ICOM U82 UHF Antenna Help!

[oliverlove]

Hey Gents, So I am looking to Run an Icom U82 radio in the field, I work in a variety of settings with both lots of concrete and woodland and need a powerful setup. What I have read says that the stock antenna on the U82 is junk and I need to upgrade it. We run 464.500 and 467.9000 so I need an antenna that works with those Freqs. Any suggestions??

[dwh367]

Originally Posted by oliverlove

Hey Gents, So I am looking to Run an Icom U82 radio in the field, I work in a variety of settings with both lots of concrete and woodland and need a powerful setup. What I have read says that the stock antenna on the U82 is junk and I need to upgrade it. We run 464.500 and 467.9000 so I need an antenna that works with those Freqs. Any suggestions??

Post deleted as I forgot I was in the new user forum where the zero tolerance policy is in effect. I'll bite my tongue real hard and keep my comments to myself.

[kayn1n32008]

Originally Posted by oliverlove

Hey Gents, So I am looking to Run an Icom U82 radio in the field, I work in a variety of settings with both lots of concrete and woodland and need a powerful setup. What I have read says that the stock antenna on the U82 is junk and I need to upgrade it. We run 464.500 and 467.9000 so I need an antenna that works with those Freqs. Any suggestions??

the Icom U82 is for use in the ham 430-450Mhz and is not approved for part 90 use. there is lots of used gear out on the market that finding a commercial radio at a decent price is not that hard.

[zz0468]

I have an IC-U82. It's an amateur radio, not a commercial radio, so it won't transmit out of band without modification. The antenna isn't exactly "junk", it's exactly what it was intended to be - a flexible quarter wave whip for a portable. There is no magic antenna that's going to turn a portable radio into a "powerful setup". Especially if it's to remain portable.

[oliverlove]

Hmmm... It looks as though I have taken a big leap into something I know very little about. I found the radio on an ebay listing and it seemed to be a great solution. I apologize if that was a horrible idea, I honestly don't know any better.

What radio would you guys recommend?
I need it to be portable and UHF.

[zz0468]

Originally Posted by oliverlove

Hmmm... It looks as though I have taken a big leap into something I know very little about. I found the radio on an ebay listing and it seemed to be a great solution. I apologize if that was a horrible idea, I honestly don't know any better.

What radio would you guys recommend?
I need it to be portable and UHF.

You really haven't given us enough information to make a specific recommendation. UHF, portable, vs. "need a powerful setup".

Those guidelines are mutually incompatible. A portable won't be powerful. A powerful radio won't be portable.

Ok, so it has to be UHF, and it has to be portable.

An eBay search of "uhf portable radio" came back with 91 hits, and I KNOW there's a lot more than that, so refine the search.

Motorola radios are very good, but a pain in the butt to program.

Kenwood, Vertex, Icom all make good commercial radios, but they all need to be programmed, too - FCC rules. You mentioned some specific frequencies so bubble pack radios are probably out of the question. BTW, programming radios involves purchasing special software for that specific radio, programming cables, and sometimes an interface box. It can cost substantially more to get the programming supplies than the radio itself costs.

You also failed to mention a budget. The lower your budget, the more resourceful you're going to have to be. You COULD just go to a radio shop that sells these things and throw money at the problem.

[oliverlove]

I typed something very similar and came back with the ICOM U82 that other members say is simply for Ham use.

Budget - Lets say $150

I am basically looking for a UHF walkie talkie with a higher wattage for more range.

[zz0468]

Originally Posted by oliverlove

I am basically looking for a UHF walkie talkie with a higher wattage for more range.

There's a number of used Motorola radios that you can purchase on ebay for around that price that you can get programmed. Just make sure that what you buy, you can get programmed the way you want.