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The must have accesories for your HT...
Since some folks have taken up the ball on here and have picked themselves up some Yaseu VX-170 HT's I will be mainly focusing on these rigs... Some items will be universal for any HT with a SMA (the same one on many HT's today) antenna connector and I will note this...
First of all I recommend you pick up a Yaseu 12V DC power cord for EACH of your VX-170's... this allows you to charge the batteries in the car or on a small scale 12V DC power systems. This is a MUST HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK the rubber duck on your HT is CRAP... it will poke and prod you, put alot of stress on the antenna connector, and is not very effective. It is OK, but there are better options:
First of all, sometimes you need every bit of RF going as far as possible... a telescopic whip is a nice antenna that will help let you reach a little further:
Note this is made for a BNC antenna connector and will not work on a SMA (like a VX-170)antenna connector WITHOUT an adapter such as this :http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...uctid=MFJ-7718 Not a bad Idea to get a few SMA to SO-239 connector as well (http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...uctid=MFJ-7719), this will give you plenty of options to connect your crappy rubber duck to a mobile or base antenna, but you need these adapters to do so!Get a few spares...
Now with this setup your HT will be bulky and fragile and it will put alot of stress on that SMA connector on your HT. So don't be like an Italian and talk with your hands or go running through the woods with it... This is just an option for a stationary long distance coms when all else has failed.
I recommend the Comet AS-20 (8.5") and AS-30 (15") SMA connector type antennas for the VX-170. I have one of these on VX-5R and it is thin and very flexible so it doesn't put stress on the SMA connector, nor does it catch and hang on stuff. The AS-20 is a great replacement antenna and the AS-30 is a great 'patrol antenna' for better range in the field and where it will not poke out your eye... Here are the links:
AS-20 http://www.hamcity.com/detail.aspx?ID=66
AS-30 http://www.hamcity.com/detail.aspx?ID=68
http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...ctid=MFJ-1722S is a neat little antenna for mobile use to get your HT antenna outside the vehicle. You can also use a regular mag mount with the proper SMA to BNC connector or SMA to So-239 connector.
If you are gonna use your HT on the go then a handheld microphone may be the trick. IMHO Yaseu's have a single pine for a mic which they can easily work loose with the coiled wire pulling on them... so make sure you have a rubber band to help keep the mic pin from pulling out...
Several choices for mics... all my choices above have been for any HT with an SMA antenna connector... this will be specifically for the VX-170 HT, but you can search for a mic for YOUR HT as well, as MFJ (and others) make them for a lot of HT models!!!
A hand mic is also a nice item to have as well, you need to research them and get the correct type for your HT...
So there you have it... ZA's pimp my HT thread!
First of all I recommend you pick up a Yaseu 12V DC power cord for EACH of your VX-170's... this allows you to charge the batteries in the car or on a small scale 12V DC power systems. This is a MUST HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OK the rubber duck on your HT is CRAP... it will poke and prod you, put alot of stress on the antenna connector, and is not very effective. It is OK, but there are better options:
First of all, sometimes you need every bit of RF going as far as possible... a telescopic whip is a nice antenna that will help let you reach a little further:
Note this is made for a BNC antenna connector and will not work on a SMA (like a VX-170)antenna connector WITHOUT an adapter such as this :http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...uctid=MFJ-7718 Not a bad Idea to get a few SMA to SO-239 connector as well (http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...uctid=MFJ-7719), this will give you plenty of options to connect your crappy rubber duck to a mobile or base antenna, but you need these adapters to do so!Get a few spares...
Now with this setup your HT will be bulky and fragile and it will put alot of stress on that SMA connector on your HT. So don't be like an Italian and talk with your hands or go running through the woods with it... This is just an option for a stationary long distance coms when all else has failed.
I recommend the Comet AS-20 (8.5") and AS-30 (15") SMA connector type antennas for the VX-170. I have one of these on VX-5R and it is thin and very flexible so it doesn't put stress on the SMA connector, nor does it catch and hang on stuff. The AS-20 is a great replacement antenna and the AS-30 is a great 'patrol antenna' for better range in the field and where it will not poke out your eye... Here are the links:
AS-20 http://www.hamcity.com/detail.aspx?ID=66
AS-30 http://www.hamcity.com/detail.aspx?ID=68
http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...ctid=MFJ-1722S is a neat little antenna for mobile use to get your HT antenna outside the vehicle. You can also use a regular mag mount with the proper SMA to BNC connector or SMA to So-239 connector.
If you are gonna use your HT on the go then a handheld microphone may be the trick. IMHO Yaseu's have a single pine for a mic which they can easily work loose with the coiled wire pulling on them... so make sure you have a rubber band to help keep the mic pin from pulling out...
Several choices for mics... all my choices above have been for any HT with an SMA antenna connector... this will be specifically for the VX-170 HT, but you can search for a mic for YOUR HT as well, as MFJ (and others) make them for a lot of HT models!!!
A hand mic is also a nice item to have as well, you need to research them and get the correct type for your HT...
So there you have it... ZA's pimp my HT thread!
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