I'm not familiar with their current lineup, but the VX-5 had a disposable battery option that was 2xAA. The gotcha is that it doesn't provide enough power for full xmit power (I think only .5W).

Note, it does have an external power input, so you could build your own battery pack. I have a thread over on CPF on that topic I could dig up if poked with a stick.

-john

I don't know the Yaesu line well enough to answer your questions, but I have several fellow hams who have this radio. The major comment I have heard about it is near impossible programming from the keypad.

When we do drills we frequently are directed to use other than our normal frequencies...it is amazing how many hams cannot quickly move to a non-programmed frequency. Many times the Yaseu guys fall out of the drill at this point. Kenwood and Icom hams seem to be able to move faster. I think this is entirely due to the poor keyboard interface of the Yaseu compared to the others. All these compact HT's are difficult to use with tiny buttons and screens, but something about the VX-5 is worse than most.

We have a pair of Icom T90a's and I like them quite a bit. They are somewhat hard to program from the keypad, but the very very very crude Icom software works well. Moving to a new frequency is sort of intuitive. They have 3AA optional battery packs which give near full power output. I have used the rechargable packs (we have 4) for years with excellent luck. I never use the AA pack but only keep it for emergency/emergency backup. I use sealed large capacity gel lead acid batteries for backup in field use.

The things I now consider essential in a handheld are:

wide multiband receive (FRS, NOAA, AM and FM radio are very useful....other frequencies depending on local usage). The T90 has TV reception too, but that soon will be a dead zone.

5 Watt output minimum

Plenty of organized memory (I set up specific frequency areas for different ememgency organizations or locations)

Relatively easy setup of new simplex or repeater pair frequencies.

Reasonable battery life

Easy use of high gain antenna

Good clear audio

Reasonable intermod rejection

Compact enough to carry daily with a spare battery and gain antenna

Keeping up with new radio models is a chore that I have not done, so hopefully others have some specific recommendations on some of the new offerings.

The VX-7 is supposed to be replaced by the VX-8 pretty soon:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht/0008.html

Don't want to brag...but...

I aced the Technicians license test. 35 questions, 35 correct answers.

waits for the applause to die down...






















From what I've been told, the new Yaesu VX-8R is all that and a bag of chips. Magnesium case, submersible up to 1 meter, all the stuff that the 7R had and a few more goodies and according to the guy behind the counter at the local Ham Radio Outlet, a zero or purt near zero price increase.

It's supposed to be available right about now too...

John E

jus waitin for the callsign now...

Congrats!

-john

Congrats.
73's
Lee
KC3L

Congradulations, now the fun starts.

N3EKN

Just like knives or flashlights or any other piece of gear, we both the good fortune and burden of many choices.

Schwert, you posted a good list of the essential features.

The Yaesu VX-7R is just what I chose to buy, ICOM, Kenwood and others have comparable or better radios. I personally don't find programming my radio to be a problem. It can get a little tedious if you have 100 channels to program. But I also carry a handy little "Nifty" cheat-sheet for my radio. It is difficult to remember how to get to those rarely used features.

eham.com is a good place to read reviews and find out what others think before you buy. And by all means, find a local club and talk to people. Every ham I've met is more than willing to show you his gear and share experience...

Doug
AC8BY

Good one John. Watch the FCC website for your call to be posted.

Doug you are right about the eham reviews. A good place to start. I think that almost any of the top brands offer up superb radios. Talking to local fellows about their stuff is a great idea too. Not only can they assist but you may want to lean towards their choices as they can instantly offer up assistance.

My RACES group has a large contingent of Kenwood users, with Icom and Yaseu running distant second places. The Kenwood gang knows the various oddities of their gear well and really can assist the new guys well.

I have had just incredible luck with the old style extendable antennas from Smiley.

http://www.smileyantenna.com/product_info.php?products_id=34

I bought a dual band 440/2mm, a 2m and a specifically tuned 443Mhz antenna from them a couple of years ago. They are all great. The dual band collapses to about 5" and works very well on both bands. The 2m is a huge 5/8 wave antenna that can really increase abilities....even though it is quite cumbersome to use. I bought the 443Mhz tuned for our main repeater, but have not found it all that much more efficient than the dual bander.

Inexpensive and impressive. These are setup using interchangable mounts...so you can buy BNC, SMA and a host of other larger mounts....this is great for emergency use as a number of hams will only have their stock rubber duck. You can set them up with a much higher gain antenna if you have a couple of extra mounts.

I have:

Super Stick II for 2m....a 6 to 9dB gain antenna
Super Stick IV for 443...a 6 to 9 db gain antenna
270A Dual Band....excellent for 440 and good for 2m...my most used antenna.

These are around $20 each. Highly recommended.

I have used the thin wire whip dual bands (Pryme) and while they are good they are always in the way and the whipping around seems to cause some reception/transmission noise.