US Northwest Idaho BDR (and then some!)

[Ubiety]

I have the Kenwood and I like it a lot.

Kenwood makes the best APRS radios IMO; they allow access to the built-in TNC (terminal node controller - or modem if you will) where other radio's do not allow access to the TNC. Accessing the TNC allows other fun activities like WinLink (email via ham), running custom software, etc.

Congratulations on procuring the TM-D710!

 

[mtn]

Here's one of my "geeking out" moments with APRS... Running APRSdroid with offline maps on my Android based head unit, connecting to the TNC on my radio. The icons are positions of other stations received by the radio over the air.

 

[M Rose]

See, I’m learning something already. Does the btech uv25x2 have APRS? I’m looking forward to learning more about HAM on the trip.

No it does not…

 

[M Rose]

Kenwood makes the best APRS radios IMO; they allow access to the built-in TNC (terminal node controller - or modem if you will) where other radio's do not allow access to the TNC. Accessing the TNC allows other fun activities like WinLink (email via ham), running custom software, etc.

Congratulations on procuring the TM-D710!

Unfortunately KENWOOD’s D710GA is becoming unobtainable… that’s why I mentioned if you can find one… the only one I could find new was from MTC Radio, and they typically sell factory seconds.

The Icom IC5100 you can access the TNC with an optional Bluetooth board, or by using the supplied usb micro cable. Unfortunately no Apple support out of the box.

 

[armyRN]

This is turning into a bit of a radio thread but why not :)

As I said earlier, I have the Kenwood and I like it a lot. It is hard to find right now, so I'd probably look at the Yaesu FTM-300DR if I was shopping for one. Being able to hook up a computer to the TNC to do winlink is cool, but I've only done it a couple of times to play with it. APRS however is defnitely something I like having.

My favorite APRS story was when being on a group run with my friend JR. I was at the head of the group, and he was bringing up the rear going maybe a little slower than I was . But, because he had the same radio and was broadcasting his position I could see on my radio how far away and roughly where he was so I knew when to stop or slow down.

And that’s ok!

It sounds like we’re all fairly experienced overlanders, and we’re killing time till the trip starts. I’m enjoying this HAM talk till then. Kinda brings it to a higher level vs. talking about the best spatula to bring on the trip (metal vs. plastic; slotted vs. not slotted?).

I’ve had my technician license for a few years, but haven’t done anything with it. So if we’ve got smart folks on the trip, let’s learn from them. We’re all subject matter experts in something.

I was looking at this BTECH UV 25-2 radio for a couple of years. All this HAM talk made me pull the trigger. Think of this as my gateway HAM radio. My little Baoafeng 8 watt hand held doesn’t really count, and I’m not ready to spend hundreds on a nicer one till I understand them better and know what I need above what this little 25 watt one will do.

Of course feel free folks to jump in with a totally different question or topic.

 

[M Rose]

And that’s ok!

It sounds like we’re all fairly experienced overlanders, and we’re killing time till the trip starts. I’m enjoying this HAM talk till then. Kinda brings it to a higher level vs. talking about the best spatula to bring on the trip (metal vs. plastic; slotted vs. not slotted?).

Ive had my technician license for a few years, but haven’t done anything with it. So if we’ve got smart folks on the trip, let’s learn from them. We’re all subject matter experts in something.

I was looking at this BTECH UV 25-2 radio for a couple of years. All this HAM talk made me pull the trigger. Think of this as my gateway HAM radio. My little Baoafeng 8 watt hand held doesn’t really count, and I’m not ready to spend hundreds on a nicer one till I understand them better and know what I need above what this little 25 watt one will do.

Of course feel free folks to jump in with a totally different question or topic.

I understand your concerns about getting an expensive transceiver… just be warned you get what you pay for. I feel the B-Tech is going to leave you frustrated, Baofeng is the second worst radio to program, especially from the VFO. For Overlanding you want the most powerful radio you can afford. The Amateur radio isn’t just for trail coms, it’s a secondary SHTF communication device.

Notice I didn’t mention any of the radios I use, because to most my setup is overkill. I have the Icom IC7100, a Kenwood TK-790H, a YASUE FT9850, and a Yasue FTDX10.
The Icom IC7100 is a 100w shack in the box radio, meaning it’s an all band all mode (180m-2m) Am/FM/SSB/ Digital/ Analog/ CW. It has APRS built in and east access to the TNC. This radio is my SHTF radio and is hooked up to my windows tablet to send/receive WinLink messages (email), as well as my main trail coms radio.
The Yasue FT9850 is 85W 2m, this is my primary repeater capable radio, but I turn it to low power in convoy to use with other 2m users.
The Kenwood TK790H is a 110w comercial VHF radio most commonly used by law enforcement and the forest service. I modded it to unlock the 2m band and tuned it for peak performance on 144.390, which is the APRS frequency. I programmed the unit with the emergency service frequencies as well. I also built a connector to plug a Mobilinked TNC3 to the back of it. The TNC3 allows Bluetooth support between the radio and my laptop, phone, and iPad to use APRS.FI or APRSDROID. This radio is mainly used as my APRS station.
The Yasue FTDX10 is the most powerful radio on the list, but for normal Overlanding it’s kind of a novelty item. The FTDX10 is a 100w 160-6m radio that excels in noise rejection and filtering. This one I carry along to use as a toy in camp.

 

[Ubiety]

APRSdroid

That looks awesome! APRSdroid is supposed to be awesome, but not available on iOS :( Now I have to see if my APRS apps work via CarPlay! Very cool!!!
I have a RasPi running Xastir connected to my D700's TNC and I can VNC into it with the iPad. But rarely do that. Love what you have going there @mtn!

 

[mtn]

My little Baoafeng 8 watt hand held doesn’t really count...

I wouldn't necessarily discount your existing setup, especially with a decent external antenna, a separate microphone, and a connection to 12 volt power. From what I remember, I was able to hear you clearly on the trail, except when we were on opposite sides of a hill. A 25 watt radio will punch through more vegetation, but not through rock and dirt going from one canyon to the next. All this to say, the mobile isn't necessarily going to be all that much better.

I have a Baofeng HT as well, and one of the things going for it is being able to listen to two frequencies at the same time and easily switch between them for transmitting. My mobile does the same, but many do not. Also, a good mobile will be easier to operate than a HT. Things like adjusting volume, squelch, switching to a different frequency, easier to read display, ad-hoc repeater programming and so on.

 

[armyRN]

Oh yeah; I’m not expecting this Btech 25x2 radio to be a be-all do-all radio. I’m thinking of this as a more powerful version of my handhelds with some more features. If we’re using HAM for coms I’m good. If we use GMRS for coms, I’m good. I’ll still have my 8 watt and two 5 watt Baofeng handhelds with me that do both. And this 25 watt one doesn’t need to be hardwire to the battery, so I should be able to easily swap it between vehicles (provided I have an antenna in the vehicle mounted and set to go).

All the reviews and videos I’ve seen regarding this little UV 25x2 radio have been positive for what it is.

And this trip was a good excuse to spend some more money, and possibly justify a new little radio to learn on and play with.

When I get home I’ll start reading my HAM dummies book to refresh my memory about this stuff before we hit the trail so I kinda understand a little of what you all are talking about.

Which reminds me, hopefully everyone will have a handheld for when we’re out of our vehicles. The little Baofeng UV 5Rs can do both HAM and GMRS, so we don’t have to have different frequencies when inside and outside of our vehicles. And they’re inexpensive.

And I can be set up on game day with both HAM (146.46) and GMRS channel 15 as we start showing up In the morning.

As an aside, I’ve got a 1946 Willys CJ2A at home. So for some reason, I have no trouble remembering that 146.46 frequency.

 

[SWLands]

Welp. I started with a Midland GMRS in the truck. Still haven't turned it on as I have no one to talk to, but there it is. Finally got a Yaesu400 to talk to the truck in front of me as that is what folks seem to use here in CA. I use a Zoleo to send a location check in each night at camp, and to have if I need to call SAR. I have handheld GMRS and an 8 watt Baoefeng for backup, or hikes. Wait - I used the truck GMRS recently as I was travelling with someone with no radio so they used one of my handhelds and it worked fine.
ArmyRN laid down the law at the start of this conversation so I tried to get a GMRS license. I have an FCC account for my HAM license, but damn their website is obtuse. I watched NotaRubicons YouTube (that guy cracks me up) to figure out how, Dropped $70 at the FCC and got a receipt about the day the fee dropped to $35 and I have heard nothing since. I have a receipt. I have a radio. I am not spamming tunes at high power so I am done. Much rather look out the window at the scenery, or go hike through it.

 

[mtn]

Hi Stephen, I can indeed see that you have a GMRS license! Call sign WRQB726

 

[armyRN]

Yup, I put out up front we would be using GMRS on this trip. While I hope folks do the right thing (or at least try) I will not be checking for GMRS licenses on this trip. We’ll be in simplex/convoy mode in the middle of nowhere, so I’m not worried about interfering with anyone or a business.

But I’ve been very surprised and pleased with all this HAM talk. The question came up early on if we could use HAM on this trip, and my response was if everyone has a HAM license and a radio, I’m game.

I also recently bought a GMRS SWR meter that I’ll bring with me if folks want to play with it.

So if you’re signed up for a this trip and don‘t have a ham license or radio, that’s ok - we’ll use GMRS as our primary system. Maybe the HAM smart folks on this trip will spur you getting a HAM license.

KI7TSP.

 

[Redruby]

Maybe we can have a class for the ham radios one evening to help introduce ham to others who might consider getting a ham

 

[armyRN]

Maybe we can have a class for the ham radios one evening to help introduce ham to others who might consider getting a ham

More than one class!

 

[Ubiety]

especially with a decent external antenna

This will make a huge difference.

@Redruby I think of it like this - a GMRS license is a license to use a walkie talkie, a ham license is a license to experiment and do many different "radio oriented" things. I am into APRS, have tracked weather balloons, bounced packets off of the ISS, send/receive email via radio, etc., etc., etc. Much more "fun" to be had with a ham license than a walkie talkie license. Granted this is not everybody's cup of tea but a ham license gives you a much larger playground.

 

[armyRN]

When I studied for my HAM license, I bought a study book. I believe it was this one linked below (although I had the previous version/edition as it was a few years ago):

Link: Technician License | Ham Radio School

There are lots of review books out there for the technician license, and I don't know which one is best - I liked this one. After I took the test I gave the book to a friend.

The HAM radio license test itself (my numbers may be slightly off) is a 35 question multiple choice question test, with the 35 questions randomly chosen out of a pool of 400 questions.

The book I used (linked above) is broken down into chapters, and the book also includes a website with the questions organized to go along with the book chapters. I thought the book was easy to read (not too technical, and not too dumbed-down). After reading a chapter, you go to the website and answer the questions (that come from the pool of 400 questions) that relate to that chapter's subject. So once you finish chapter one, you go to the link and they'll have a dozen or so questions that pertain to what you read in chapter one (actual questions that come from the pool of 400 questions that are used for the actual test). I would sit down in the evening and do a chapter or two depending on how much time I had, and then go online and answer the questions for those chapters.

Once you've read the book and answered all the questions, you're pretty much ready for the test. I went through the 400 questions twice again before taking the test. There are websites you can download on your phone, and go over questions while standing in a grocery store line or wherever.

I scheduled the test in advance so I knew I had a self-imposed deadline to do the book and take the test. I wanted to read a book and understand the content vs. just going to a website and "doing the questions", which some folks do. Kids take the test and pass.

It has been a few years since I took the test, and I've forgotten a lot, and never really did anything with it. So I bought a HAM Radio for Dummies book (4th edition). I just got back from a week in Florida, so I haven't even cracked it open yet. I don't think I'd recommend this Dummies book as a first-line study book for the test - I think it covers more than you would need to take the test (which in this case now is what I wanted).

Link: Ham Radio for Dummies (Edition 4) (Paperback) - Walmart.com

Along with the Dummies book, before heading to Florida I ordered a little SURECOM SWR meter, since the SWR meter I currently have only works for CB radios. This one is a VHF/UHF meter (and covers GMRS). Other than opening the box to look at it, I haven't done anything with it (just got home after 0200 this morning - I still haven't unpacked!). But I will bring it to Jarbidge if folks want to check out their radio's SWR during the trip. I ordered it after watching this video below, and it was the SWR meter he was using in the video:

Link: (356) How To Tune A GMRS Antenna & SWR Basics - YouTube



My new BTECH UV 25x2 radio I ordered is sitting in the shop too. So many projects, so little time. I took it out of the box, looked at it (it is small), and then put it back in the box. Hopefully later this week I'll get it installed. I'll have it mounted for the IDBDR trip.

I've got it on my calendar to leave for Jarbrige on 25 July to get there in plenty of time.

 

[Ubiety]

@armyRN - exactly how I finished off my ham studies - familiarize yourself with the entire pool and you will not have a problem ;)

 

[ctcv1984]

Greetings to everyone going on this excursion. Pete Williams here, from Rocklin, CA. I'll be seeing you in Jarbridge and I'll be doing at least the IDBR. The "And then some" is possible but I'll probably dump off the trail and visit friends in Rathdrum, Idaho. I'll be in a 2016 4Runner towing a SoCal teardrop trailer. I have necessary comm's and all else for this trip. After reading all 5 pages of comments I still have one burning question: Which IS the best spatula for overlanding? See everyone in the thriving metropolis of Jarbridge.

 

[velo47]

Snow Peak has some affordable options LOL.

 

[velo47]

Seriously though, I'm following this thread because a group of us are planning to do the IDBDR right behind y'all, starting August 7.