Having an HT in my EDC has been very useful. Catch the NOAA broadcasts. I've monitored Skywarn during severe weather warnings and knew to leave work and get home ahead of the weather. I've used it to listen to the chatter on CB channel 19 and take an alternate route ahead of traffic tie-up on rural highways. And just for entertainment on a long commute.
An Amateur Radio band, broad-band receiver, HT is just a very useful piece of EDC, every-day-use, gear. And most have a number of emergency/survival features like dedicate NOAA channels, emergency/home channel at the push of a button, ability to connect to APRS (transmit location data in conjunction with a GPS). Mine has a feature that maintains contact with similarly equipped stations and alerts if you go out of range....
Years ago I considered getting a Yaesu VX-5, but put it off when we were faced with all sorts of communications security requirements and were issued encrypted radios and got "special" cellphones. Everything else was banned.
After reading these informative posts, I'm re-considering getting a Yaesu VX-7R. At least I can have my own department's and the other local local agencies I deal with give me consent to have their channels programmed in, I think.
Is that model still the best choice? Is there a disposable battery option available? What accessories would you recommend? I will work on getting a Technician license, at least, if I decide to buy. Any and all advice welcomed. Thank you.
Jeff
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