Amateur (Ham) Radio BS and Callsign Thread!

Tomorrow the 9th

 

Awesome! Thanks you guys

 

DMR repeater? Echolink? etc? Just analog?

 

I wanna say analog

 

Hopefully this weekend is nice to clean up the cables. Moving the radio to the back, putting the remote unit cable through the dash , putting a mic keystone in the small center blank, and getting a mic holder for the TPAM.

 

I’d be willing to jump in if I can connect to it some way.

 

I have a dilemma that I hope someone can provide some guidance. I will be taking the next technician’s test available in my area, but that will be more for my own edification.

My goal is to be able to communicate with my wife in the mountains with heavy woods from 3-4 miles when we are hiking or driving separately.

From what I have read gmrs is the only radio option available since I won’t be able to get my wife to get into radios/testing. I purchased 2 baofeng uv-82hp’s that I have yet to receive, but will likely return now as I’ve read that they are not FCC type certified...that said, they appear to be the only option available with that high of wattage and across those bands. I’m not sure why handheld gmrs radios on the market are limited to 2 watts when the FCC allows up to 50.

I’ve reviewed the mobile midland MXT400 that is gmrs only, but produces up to 40 watts...it’s expensive though and would need two and am limited to gmrs only.

Are there any radios available that can accomplish this? I’m looking into their options as well such as gotenna and fogo, but not sure if they are any better. Thanks for any input.

 

Those cheap chicom radios are garbage even on the bands they are intended to be used on. Using them illegally, out of band is well, still effing illegal. Not for nothing but by buying those crap $20 HTs, all you're doing is financing intellectual property theft.

Hopefully an OO will catch you and turn you in. Most OO's are diiiiiiccccks.

Get ham licenses, crack your wallet for a high dollar GMRS, use a cellphone, or drive around the woods in the same car.

edit, de N4GI

 

At ease, kimosabe. I'm not stating my opinions, I'm stating facts.

A licensed ham telling people to do illegal shit on the ham bands is pretty ludicrous. At least I know your call....

 

I know.

Bofang HT's PER THE FCC (Scott Stone, Dep Chief of Mobility Division) :

Those devices to not have Part 95 certification, so they are not authorized for use in FRS or GMRS. i.e. they are not capable of operating under this subpart. They can be used by amateurs, but only on amateur frequencies.

So using those HT's on FRM/GMRS is what??? Illegal.....

 

Imagine being this big of a bunghole every day of your life

@dbrfan: Transmitting (knowingly or unknowingly) out of power spec is illegal. Do what you want with that information.

 

All,
Thank you for the insight. I really appreciate the sensitivity on the subject and have been reading as much as possible to educate myself on this matter. Last week when I ordered the radios with no knowledge, it was largely in part due to the high Amazon rating. But, i've been engrossed with this topic since and learned that they are not certified.

A little bit of a side joke though, I applied for my GMRS license over the weekend and couldn't complete because of the government shutdown, so the FCC is out of business! Haha, just kidding.

Everyone on this string has much more valuable experience than me, which is why I was looking for recommendations for another radio that could achieve the goals that I have. I understand the Baofeng issues.

 

For clarification, my bunghole remark was not directed to you. Askingg questions should never be frowned upon.

Good luck with it all! It's a fun hobby to get into.

 

As noted above, those baofeng radios aren't approved for frs or gmrs frequencies. Please use an appropriate and approved radio for the frequency you wish to use it on. Also, if required, please obtain the appropriate license. I'm disappointed in a licensed ham recommending to run a radio illegally. And then to turn around and further defend it.

 

I would keep them, mainly because I have one (

$50 UV-5R 8Watt UHF/VHF Radio with 2 Rechargeable Battery, Portable Radio for Adults with Earpiece, GV-771 Antenna, Compatible with BAOFENG Programming Cable (3rd Gen)

UV-5R) and they are killer littler HT's. At the end of the day an emergency is an emergency and if an illegal radio is all you have then its better than nothing. Plus FCC rules state anyone can use them at any time in an emergency situation. A ton of people grab them for their first radio to play around until they have done the research and have the money to buy a much better setup.

They make for great grab and go radios to toss in a pack while hiking. From what I have read many people put them on the lowest power settings and give them to their kids for when they get separated.

 

LOL. Little Johnny isn't smart enough to not get lost, but he will be able to operate a convoluted Chinese HT.....

 

Like seriously guys, just drop it. This isn't 3rs Gen forum...
What's right is right, and what's convenient might be not necessarily....











Of course y’all could tell me to eFF off... Idc

 

Believe I found a link into the net. Will find out in 14 min.

 

@dbrfan looks like you did your research and you know the cards you've got.

Vehicle wise, could always go cb as well. Toss a mag antenna up. Then you'll have a portable and mobile to go.

Midland Radio 75-822 Portable Mobile CB Radio, Large LCD Display, Keypad Lock, Plug and Play, Rugged Construction, Up To 40 Channels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LAHFKSE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XMRnCb5AN315P

 

This is going to be difficult using simplex portables, even with a license. An amateur radio license is the most bang for the buck solution. You get access to a ton of different frequencies. More importantly, you get access to an enormous number of repeater stations that are open for use and under utilized. I was able to convince my wife to get licensed. She just memorized the test questions. She started studying on a Sunday and passed the test Tuesday after work. She rolled her eyes at it, but sucked it up and did it for me. She has a call sign and is legit to talk on the radio. After using the mobile in her car for some time, she actually prefers talking on the radio rather then using her phone. As she feels the radio is much less distracting then talking on the phone.

She's generally not too comfortable using most ham radios. She is not able to enter a frequency, repeater offset, and PL tone. So I got a 16 ch commercial radio (Icom IC-F2000) and programmed it with 16 ham channels. That's what we use when we go hiking. No other radio can be made more simple to operate. She has a commercial UHF mobile installed in her car with a 1/4 wave whip cut for 70cm. The whip can go through the car wash without being removed (her stipulation before the install). The radio can take 128 channels. I have one zone of favorites, and then 1 zone for each county in our area, with the repeaters labeled by the name of the city / township where they are located. Very simple for her to operate. She's a damn smart woman and a better operator them 80% of the OM's out there. Never hot keys, she always waits for the repeater to drop before transmitting. ID's every 10 minutes and clears the repeater when finished. She knows exactly where the repeater we use normally covers and where it does not cover. She has learned to listen for the repeater tail to know whether she was able to activate the repeater.

If you can't get your wife to take the test, then GMRS is probably your best bet. I would not get caught up in 2w versus 5w versus 8w in a portable. The difference in power is negligible and almost impossible to measure one from the other on receive. Neither power level is going to cover 3-4 miles of every terrain. No matter what frequency you're using. Get a quality commercial radio. It's performance will blow the Baofeng out of the water and also beat most amateur portables as well. Some commercial Kenwood mobiles and portables are part 95 certificated for GMRS. Depending upon terrain, you might make the trip with mobiles: car to car. Mostly depends how much dirt and rock you have between you. The density of the woods is less relevant. Is this an area that you frequent or do you own the property? Can you put up your own GMRS repeater in that area? Well thought out placement of a GMRS repeater potentially can make communication very simple. The site doesn't necessarily need commercial power. The current solar, wind, and battery technology make repeater placement possible and even practical without commercial power available.

If amateur radio repeaters already cover the area, then a little bit of prodding for her to take the test may pay off a much larger and more simple reward.