Suggestions for HAM radios

[Matthew Reed]

I’m currently in the market for a handheld Ham radio. I already have a midland GMRS hard mounted on my dash but I’d like to make sure I get the Ham side covered as well. Are there any handhelds that can be used for both Ham and GMRS? I’ve heard that Baofengs can be programmed to transmit over both. I’d like to get either a good radio that does both or get a good ham and a cheap secondary GMRS I can give to a friend who’s overlanding with me. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[J.W.]

Legally, you cannot use a Ham radio to transmit on GMRS. Can it be done? Yes. But I would recommend having separate radios just to CYA.

For your Ham radio, what do you want it to do? How far do you need to reach, Do you want a mobile mounted or an HT? What's your budget? There are a lot of good choices out there. Let us know what you need and maybe we can make some suggestions.

 

[Ubiety]

Legally, you cannot use a Ham radio to transmit on GMRS. Can it be done? Yes. But I would recommend having separate radios just to CYA.

For your Ham radio, what do you want it to do? How far do you need to reach, Do you want a mobile mounted or an HT? What's your budget? There are a lot of good choices out there. Let us know what you need and maybe we can make some suggestions.

Any ham radio to transmit on GMRS or just the Baofeng that has had the specific ruling? Have me a MARS modified Kenwood radio that I have used on GMRS in the past And now I am wondering. Or is it that you must be a SAR type licensed person to use a type accepted MARS modified ham Radio?

@Matthew Reed how much are you looking to spend on an HT? What percentage of the time will you be using ham vs GMRS? You almost said “good radio” and “baofeng” in the same sentence.

Since I don’t see a ham callsign on your account profile I’ll throw in the obligatory fact that you must test and be licensed to transmit with a ham radio. You probably know this though.

 

[Matthew Reed]

Legally, you cannot use a Ham radio to transmit on GMRS. Can it be done? Yes. But I would recommend having separate radios just to CYA.

For your Ham radio, what do you want it to do? How far do you need to reach, Do you want a mobile mounted or an HT? What's your budget? There are a lot of good choices out there. Let us know what you need and maybe we can make some suggestions.

Any ham radio to transmit on GMRS or just the Baofeng that has had the specific ruling? Have me a MARS modified Kenwood radio that I have used on GMRS in the past And now I am wondering. Or is it that you must be a SAR type licensed person to use a type accepted MARS modified ham Radio?

@Matthew Reed how much are you looking to spend on an HT? What percentage of the time will you be using ham vs GMRS? You almost said “good radio” and “baofeng” in the same sentence.

Since I don’t see a ham callsign on your account profile I’ll throw in the obligatory fact that you must test and be licensed to transmit with a ham radio. You probably know this though.

Lots of additional info incoming!

I’d mainly like to have ham to use as a backup for emergency comms. Most of the people I ride with have a mixture of ham, GMRS, and CB. Currently I only have GMRS. I would like to have the capability to use ham in case of an emergency and I’d also like to have some way to toss a handheld over to a friend who doesn’t have any comms in their rig. I have a few friends I ride with regularly who don’t have anything. I will be getting my ham license. I am a military radio operator so I’m not too concerned about the test, a little studying and I’m sure I’ll be fine.

My thoughts were to either get a handheld that can do both (sounds like their is questionable legality with this) or get a cheap handheld to throw to a friend for rig to rig comms and get a full on ham to hard mount in my truck. Budget is around $250 not including the cost of the license. Since the GMRS radio can use FRS channels it might be easiest to get a cheap FRS handheld for friends to use and then get myself a nicer handheld ham. I’ve seen some of the Yaesus going for around $150. My understanding is that if I got 2 handheld baofengs, my friends would be illegal if they are transmitting since they would not have a license.

 

[Ubiety]

Glad that you plan on getting your ham ticket! They are ramping up to do online tests so that may be an option for you. The test will be easy with your experience, just get the pool of questions and study them, other study materials, etc., highly recommended. Don’t pay for training material, free variants are out there. Ham ticket is free but you may pay a small fee for testing to support the club putting on the test (in the old way of doing things anyway).

As far as tossing a ham radio to an unlicensed user? There is provision for this as long as the radio/operator remains under your control. For me handing a radio to a spotter would be fine, another rig on the road not so sure - maybe for listening and emergency TX only. I think @J.W. re-taught me this recently.

Ham for emergency use... How remote do you go? My crew goes as remote as we can and ham radios are useless as there are no reapeaters or other users within reach. Maybe on a lucky day, or maybe you bounce something off a satellite (ham radio stuff) but I would not count on that in an emergency. If you go remote please consider a satcom type device. I am more than willing to yammer on this subject, just ask.

As I read your response I like your idea of cheap FRS radio to hand to a friend. I wonder if the GMRS license has any provisions for allowing friends/family to borrow a GMRS radio? I think GMRS license covers family. I prefer an installed mobile in my rig, I hang the mic over my leg and it is easy to reach for and use without putting eyes on it. An HT in your rig is going to be less convenient, they are larger in the hand and have an antenna poking out of them. Add external power or external antenna and it gets worse (Wires).

the reality is that the FCC is not going to come looking for you. If you are smart about what you do and polite to others you will not have a problem. Keep the power as low as possible, avoid channels with other users, don’t swear or transmit music. Not advocating breaking the law but am a fan of common sense...

Before you buy your next ham radio go check out APRS, it’s a way to transmit your location with ham radio and best case your position is put on the internet and family/friends back home can see where you are. Again, not an emergency tool, but very cool nonetheless. If this seems like something you would want to play with that would affect your radio choice. I’ll stop my blather, but if you are interested in APRS let me know.

Have a great day!

 

[Ubiety]

This would give you APRS but has some limitations. Right at your budget point.

AnyTone AT-D878UVII Plus with $97 Training Course FREE!

Best Ham radio for beginners or experts! Dual band Analog and DMR radio. APRS RX AND TX capability so you can beacon your location and see other operators, 500K contact list capacity, Bluetooth capability for hands-free communication in your vehicle. American-based award-winning support team...

www.bridgecomsystems.com

I recently picked up one of these which blows your budget. However it is amazing! Over the last few days have been using it to send/receive WinLink email, pretty cool!

TH-D74A | Amateur Radio | Communications | KENWOOD USA

Welcome to KENWOOD USA Site. In pursuit of further value creation by integrality our three core business segments and establish [ mobile & home multimedia system ] business

www.kenwood.com

Its true that you get what you pay for. I like Kenwoods and have been running/beating them trouble free for decades, Yaesus are also very nice. I also have a baofeng in the stable as a novelty - guess which radio is never used? The baofeng May make perfect sense for you, a decent starter radio with about $30 of cool features ;)

 

[Matthew Reed]

Glad that you plan on getting your ham ticket! They are ramping up to do online tests so that may be an option for you. The test will be easy with your experience, just get the pool of questions and study them, other study materials, etc., highly recommended. Don’t pay for training material, free variants are out there. Ham ticket is free but you may pay a small fee for testing to support the club putting on the test (in the old way of doing things anyway).

As far as tossing a ham radio to an unlicensed user? There is provision for this as long as the radio/operator remains under your control. For me handing a radio to a spotter would be fine, another rig on the road not so sure - maybe for listening and emergency TX only. I think @J.W. re-taught me this recently.

Ham for emergency use... How remote do you go? My crew goes as remote as we can and ham radios are useless as there are no reapeaters or other users within reach. Maybe on a lucky day, or maybe you bounce something off a satellite (ham radio stuff) but I would not count on that in an emergency. If you go remote please consider a satcom type device. I am more than willing to yammer on this subject, just ask.

As I read your response I like your idea of cheap FRS radio to hand to a friend. I wonder if the GMRS license has any provisions for allowing friends/family to borrow a GMRS radio? I think GMRS license covers family. I prefer an installed mobile in my rig, I hang the mic over my leg and it is easy to reach for and use without putting eyes on it. An HT in your rig is going to be less convenient, they are larger in the hand and have an antenna poking out of them. Add external power or external antenna and it gets worse (Wires).

the reality is that the FCC is not going to come looking for you. If you are smart about what you do and polite to others you will not have a problem. Keep the power as low as possible, avoid channels with other users, don’t swear or transmit music. Not advocating breaking the law but am a fan of common sense...

Before you buy your next ham radio go check out APRS, it’s a way to transmit your location with ham radio and best case your position is put on the internet and family/friends back home can see where you are. Again, not an emergency tool, but very cool nonetheless. If this seems like something you would want to play with that would affect your radio choice. I’ll stop my blather, but if you are interested in APRS let me know.

Have a great day!

Thanks for the response! Lots of good info in there. Yes I believe the GMRS license covers family so that should be a problem. As far as remoteness i am on the east coast so most places I go are heavily traveled and I am rarely that remote. It’s more for peace of mind than an actual emergency. Hard mounted receiver with a handheld mic seems like it may be the better option for me, I just have to figure out where I can mount another unit.

 

[Ubiety]

You could look at one of those speaker/mics for an HT so you only have to grab that. I just find the mic only easier to work with.
Its pretty easy to find remote spots over here on the West side, especially when you get into the mountains where your radio may not work as well (canyon, obstruction, etc.).

 

[J.W.]

Any ham radio to transmit on GMRS or just the Baofeng that has had the specific ruling?

GMRS frequencies are outside of what Amateur bands are licensed to broadcast on. The so called "gray" area is when you have both a GMRS and a Ham license. Many people mistakenly think that means you can broadcast on GMRS from a Ham radio. The FCC says GMRS cannot transmit on Ham frequencies legally and Ham radio cannot transmit on GMRS frequencies legally. As I said before, there is a lot of equipment out there that will do it. Just be aware that it is not legal to do so.

 

[J.W.]

Lots of additional info incoming!

I’d mainly like to have ham to use as a backup for emergency comms. Most of the people I ride with have a mixture of ham, GMRS, and CB. Currently I only have GMRS. I would like to have the capability to use ham in case of an emergency and I’d also like to have some way to toss a handheld over to a friend who doesn’t have any comms in their rig. I have a few friends I ride with regularly who don’t have anything. I will be getting my ham license. I am a military radio operator so I’m not too concerned about the test, a little studying and I’m sure I’ll be fine.

My thoughts were to either get a handheld that can do both (sounds like their is questionable legality with this) or get a cheap handheld to throw to a friend for rig to rig comms and get a full on ham to hard mount in my truck. Budget is around $250 not including the cost of the license. Since the GMRS radio can use FRS channels it might be easiest to get a cheap FRS handheld for friends to use and then get myself a nicer handheld ham. I’ve seen some of the Yaesus going for around $150. My understanding is that if I got 2 handheld baofengs, my friends would be illegal if they are transmitting since they would not have a license.

Sounds like you have a good plan for your setup.

I think the idea of picking up some inexpensive FRS radios is a good idea. That's exaclty what I carry to hand to anyone in a group who doesn't have any type of communication gear and they don't need a license to use them. $250 minus the cost of some FRS HTs is still more than enough for a great mobile Ham radio. If you want a glove compartment backup HT, grab one of the Baofengs too. I have one. For $35 it's good to have for throwing in a glove box or backpack.

 

[SomeGuyNamedPaul]

I would love to nerd out on radios and comms equipment in the rig, but I just use a baofeng HT. When I ride with someone without a HAM license, I toss them an extra midland FRS radio and we goof around like kids.

 

[Matthew Reed]

Sounds like I’ve pretty much decided on picking up a pair of FRS HTs for friends to use and a full mobile Ham for my rig. Now I just have to decide which one I want...

I like the kenwoods with the remote mounted faceplates. Might be easier to mount in my rig with my ram mount system rather than find a spot for a full radio up on the dash.

 

[J.W.]

If you plan to take your Technician exam with one of your local clubs, go to a few of their meetings and see what the members might have for sale. Most clubs have a buy/sell/trade mailing list or forum. I think most of the detachable faceplate units will be a little bit above your price range, but if you don't mind buying used, you could probably get into something in that range.

I'm in the same boat right now. Searching for the right deal to get nice mobile in my truck.

 

[slomatt]

From a legal standpoint there are two important things to keep in mind:
- The vast majority of ham radios are not type certified to transmit on GMRS frequencies (I'm not aware of any that are). This means that it is illegal to do so, and the FCC can fine you. Even if you have both ham and GMRS licenses you cannot use one radio for both.
- You must have a GMRS license to transmit on those frequencies. If your friend uses your GMRS radio and doesn't have a license it is a violation of the rules.

That's the legal situation, which is pretty clearly defined. In practice many older handhelds are FRS/GMRS radios and people accidentally transmit on GMRS frequencies all the time without knowing it. And many ham radios can be modified to transmit on FRS/GMRS frequencies. The most responsible (aka legal) setup is to have separate ham and GMRS radios, and licenses for both. If you do decide to skirt the law and modify your ham radio to transmit on FRS/GMRS frequencies, make sure you transmit using narrow band and as little power as possible. Realistically, I don't know how the FCC would detect that you were using a radio that was not type certified on those bands.