Squawk7700
I paid $180 from Spruce for a Vertex VXA 220. Works a treat for "emergency" purposes.
For me, handhelds that have a good speaker with loud volume rate high on my desirable list. The ultra compact ones suffer in this area. Eg; I wouldn't use a compact one as a running hangar radio, but the 720 works a treat.
What do you need to use it for, cockpit backup with a GA headset?
Generally people buy hand helds, read about the features, program in their local CTAF and area frequency and promptly forget about all of the features, including the squelch setting like yours truly.
That's a good point. I'm really after one to listen in whats happening locally at my field when out there and from my home (I'm not far from my local field) so a good quality speaker with good volume is a must, Also been plugged in for long periods without overcharging /ruining the battery, and If I have one, Ill take it in the plane as backup and use on trips away. (Although will probably likely never be used in the air).
So may also have to look into Antenna on house to improve reception, that can plug into aerial socket (BCN) I believe.
So Icom A24 or Yaesu FTA 750 may be better options, (although some reviews Ive read are not that good for either model). They may have many features I do not end up using.
I do not want a ground based unit only, it must be portable.