GETTING BETTER USE WITH YOUR HANDY TALKIE (HT) AT HOME OR WHILE MOBILE
I have owned several of the radio shack ht’s and they are, in my opinion one of the better deals available. I know some of you wouldn’t own anything from radio shack, but that is entirely your choice. These radios are better than some of the “Brand Names” and I own Alinco, Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu  and some other radios.
The reason that I do consider them better, is that some of the features are options on other brands and thus more costly. True the HTX 202 has been discontinued but you can still get them if the store manager will order one for you. If you can find a used one in good condition this would be an even better deal. 
I have been well pleased with the 202 and have used one for packet for several years. I used one in my car/truck for a couple of years, until I decided to replace it with a regular mobile radio. They work well mobile, (as do other ht’s ) if you will connect them to the truck/car electrical system with an adapter cable and use an external magnetic mount antenna. I have found that the ht’s will do anything and in some cases more than the mobiles will. 
They may be used to control or program repeaters if you program the DTMF sequences needed by the repeater controller. These features are available on most mobile radios now days, as they are adding more features as standard all the time.
USING THE HT FOR A BASE RADIO:   HT’s may be used as a base radio as well, if you supply the needed voltage and again, use a better, possibly outside antenna. 
 I have and use several magnetic mount antennas around the house.  Most of the HT’s 
have an extension speaker/mike available for them. These will let you operate with more freedom. If you will clip the HT on one of the cheap metal bookends, this will keep them stable. Also the bookend may be bent back at an angle where you can see the display more readily.
So if you or someone only has an HT, you can make it more versatile, by following some of these tips. And by all means, use whatever brand you want. I personally don’t like the very small pocket radios due to the fact that they are hard to see and some are more difficult to program. Some of them are limited as to power (maybe only 200 to 350 mw) and you need as much from an HT as you can get to work the repeaters with a quality signal.  This also depends on the better power supplies and antennas that I mentioned above. 
Remember also that before purchasing your first radio, many of the mobiles (most 
with 50 watts available) may be purchased for less than most of the HT’s. So check
around with others and see what they recommend and decide what to buy.   
I do suggest that, for a mobile antenna. Don’t spend your money on one of the quarter 
wave versions if you can get one of the 5/8 wave versions for a little more. I use both 
so again it’s your choice for your money.  The ¼ wave versions are good for a portable 
antenna or one to use at home or at a remote, temporary set up.  I use one in the house 
during bad weather. Place them on a tool box, refrigerator, or filing cabinet and they 
should work for you. If you are using an HT the 5/8 will be better, but if you have the 
higher power available with a mobile the ¼ wave will probably work for you. The lower 
power of an HT combined with a lower gain antenna and low capacity power supply 
will make it somewhat marginal. So do consider all these factors.
One other tip: HT’s or handy talkies, will operate down to around 5 or 6 volts, while my mobiles have stopped transmitting at around 11 volts. SO, if you might be operating from
a battery supply, this may be another factor to consider.
Here are a couple of addresses for any of you who own the Radio Shack HT’s
HTX-202
http://support.tandy.com/support_electronics/15563.htm
HTX-404
http://support.tandy.com/support_electronics/8841.htm

Copyright © 2004, Jerry Hemby / W1NRA