NeoHam; I don't want the expense of amps and rotors.[/QUOTE said:
I understand completely NeoHam.. But I have to tell you you won't make your goal of 60 miles to the mobile without them, not even close..
Like I said, I live on a big hill and have done it with a single Yagi, and some power. No yagi up now, and I'm lucky if I can reliably get out to 35 miles simplex..Of coarse the antenna is only @ 30 ft to the tip.
Another nice feature with 2m fm usage is the use of CTCSS (tones) encode and decode.. In experementing with them seems like they decode reliably
down to a 3-4db signal. Lower than you will set a standard squelch going down the hiway.
I always program the simplex channel without tones just one notch below
the encode/decoded channel so one calling can check to see if the freq is
in use.
One good thing about using ten meters is, if the band opens up you will have
someone to talk to. Not much 2 meter activity in this part of the country
lately...Can always call the wife on the cell-phone...hi...
73