Thanks for your email. My end plan is to be able to do VARA? FM mobile with a hand held radio and if I have to, use a portable antenna.? Can you recommend a hand held that will work with a digirg VARA?
As much as I like my Baofengs for voice work, from everything that I have learned over the past 5 years regarding doing Packet (and VARA), you should expect to be disappointed trying to do VARA or Packet with Chinese HT's.? I don't remember all of the technical reasons, but these include not being fast enough to switch from transmit to receive and vice-versa, therefore data is lost, and the connection fails.? I live 9 miles from our local RMS Gateway (Packet) here in Central Illinois, it is pretty much line of sight except for a few trees, and I have made it work, but not consistently.? Need at least an antenna in the window, or better yet an outside antenna.? So I do 99.9% of my Packet work using a Kenwood TM-71, with an antenna whose base is at 25 feet.
