Ok first things first. I don't know crap about these thing. So I need it in the most simple way possible.

 

Here is what I want

 

A portable handheld 2 way and maybe a basic set up for my garage.

 

What do I want? How far can it go? Without putting a giant antenna on my roof how far will it go? What will it cost me?

 

 

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Ok first things first. I don't know crap about these thing. So I need it in the most simple way possible.

 

Here is what I want

 

A portable handheld 2 way and maybe a basic set up for my garage.

 

What do I want? How far can it go? Without putting a giant antenna on my roof how far will it go? What will it cost me?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

I guess it depends on who you want to talk to and or how far you want to talk. 

I'm a Ham radio operator...have talked to other hams all over the globe. 

I hold the highest FCC amateur radio license and know a thing or two. First off you cannot operate a ham radio without a license. You have to study and take a test to get the license. You have not said what you wish to accomplish. There are plenty of FRS radios for civilians to use and GPRS ones that require a license but no test. I have a pair that we used to use when following someone in another car. Easier than calling each other on the phone. Do not know too much about these as I have a pair of handi talkies, which require a technicians license to use. They are essentially walkie talkies that operate on specific frequencies allocated to ham radio operators. They are line of sight so they can only go so far and will be stopped by objects in their way.

 

Without getting technical I can say that with my handheld radio I can talk all over the world by hitting a repeater which then sends my signal over the internet to another antenna on the other side of the world where it is rebroadcast. I can talk directly to someone on the other side of the world by bouncing my signal off of the atmosphere and earth a few times. I can use a small antenna for line of sight or a big antenna to skip off the atmosphere or satellites. It all depends on what you wish to accomplish and how much time and money you want to spend. Heck with a ham radio license you do not even need a radio. You can use your computer.

Ok first things first. I don't know crap about these thing. So I need it in the most simple way possible.

 

Here is what I want

 

A portable handheld 2 way and maybe a basic set up for my garage.

 

What do I want? How far can it go? Without putting a giant antenna on my roof how far will it go? What will it cost me?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

 

You've gotten a bunch of good responses so far.  You 1st have to determine your goal with the setup and how far you wish to communicate.  If you want to talk to another family member or friend within the house or a couple blocks, just get a pair of FMS radios and be done with it.  If you want to have some fun, talk to the truckers, possible some locals and shoot skip when the conditions are right, then a CB base station setup can with had, with antenna for a few hundred bucks.  You can install a plain old iMax-2000 antenna or even go with a dipole antenna that will be less intrusive, but will also have less range.  This hobby of radio communications, like everything else, can set you back hundreds, to thousands, to tens of thousands of dollars, whether it's CB and/or HAM.

I did CB over about 40 years but gave it up. This past April or so I was thinking about Ham but like you I know very little about it. I found this youtube overview to be helpful and the second sight has practice tests that look doable, at least for the entry level Ham. With summer here I sidelined my interest in Ham for now but will explore again in fall/winter. anyway take a look at the practice test, it  may be be of some help to you

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFLxeASa05k

 

http://www.hamwhisperer.com/p/ham-courses.html

Best way to get your questions answered is to go to a ARRL field day and talk to "hams".  There is a big field day this weekend. 

http://www.arrl.org/

 

 

My sons are very involved in this.

They have all kinds of equipment.  Their Warren County unit was featured on a local TV station recently.  When they set up you swear the Army came to town.  Out comes the Duece, trailers, tents, generators, antenna, all mil-surplus  (look at the equipment in the backround of the video).

http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-newjersey/ham-radio-operators-have-field-day/-/132518/20677426/-/58lrao/-/index.html

 

They travel to a place, 1509 N. Dupont Hwy # 7  New Castle, DE 19720, for equipment.

http://www.hamradio.com/

Ham Radio is a hobby in itself similar to guns and equally as complicated (or not) depending upon your level of involvement, commitment, money, desire, etc.  Ham radio operators often help out in times of disaster as their equipment is autonomous (ie it doesn't rely on cell towers or phone lines or anything else generally).

 

CB Radio and FRS are child's play in comparison to Ham.  You have to examine your needs and determine whether FRS or CB will fit - it very well may.

I want like 25 to 35 miles to be able to reach from my house. Nothing to crazy. But I don't want a giant antenna

 

 

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Best way to get your questions answered is to go to a ARRL field day and talk to "hams". There is a big field day this weekend.

http://www.arrl.org/

 

 

 

They travel to a place, 1509 N. Dupont Hwy # 7 New Castle, DE 19720, for equipment.

http://www.hamradio.com/

Bill that place is like 5-10 mins from me

 

 

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I know. Suppose to have fairly good prices.

I know my sons have little portables they use.  I believe the make is "Yaesu". Don't know the model.  They use a repeater to further the distance. Have talked to them when they were hiking the AT by using repeaters.

 

See they are the Ham gurus.

When they want firearm info they get the old man. I personally have no interest in it.  They are off to that hamfest today.  Me, I'm off to the range.

 

"It ain't training, if it ain't raining".

I want like 25 to 35 miles to be able to reach from my house. Nothing to crazy. But I don't want a giant antenna

 

 

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I suggest going Ham then, and using a local VHF/UHF repeater system. 

35 miles is pretty much impossible with FRS, and CB for that matter(yes, it is possible, but not likely to work).  You'd need a big antenna. 

GMRS might work, but GMRS repeaters are not as common as ham repeaters. 

I want like 25 to 35 miles to be able to reach from my house. Nothing to crazy. But I don't want a giant antenna

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

You want to defy the laws of physics.

 

I would say get a GMRS radio and use a repeater.

Ham radio is not really for family communication although it can be used for that. GMRS is much more suited for that.

 

That said it is good to get a ham license and learn about it. Who knows, you might like it. We have a lot in common with outdoor enthusiasts and 2a people. It's a hobby and passion for most of us.

 

I've been a licensed ham radio op since 1997 and I hold the highest license in the US and two other countries. I am also certified by ARRL as an emergency comms instructor and I can administer license exams. When I took the test you had to learn morse code but the USA and most other countries have abolished that (Russia being the notable exception.)

I want like 25 to 35 miles to be able to reach from my house. Nothing to crazy. But I don't want a giant antenna

 

 

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The antenna is what will let you get out that far. If you learn a little about radio waves you will know why. There is no escaping the fact that if you want to reach out that far, radio to radio, you are going to need a big antenna. However, in ham radio they have what are called repeaters. Just think about them like a cell phone tower run by ham operators. Depending on the location of both parties, they can allow you to talk to each other over great distances just like a cell phone, but for free. The FRS systems will not work past 5 miles and that is over flat ground. The other issues you face are power, height and size of antenna at both the transmitting and receiving end. Small antenna to small antenna will not work at those distances. Small antenna to large antenna will, assuming you are putting out 50 watts on a ham radio.

 

The way you are talking it sounds that a ham radio license is not going to help because both parties will need it. The only other option is if you are running a business you can get a business radio like trucking and other companies have. Other than that, ham radio is the way to go. If I run 50 watts using a 5 foot antenna I am lucky to get out about 10 miles around here. Even if I go to a different frequency for long distance, I cannot reach stations around me because my antenna is pointed so that my signals go up to the sky rather than line of sight. There is a science to it and a lot of study to learn it all. The basic technician license is not difficult with a little study. There are better places to try practice tests than YouTube. Just check arrl.org . However a Tech license will not let you communicate the distances you are talking about, radio to radio, without a good antenna places high up.

 

 

 

You want to defy the laws of physics.

 

I would say get a GMRS radio and use a repeater.

Ham radio is not really for family communication although it can be used for that. GMRS is much more suited for that.

 

That said it is good to get a ham license and learn about it. Who knows, you might like it. We have a lot in common with outdoor enthusiasts and 2a people. It's a hobby and passion for most of us.

 

I've been a licensed ham radio op since 1997 and I hold the highest license in the US and two other countries. I am also certified by ARRL as an emergency comms instructor and I can administer license exams. When I took the test you had to learn morse code but the USA and most other countries have abolished that (Russia being the notable exception.)

Sounds good to me. Most will not want to go through the ham license process if all they are interested in is communicating with family. Much easier ways to do that. I have not used GMRS since it first came out. I let my license expire and have not been following it. I mostly chase DX but since moving have not done much other than play in a few major contests. Very strict HOA deed restrictions and roving patrols to enforce them.

You're getting a lot of sound advice here, Shawnmoore81.  I too am a ham and hold the call N2ICZ, with a General Class license.    I also recommend you spend some time on the ARRL site and get some background on what the hobby is all about.  The hobby can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be, but there are certain licensing requirements and protocols to be aware of before you transmit, etc. When I started (back when the Magna Carta was signed) I had what the ham community calls an "Elmer",  Simply it's a person who mentors you through all this.  If you have a local ham club, and someone who lives relatively close to you, touch base with them and see if they'll let you sit in on their station, etc.  A local ham club can be worth it's weight in gold when you're just getting started.

Making a small analogy...

 

Shawn - regarding not having a huge antenna, you're asking to shoot a 50 barrett but you want a short 12" barrel - k?

 

CB and FRS = Airsoft

Ham = Real Guns

 

 

And that's about all I know about the subject.

Lots of really great advice here!

 

I am also a Ham.  Used to be called a Tech+ back-in-the-day (passed General Written Test on Theory).  As a (then) member of a local REACT TEAM, we of course monitored CB Ch 9 for emergencies and had our own GMRS license for the entire Team.  Our Repeater was located on the World Trade Center and we could talk from Connecticut to the Delaware shoreline and as far west as the AT from our vehicle radios, and still incredibly long distances with 5 watt handi-talkies.  We had a secondary local system that we paid for ourselves by RENTING space on a commercial GMRS repeater based on a high Hill in Monmouth County.  I think we paid $60 monthly for our own Private Line Tone on this machine.  Other users were also renting space at the same time on the same frequency, so you had to wait your turn to talk.  You did so by disengaging the PL feature on the radio equipment we used.  This is called sharing a frequency, and makes it economically feasible for a commercial entity to pay for the capital outlay and maintain the repeater.

 

If you're looking for comms between family members, GMRS is a viable option, provided you rent space on a machine that has a decent height for your area of coverage.  This is especially true if you want to discuss business or other income-producing objectives.  Multiple units are all licensed from the Base Station, which can be a magnetic-mount 1/4 wave or 1/2 wave antenna (no larger than a small CB antenna) that's stuck onto an old steel filing cabinet!  As long as the repeater can "hear" the signal from the indoor antenna on the filing cabinet, you're talking just as far as the height of the repeater tower will allow, which could be 20-35 miles in all directions (omni-directional coverage).  Ham radio will let you talk to the wife (only if she too is a ham) and order milk, eggs and bread.  But you can't tell her to go to the PO and mail that pkg so you get PAID from a deal on Gunbroker....

 

Of particular interest is the fact that wide-band or multi-band Ham handi-talkies have the ability in most cases of using the GMRS radio frequencies and using both Ham as well as GMRS repeaters.  So you can buy one radio that can TALK in two distinctly separate worlds.  So it pays in the long run to get your Tech Ham license so you can use the Ham radios.

 

Very few repeaters are emergency-powered (Ham OR Commercial GMRS) so if the plug gets pulled, good-ole' CB (with a decent base station antenna) will talk further than the line-of-sight that most Ham radios are capable of without their repeaters.  In ALL circumstances, on ALL repeaters, emergency traffic takes precedence over all other comms.  It's a little-known factoid that an unlicensed operator can relay or initiate an emergency call on ANY frequency, Ham, Commercial or otherwise.........

 

I hope that I've been somewhat helpful.

There is a Hamfest at the Sussex County fairgrounds tomorrow. It woud be worth a trip to see everything in person if you want to learn more about amateur radio.

 

 

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Ok first things first. I don't know crap about these thing. So I need it in the most simple way possible.

 

Here is what I want

 

A portable handheld 2 way and maybe a basic set up for my garage.

 

What do I want? How far can it go? Without putting a giant antenna on my roof how far will it go? What will it cost me?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Shawn, go to Arfcom. and look at these two threads...

 

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1488810_Got_45_bucks__You_can_afford_to_own_a_ham_radio_.html

 

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/646491_the_CAN_T_FAIL_thread_for_getting_a_ham_radio_license_and_learning_basic_VHF_UHF_operations.html

 

I bought the little Baofeng radio from the first thread, and i was pretty surprised with what i got for under $50

I'd like to remind some folks that this is a gun forum, and by giving out your Ham call sign on here, most of the time you are also giving out public access to your home address.  Put two and two together and....voila criminals and anti-gunners have your address. 

I'd like to remind some folks that this is a gun forum, and by giving out your Ham call sign on here, most of the time you are also giving out public access to your home address.  Put two and two together and....voila criminals and anti-gunners have your address. 

+1

 

That's why my call sign is associated with my PO Box.

+1

 

That's why my call sign is associated with my PO Box.

 

Unless with your initial license "application" you used your P.O. Box, a certain database will still display your address, and the change of address.  When you look at mine, I can still see the address I lived at 10 years ago in the database. 

One reason I don't want Amateur Radio license plates...a determined road rager could track me down

There is a Hamfest at the Sussex County fairgrounds tomorrow. It woud be worth a trip to see everything in person if you want to learn more about amateur radio.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I'm headed there now.

Unless with your initial license "application" you used your P.O. Box, a certain database will still display your address, and the change of address.  When you look at mine, I can still see the address I lived at 10 years ago in the database. 

One reason I don't want Amateur Radio license plates...a determined road rager could track me down

Which database displays past addresses? I'm interested in looking at it.

Which database displays past addresses? I'm interested in looking at it.

 

FCC ULS. 

http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchLicense.jsp

 

Click on your call sign, then click the admin button, and you'll see the procedural records in there.  If you did a change of address to a p.o. box, it should show that change, and your previous address as well, unfortunately.