In reply to MM0FMF:
Choices… choices…
Not enough - when are we getting a 13cms handie then? I’d definitely purchase a dedicated monoband rig if it made it easier for the manufacturers to produce one…
73, Gerald G4OIG
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Hi Mike,
On activations I always carry a Yaesu VX7-R, which I bought mainly due it being waterproof. From experience I can certainly vouch for that aspect of its design. With regard to Steve’s comment about low audio because of the waterproof membrane, I have only once had that problem on an activation of Pendle Hill in very wet conditions. I was walking into the wind & the rain had clogged the speaker vents on the front of the radio therefore reducing the audio level of received stations. To offset this I had been turning up the volume & when I heard a local station calling on s") I commented to him that his audio was distorted. It turned out that the water in the speaker vents had muffled the audio, & after blowing the water out of the vents I realised that I had turned that volume up to full & the distortion was at my end, not the other stations.
I always bear that in mind now & it has not been a problem since.
As far as immunity from breakthrough is concerned, any amateur handheld with wideband receive will suffer to some extent, especially dual-banders, but that is the price we pay for smaller radios with lots of bells & whistles. For really good immunity you would need to look at an older amateur band only radio with larger components, & inevitably more size & weight. As already mentioned, the Yaesu FT290R mk1 is excellent in this respect, but of course doesn’t have any of the bells & whistles of modern handhelds.
It does have SSB & CW capability though 
I believe the FT817 is also pretty good & having done some tests on mine it does appear that away from the 2m amateur band the filtering does afford significantly more attenuation of out of band signals than any of the handhelds I have tried.
For an all rounder I would recommend the FT817, which although not a true handheld, is not much bigger than some of the older amateur handhelds & it does give you Top Band to 70cms in one small package.
For a true handheld if you want immunity from commercial breakthrough stick to single band radios, the older amateur band only models tend to be better.
Personally I am very happy with my VX7-R, which I don’t expect to work brilliantly on summits like Billinge Hill, or Great Orme which are notorious for hammering the front ends of most modern VHF amateur handhelds, but it suits my requirements perfectly.
Whatever radio you go for I am sure you will get lots of use out of it!
Best 73,
Mark G0VOF
In reply to MM0FMF:
Just announced is the new Wouxun UDV1P/L which is a 2m/4m handheld.
Where? I cannot find it on Google.
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
In reply to G3NYY:
Martin Lynch has a Review.
Dave/G4ASA
In reply to G3NYY:
It’s in next month’s RadCom which hasn’t been published yet.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF and G4ASA:
Thanks!
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
In reply to G3NYY:
Hi Walt,
The back cover of the June Radcom has a large picture of the Wouxon KG-UVD1P/L 2m & 4m FM Handheld being sold for £99.99 by Martin Lynch & Sons.
73,
Mark G0VOF
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Just to add my 2 cents worth, I use a Yaesu VX-8E (with a mobile whip on a small lightweight mast if needed).
Light weight, waterproof, capable on 6m 2m & 70cm. Also has APRS capability if you have the GPS receiver for it.
I’ve found that firing off a couple of APRS beacons from the summit with a comment in the status text stating what summit you are on can sometimes draw in a bit of extra attention on those slightly slow activations where you just don’t seem to be able to get the contacts (we’ve all had them haven’t we).
As other people have already said, the FT-817 is a very popular coice with other activators. The advantage of this is that you also have HF capability.
I don’t have the FT-817 myself. I do have the bigger brother (the FT-857) and found it to be a good rig, but don’t take it out on SOTAs with me. I use an old Icom IC-703 for HF SOTAs, but these have now been discontinued and are becomming hard to find (second hand on Ebay is about the only option as ande when they crop up).
All of the above are good choices, but all are quite expensive. If you are on a budget and don’t want to splash out between £400 and £500+ on a rig, from what I have heard you can’t go far wrong with the Wouxun duel-bander and some sort of external antenna.
I’ve yet to try the duel-bander (got one on the way), but I have the 4m version and apart from the somewhat over optimistic signal meter (shows S9 when the station is bearly readable) I’ve found it to be a good rig.
In reply to M0GQC:
In reply to 2E0YYY:
Just to add my 2 cents worth, I use a Yaesu VX-8E (with a mobile whip
on a small lightweight mast if needed).Light weight, waterproof, capable on 6m 2m & 70cm. Also has APRS
capability if you have the GPS receiver for it.
You must be a mind reader, James. A couple of days ago, I took delivery of a VX-8GR with the built in GPS receiver, but no 6m. I’ve spent quite some time reading the manual (all 164 pages of it!) and playing with the features. Just how they’ve managed to squeezed so much into this tiny rig, beats me. Quite frankly, you need skills akin to those of a virtuoso violinist, just to adjust the squelch.
Looking at some of the reviews, the battery life seems to be a bit of an issue when using the GPS, so I’ve ordered the optional 1800mAh as a back-up.
73
Mike 2E0YYY
In reply to 2E0YYY:
I look forward to your report of using the VX-8 on Billinge Hill.
For our cousins across the pond who are reading this, they may be interested to hear Alinco have a new dual band handy for the Region 2 quiet VHF/UHF bands. The new Alinco covers 1.25m/33cm (222MHz/903MHz) and comes in the same case as the DJ-G7 2m/70cm/23cm handy.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
I look forward to your report of using the VX-8 on Billinge Hill.
Just for comparison, my Wouxun KG-UVD1P was absolutely swamped on 2m by the commercial transmitters on Billinge Hill. That is the only location where I’ve had this problem with the Wouxun. It worked fine on Winter Hill and Cleeve Hill.
On Billinge Hill, the Wouxun was completely clear of breakthrough on 70cm.
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
In reply to 2E0YYY:
so I’ve ordered the optional 1800mAh as a back-up
Unnecessary, as you insist on taking a 20Ah SLAB everywhere with you!
I only really use my handie for comms during the walking phases, but rarely for the activations themselves. At that level of use I only need to charge it every time there is a blue moon.
Tom M1EYP
In reply to M1EYP:
In fairness a 20Ah slab is a pretty handy thing to sit on! 
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
In fairness a 20Ah slab is a pretty handy thing to sit on!
Haven’t you got buttocks? 
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to G8ADD:
In reply to M1EYP:
In fairness a 20Ah slab is a pretty handy thing to sit on!
Hi Brian. Tomorrow, I’m on Black Hill G/SP-002 with M6MGB and he’s taking his 20Ah SLAB too. If we take a 5’ plank of wood with us, we can make up a nice bench to sit on
73
Mike 2E0YYY
In reply to G3NYY:
In reply to MM0FMF:
I look forward to your report of using the VX-8 on Billinge Hill.
Just for comparison, my Wouxun KG-UVD1P was absolutely swamped on 2m
by the commercial transmitters on Billinge Hill.
Yep, same at my local high spot, Walt. Just about unusable at times. No such problems if I use the FT-857. However, for what the Wouxun costs and and taking into account the cost of accessories, they still represent excellent VFM.
The cost of an 1800 mAh battery for the VX-8GR is £58 plus postage from a UK supplier, just about the same price I paid for my first Wouxun KG-UVD1P. The cost of a 1700 mAh replacement for the Wouxun is just £11 delivered from Hong Kong!
73
Mike 2E0YYY
The new Wouxun looks like a good sota accessory 2m and 4m can’t wait for a report about that one.
73
Chris
Early reports from NW based SOTA chasers suggest the VX-8 receive performance is somewhat lacking. Reports there is a 4 day old model for sale on eBay have not yet been confirmed.
Seriously, what was the problem Mike, overload & cross-mod, or problems adjusting the squelch?
Andy
MM0FM
In reply to MM0FMF:
Early reports from NW based SOTA chasers suggest the VX-8 receive
performance is somewhat lacking. Reports there is a 4 day old model
for sale on eBay have not yet been confirmed.Seriously, what was the problem Mike, overload & cross-mod, or
problems adjusting the squelch?
LOL,
Nah Andy, for the Black Hill G/SP-002 activation today, I used the Wouxun handy.
So far, I can’t fault the VX-8G, although TBH, I’m far from au fait with it.
I’m really impressed with the built in GPS, especially the altimeter which is extremely useful.
The APRS, also looks particularly useful and I’m determined to get to grips with it.
I know Rufus M6MGB uses it on his Yaesu, however, I wondered if anyone else uses APRS and what applications?
I’ll post the Black Hill G/SP report very shortly …That’s after I’ve dried out 
Mike
2E0YYY