peatious Posted July 4 Report Share Posted July 4 if I wanted to hear the best, the furthest, the most isolated, and clear with an ht using a 1/4 wave antenna, what would i get? under $300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveShannon Posted July 4 Report Share Posted July 4 10 hours ago, peatious said: if I wanted to hear the best, the furthest, the most isolated, and clear with an ht using a 1/4 wave antenna, what would i get? under $300 I don’t know. What I do know is that there are two important standards for reception: sensitivity, which is the ability to hear a weak signal and selectivity,which is the ability to pick one signal out of several, to reject adjacent signals. The manufacturer’s typically will publish both specifications but I haven’t seen a table comparing the various handheld radios. You might find that most of the better radios hear about the same. For selectivity and clarity of output (a factor of audio amplifier quality and speaker quality), I suspect that many of the folks who have worked with commercial radios will tell you that commercial radios have superior selectivity and audio clarity, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re right. Some of those radios cost in the thousands when new and presumably the difference in cost meant something. They were designed to discern signals reliably and reproduce loud and clear audio in the worst conditions. But I’m one of the few people here who hasn’t got an old Motorola or Kenwood commercial handheld radio. Personally I’m very happy with the performance of my Yaesu handheld radios. Even my $100 Yaesu Ft-65 sounds really good when paired with the external factory microphone/speaker. I will say that the antenna is frequently the most important element in sensitivity, so be prepared to hear some opinions on what’s best there. Also, you neglected to specify which bands you want to hear “the best, furthest, and clear”. Good luck! I’ll be watching to see what I can learn. GreggInFL and WRUU653 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidphc Posted July 4 Report Share Posted July 4 For rx only, you have the options of a ht scanner. Although, a half way decent sdr will have some serious sensitivity.No suggestions on hts. Only because I found that the more you spend generally you, after a certain point, you get more features (ie ruggedness, color screens etc.)But I will say I have been more impressed by the selectivity, and sensitivity of commercial offerings by motorola, kenwood, harris than any of my amateur radio gear.Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk AdmiralCochrane 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nokones Posted July 4 Report Share Posted July 4 6 hours ago, peatious said: if I wanted to hear the best, the furthest, the most isolated, and clear with an ht using a 1/4 wave antenna, what would i get? under $300 For a GMRS and consumer grade radio, I would stay away from the cheap Chinese POS radios and take a look at the Midland GXT 67 Pro or the Rocky Talkie. They may not have any foo-foo bells and whistles that really don't make the radio better but, they are simple to use and of better quality than those radios produced by a non-english speaking government owned corporation in a far-away land. There are videos comparing the two aforementioned radios that are produced by an English speaking non-government owned corporation located on the "Land of the Free". gortex2, AdmiralCochrane, WRUU653 and 3 others 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidphc Posted July 4 Report Share Posted July 4 For a GMRS and consumer grade radio, I would stay away from the cheap Chinese POS radios and take a look at the Midland GXT 67 Pro or the Rocky Talkie. They may not have any foo-foo bells and whistles that really don't make the radio better but, they are simple to use and of better quality than those radios produced by a non-english speaking government owned corporation in a far-away land. There are videos comparing the two aforementioned radios that are produced by an English speaking non-government owned corporation located on the "Land of the Free".Are they made in the us?I mean the pro's fccid shows it was tested by a chinese firm. Well I guess 98% of shit now adays is made in china.Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk WRUU653, WRHS218, AdmiralCochrane and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRXP381 Posted July 4 Report Share Posted July 4 1 hour ago, nokones said: For a GMRS and consumer grade radio, I would stay away from the cheap Chinese POS radios and take a look at the Midland GXT 67 Pro or the Rocky Talkie. They may not have any foo-foo bells and whistles that really don't make the radio better but, they are simple to use and of better quality than those radios produced by a non-english speaking government owned corporation in a far-away land. There are videos comparing the two aforementioned radios that are produced by an English speaking non-government owned corporation located on the "Land of the Free". I really hope mentioning midland or Rocky talkie is a joke. to the op. I’ve used and tested every type or gmrs, ham, super hydr, blah blah blah. If all things are equal general same watts and antenna it does not matter at all. What matters more is LINE OF SIGHT. That’s really it. Especially for receiving on an ht. I talk, transmit and receive, all day long every day 30-40miles. Some times up to 60 miles on cheap $20-$30 radios. Simplex and repeaters. My professional Motorolas sit at home in the shelf. So do my woxouns. I use $27 water proof radios. We use them for work, for the kids, on horses and quads and animal evacuations and for general communication. They work well. Line of sight is most important. If they can’t see you you can’t hear them. AdmiralCochrane 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoG Posted July 4 Report Share Posted July 4 You really need to travel into some hilly areas with trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreggInFL Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 I don't know which is worse, hilly areas with trees or flat areas with trees. If you are at the right place on a hill you might get your HT above the trees; that will never happen on the flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweiss3 Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 If you are just listening, the Motorola XPR7550e has one the most sensitive receivers, the can be had for around $300 if you look for the right deal. SteveShannon and WRUU653 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoG Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 51 minutes ago, GreggInFL said: I don't know which is worse, hilly areas with trees or flat areas with trees. If you are at the right place on a hill you might get your HT above the trees; that will never happen on the flats. That is true. But a signal can punch through a tree if you have power. It's dead in the water with a formidable hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdmiralCochrane Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 1 hour ago, LeoG said: That is true. But a signal can punch through a tree if you have power. It's dead in the water with a formidable hill. Yes, a tree. Make it 50 trees and even 50 watts might not push 65cm a mile. WRXB215 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoG Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 You aren't telling me anything I don't know already My antenna is on the back building highlighted in orange. Needs to go up another 20-30 feet WRQI663 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveShannon Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 It also depends on how much moisture is in the tree. It’s not the wood as much as the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoG Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 I really haven't noticed after a rain a difference in my reception of the transmission. I thought that was a bit odd. In the winter when the leaves are off I expect better results. But hopefully by then the antenna will be up higher. SteveShannon and WRXB215 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peatious Posted August 25 Author Report Share Posted August 25 On 7/4/2024 at 1:39 AM, SteveShannon said: I don’t know. What I do know is that there are two important standards for reception: sensitivity, which is the ability to hear a weak signal and selectivity,which is the ability to pick one signal out of several, to reject adjacent signals. The manufacturer’s typically will publish both specifications but I haven’t seen a table comparing the various handheld radios. You might find that most of the better radios hear about the same. For selectivity and clarity of output (a factor of audio amplifier quality and speaker quality), I suspect that many of the folks who have worked with commercial radios will tell you that commercial radios have superior selectivity and audio clarity, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re right. Some of those radios cost in the thousands when new and presumably the difference in cost meant something. They were designed to discern signals reliably and reproduce loud and clear audio in the worst conditions. But I’m one of the few people here who hasn’t got an old Motorola or Kenwood commercial handheld radio. Personally I’m very happy with the performance of my Yaesu handheld radios. Even my $100 Yaesu Ft-65 sounds really good when paired with the external factory microphone/speaker. I will say that the antenna is frequently the most important element in sensitivity, so be prepared to hear some opinions on what’s best there. Also, you neglected to specify which bands you want to hear “the best, furthest, and clear”. Good luck! I’ll be watching to see what I can learn. which bands? i think I'm confused. isn't gmrs all found within a single band? its all UHF 462-468MHZ. 64cm? 65cm? something like that? I'm used to hearing about choosing bands from HAMs and i had to calculate the wavelength just now to even answer SteveShannon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peatious Posted August 25 Author Report Share Posted August 25 On 7/4/2024 at 1:39 AM, SteveShannon said: I don’t know. What I do know is that there are two important standards for reception: sensitivity, which is the ability to hear a weak signal and selectivity,which is the ability to pick one signal out of several, to reject adjacent signals. The manufacturer’s typically will publish both specifications but I haven’t seen a table comparing the various handheld radios. You might find that most of the better radios hear about the same. For selectivity and clarity of output (a factor of audio amplifier quality and speaker quality), I suspect that many of the folks who have worked with commercial radios will tell you that commercial radios have superior selectivity and audio clarity, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re right. Some of those radios cost in the thousands when new and presumably the difference in cost meant something. They were designed to discern signals reliably and reproduce loud and clear audio in the worst conditions. But I’m one of the few people here who hasn’t got an old Motorola or Kenwood commercial handheld radio. Personally I’m very happy with the performance of my Yaesu handheld radios. Even my $100 Yaesu Ft-65 sounds really good when paired with the external factory microphone/speaker. I will say that the antenna is frequently the most important element in sensitivity, so be prepared to hear some opinions on what’s best there. Also, you neglected to specify which bands you want to hear “the best, furthest, and clear”. Good luck! I’ll be watching to see what I can learn. oh disregard that last comment. i need to specify rx GMRS because i very well could have been asking about receiving anything since i was soley asking about receiving. i didn't pick up on why you asked before SteveShannon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveShannon Posted August 25 Report Share Posted August 25 17 minutes ago, peatious said: oh disregard that last comment. i need to specify rx GMRS because i very well could have been asking about receiving anything since i was soley asking about receiving. i didn't pick up on why you asked before So Motorola commercial products (probably other commercial radios like Kenwood as well) are well known for their ability to reject adjacent signals that could interfere with reception. That’s important if a band is congested but GMRS has very specific frequencies assigned with sufficient spacing that you should be okay with any decent handheld radio connected to a good antenna using high quality coax suitable for UHF. Do you want to receive from a single direction or are you interested in monitoring in all directions? WRXB215 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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