I didn't really read any of the other posts other than the original, but I had good luck with the Yaesu FT-1900R, picked it up for about $130. I ran a home brew center fed 1/2 wave made mostly from old TV antenna parts. Tested it on a MFJ analyzer and found it had a 2:1 SWR, never had any problems with it. The antenna was fed by 60ft of RG-8/X, I could hit our club repeater 17 miles away with 5 watts, (oh and BTW my antenna was about 20ft off the ground). Going mobile with it in my truck using a 2m/70cm antenna I could hit the repeater with only 10 watts at 20 miles while moving. I could even talk to a guy 25 miles away simplex on just 25 watts, (base setup) but only sometimes, occasionally I had to bump it up to 50 watts. Nothing but good reports with it from the club guys. Also only a very small amount of EMI from the truck reported when used while the engine was running and that was using a mag mount, probably none noticeable using a permanent install. I just wished I had bought the model with 70cm as well to get more outta it, but its ok I sold it in near mint condition and almost got all my money back, now kinda regretting it but, there will be other radios later on. I would strongly recommend the
FT-7900R 2 Meter / 70 cm Dual Band FM Transceiver
With Exceptionally Wide Receiver Coverage
The FT-7900R provides 50 Watts of power on the 144 MHz band, and 40 Watts on the 430 MHz, and is designed for simplicity of operation along with high performance in the receiver section. The FT-7900R is ideal for the active Ham who has a need for simplex, repeater, or FM satellite operation on both bands, but without the complication of cross-band repeat capability, which is available on our FT-8800R and FT-8900R models.
High Power Output
Boasting a big 50 Watts of power output on 144 MHz, and 40 Watts on 430 MHz, the FT-7900R also includes provision for three lower power levels, so you never have to use more power than you really need. The power level is stored in regular and Hyper Memory registers, too
Wide Receiver Frequency Coverage
The FT-7900R provides receiver coverage from 108 to 520 MHz, and 700 to 999.99 MHz (cellular blocked)
That's the one I really wanted, I would start out with that model or of another brand with the same or similar features. I just like Yaesu because of the brand reputation and looks.
