radio venting (if mod gods allow)

Hon1nbo, Thu Jul 31 2008, 03:38AM

ok, first so I have had my radio for around two weeks now, and I have always assumed that there was just a pause from clicking the PTT button to the transmitter turning on, well it turns out that it has been putting out a European repeater tone (around 1750) that no one has mentioned, and I found out about today, and spent at least thirty minutes, with other hams on the air, trying to fix... turns out I had to just press the button "0" station on the other end even downloaded a copy of the manual and some unlock stuff, and couldn't quite figure it out, until I ended up hitting the 0 button on accident while trying to goto the settings menu.

Also, when I was out buying a magmount antenna at last minute, I went to Frys, and the only magnetic mount that was not proprietary was $40... and the Antenna I was getting to go with it was $25, which is oput of my price range... so I was driving home, and on the way I stopped at an electronics shop (Tanner's Electronics) to get some connectors, and BNC connected Coax, and he told me about this place called Bonny and Clydes, so I went there and there was only one amateur antenna (the rest was CB) and it cost $80... it was telescoping and also good for CB, but again out of my price range... so I got this little CB magmount for 15 bucks (open box display unit) as a temporary measure for the week long road trip I was going on (and just came back from)... well, here is the thing. I get back, and I don't expect it to work too well (and I ended up not using my radio much on the road) but I didn't expect this: when in my neighborhood and one half of the Toll road in the Dallas area, I get very good signals and readable to good transmit quality on the 2 meter, but once I cross that toll road, I have no ability to send a good signal. The other stations I was just talking to could hear I was still there, but cant understand, well as I keep driving they suggest that we switch to the 70cm band, and that worked great! but I got nothing, after numerous tries later, on either band with that antenna at my house (which is right next to the toll road), stopped.


anyways, anyone know where I can get a good magmount, that wont blow my budget?
I only have 5W of power, which with any other antenna I have, stopped and not in a car, can hit any of the local repeaters just fine.