Ham radio

[Sparksalot]

Apprently you are not allowed to post unless you tell him to buy multi hundred dollar radios. Censorship is alive and well

Shawn

Huh?

 

[Shawn686]

Huh?

I had other posts in this thread that magically disappreaed. I was not recommending he dump hundreds of dollas on something he may or may not like or have use of

Shawn

 

[Prerunner1982]

@shwan686 until today this is the only post in this thread from you that I have seen and I have been in/out of this post many time over the last couple of days.

 

[DRAX]

@WAA96 You mentioned safety as one of the reasons for having a radio, and while having multiple methods of communication available (cell, ham/GMRS) is always a good idea those won't do you any good if there's no signal or nobody on the other end to pick up your transmission. If safety while out on your own is a concern then I would include something like a Garmin inReach device and/or a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) such as ACR Electronics ResQLink 400 Personal Locator Beacon | REI Co-op, the inReach will allow 2-way satellite communication and SOS functions whereas the PLB only transmits and it's only for dire emergencies because it will effectively call in the cavalry to locate and rescue you. The inReach requires a subscription, the PLB does not.

When we're out overlanding we currently have cell, ham (with APRS, but again you need to be within range of a digipeater, iGate, or another radio operator), and an inReach. We don't have a PLB yet, but as we prep for more remote travel we will have one as a last resort should everything else fail and our lives are at risk.

That said, if you're simply looking for a way to communicate with a group of people traveling together then you need to ask them what they use to communicate. That will dictate what direction you should go as getting your ham license and a ham radio will do no good if the people you're with use GMRS or CB.

 

[WAA96]

@WAA96 You mentioned safety as one of the reasons for having a radio, and while having multiple methods of communication available (cell, ham/GMRS) is always a good idea those won't do you any good if there's no signal or nobody on the other end to pick up your transmission. If safety while out on your own is a concern then I would include something like a Garmin inReach device and/or a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) such as ACR Electronics ResQLink 400 Personal Locator Beacon | REI Co-op, the inReach will allow 2-way satellite communication and SOS functions whereas the PLB only transmits and it's only for dire emergencies because it will effectively call in the cavalry to locate and rescue you. The inReach requires a subscription, the PLB does not.

When we're out overlanding we currently have cell, ham (with APRS, but again you need to be within range of a digipeater, iGate, or another radio operator), and an inReach. We don't have a PLB yet, but as we prep for more remote travel we will have one as a last resort should everything else fail and our lives are at risk.

That said, if you're simply looking for a way to communicate with a group of people traveling together then you need to ask them what they use to communicate. That will dictate what direction you should go as getting your ham license and a ham radio will do no good if the people you're with use GMRS or CB.

Thank you for all that brother, I’ve been busy but I appreciate the info I really do!

 

[WAA96]

For "overlanding" a Technician class license (1st of 3 license classes) is sufficient, however if you think you may want to explore ham radio as a hobby I would recommend getting at least a General class license. "Overlanding" lends itself to the ham radio hobby well with events such as Parks on the Air (POTA), Summits on the Air (SOTA), and Field Day/Winter Field Day. The General license gives access to more HF frequencies for World wide communication. For study material I typically recommend HamStudy.org: Cutting edge amateur radio study tools or No-Nonsense Study Guides - KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog . If you choose to go with the hamstudy.org material I also recommend doing the "Read Questions" section as it gives the question and highlights the correct answer. Read the correct answer only. Go through them a couple of times before taking any practice test, the correct answers should jump out at you. Once you are getting 80% of better, preferrably better then you are ready to test. You can also find test sessions either in person or virtual on at HamStudy.org: Find an Exam Session or check with your local ham club.

To clarify some terminology used in this thread:
Band: Is a range of frequencies typically referred to by their wavelength. The two most popular bands among Technician licensees and overlanding are 2 meters (2m) and 70 Centimeters (70cm). The 2m band ranges from 144-148MHz, the 70cm band ranges from 420-450MHz. The approx. wavelength can be obtained from the frequency by dividing 300 by the frequency. example: 300/146MHz = 2.05. The opposite is true as well, to find approx frequency from a wavelength, divide 300 by the wavelength. Example: 300/.70 = 428. This is part of the ham study material.

Modes: There are different types of transmissions, but in the idea of "overlanding" it relates more to FM voice or digital voice. Within digital voice there are different types such as Fusion, Dstar, DMR, P25, etc. Fusion is pretty specific to the Yaesu brand radios, Dstar is pretty specific to Icom brand radios, there are multiple companies making DMR, and P25 isn't heavily used. This isn't really necessary for "overlanding" and is something I relate more to the ham hobby. Also the type of digital mode used can vary by location and may require some research to see what's used in your area if you plan on going with a digtal voice capable radio.
Another digital mode that is commonly used among "overlanders" is APRS, I will save time here and just link to a previous write up I've done. Intro to APRS | OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY

Ham stores: Ham Radio Outlet (www.hamradio.com), DXEngineering (www.dxengineering.com), Gigaparts (www.gigaparts.com), and MTC Radio (www.mtcradio.com) are the most popular ham radio stores and have better prices than Amazon for name brand radios.
Name Brand Radios: Yaesu, Kenwood, and Icom are typically referred to as the big 3. Alinco could be considered in there as well and may take Kenwood's spot as they seem to be pulling out of the ham radio game.

Radios: You could get by with a 2m mono band radio, but it would be better to not limit yourself since there are repeaters and linked repeaters using 70cm as well.
You can get a name brand dual band ham radio for $260-$310 but there are radios that run $460-$590 depending on the options you want. Also don't forget an antenna, antenna mount and coax in your budget. 2m and 70cm are considered line of sight and as such to get more distance you will want the antenna up high due to the curvature of the Earth, unless you are a flat earther then this wouldn't apply to you. Some people choose to mount the antenna on the fender or rear tire carrier and while it will work it won't reach as far but sometimes you have to make compromises. If the antenna is not mounted near the middle of the roof, it's a compromise to some degree as the radiation pattern of the signal can be skewed.

GMRS as mentioned is also a licensed radio service but it's a pay to play fee, $70 (supposed to be changing to $35 sometime this year), covers your immediate family and is good for 10yrs. GMRS is a good replacement for CB and many of us run both....or all 3 as you never know who you may come across or ride with.

I will stop babbling on with #radionerd stuff but if you have any questions feel free to hit me up.

Sorry brother!! I just saw this thank you for all that!! I saved it in my notes to make it easier to find again!! I appreciate you!

 

[M Rose]

Apprently you are not allowed to post unless you tell him to buy multi hundred dollar radios. Censorship is alive and well

Shawn

There isn’t any censorship of that kind on these boards… @Jim SoG doesn’t have that kind of time on his hands.

 

[Mad Garden Gnome]

Depends.

What do the people you want to talk to use?
What modes do you want?
What is you budget?
What bands do you want to cover?
What kind of install do you want? Permanate or Easily moveable to another truck?

Radios are like cars and the answer is always depends. LOL

Shawn

^ This

And OP should get their license first. It will answer many things.

 

[Dlnuckolls]

Agreed, I might be able to answer questions as well. I have had my GMRS license for more than a year, and as of yesterday I passed my Ham Technician! So I am joining the Ham club now too.

@WAA96 , Welcome to Overland William.


I did a quick search, where you are located, there is one private GMRS repeater within 100 miles of you… so it’s not going to be much help in that regard.

If you want to discuss Communication Platforms please DM myself or @Prerunner1982. Sadly I see you are confused as well as @Joe Wolf.

In the mean time I suggest you use Wikipedia and look up FRS/GMRS and Amateur Radio services. Also there is a lot of great information in the stickies here in the communication forums.

 

[M Rose]

Agreed, I might be able to answer questions as well. I have had my GMRS license for more than a year, and as of yesterday I passed my Ham Technician! So I am joining the Ham club now too.

Congratulations on getting your ticket.

 

[Sparksalot]

Congratulations on getting your ticket.

+1 @Dlnuckolls