There is a local weather NOAA station about 30 miles from me. Using my rubber duck that came with my Icom Q7A, I cannot receive this station. With using a 1/4 wave antenna located on top of the HT without moving my person, it is full scale on the LCD meter. Sometimes I wonder if there is more than a 50 ohm resister in these rubber ducks. It makes one think about their usefulness. W8OKN