Rooster821
Newbie
Sorry for writing an essay, but I wanted to make it as easy as possible to answer my questions.
I just recently received a UV-5R Ham Radio. No worries, I have transmitting permit, but transmitting isn't what I'm here for.
I've been having trouble with the thing for a while, I've read the manual and seen many forums posts here about a guide, but most everything I've seen is geared towards someone that has some type of prior knowledge about HAM Radios.
I'm a pure beginner, the UV-5R is my first Radio. Ever.
I travel a lot and I plan on using the UV-5R almost solely for Railfanning. I already have all the Frequencies plugged in and permanently turned transmit off (so I don't accidentally transmit and RR Freqs. and go to jail for quite a long time).
My Problems are mostly the Antenna and the Battery. I've seen a lot of people review the UV-5R say that on constant receive/transmit, the battery only lasts about an hour, but I also see other people say that their battery lasts a few days. Discrepancies? Should I invest ina newer battery/battery pack or different batteries?
Also, by chance, could there be other recommendations for a better antenna than the duck-taped tree twig on the top of this thing? One that won't break the bank?
The best I've found is the Nagoya NA-701 SMA Male and the ExpertPower XP-669C 7.5-Inch Dual Band SMA, any other recommendations?
When railfanning, I'd have the UV-5R in constant scan mode until it picks up a frequency, and it would (hopefully) stay on that frequency until the signal is lost or terminated. What kind of effect would that have on the battery? Would it be better to find the station and turn it on and off occasionally?
Any other beginner tips for the UV-5R?
Thanks in advance, and sorry if this is actually already somewhere else...
I just recently received a UV-5R Ham Radio. No worries, I have transmitting permit, but transmitting isn't what I'm here for.
I've been having trouble with the thing for a while, I've read the manual and seen many forums posts here about a guide, but most everything I've seen is geared towards someone that has some type of prior knowledge about HAM Radios.
I'm a pure beginner, the UV-5R is my first Radio. Ever.
I travel a lot and I plan on using the UV-5R almost solely for Railfanning. I already have all the Frequencies plugged in and permanently turned transmit off (so I don't accidentally transmit and RR Freqs. and go to jail for quite a long time).
My Problems are mostly the Antenna and the Battery. I've seen a lot of people review the UV-5R say that on constant receive/transmit, the battery only lasts about an hour, but I also see other people say that their battery lasts a few days. Discrepancies? Should I invest ina newer battery/battery pack or different batteries?
Also, by chance, could there be other recommendations for a better antenna than the duck-taped tree twig on the top of this thing? One that won't break the bank?
The best I've found is the Nagoya NA-701 SMA Male and the ExpertPower XP-669C 7.5-Inch Dual Band SMA, any other recommendations?
When railfanning, I'd have the UV-5R in constant scan mode until it picks up a frequency, and it would (hopefully) stay on that frequency until the signal is lost or terminated. What kind of effect would that have on the battery? Would it be better to find the station and turn it on and off occasionally?
Any other beginner tips for the UV-5R?
Thanks in advance, and sorry if this is actually already somewhere else...