HT in hand - loving my Yaesu VX-6R

My HT radio, a Yaesu VX-6R, came today - how exciting!

I took it out of the box and immediately attached the Diamond srh320a antenna I bought to go with it.

I tuned around and found a couple of hams talking about their day at work. One was a farrier the other a truck driver. The first thing I noticed was how clear and loud the audio was. The squelch also seems to do it's job well.

Next, I loaded the PSRG repeater into memory. I can hear it loud and clear but cannot transmit to it with 5w and the attached antenna. With the clarity of the signal, however, I think my J-pole will be able to hit it. I just don't have the necessary connectors to try the HT with it. Not sure if I'll make it in with 5w but when I get my J-pole and base station rocking I'm almost sure I'll make it. And if not... I'll just have to drive around until I find a spot where I can reach it with my handheld. I can stand outside the car and do the 9pm Net that way. Good thing it's waterproof.

While I was waiting for the 9pm net to start I was tuning around and heard KC7AVA, my brother Randy, talking with someone who was testing their radio. I quickly looked up the tone for the repeater and called out:

"KC7..A...VA, K..F7..WUF"  I was so excited I had a hard time getting the calls out.

I heard back:

"KC7AVA/mobile, I didn't catch that call."

"KF7WUF, as in your sister Tammy" I replied.

Randy was thrilled to make contact using the Mike and Key repeater, 146.82, on Tiger Mountain. He said I had a great signal into the repeater and couldn't believe I was inside my apartment. He was mobile in Monroe and I was on my little HT in Kent. Pretty cool to get to talk that way.

Randy and I finished up just as the 9pm Net was starting back on the PSRG repeater. I quickly called my brother Mike, KB7QOP, via cell phone and asked him to relay a message to the Net that I was out there listening but wouldn't be able to get in tonight. I listened to all the reports and had a great time. After the net I hopped back to the Mike and Key repeater and talked with KB7QOP for a few minutes. He reported that I was transmitting some kind of environmental noise. We thought it was the ceiling fan but after turning it off he still heard it. By this time my battery was discharged so I was plugged into AC power and couldn't move around to test it out. But we'll get to that soon enough.

Over all I am VERY happy with the Yaesu and looking forward to getting on the air more.

73 - KF7WUF