Posted: 6/2/2015 1:52:05 PM EDT
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I just started taking some free local classes with the aim of getting my technician's license. I have been into CB for quite a while, and I have a Cobra 29 setup in my truck. I'm looking to get an entry level mobile HAM rig. I'll use it to monitor traffic, weather, news, and to talk with other HAMs on road trips. The 5 watts of a CB doesn't go very far...
Should I be getting into VHF, HF, or what? Is there a particular model of radio or antenna I should look at? |
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Fo Time 19 Study Guides Fo Time 9 New Guy Questions then catch all the rest for posterity sake 
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Quoted: Fo Time 21 Shopping List Fo Time 19 Study Guides Fo Time 9 New Guy Questions then catch all the rest for posterity sake (signal:noise on the web is LOW) |
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A technical license will allow you to communicate on VHF and UHF bands primarily. A general class license covers all HF bands as well.
With a technicial ticket you will be mostly limited to local area comms using repeaters and simplex, line of sight comms. HF has global coverage depending on propagation. You can start with an inexpensive 2 meter mobile radio like FT-1900 and similar. I always recommend HF, multiband radios like an Icom IC-706mk2 or a Yaesu FT-857D as good mobile rigs that cover all HF bands as well as 2m and 440 Mhz (all mode). A used IC-706 MK2 can be found for around $500. They are great little radios but have been discontinued. A new or used FT857D is another great rig to consider. There are a lot of VHF/UHF antennas on the market. It depends on how much money you want to spend. A $20 mag mount 2m/440 antenna will get you on the air with reasonably good performance. A Tarheel "screw driver" mobile HF antenna is the best choice (IMHO of course). There are a lot of cheaper, single band mobile antennas as well (Hamstick and similar) but they tend to be very narrow banded, especially on 40 and 80m bands. |
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Quoted:
A technical license will allow you to communicate on VHF and UHF bands primarily. A general class license covers all HF bands as well. With a technicial ticket you will be mostly limited to local area comms using repeaters and simplex, line of sight comms. HF has global coverage depending on propagation. You can start with an inexpensive 2 meter mobile radio like FT-1900 and similar. I always recommend HF, multiband radios like an Icom IC-706mk2 or a Yaesu FT-857D as good mobile rigs that cover all HF bands as well as 2m and 440 Mhz (all mode). A used IC-706 MK2 can be found for around $500. They are great little radios but have been discontinued. A new or used FT857D is another great rig to consider. There are a lot of VHF/UHF antennas on the market. It depends on how much money you want to spend. A $20 mag mount 2m/440 antenna will get you on the air with reasonably good performance. A Tarheel "screw driver" mobile HF antenna is the best choice (IMHO of course). There are a lot of cheaper, single band mobile antennas as well (Hamstick and similar) but they tend to be very narrow banded, especially on 40 and 80m bands. A couple of things: 1. Technician class has 10m phone privileges (not a great time in the solar cycle and year for it though), as well as CW on 15m, 40m and 80m. You can do some very nice DXing on 15m with a simple dipole and treating CW as a digital mode. 2. Mobile HF is a complicated project with a lot of potential problems due to antenna mounting, grounding and RFI issues. Not a great first project, though I'd recommend a portable setup instead. |
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Quoted: I just started taking some free local classes with the aim of getting my technician's license. I have been into CB for quite a while, and I have a Cobra 29 setup in my truck. I'm looking to get an entry level mobile HAM rig. I'll use it to monitor traffic, weather, news, and to talk with other HAMs on road trips. The 5 watts of a CB doesn't go very far... Should I be getting into VHF, HF, or what? Is there a particular model of radio or antenna I should look at? I think you gotta decide if you want HF or not. HF mobile is a lot more involved than UHF VHF for mobile installs. |
