Thanks for the good words guys! I'm sure I will have lots of questions.
I've had the radios for about a month now. Done some listening. The only thing I'm getting (I live on st thomas in the caribbean) is the police, fire, rescue, and taxis in the 150. range. If I'm near the airport, I can pick up the stuff in the 120.s
I know the rubber duckie is limiting me. I'm looking to get vehicle mount antennas and something (dipole?) to pull in stuff from longer distances on the lower frequencies.
the Yaesu VX6 came highly recommended by some friends on the Dirt Time forum. I'm impressed so far. very compact. water resistant to 3 feet for 30 minutes. seems to have lots of capabilities.
I'll also want to get a mobile with some more power at some point. I've seen some slick set ups with them mounted in tool boxes so they can be set up anywhere.
(can you tell that i'm a little excited?
)