Official Colorado HAM and cheese thread

Hey guys! I have been wanting to get a HAM radio for being out in the mountains. I have my FCC license I got way back when I was in the Marines, but I am not sure if it is the right license that I need to operate a HAM radio? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

See attachment:

 

Hmm, the Commercial tag is unfamiliar to me. Plus if you have a commercial one not sure if that allows onto the Amateur frequencies.

Amateur ones are below:

 

you need to take a test.....

 

Thanks! Based on your feedback I did some more research and it looks like you are correct. I have what is commonly referred to as "GROL" and does not allow me to operate on amateur frequencies as you said.

Looks like I need to brush up and study the practice material.

 

FYI- There is a pool of X questions they choose from. Lots of Ap's etc have these so basically you can just take the test repeatedly until you know the correct answers.

 

Your license is way cooler though

 

Brian I have a bunch of Ferrite Cores if you want to try some of those.

 

Haha! Thanks. Wish it was useful though.

 

That feeling when you can call in CAS, but can't talk to your neighbor down the street.

 

Exactly! I was reading the policy and was like well this crap.

 

Hey guys, I just ordered my ham operator manual and started studying the online review questions so I am putting the cart before the horse and looking to buy my first radio.

I really just want a reliable alternative to communicating via CB when wheeling, so for an entry-level radio I’m leaning towards the baofeng uv-5r or newer bf-f8hp since it seems like folks are partial to those. At less than $40 bucks for a package with earpiece and remote speaker it seems like a no-brainer...but wanted to check in here to see if anyone has other recommendations, or a used setup they want to unload.

Thanks I’m advance for any advice you can offer.

For reference, here’s what I’m looking at:

BaoFeng UV-5R PRO 150-174/400-480mhz Dual Band Handheld Two Way Radio Waterproof Walkie Talkie UHF VHF Portable Two-Way Radio for Hiking Camping Marine¡

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B078XFJQ9Q/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A1CKPYDYD09W7C&psc=1

 

That radio you borrowed from me on our slaughterhouse run to listen in on was the 8W version of the UV-5R for reference. I think they call it the “triple power” or something since it has 3 power levels. Not sure if there is a new or better model though.

Edit: this is the one I have https://www.amazon.com/UV-5RTP-Tri-Power-Transceiver-Upgraded-400-520MHz/dp/B00R7KKMEA

 

I don’t know much about these radios so forgive my n00b questions here, but it basically looks like a 4watt vs 8watt right?

That just allows me to access higher frequencies, right (480MHz vs 520MHz)?

 

The wattage is about how powerful you can transmit. Aka distance traveled

 

4 watt vs 8 watt basically is how strong your outgoing signal will be when you’re talking. The higher the power the further your range is. The frequency range is completely different than the wattage. Basically the frequency range listed for the device will be the ones you can listen to. I haven’t looked at the detailed specs but it sounds like they may have slightly different ranges.

 

Not quite sure what the differences are between that radio, the one Jason posted and what I have.

Baofeng Radio US BF-F9 V2+ 8-Watt Hi-Power (USA Warranty) Dual-Band 136-174/400-489.99 MHz Hand Held Ham Radio Two-Way Transceiver - With Battery, Earpiece, Antenna & Charger (Black)

$60 Baofeng Radio US BF-F9 V2+ 5-Watt Hi-Power Dual-Band 145-155/400-520 MHz Hand Held Ham Radio Two-Way Transceiver - With Battery, Earpiece, Antenna & Charger (BFF9V2BLACK)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PTJ43FU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PHzlBbEZPZDSW

 

Lol.

So now I have 3 very similar radios to choose from!

I guess I probably can’t go too terribly wrong with any of them if you’re all using similar ones and they’re working for the same purpose.

Is there any compelling reason to go with something more advanced at this juncture?

 

For the same $40 bucks then i’ll obviously go with the 8 watt.

 

On the last picture of the radios is a comparison chart. That’s what swayed me to get mine. And the fact that it was on a Amazon deal for 30somthing bucks