Entry level ham and antenna

[Lostoffroad]

Looking for a not break the bank mobile unit and hand held unit with antenna
Any suggestions as I don’t know anything at this point

 

[38snubby]

Baofeng UV-5r and for that price get two...

 

[MAV]

The baofeng is good for a handheld, but you’ll only be putting out about 5-8watts. If you can, try to get a mobile in your vehicle and a good antenna. You’ll be putting out up to 75 watts depending on what radio you choose. Plenty of them on Craigslist to be had at a good price. Good luck!

 

[Charles M]

I really like my rig it may not be the best rig out there but, it is very affordable and it works very well. Mine is a mobile unit and I have hit about 30 miles on a good day and a lot less on bad days... lol In NC I think you will need the power of a mobile unless you are close to a repeater or the people you want to talk with.

Yaesu FTM-7250 dual band mobile unit for under $200. I picked mine up around $159 so be sure to shop around.

I installed a CA-2x4SRNMO antenna $65.00 and it has worked great for me. I went with the NMO mount on the antenna so if I decide to drill a hole in my roof later I can... But in the mean time it will work fine with the mount I got for it. I am not listing a mount here because I am not sure how it will mount on your rig. Mounts will run fron $15.00 to $30.00 or possibly a little more.

Since my Tahoe has a very large metal surface on top and a rack I went with a pivoting roof rack mount it was real easy to install. I also installed the spring kit so it would be less likely to get damaged by low trees... $20.00

I hope this give you some idea of what will work and I am sure other will have good ideas too.

 

[Dolf]

I've had a lot of experience with the Baofeng radios in my CERT group. They are more of a toy than a radio. Many people have good luck with them, but many have not. Bad out of the box, parts missing, dirty transmit, etc. They are extremely undependable. You might want to look into a used Yaesu FT-60. You can get them for around $100 used, they are built like a tank, and it will be 1000 times more dependable. Just my opinion.

 

[TerryD]

The little Baofeng's are popular and one of them really renewed my interest in Ham radio after being away from the hobby for a while. So I can't really knock them. BUT, you have to be careful because they can cause some issues, such as being able to transmit on frequencies you shouldn't be on.

I usually recommend the Yaesu FT-60R for a good beginner HT. I have one and they are rugged little radios with some neat features like scanning the WX frequencies for alerts.

For a mobile. that's where your intent becomes a bigger deal. I started with a 2m only mobile when I got my license. It was an Icom IC-2100H and it was a good radio. A friend has it now as a shack radio for local repeaters.

I quickly realized I wanted a dual band and purchased a Kenwood TM-G707a second hand which I still have in my shack. I like the Kenwood mobiles myself after owning a few and will probably stick with them. The TM-V71a is a great radio and it's bigger brother TM-D710Ga is what I have in my Xterra and anotther on the bench waiting to go into my pickup once I get the X back running. But there are a lot of great dual band radios out there to fit many budgets and interests.

Some things I would recommend, from my experience as a Ham and having using radios on the trail for almost 15 years: Get a radio with knobs for the squelch and changing frequencies/channels. Those are two of the biggest aggravations I've had with my HTs and mobiles. When you are just out of range of someone and they are breaking in and out of squelch it's very nice to just twist a knob and completely open it up so you can hear and communicate with them and not have to dig into menus to find the setting.

My last CB had buttons to change channels on as well and that could be infuriating at times. I will avoid that in the future as well.

A few other personal preferences is to have the ability to monitor the reverse frequency in the case of a repeater (input frequency) at the touch of a button and full dual watch (monitoring two frequencies at the same time). This is helpful troubleshooting issues and also ranging yourself to the person you are talking to. If you can RX them on reverse, then you will get an idea of how close they are and can use simplex so you don't tie up a repeater. The dual watch is nice to monitor a call frequency on one side while a repeater or group frequency on the other. Having, say, our group frequency of 146.460 on one side while having the national calling frequency of 146.520 on the other or possibly a local repeater to monitor local.

Hopefully this didn't muddy the water too much for you. It's a lot to take in vs the "buy a radio and put batteries in it" that FRS/GMRS provides but Ham provides a lot more capability so there's some more to learn and understand with it. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. I'm always happy to help a new Ham.

 

[Boostpowered]

I use a baofeng uv5rex, turned it into a base station. Extended battery lasts around 3 days, longer folding antenna and hand mic make it easier to use in the vehicle. 5 watts will get you in the game you can talk up to 26 miles and even furter with repeaters honestly though baofengs are more like 10 watt especially older ones.
If you wamt to have the ability to talk further or do skip then a high power unit is needed. Mine has done everything i want, normally its being used as a police, ems scanner. I plan on eventually getting a in vehicle base unit so when spotting for my wife one of us dont have to use a old uniden gmrs/frs radio that eats batteries like crazy.

 

[TerryD]

I use a baofeng uv5rex, turned it into a base station. Extended battery lasts around 3 days, longer folding antenna and hand mic make it easier to use in the vehicle. 5 watts will get you in the game you can talk up to 26 miles and even furter with repeaters honestly though baofengs are more like 10 watt especially older ones.
If you wamt to have the ability to talk further or do skip then a high power unit is needed. Mine has done everything i want, normally its being used as a police, ems scanner. I plan on eventually getting a in vehicle base unit so when spotting for my wife one of us dont have to use a old uniden gmrs/frs radio that eats batteries like crazy.
View attachment 130298

I've tested a few of the Baofeng radios with a power meter and dummy load and have yet to have one put out rated power. The closest I've gotten is 4.5W with my UV-5RA and a friend's "8 Watt" version put out about 7 watts max.

 

[Boostpowered]

I've tested a few of the Baofeng radios with a power meter and dummy load and have yet to have one put out rated power. The closest I've gotten is 4.5W with my UV-5RA and a friend's "8 Watt" version put out about 7 watts max.

Have you tried with the extended bl5l battery the bl original battery sucks. Or even the 12v battery eliminator. I really dont see why everyone needs such high power none of my overlanding needs has called for being in contact with someone more than 5 miles away. I guess if your going to get deep into ham and do the national meet up stuff, doing civil defense or your tying to talk with aliens. But just keying in to say turn here or dont turn there we could all easily get by with citizen band. At this very moment im listening to a sherrifs office dispatch 40 miles from me on the little low power baofeng.

 

[TerryD]

Have you tried with the extended bl5l battery the bl original battery sucks. Or even the 12v battery eliminator. I really dont see why everyone needs such high power none of my overlanding needs has called for being in contact with someone more than 5 miles away. I guess if your going to get deep into ham and do the national meet up stuff, doing civil defense or your tying to talk with aliens. But just keying in to say turn here or dont turn there we could all easily get by with citizen band.

With all three of the batteries they had at the time for the UV series radios. I don't have the eliminator.

Most of us want something that can communicate easily with a group but want to be able to reach out and make contact in an emergency. There are even those of us who are interested in some of the other capabilities that Ham offers beyond just simple voice communication.

I was able to send text messages via my radio when we were out of cell service while on a trip to Colorado this year so my Ham buddies back home could let my wife know we had made camp and everything was fine.

On a meet-up last year, I had a very nice conversation with another Ham who I picked up calling CQ on 520 and in another instance, helped a SOTA operator get the # of contacts he needed in order to get credit for the summit he was activating.

 

[Boostpowered]

With all three of the batteries they had at the time for the UV series radios. I don't have the eliminator.

Most of us want something that can communicate easily with a group but want to be able to reach out and make contact in an emergency. There are even those of us who are interested in some of the other capabilities that Ham offers beyond just simple voice communication.

I was able to send text messages via my radio when we were out of cell service while on a trip to Colorado this year so my Ham buddies back home could let my wife know we had made camp and everything was fine.

On a meet-up last year, I had a very nice conversation with another Ham who I picked up calling CQ on 520 and in another instance, helped a SOTA operator get the # of contacts he needed in order to get credit for the summit he was activating.

This is definately where we differ i dont go offroading without the wife shed be mad because she loves it as much as me, and i dont have a want or need to talk to other folks especially out in the wilderness. If there is an emergency ill take responsibility and handle it to the best of my ability. My radio has the task of listening to weather during tornado season, listening to emergency scanners, convoy duty when others dont have cb radio and used for spotting offroad on gmrs channel 15 . Not all of us want to go balls deep into ham. my main radio is cb channel 4 and i monitor ch 9 for emergency since most dps trooper monitor that channel, ch 16-30 for highway info from truckers. I guess it depends on what you want to do with it but the op asked about entry level radio which the baofeng and all its copys definately are, id consider anything under 20w entry level.

 

[TerryD]

This is definately where we differ i dont go offroading without the wife shed be mad because she loves it as much as me, and i dont have a want or need to talk to other folks especially out in the wilderness. If there is an emergency ill take responsibility and handle it to the best of my ability. My radio has the task of listening to weather during tornado season, listening to emergency scanners, convoy duty when others dont have cb radio and used for spotting offroad on gmrs channel 15 . Not all of us want to go balls deep into ham. my main radio is cb channel 4 and i monitor ch 9 for emergency since most dps trooper monitor that channel, ch 16-30 for highway info from truckers. I guess it depends on what you want to do with it but the op asked about entry level radio which the baofeng and all its copys definately are, id consider anything under 20w entry level.

To each his own. My wife goes along too but this was a short notice trip with some buddy's and my wife couldn't get the time off work.

And if you feel like you've got your bases covered, then that's wonderful!

As far as "entry", I personally feel it's more a matter of dollars than watts. Most people balk at the thought of what I paid for my Kenwood. But I had to pay to get the features I wanted and it's 50W. My FT-60R is only 5W but is about 5x as expensive as the Baofeng but there's a decided difference in quality. I have a FT-2980R 2m only mobile that's 80W and it's a lot cheaper than my Kenwood but it also lacks a lot of features I prefer in a mobile radio.

Everyone places emphasis on different things, that's what makes us work together in a group more effectively. I like radios and cooking, so if you're out with me, you'll eat good and talk over long distances....

 

[Prerunner1982]

In addition to the FTM-7250 that @Charles M mentioned there are a number of 2m mono band mobiles right now for $110-120 after rebate.
You can certainly get by with a mono band radio though I prefer and typically recommend a true dual band radio so you can monitor more than one frequency.
www.hamradio.com, GigaParts - Amateur Radio, Computers and More! GigaParts.com, and Free Shipping on Orders Over $99 at DX Engineering are probably the 3 largest retailers.

I have run Tram/Browning antennas and they worked fine. I was not easy on them and they got smacked on trees daily.
Larsen and Comet are two name brand antennas that are also popular.

 

[38snubby]

Well now you ham nerds have the OP thoroughly confused. :)

 

[Lostoffroad]

Now I’m just hungry

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Looking for a not break the bank mobile unit and hand held unit with antenna
Any suggestions as I don’t know anything at this point

DITTO

 

[TerryD]

Now I’m just hungry

Ya know why they have a storage building of old stuff to clean out when a ham goes SK? Because it's a learning curve and you'll buy things that don't work for what you're doing but you won't know that till you have them and then you'll say "maybe I can use this later?" Haha!

I have my fair share of stuff sitting around. That 80W 2m rig for instance.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

This is definately where we differ i dont go offroading without the wife shed be mad because she loves it as much as me, and i dont have a want or need to talk to other folks especially out in the wilderness. If there is an emergency ill take responsibility and handle it to the best of my ability. My radio has the task of listening to weather during tornado season, listening to emergency scanners, convoy duty when others dont have cb radio and used for spotting offroad on gmrs channel 15 . Not all of us want to go balls deep into ham. my main radio is cb channel 4 and i monitor ch 9 for emergency since most dps trooper monitor that channel, ch 16-30 for highway info from truckers. I guess it depends on what you want to do with it but the op asked about entry level radio which the baofeng and all its copys definately are, id consider anything under 20w entry level.

I have a set of Radio Shack TCR-222 40 channel hand held CB transceivers model # 21-1646B, with a sticker adhered to the case that has the mark QC A5 TEC. THEY SEEM TO BE in good working order. I bought them about 20 years ago @ auction. They are quality units. Can you or anyone here tell me if they would be adequate for overlanding ? Can anyone tell me the wattage or how I can find out ?

 

[Boostpowered]

I have a set of Radio Shack TCR-222 40 channel hand held CB transceivers model # 21-1646B, with a sticker adhered to the case that has the mark QC A5 TEC. THEY SEEM TO BE in good working order. I bought them about 20 years ago @ auction. They are quality units. Can you or anyone here tell me if they would be adequate for overlanding ? Can anyone tell me the wattage or how I can find out ?

Im pretty sure they are 3 watt, anything over 5 watt on cb is considered illegal by the fcc, in vehicle units are all 5 watt unless theve been tweaked to be higher . If your really close to another person with a cb you may be able to talk but even on a 5 watt cb your range is limited to around 7 miles on a good day. Will it work for you? That depends on what your wanting. Talk to the guy in front or behind you? Use them to talk to someone spotting your line? Yes absolutely they would work. Talkin to truckers a few miles down the road? Probably not unless you can see them. Talk to the trucker just in front, behind or to the side of you? Yes if that guy has a cb.
Basically youve got a set of walky talkies that can transmit to someone you can clearly see. Think a few steps up from tin cans and a string but if all you need is close communication without yelling theyd work.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Im pretty sure they are 3 watt, anything over 5 watt on cb is considered illegal by the fcc, in vehicle units are all 5 watt unless theve been tweaked to be higher . If your really close to another person with a cb you may be able to talk but even on a 5 watt cb your range is limited to around 7 miles on a good day. Will it work for you? That depends on what your wanting. Talk to the guy in front or behind you? Use them to talk to someone spotting your line? Yes absolutely they would work. Talkin to truckers a few miles down the road? Probably not unless you can see them. Talk to the trucker just in front, behind or to the side of you? Yes if that guy has a cb.
Basically youve got a set of walky talkies that can transmit to someone you can clearly see. Think a few steps up from tin cans and a string but if all you need is close communication without yelling theyd work.

Thanks, I think I want something a little better than what you describe. I have some $20 walkie-talkies that are good for a mile with no antenna. The radio shack units have a 3' collapsible antennas and you say they are only good if someone is within eye sight. Dosent make sense but I have no way to test them out here in the mountains, 60 miles from the interstate hwy.