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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:15:20 PM EDT
[#1]
Quoted:
SHTF? If you want to use your radio in a SHTF or WROL situation, what is the FCC going to say about that? You want to stay legal, or are you OK with guerrilla operations? Yep - It's true that during a life-threatening emergency, using a ham radio without a license isn't illegal. However, having the license is still important, because it teaches you how to effectively communicate with other hams - ideally, before the SHTF. |
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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:24:37 PM EDT
[#2]
I bow down to those over at the ham forum here on arfcom. I am new to the hobby, but did a ton of research and maybe I can help a few here with my simple mindedness.
I lived in south Florida when it was hit by hurricane Andrew. I also was in Tulsa for the ice storm that knocked out power for a week. I live in a hurricane zone. I sometimes spend weeks in the woods way out of cellphone range. My setup is designed to support my needs in those situations. I have one of the Baofeng UV-5. Been a handy radio and its dirt cheap. 5 watts of power, I can hit the local repeaters no problem. I installed an after market $5 antenna. I would guesstimate it doubled the range, I can talk to a buddy 2 miles away, but we are in the city. $50 I bought the Kenwood 281 listed above. $135 I bought this antenna for $20. Its flexible and can be rolled up and hung from about anywhere. http://www.2wayelectronix.com/N9TAX-Original-VHF-Slim-Jim-antenna-vhf-slim.htm Another $10 for a cable. I then built one of these. Cost about $10 to build, seems to work as well as the one above. http://www.kb6nu.com/21-things-to-do-build-an-antenna/ I bought a second hand server power supply off ebay to power my Kenwood. Model was a DPS-500 and will do 12V @ 41 amps. $10. All of the above fits in a Pelican 1450 case. $100 (ouch). I also have lipo batteries from my r/c airplanes for power as needed. So for around $325 I have a waterproof setup that I can carry anywhere. Sitting in my man cave in Corpus Christi, TX with the antenna on a 10 foot PVC pole I can pick up traffic from a repeater over 150 miles away but that is a straight shot over water. 50 or so miles should be pretty doable. |
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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:30:05 PM EDT
[#3]
I've asked a couple times for a dumbed down HAM FAQ. Like, buy this radio hand set and if you are within X miles of a repeater you can get your message out if the phones go down. Just talk down to me and spend my money....please.
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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:37:21 PM EDT
[#4]
Will the unit in the OP go 8 miles? Flat ground. Half trees and half rice fields.
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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:44:23 PM EDT
[#5]
Just looked up my local HAM club....are these guys going to be weird? Also will they be okay with my limited interest for backpacking/shtf?
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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:49:18 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
SHTF? If you want to use your radio in a SHTF or WROL situation, what is the FCC going to say about that? You want to stay legal, or are you OK with guerrilla operations? It's happened. Amateur Radio in WWII FCC regs allow just about anything in a "life or limb" emergency. |
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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:53:15 PM EDT
[#7]
Quoted: Just looked up my local HAM club....are these guys going to be weird? Also will they be okay with my limited interest for backpacking/shtf? They shouldnt care They dont need to know your reasoning in getting into ham. |
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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:53:59 PM EDT
[#8]
Quoted:
Will the unit in the OP go 8 miles? Flat ground. Half trees and half rice fields. If you can't hit a ham repeater that's just 8 miles away over flat terrain, you're probably doing something seriously wrong. |
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Posted: 5/26/2013 11:54:44 PM EDT
[#9]
OST.....
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:01:08 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Will the unit in the OP go 8 miles? Flat ground. Half trees and half rice fields. If you can't hit a ham repeater that's just 8 miles away over flat terrain, you're probably doing something seriously wrong. So that's a yes... Sweet. Guess what my brother is getting for his Bday? |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:03:21 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted: This thread should be moved to the "Ham Radio" section. I disagree. I haven't considered HAM Radio until this thread. This was a great idea to post it here so those of us get some exposure to this hobby. Now we can go to the HAM Radio Forum to check things out and get more info. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:10:02 AM EDT
[#12]
Quoted: Ham talkies have gotten dirt-cheap in recent years, thanks mostly to the entry of several Chinese manufacturers. The Baofeng UV-B5 is the latest example: It delivers very respectable performance on two of the most popular VHF/UHF ham bands (plus coverage of a lot of other services) for less than 45 bucks - and that price includes a 2000 mAH Li-Ion battery, drop-in battery charger, flexible antenna, and shipping charges. http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4519/baofenguvb5.jpg Skib's Advice: If you've ever had even the slightest interest in ham radio (either for SHTF communications or casual use), get one. You won't regret it. (User reviews here.) Anyplace in the USA that sells these? |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:12:18 AM EDT
[#13]
Back pain. Drink whiskey. Read arfcom. Spend money. Dammit.
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:15:54 AM EDT
[#14]
Might just get one of those, thanks for posting OP. Gonna look at the tech license also. Not looking to spend a lot to get into it.
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:21:15 AM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
The Yaesu FT-60R is a rugged, well-proven dual-band talkie. Several hundred user reviews here. Quoted:
I just bought one of these, a mobile unit, much more power but requires a 12V source and antenna. http://www.mtcradio.com/kenwood-tm-281a-144-mhz-mobile-with-free-shipping/ Awesome, thanks guys. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:22:02 AM EDT
[#16]
Quoted: Good planMight just get one of those, thanks for posting OP. Gonna look at the tech license also. Not looking to spend a lot to get into it. Many antennas can be built on the cheap that work really well. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:24:19 AM EDT
[#17]
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:31:58 AM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
Quoted:
What if I'm willing to spend a bit more for better quality/features? Say, around $150. The Yaesu FT-60R is a rugged, well-proven dual-band talkie. Several hundred user reviews here. I probably should have purchased one of those instead of my VX8R. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:42:07 AM EDT
[#19]
Quoted:
I had one of those in my Jeep. With a Comet 5/8th wave antenna on the Jeep. I could from this location( http://tinyurl.com/pzgt9n8 ) in Dallas, hit the repeaters in Waco, TX ( http://tinyurl.com/pzgt9n8 ) and McKinney, TX ( http://tinyurl.com/pzgt9n8 ).
Quoted:
Interesting. What if I'm willing to spend a bit more for better quality/features? Say, around $150. I just bought one of these, a mobile unit, much more power but requires a 12V source(aka car battery  ) and antenna.
http://www.mtcradio.com/kenwood-tm-281a-144-mhz-mobile-with-free-shipping/ |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:47:29 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
This thread should be moved to the "Ham Radio" section. Why? So only the people who are interested in Ham Radios will see it? |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:48:24 AM EDT
[#21]
$45! Jeeeeeezzzz!
WB5ONL |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:54:17 AM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
Took it up as a new hobby after cell service was knocked out for a week. Repeaters around here are very disappointing. Its all full of 65+ y/os who go apeshit if you dont follow their protocols to a T and will ONLY talk about their radio gear. Oh well atleast I have powerful walkie talkies for camping Get on there and talk. Just stay legal. Who cares if they're pissed, they all be dead of old age soon enough. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:56:52 AM EDT
[#23]
Quoted: $45! Jeeeeeezzzz! How often do trains wake you up at night time?  |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:57:34 AM EDT
[#24]
Wish I could get an HF that cheap
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Posted: 5/27/2013 12:58:33 AM EDT
[#25]
Quoted: Why? So only the people who are interested in Ham Radios will see it? There is a very good reason for it, but I'm sure you wouldn't understand. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 1:00:24 AM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Interesting. What if I'm willing to spend a bit more for better quality/features? Say, around $150. I just bought one of these, a mobile unit, much more power but requires a 12V source and antenna. http://www.mtcradio.com/kenwood-tm-281a-144-mhz-mobile-with-free-shipping/ Ima tag this thread....good stuff. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 1:02:05 AM EDT
[#27]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Why? So only the people who are interested in Ham Radios will see it? There is a very good reason for it, but I'm sure you wouldn't understand. Well it won't be getting moved then.
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Posted: 5/27/2013 1:08:13 AM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Interesting. What if I'm willing to spend a bit more for better quality/features? Say, around $150. I just bought one of these, a mobile unit, much more power but requires a 12V source and antenna. http://www.mtcradio.com/kenwood-tm-281a-144-mhz-mobile-with-free-shipping/ That is a stupidly-good deal for a name-brand 65 watt mobile rig. Kenwood does 100 percent awesome ham gear. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 1:18:29 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted: Well it won't be getting moved then. Now how did I know you were going to say that. edit: thanks for proving my point. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 1:22:04 AM EDT
[#30]
What are the differences between the b5 and r5? I only ask because i have a gift card for amazon and amazon prime, but they only carry r5
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Posted: 5/27/2013 1:35:51 AM EDT
[#31]
Quoted:
What are the differences between the b5 and r5 The UV-5R is an earlier design that has some performance shortcomings in the receiver section (less sensitivity, and less resistance to overloading from strong off-channel signals). Also, by most accounts, the flexible antenna doesn't perform as well as the one that is supplied with the UV-B5. However, larger Li-Ion battery packs are readily available for the UV-5R, as well as battery cases that accept standard AA and AAA cells. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 1:50:03 AM EDT
[#32]
Quoted: Quoted: What's the point of hamming? It's bulletproof communication, come hell or high water. Since it doesn't rely on infrastructure or the whims of governments, it remains usable when most other methods of communication fail. Quoted: How are these different from the UV-5Rs? MUCH better performance. The B5 version is newer, and corrects most of the flaws in the 5R version. You might want to rethink that whole "whims of governments" thing, very easily jammed. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 1:50:43 AM EDT
[#33]
Quoted:
Quoted:
What's the point of hamming? It's bulletproof communication, come hell or high water. Since it doesn't rely on infrastructure or the whims of governments, it remains usable when most other methods of communication fail. Quoted:
How are these different from the UV-5Rs? MUCH better performance. The B5 version is newer, and corrects most of the flaws in the 5R version. Figures, I just bought a pair of UV-5R's about a month ago 
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Posted: 5/27/2013 2:07:08 AM EDT
[#34]
I've pretty much decided to pick one of those up just because I can.
My other rig is a TH-F6a, so the baofeng will obviously end up being a beater/backup/throw it in the truck rig.
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Posted: 5/27/2013 2:22:20 AM EDT
[#35]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
What's the point of hamming? It's bulletproof communication, come hell or high water. Since it doesn't rely on infrastructure or the whims of governments, it remains usable when most other methods of communication fail. Quoted:
How are these different from the UV-5Rs? MUCH better performance. The B5 version is newer, and corrects most of the flaws in the 5R version. You might want to rethink that whole "whims of governments" thing, very easily jammed. Lol No. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 2:33:41 AM EDT
[#36]
tag
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Posted: 5/27/2013 2:33:56 AM EDT
[#37]
So why do you need a licence to talk on a radio? And will black helicopters come to get me if I talk on my radio without one?
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Posted: 5/27/2013 2:36:27 AM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
This thread should be moved to the "Ham Radio" section. Lighten up Francis. I would never have seen it there. I am gonna order one of these. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 2:45:59 AM EDT
[#39]
I'm a Tech class. Was going to General class but didn't want to spend the money to get into HF. I use a http://www.wouxun.com/Two-Way-Radio/kg-uvd1P.htm
Fun. Also, to the dude that said easily jammed, haha, you go ahead and try that. I got into the hobby because: It teaches you about shit Science. Bitches love science Emergency communications are more important than having tons of ammo and not knowing what's going on around you Cell phones and land lines don't work in an emergency I have a call sign, bitches love call signs The test was EASY. Just remember they MIX up the answers so you have to study a test online that mixes the answers up otherwise you may get screwed |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 2:51:18 AM EDT
[#40]
My FIL has been begging me to get into ham radio for about a year, said he would work with me on morse code and anything I needed to know he would teach me
I really haven't had time but one of the radios in the OP looks like it would be cool to have a small portable So this small hand held radio will go all over the world or do you need a larger base radio for that? |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 3:08:31 AM EDT
[#41]
A week ago my brother gave me our grandpa's old single-band handheld. It won't even connect to the repeater in my town. He's got the same Chinese unit.
He had me download the ham study app on my phone, I aced the first 10 questions. Mostly educated guesses. He's promised radios for anyone in my family who gets his license. Would having a license help with trucking? I drive nights, either 100 or 500 miles round trip, and if it would be helpful to listen in on repeaters for traffic info, that's even better. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 3:09:14 AM EDT
[#42]
dammit why did I read this thread.
Now I'm out $40 
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Posted: 5/27/2013 3:16:15 AM EDT
[#43]
Quoted: My FIL has been begging me to get into ham radio for about a year, said he would work with me on morse code and anything I needed to know he would teach me I really haven't had time but one of the radios in the OP looks like it would be cool to have a small portable So this small hand held radio will go all over the world or do you need a larger base radio for that? Dude you don't need to learn Morse. Also, yes, you can make a satellite Yagi to hit them if you want. But, you're gonna want a HF rig for that whole talk to strangers in the world. You know the biggest source of motivation was a "secret" guy I'm not supposed to mention, but he's out in Arfland behind the scenes helping people out. That and I wanted to know what the fuck Piccolo was talking about when he posts in the HAM forum. Seemed like mumbojumbo to me at first, but understanding the rules and etiquette really makes it all understandable. Like this from Piccolo's French Connection Thread: "He actually told the entire pileup to stop while he worked QRP stations. He also told the guy that walked on me he was QRM and he wasn't going to log him and said that if anyone walked on the QRP stations he would simply go QRT for the night. " (Translation: Told everyone that was packing huge power to stfu while he worked the low power crew, some guy butted in and the dude Piccolo was talking to told that dude he was fucking up his mojo and if those high power guys didn't stfu for real he would just quit for the night) |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 4:10:22 AM EDT
[#44]
Quoted: So why do you need a licence to talk on a radio? And will black helicopters come to get me if I talk on my radio without one? This radio transmits in the amateur bands. Unlike CB or MURS, amateur bands are regulated and limited to licensed users. I don't think the FCC needs black helicopters. The amateur community makes sport of "foxhunting" illegal users...the FCC goes in with a forfeiture order and cleans things up.
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Posted: 5/27/2013 4:34:32 AM EDT
[#45]
If SHTF, is FEMA going to be handing out citations for unauthorized / unlicensed use?
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Posted: 5/27/2013 4:37:15 AM EDT
[#46]
Quoted: If SHTF, is FEMA going to be handing out citations for unauthorized / unlicensed use? If SHTF bro do you even radio? These things aren't turn on and work like off the shelf radios. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 5:28:20 AM EDT
[#47]
Quoted:
I've asked a couple times for a dumbed down HAM FAQ. Like, buy this radio hand set and if you are within X miles of a repeater you can get your message out if the phones go down. Just talk down to me and spend my money....please. i wrote this just for you: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/604477_Ham_Radio_101.html ar-jedi |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 5:53:17 AM EDT
[#48]
Quoted:
Just looked up my local HAM club....are these guys going to be weird? Also will they be okay with my limited interest for backpacking/shtf? amateur/ham radio is a very diverse and broad hobby, not unlike firearms. for example, are you interested in cowboy action shooting? maybe, maybe not. your local folks may include backpackers or they may be "contesters" (folks who are involved in a competitive aspects of radio) -- it simply depends on the makeup of the club. that said, many amateur radio folks are "outdoorsy" types, myself included. i would rather operate from a remote location interesting to me rather than simply being at home. in fact there are many ham radio clubs that arrange "expeditions" to islands or lighthouses or ships for the express purpose of operating from a unique location. that said, nothing says (other than a common interest or perhaps some technical help) that you have to be in a "club". you may be quite able to go it alone if the local clubs is not your kind of folks. but you will find backpackers who are hams that much is for sure. here's a video you will probably find interesting... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZOehMEUBS4 note that the individual above has a specific mode of operating (using morse code) but there are many options here, not just morse. you can even bring a small laptop or iPad and "text" long (very long) distances using ham radio. and you don't need a lot of power to do it... http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/654928__ARCHIVED_THREAD____WSPR_Experiments_Using_Ultra_Low_Power_____SUCCESS___.html also, google "DXpedition" for some cool stuff. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DX-pedition |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 6:35:37 AM EDT
[#49]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I might recommend that if it wasn't a Chinese product. I absolutely don't buy Chinese crap if I can possibly avoid it. It is a neat radio but the political aspect of buying a Chinese product means I won't be buying one. The last new radio I purchased: Motorola APX 6000. Cost: 2573 dollars. I made a 500 dollar profit off it in less than 24 hours. If I could afford to spend that much money for a radio toy, I'd buy another one. It was seriously impressive. http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad345/VolEms/apx2.jpg My organization has motorola HTs on five licensed channels. They're getting old and funky. I can get probably four Baofeng replacements for what a battery would cost on the Motorola. I've got a tester on it's way now. $21 through Amazon. I understand the reservations, and I share the emotional reaction, but I can't ignore the economics. Keep in mind if you have licensed channels you have to use radios that are type accepted for whatever service you are using. These radios definitely are not FCC type accepted for any kind of publi safety or commercial use. Fines will start at about $2000 per radio. And it may seem like something you would never get caught doing. But I know at least one of the larger commercial radio dealers in NC makes it a point up drop a dime to ten FCC if any of those techs see you using the Chinese rigs. |
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Posted: 5/27/2013 7:30:09 AM EDT
[#50]
Ah hell, I'm in. I need a new hobby anyways.
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