cb radios

break 19

 

I see this thread has got bigger since the last time I posted on it.
If your that worried about always being in contact with emergency services, you can always get a SPOT personal tracker. It uses GPS and allows you to contact 911 and give out your coordinates to them.

It is a little more than a standard cb radio, but will almost guarantee contact with emergency services.

LINK: http://www.outdoorsafetygps.com/

 

So from a little more research locally, I guess not many people have license's here. haha Maybe the rules are different here, I dunno. Everyone has VHF radios which I guess is actually a HAM radio? We use them at work all the time, and all the logging companies use them. There are many repeaters around, however most of them are private use with private channels.

So my questions is why would you bother paying for a license? The damn radios are expensive enough.

 

VHF encompasses a whole lot of frequencies, not just those availble to amateur (ham) radio or FRS, GMRS, etc. You may be referring to LMR that is on VHF frequencies, especially if you're talking about commercial radio use for logging or other businesses. It is explicitly against federal law to use amateur (ham) radio for commercial purposes.

The reason people get licensed is the same reason you get any other kind of license, driver's, boat, pilot's, etc. You want to know that you're operating legally and not breaking (in the case of radio) federal law. There are ham operators that are into a hobby called 'fox hunting' that involves tracking a radio transmitter source and locating it through the use of directional antennas. Many times these same people will help out the FCC in identifying unlicensed operators who are using licensed spectrum.

Also, the license is pretty cheap to get. You can download the question pool for free. Then the test is maybe $7 to take. Not a bad deal.

This is of course all in the USA. I know generally amateur radio operators around the globe deal with similar laws, but I'm not sure about your location specifically.

All of this is said not to sound like a crusty old kurmugeon, but it's worth consideration before you do something that could potentially be illegal. I was of the same opinion, but once I realized how simple it was to study and take the test, I figured why not. It's really easy for the basic license that gets you on the air with a 2m amateur radio rig.

Edit:
Licensed Amateur radio VHF frequencies
144.0-144.1 MHz
144.1-148.0 MHz
222.00-225.00 MHz

Anything that's VHF but outside of those frequencies is not licensed to amateur radio and is a part of either unlicensed space, or another licensed service. If it's in that space though, it's part of the amateur (ham) radio band.

 

Ham clubs make a sport out of tracking down (literally) unlicensed or improper users and documenting their use. The FCC investigates complaints, seizing equipment and issuing sizable fines for illegal use.

Perhaps your friends use a VHF band like MURS (your mention of "private channels" would not make sense in amateur radio). Otherwise they just haven't run into a concerned amateur with RDF equipment.

ETA: I have no idea what island in the pacific you are on, so perhaps your government is lax in enforcing radio rules and law.

 

Yes, LMR requires licensing from the FCC. I don't know much about it beyond that, but this might be worth checking out:
http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/index.htm?job=service_home&id=private_land_radio

Again, US federal law there, so it's tough to say. Unless of course you're in Hawaii. If you get a ham license you can monitor all of those LMR frequencies with a dual band radio that has extended RX to cover them. You just wouldn't be able to talk on them.

 

I'm in Canada, so those rules are only guidelines more or less, haha. Thanks for the help though! I guess I'll just buy a radio, see what happens...

 

I agree with getting a Ham license. SOOOO MUCH more you can do with it. The range on a CB is not only limited by the power output. but more limited by the band it uses, 11meters. This band does better on long range communications with the right amount of power because it skips off the upper atmosphere. For the OP the VHF radios your referring to are commercial VHF radios and the company that those loggers work for has a license to operate those radios on those frequencies. Buying a modded ham radio and operating on these frequencies will most likely piss off these companies and lead to legal problems. As for those being "guidelines" in Canada, I think you better research it a lot more. I can guarantee you its more than "guidelines" even in Canada.

and a +1 for www.Hamtestonline.com I used this website to study. I studied for 1 week and went in and passed my Tech and General in one sitting. Aced the general and missed 1 on the Tech. Then a month later I literally studied for 1 whole day for my Extra and passed it only missing 2. You really only need the tech to operate on the most popular mobile bands.

73 AI6SS

 

I'm not talking about buying a modded ham radio, I'm talking about buying the same radio as the logging companies use. The guy at the store will sell me one, and the loggers and guys using the radios on those roads would much rather everyone who uses those roads have their radio channels, some forestry roads are required to have certain channels. Our logging roads aren't anything like a paved road, 30%+ grades, ALOT of single lane roads going both ways, on the west coast they still use off-hiway logging trucks, 14' wide giant trucks coming at you, plus most of the logging truck drivers know the roads like a glove, they use the whole road and drive like hell. In the interest of my safety and all other road users safety I need to get a radio. I was referring to the US FCC as a guide-line only, we have our own laws in Canada!

 

I would check these laws before operating that radio.

 

So after a bit of research I've found that the radio that I want to get does NOT need a license to operate in Canada!! The license is on the channel, you are supposed to get permission to use someone's channel, however all the forestry channels and most of the private land user channels are posted at start of the road and are for all road users! The LAD 1,2,3,4 channels are for all as-well! You need written permission to use someone's repeater though. This is great news since I really don't want to get any license.

 

Glad you did the research. Now get yourself the proper radio.

 

I'm running a similar setup. Currently I'm running a Kenwood TM-V708 in the Tacoma. Its a dual band radio that is capable of acting as a repeater. It is also modified like yours to receive and transmit on the MURS and FRS frequencies. In the event of an Emergency, I have the abilities to contact damn near any of the law enforcement agencies in the area, along with federal agencies. Hopefully I don't ever need to, although the capability is there.

All in all the setup was around 500 dollars once it was installed (done by myself) and I had bought a new antenna. Well worth the money IMO. When we go on off road or hunting trips, I park the truck and utilize it as a repeater, and then use my handheld to transmit from. CB is a thing of the past, if you can afford it, spend the extra money and go with a HAM. You can get an entry level mobile unit that will serve you well for around 200 bucks installed in your truck, granted you install it yourself.

 

subscribed

 

What about aviation handheld transceivers? I have one in my flight bag and carry it around when spotting or traveling. I know the transmission effectivness is poor but it is nice to have in an emergency. Plus it gets weather too.

 

+1 for the spot

etav8r, it might take a Satellite a couple of passes to know exactly where you are.

has anyone looked into, extreme radios, for general communications
http://www.trisquare.us/products.htm

 

When MURS was first available I tried a legal setup. Distance was no better than a legal CB.
From some of the posts here I would highly advise everyone to ONLY do legal radio.

I think an ideal setup would be to have CB, MURS, GMRS and an amateur license. Don't know of any one radio that would do that. Don't know of any 2 radios that would do that. Don't know of any 3 radios that would do that.
Does anyone else know of a MURS/GMRS/CB radio or of an amateur radio with GMRS/MURS bands?

 

You won't find an amateur radio that can legally be used on MURS/GMRS/CB bands. The FCC approval/acceptance for the radio won't cover use in other bands that require other types of approval.

Amateur radios can usually be modified to transmit and receive on other bands, but actually transmitting on those bands is against FCC regs.

One thing to look for would be radios with the option of having remote mounted faces. My Kenwood TM-V7A radio has the head remote mounted, so the bulk of the radio is in the trunk (of my car). Pretty soon, I'm going to pull the console of my Tacoma and see if I can mount the radio body in the spot where the 110v inverter goes in the TRD trucks.

 

Get a SAT phone. Thats what we have to use up here!! Cost is more but can be used anywhere.