I just bought a wouxun KG-UV8D handheld radio I am having trouble transmitting from inside my house (note I have a metal roof over the original shingle roof) I am transmitting on vhf freq. any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated
The antennas that come with handhelds are pretty sketchy to begin with. Add your metal roof into the equation and transmitting from indoors will be nothing but an exercise in futility.
The best solution would be an outdoor antenna on the roof of your house. The next best thing is to go outside when using the radio. Even that’s not an ideal solution as you might still have the house or other buildings blocking your signal to the repeater.
I have the same radio that I use at the office. My office is in a metal building, walls and roof are all metal. I installed an antenna on the roof and the radio works great on all the local repeaters.
How far are you trying to get?