I see what you guys mean..I got the Yaesu ft60 in, I picked up a repeater 80 miles away, at the same time could not pick the one 18 miles or so or any of the other closer ones..then next day got locals fine but no others.
Picking up a repeater (100W +?) from 80 miles with an HT is not a miracle, under favorable conditions. Being heard by that repeater, however, with your 5W, a whip, and being down there somewhere, is a different story
I consider it very good to be picked up by a local repeater 34 miles away, with my FT-60 and an extended Smiley 270A.
