1. Charge your batteries
Battery voltage affects transmit range. A fully charged battery will give you the most transmit power and as your charge level drops, so does your transmit range. If you find yourself transmitting a ton and consuming batteries faster than you’d like, upgrade to a larger capacity battery.
Be Ready For Anything: Keep the original battery handy so you always have a backup.
2. Get to higher ground
The higher your antenna, the fewer the obstructions (see #3). Sometimes, simply standing up and getting your antenna a few feet higher can make the difference between a broken signal and a clear call.
3. Avoid obstructions
Obstructions block radio signals. Getting out of the house, getting out of the car, walking around that giant rock (Better yet, get on top of it!), can all help increase your range because you’re not having to transmit around or through objects.
4. Don’t hold your radio upside down
This sounds silly but antenna orientation matters. It might look cool in movies, but radio antennas are designed to function upright. So when you give it that gangsta-lean, you’re reducing your transmit range.
5. Upgrade your antenna
Longer, higher gain antennas increase power output and transmit range up to 30%. Be Ready For Anything: Even if you’re not using your long range antenna, it packs small and can be installed in seconds for longer transmit range in a pinch.
