Ham Radio Recommendation

If you want a ham transceiver Roger had these recommendations:

We recommend the Baofeng UV-5R radio which is available on Ebay and Amazon for about $30. (It is a "handheld transceiver" or "HT".) We also recommend getting a "Battery Eliminator" attachment that allows you to replace the battery with a cigarette lighter attachment. The handheld Baofeng UV-5R costs about $30 with FREE shipping and the battery eliminator is less than $10. The UV-5R transmits 5 Watts on high power. There are a couple of other Baofeng radio models that are rated at 8 Watts. They are more money. I have both and can't tell the difference in performance. That's why I recommend the UV-5R. I also recommend getting an Extended Battery that doubles battery capacity. Finally consider getting a USB car charger. Ham radio offers far better sound quality than a CB and is excellent for use with the group on the trail. In an emergency it can also reach local repeaters to summon help.

If you want even better communications I recommend that you get a 2 meter or dual band Mobile radio installed in your 4x4. (Examples are the IC-2730A and the FTM-150RASP.) They require an antenna mounted on your 4x4. In most vehicles, finding a place to mount a mobile that is visible and convenient to the driver is a "challenge". One good way to go is a radio with a Remote Head which is about the size of a cell phone while the radio is mounted behind or under the seat. These will run over $300 with an antenna an additional $50 or more.




(10/26/26)