs. But as I saiid - you get what you pay for. As James was looking initially for an additional radio to cover 2m FM, spending $150-$200 on something that he may not use that much is probably not the best option. I think the fact that he decided to replace his HF gear with HF+VHF+UHF in the form of an FT857 to be a good solution.
73 Ed.
A brave man recommends a radio he hasn’t used for SOTA.
I used the UV-2R during the one year celebration of VK1 in SOTA and had it along on other activations as a “just in case I wanted to go on 2m” rig. It worked well with the extended antenna on it. As corrected in my last post, my comments were towards the super cheap UV-2R not the UV-5R. It simply amazes me how much radio I got for AU$27!
73 Ed.
Thanks for the replies Ed. I have started using VHF/UHF quite a bit this year but mostly outside of a SOTA context. I’ve been entering a lot of the RSGB VHF contests. This has led me to amassing an 857, 817 and I have just got the 2m transverter for my KX3.
In fact I’m out tonight in the RSGB UK Activity Contest on 70cms. Will be operating from a hill top (not a SOTA summit) with a 19ele Tonna, I’ll point to DL but not sure of making it
Cheers,
James M0JCQ
Hi James,
Unfortunately my 70cm antenna is still in the cellar - The TS2000 is ready to go all modes on 70cm of course but without a beam up, it isn’t going to perform too well!
73 Ed.
Sorry to resurrect such an old thread, but I have been using the FT270R on a few activations recently and have found the battery life to be quite poor. I activated 3 summits yesterday and after a total use time of about 1 hour the battery died. Is this normal and am I expecting too much?
I had a Baofeng backup, but the RX is truly awful, so in the end I resorted to the KX3 with 2m transverter to save the final activation on Butser Hill.
Other than the battery I’ve been really impressed by the FT-270R, it truly is built like a tank and I have no qualms about whipping it out in the wet 
Cheers, James M0JCQ
HI James
Suggest you buy a spare Yaesu battery pack from the old auction site. Quite cheap when I got mine (China I think). Keep it charged and carry as a spare. Worked for me activating 330 Wainwrights over some long rounds!
Nothing beats the VX-170 - FT-270 for strength and reliability as far as SOTA / WOTA is concerned!
Hope you are well…
73 Phil