Wanting to get a ham radio. Can I listen to CB channels too?

HAHAHA never thought about "cell boosters". I can finally put that damn desert paperweight to some use!!!

Thanks for that idea!!!

 

https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/weboost-drive-4g-x-cell-phone-signal-booster-kit-470510/

I’ve had experience with these booster and make a heck of an impact in remote places. A touch pricey, but worth it IMHO.

-PyroTaco

 

Thanks for that brotha!!!

 

Heres an app for the Ham study guide. Break it down by sections. Do 10-14 questions at a time on lunch break and just study the answers. Nothing else. You'll learn everything by doing after the tests or will at least know where to find the answers you need.

Overall cost is $15 for the test and you can get into handheld radios for as cheap as $25. Not needed but you could add another $28 for a mag mount antenna ( no it won't fall off ) if you want a much better rx/tx.


Study guide
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.delasystems.hamradioexamtech

Radio
BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black)

$18 BAOFENG UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black), 144-148MHz & 420-450MHz

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_X85WBb21N8ZEE

Better truck antenna
Authentic Genuine Nagoya UT-72 Super Loading Coil 19-Inch Magnetic Mount VHF/UHF (144/430Mhz) Antenna PL-259 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016SIJX28/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_195WBbQ9EG8N3


*Side info.
I use a Kenwood TM-V71A in my truck. Longest contact is roughly 32 miles on 50w. I frequently make 20 miles on 10w which is my common wattage, unless I'm abale to use less. Using a local repeater I get about 60 miles out easily.

I also use digital radio as well. For those who have never heard it, sounds like this. The nasal sound is just Bob, not the radio. He's a good fella
https://youtu.be/74-eR2WnAAg

 

I see a lot of talking but Let me see your rig ham/cb set up gentlemen.

 

Sure .

 

I’m such a newbi what’s last pix of?

 

DMR hot spot . Let's me connect to radio towers via internet. Works great .

If a buddy is traveling through Virgina on his way here I can use Virgina repeaters as he uses his mobile on local repeaters.

 

EchoLink??? I've heard of it, but never dabbled with it.

 

Close. So there's a few that achieve the same goal of using internet to communicate. And they're in competition right now to see what systems will prevail. Echolink uses analog signals. The same as CB and regular voice ham. Those signals go to a repeater or another radio that is hooked to a computer. Just like when you call a business and it has extensions you can key in, you can do the same with Echolink to link multiple repeaters together.

Dmr is similar. Except it uses digital voice. So I talk into my radio and it turns it into 1's and 0's. The result is a much clearer signal, but you'll lose the signal a little sooner than the analog. Because it's digital, we can take these small devices and use our small handhelds to talk to the "hotspot", which then gets into the main servers over the dmr repeater world. Instead of having to dial in things they just have what's like an address book programmed into the radio . I have NH, VT, ME, CT, AL, GA, FL, world wide, USA English, regionals. Just by selecting the name it will automatically connect to those.

The plus side is that when you break into that world, no one expects you to know anything about it at first. People in the community can program it for you and hook you up with some lessons on how to do it , and then you just need to be ham certified and push a button.

 

So that $30 Baofeng radio I see people recommend all the time... is that a HAM radio? (New to the game here and I am interested in the same question the op asked).

 

Yes

 

$15 and a 35 question multiple choice test that they give you the answers to.

Here's a study guide if interested. Only study the answers . Do the mini sub sections at a time to keep it small.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.delasystems.hamradioexamtech

 

For proof???

These are the only pics I have... well, I have some more somewhere... possibly on my old laptop... but here are these...

My 800MHz scanner... HAHAHA please do NOT mind the wiring you see. My truck is in a constant perpetual state of "upgrades and mods"!!!


The small antenna is connected to what I call a "pig tail" that eventually routes to the inside of my cab. That antenna in the pic is/was currently, at the time, connected to my old 800MHz handheld. I have my Nagoya connected there for the moment. The real idea there is to have a setup to where I can have a setup from the cab to some "remote" antenna when stationary and sort of setup an HQ, if you will. Anyways, works pretty damn good.

Btw, the antenna with the spring is my original CB setup/mount and I'm in the process of changing that out to a much stronger mount. It was my first install...


I don't normally have such a small CB antenna. That is just there as a "place holder" and is there for the car ports. I could use a quick disconnect as well, but I found that even then I would forget that I have a "ceiling height tester", LOL!!!

Btw, the antenna behind passenger is my HAM antenna connected to my Yaesu FT-1900R 2m mobile.


Just showing the pig tail configurations... the cable reaches to the front




The pig tail reaches to the back... so I can walk around outside the truck... just an idea that I had at the time and just implemented it.


My "portable emergency radio box" that's taking me now and forever to complete!!! LOL!!! But there it is...

It has CB (11m), plus a Yaesu FT-8900R 4-band. I'm thinking about changing the CB only unit to have SSB/CB? The antennas that are connected in the pic are just being used to give me an overview and some ideas. I plan on putting a 9ft steel whip on the RR corner on a custom made mount I plan on doing... just having the time to do all that though is killing me!!!

 

@WileECoyote do you have power poles going to that box?

 

I PLAN on doing power poles. As a matter of fact, I PLAN on doing aLOT of things???!!! LOL!!!

But, currently no. I also plan on putting in 2x 6V lead acid rechargeable batteries??? Well, that's the plan. I have it all laid out in my head and adding things as I'm able to acquire them. Gonna be a bit on the heavy side when done, but it isn't meant to "hike" with. HAHAHAHA, I've seen heavier setups than what I will have.

Btw, I'm going to configure it so that you can plug in external power or have it "portable" with using the batteries. Hence, power pole options and/or setups? That part is back and forth at the moment on how I want to set that part up? I don't want to start drilling holes willy-nilly like someone took a 12ga shotgun to it!!! LOL!!!

Finally, the batteries are strictly there for short comm TX's... hence, emergency transmissions on HIGH wattage output if needed.

 

Nice. I need to get my Kenwood on power poles so that was I can pull it out and use it for satellite work. Also handy if I ever need it on the go. I've got an extra 50' of coax rolled up in my truck in case of emergency and I need to set up on a hillside and run high power.

But to be honest my next accomplishment will be getting my mic cable behind the dash and I'll have a jack that goes into a switch blank.

 

Nice deal. I helped a buddy out with something similar for his CB MIC. He wanted it in his cup holder area while his CB was located somewhere else... worked out GREAT. I even made a custom plastic cap to cover it when not in use by using cover caps that are used for custom plugs that get thrown away at work. I say "custom plastic cap" only because I had to cut/shave them down quite a bit. But anyways...

 

Btw, my last place of work, I had to deal with the "newer" Motorola data/voice (P25). Long story short, at the time at least, nobody was able to make the P25 "work", LOL, even Motorola themselves believe it or not and my company was the first to be able to accomplish the task for interfacing with public safety systems. Well, the beginnings of it at least, but that was a few years ago now and I no longer work there, but it was definitely fun while I was there!!!

HAHAHAHAHA, dealing with digital radios was hilarious and frustrating at the same time because you could literally hear the "lag/delay". I'd speak into one radio and it was like... SUPER LAG with the RX (receive). I thought regular "vocoders" were bad? Kinda weird to hear it because as you're talking, you kinda want to stop/go because you don't hear yourself right away on the receive end and you're almost at a stuttering pace???!!! Kinda hard to explain in writing/text, but MAN it was annoying at the same time!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

 

HAHAHAHA, be back on tomorrow. I gotta get some nighty nighty as I need to get up in about 4hours!!!

Have fun people.