Bay Area radio sales?

[Fifty]

can anyone recommend a place that knows a thing or two about good coms, and set up in the Bay Area or sac I guess?

I’m not exactly sure what I need/want, and don’t want to be chasing “tuning” issues etc etc etc.

I’m trying to get a feel for what channels the folks at wheelin with friends are using to I can adapt for that.

But any recommendations for a good shop would be great.

Thanks!

 

[slomatt]

https://www.hamradio.com/locations.cfm?storeid=3

 

[Fifty]

Awesome. That is the place I was initially thinking. I am going the GMRS route I believe. Hopefully they an square me away.

 

[Bill S]

Talk to Nick at the Oakland store. He is the manager there and very knowledgeable. He’ll steer you right.

Bill/N6SGT

 

[Sgt12XU]

I am going the GMRS route I believe. Hopefully they an square me away.

GMRS is good, but nobody uses it. So, it's about worthless. Go with what people use. That would be CB and HAM. Now, you can use FRS and GMRS on a HAM if you program the freqs, but the power output will exceed regulations. I've had success with diversity. I have CB and dual band HAM (2m and 70cm), but I can cheat by using my HAM for FRS, GMRS, and MURS channels.

So, no matter who I run with, I can talk to them. If you only have a dedicated GMRS, you're screwed...since nobody else uses it really.

 

[Fifty]

All the folks that run around here (“wheelin with friends” group)are using the gmrs. Which is how I even found out about it.

I guess they are saying the gmrs has repeaters around here, they have better distance than the cb, have the weather, emergency etc, use the family transferable 10 yr lic, etc.

I’m going to head to the place listed above on wed and talk to them.
Getting s Ham lic is a bit of a problem. Only class i found is like 3 months long, doesn’t start for almost a year and is a 20 mile drive during commute hours on Thur evenings...

So unless I can find something else or the elusive online course.

 

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Hey Fifty,

In regards to the above, getting your Amateur License for HAM is incredibly easy.

Check out hamstudy.org. You can setup a free account to study flashcards with Q&A from the actual test. I spent an hour each night studying and memorizing. One the 5th day there just so happened to be a test being administered at a local HAM club meeting. Cost was around $20. No need for a in-person class unless you want to gain deep deep knowledge of amateur radio.

For me, HAM is a must as the Northern California Land Rover club and other wheeling buddies use it exclusively.

 

[slomatt]

Fifty,

I have a CB in both my trucks, but in almost 20 years of wheeling I've never gone out with a group that used CB for communication, they all used FRS/GMRS. My recommendation is to get a decent set of FRS/GMRS radios since they are inexpensive. HAM radio appears to be becoming more popular on the trail and will give you a lot more range. As mentioned above there are a lot of online resources where you can study (eham.com), and many local radio clubs offer the tests on a recurring basis.

That said, what really matters is what type of radios the rest of your group uses.

 

[Fifty]

Seems gmrs is what’s used around here.
I applied for s gmrs license last night.

I was supposed to call back to a guy at the ham radio outlet corporate, but life got crazy

I’ll try again tomorrow. He had a plan for what I should use, gmrs wise...

 

[WheelMe]

Hey Fifty,

In regards to the above, getting your Amateur License for HAM is incredibly easy.

Check out hamstudy.org. You can setup a free account to study flashcards with Q&A from the actual test. I spent an hour each night studying and memorizing. One the 5th day there just so happened to be a test being administered at a local HAM club meeting. Cost was around $20. No need for a in-person class unless you want to gain deep deep knowledge of amateur radio.

For me, HAM is a must as the Northern California Land Rover club and other wheeling buddies use it exclusively.

I also run both Ham and CB, depending on whom I run with. CB's ok for close-range, but Ham is awesome in every way - signal clarity and distance (thanks to repeaters). I likewise studied for the Ham test on my own and online, and passed the Technician test about 10 days later, at a local test site.