Actually right now I am temporarily "radioless". I had an Icom V-8 2M handheld. Worked really great but it had an internal interference issue on some ham frequencies. I'm considering a Yaesu VX-150 which is built on Vertex's (Yaesu's commercial name) tough radio chassis. The V-8 was also built on a commercial chassis, but it's Icom's.

The Yaesu VX-2 is a neat little radio but not much use in the field, in my opinion. It has a lot of bells and whistles and doesn't put out much transmit power (I think it's a max 1 watt, if that). There is no "AA" battery pack option. I used to have a Yaesu VX-1 (the precursor to the VX-2) and it required waaay too much opening of the manual.

If you're going to be in a rural area or out in the sticks, a 2M (aka 144 MHz VHF band) is a good bet. The 70cm (440 MHz UHF band) radios aren't bad, but if you're going to go that route I'd buy a "dual band" radio (2M and 70cm). That plain ol' VHF will, all other things being equal, reach farther than a UHF signal. VHF also, again all other things being equal, performs better in mountainous areas and in trees.

If you are interested, check out www.eham.net for user reviews of various radios.

I agree with the other members of the forum -- a radio is nice but it shouldn't come before the basic survival gear. It has the effect of a cell phone, temporarily luring you into doing what you probably shouldn't be doing in the backcountry.

Besides, money aside, I'd rather carry a PLB over a radio any day. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />