Ham Radio

[Balco]

I'm in the market for my first one. Want one to be prepared fir the worst case scenario. What are the best brands and models for my $300 budget? Like to get my license after buying one. Thank you.

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[Kruel J]

HF? VHF? UHF? Base station? Mobile? HT? Intended usage? Looking to use repeaters?

That's a pretty vague question, my friend.

 

[Balco]

HF? VHF? UHF? Base station? Mobile? HT? Intended usage? Looking to use repeaters?

That's a pretty vague question, my friend.

I have zero freaking idea honestly as don't know anything about them. But hear their great to have on hand in case of a doomsday and before they get banned.

 

[Kruel J]

I have zero freaking idea honestly as don't know anything about them. But hear their great to have on hand in case of a doomsday and before they get banned.

Banned? By who? You must have read the story of Cal Fire wanting to remove repeaters. They have WAY bigger things to worry about with their land management (or complete lack thereof) besides ham radio gear.

 

[Kruel J]

You have some reading to do brother. This ought to keep you busy for a while. LOTS of good info......

HAM Radio Starter Kit - Information for Beginners

***UPDATED*** 5/6/2014 (See NW Ham Club Links at the end) ***UPDATED*** 5/7/2014 (Added Washington HAM Clubs) ***UPDATED*** 10/24/2014 (Added Software Defined Radio info) ***UPDATED*** 11/14/2014 (Added SHTF Frequency Listing) Ok, I've compiled some of the information that I have researched...

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[Kiloseven]

Ham Radio for Dummies is a good primer.

 

[Kruel J]

Ham Radio for Dummies is a good primer.

From one kiloseven to another @Kiloseven, good call!

 

[CountryGent]

Super broad question, but I try to help. Assuming at a minimum a Tech license, you might benefit from an Icom 208H Dual band (VHF/UHF) rig, which is within that price parameter. We have one, among a number of transceivers, on this humble hacienda, and it works well enough for various purposes. Godspeed.

 

[Kiloseven]

Good rig for home or vehicle. Reviews at https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=3218

 

[Kruel J]

I run a Kenwood TM-V71 in my truck, a Yaesu FT-2900 at home and a Yaesu FT-60 for pocket use.

 

[ATCclears]

@Balco key questions:

• Whom do you want to communicate with?
• Over what distances?
• How much training is each person willing to undergo?

"Ham radio" has three license levels: Technican (basic level), General, and Expert.

For shorter-range distances the Technician license may suffice. For longer-range distances using the HF bands then you'll need the General license. This is an over-simplified explanation.

 

[BWH]

to the OP...
a good starter would be a dual band 2m/70cm which is a well populated LOCAL band system. local cert groups inhand with ares which work with county and local govt, along with several different NET groups and repeater systems that cover OR/WA and parts of ID...and CA!

Kenwood, Yaesu, Icom mobile units that you could also set up indoors. Find an Elmer, get your ticket/licence (fairly simple).
I did several years back in part of interest, backcountry discovery and for work as I have involvement with our local cert group where I work.

....and then it grows and you want winlink, HF.... the tinker toy of radio.

77s
KG7MAV

 

[ATCclears]

If you're only interested in short-range communications then GMRS may be a faster option. It comes down to your 'mission' - whom do you want to communicate with, and over what distances?

I'll paste in some stuff I emailed to a friend on GMRS. They were looking at CB radios, didn't want to do the training for ham radio, and I thought GMRS might work for them given their mission was to enable family communication over short distances.



GMRS. The FCC offers a license with no testing, and it covers the family. It's about $70 for five years.

What I recommend is first creating an account with the FCC for a FRN number, and then applying for the license using that FRN number. It makes it easier later in case you end up with both a GMRS license and a ham license.
Applying for a New License in the Universal Licensing System (ULS)

The GMRS license should be approved in about two working days.



You can do GMRS in one of two ways:

• Simplex. Direct radio-to-radio. Generally relies on line of sight, will be disrupted by terrain, trees, interference, more. You're probably doing the CB radios in simplex mode.
• Duplex. You use a repeater to relay the signal further between the two radios. The repeater generally has more transmitting power, may be elevated, and may have emergency power.

Some GMRS repeaters are here:
myGMRS.com - GMRS Repeater Directory

For example, I can 'hit' this Seattle repeater from my home North of Seattle. So in theory we could communicate between our homes using the repeater. Yup, we could test it if you get up on GMRS too.
myGMRS.com - SEATTLE #1 REPEATER: West Seattle, WA



CHIRP.
Home - CHIRPHome - CHIRP

You'll want it. Open source. Just need a relevant cable from your computer to your radios.

One you program the memory channels you'll probably never touch them again, or for several years.

I can send you a .CSV that you can import into CHIRP and use to program your radios. Simple stuff. I'll send an Invoice later....



OK, my recommendations on inexpensive radios for emergencies.

I chose those radios since I can program them for FRS, GMRS, MURS, NOAA weather (receive only), and of course ham frequencies. It's simple.

I can give you my CHIRP .csv file that has FRS, GMRS simplex, GMRS duplex with a repeater or two, MURS, and NOAA weather.

Baofeng Radio. Comes with a charger and a stubby antenna. I like this radio since it has a rechargeable battery and 8 watts of transmitting power. A little more power helps get your transmitting signal out there. You might consider 2-3. Your call. Or one to start? I probably have about 6 of these in total, all programmed with CHIRP. I have a reminder to periodically pull them and recharge/test them.
https://amzn.to/33JlCpt

Cable for CHIRP (computer to radio).
Amazon.com: BTECH PC03 FTDI Genuine USB Programming Cable for BTECH, BaoFeng, Kenwood, and AnyTone Radio: Electronics

NA-771 antenna. Larger. May help with using the radio in terrain or more distance. Can be acquired later. I don't have one of these for every radio, but I have one in the go bag in my vehicle.
https://amzn.to/2nZIRg4

Optional. Vehicle antenna with magnet. Stick on center of roof, put cable through window, connect to radio. I have one in my go back. Works well. You'll need the additional adapter between antenna connector and Baofeng radio.
Amazon.com: Tram 1185-SMA Amateur Dual-Band Magnet Antenna with SMA-Male Connector, 20.15in. x 5.25in. x 1.80in.: Home Audio & Theater

https://amzn.to/2OS41aW

 

[Head Shot]

Erased

 

[TapRackNGo]

My suggestion: Study and pass the Tech first and most likely the General. By the end of it, you will have a much better idea of what types of communication are available and how they are achieved. "Worst case scenario" means a lot of different things to different people. I would seriously consider narrowing down what that means to you first. In order to do that, you need more information on the capabilities of communication available. You would be doing yourself a disservice to make financial decision based on what guys on the internet are suggesting.

When I hear those words, my initial thoughts are simple concise communication with very low power consumption. Something small, portable, and the ability to recharge the communication system. Without the knowledge learned from studying for the tests, and a general interest for the hobby, I would not fully understand what I wanted to achieve.

 

[Kiloseven]

The exams are multiple choice and do Not test on Morse Code. All questions are publicly posted by the FCC with their answers. A four year old girl in Salem has passed the test. Quizzes are available for smartphones. It's easy.

 

[ithacaartist]

I'm in the market for my first one. Want one to be prepared fir the worst case scenario. What are the best brands and models for my $300 budget? Like to get my license after buying one. Thank you.

I don't know anything to answer your specific question, sorry. But while reading your post, I'm reminded of the experience with a neighbor about 20 years ago. This guy rented an apartment in the house next door, strung up his intenna in the small gorge behind the houses, and began to run his rig. He said he was amazed that for off-the-shelf stuff, he found he was one of the heavy hitters on the East coast. Good for him, but... The signal and harmonics were so strong that when our answering machine picked up, the garbled cross-talk that totally sloshed over kept the machine running and recording until it ran out of time. We got a filter for our phone line from the phone company, but it was of little help. So, I offer a word of caution that you don't piss your neighbors off!

 

[Fishinabbl]

I'm in the market for my first one. Want one to be prepared fir the worst case scenario. What are the best brands and models for my $300 budget? Like to get my license after buying one. Thank you.

jeez buddy such intense complicated answers to a pretty simple question. I have been a ham for over 50 years and equipment has become more complex and expensive than ever. There is a question you must answer before detailed advice can be provided you can actually absorb. It is whether you intend to use the radio before TSHTF. If so you will need to devote some time to study the rules and operating principles to get a license and to operate compatibly with other hams. Some simple math is required but plenty of 5th graders get licensed. Once you get the easiest license you can get inexpensive Chinese imports to get your feet wet. If you will give it an hour a day you could pass the test in month or so easy. If that sounds like too much trouble then you will more than likely NOT be interested in or qualified for after TSHTF operations. To get engaged just Google Ham club near me and find out about classes or testing in your neck of the woods. If study and licenses bores you then maybe CB is a better solution for you. It actually works pretty well especially after an EMP has knocked out everyone else's radios. If you want some help getting hooked up with a club PM me.

 

[Oohrah]

They are pretty spendy when you look at the known Base station sets. I use a mobile Kenwood programed local stations and repeaters. Small battery with a trickle charger. I have about a 10 foot pole antenna. Covers all my needs and I could even unhook the radio and put it into the car or truck with a antenna and be good to go. It would be about or under that amount you quoted. A lot in the HAM club get these Beofeng made in China hand held. work great and cheap. Also all kinds of accessories that can be used with it. They run 25 to $ 62. I have one of the cheaper ones, and I bought a pair of the more expensive ones for just over $120. The big thing of the more expensive ones is 1. Speaker out put is a full watt ( Hearing on my head isn't so great any more) 2. You can transmit at either 1, 5, or 7 watts, a good deal to save on battery when transmitting. They are good little radios, and by the way the last ones at 62 bucks is the newest I think 3rd Generation with the latest up dates. Some of the others I think are not much better and maybe paying for the name. Even these make radios under another name and I'm not sure if they are a lesser quality, like maybe an update two? or maybe the exact same. These you can also put and operate dual bands with them. I have a Motorola Emergency response radio brand new! you can only do one at a time. It is maybe ten times as expensive...maybe more. I'm really new to HAM and only have the first level of licensing. However, years of Emergency Response radio with both fire service and law enforcement. So push and talk seems to work, with beyond that stop and think is some kind a delayed long think. I also noticed that Amazon not only carries these handheld Beofeng, but they also have a mobile unit, and I wouldn't be surprised if a base station too. Any more electronic seem to be mostly chips and wire, with everyone having a favorite. My thought is KISS, Durability, and cost. Emergency handheld Kenwood and Motorola...both have been good over a 50 year span. Just are now smaller lighter, and charge last longer. I like the Kenwood mobile HAM radio. once programed you just turn to a number to reach favorite or most used stations. Use the BeoFeng a lot for a walk around as light and quick to charge with a number of ways to charge or change battery pac. Don't know where you live, find a HAM club in your area. They are most helpful! Cheers

 

[Marine Airedale]

Mostly good advice from all of the previous responses. One thing I do differently is I do not use HT radio's, even though I own two. The reason is I live rural and other Amateurs are far and in between. My vehicles have at least a 2m/70cm radio that I use one side mostly for APRS (that one is a long explanation left for a later post). My PU which is usually hauling our Truck Camper has the before mentioned 2m/70cm radio and a HF radio. I always use vehicle mounted (not magnetic mounted) antenna's as they generally perform better. It also depends a little on the terrain you anticipate operating in to how much gain (and the angle of radiation from the antenna) work better. If you are in fairly flat country a high gain antenna is a good deal. The same antenna in mountainous terrain might not perform as well as the mountains are taller than the radiation 'angle' of the antenna. Hope this helps a little. 73 de K7KIT