Having taken a 12 hour trip (that should have only been 3 hours) to get to safety from the hurricane and not having cell phones work much of the time, I thought getting some shortwave radios might be a good idea. So who makes good radios that won't require a loan to buy?
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Walkie_talkies
- Thread starter Johnny_Z
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MelancholyMutt
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It's a long drawn out lecture as to why you should choose a certain radio, and what frequency...
define your terrain and purpose and I'll suggest something...
define your terrain and purpose and I'll suggest something...
Car to car or do you want to talk to Maine while escaping Texas?
I have an amature license but do more on FRS with friends than I ever have on Ham. I always keep a 2m rig charged but have FRS radios in all the cars. We had an Ice storm last winter that had many homes without power for a couple weeks. I had my radios out and was going to take them to the neighbors but our power came on within 24 hours.
The kids will even take them with them when they go off to friends in the neighborhood sometimes.
Badge54
I have an amature license but do more on FRS with friends than I ever have on Ham. I always keep a 2m rig charged but have FRS radios in all the cars. We had an Ice storm last winter that had many homes without power for a couple weeks. I had my radios out and was going to take them to the neighbors but our power came on within 24 hours.
The kids will even take them with them when they go off to friends in the neighborhood sometimes.
Badge54
MelancholyMutt
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Can we work with the assumption that in an emergency, even as per FCC states, one need not follow FCC regulations to a T, and thereby, we allow ourselves to utilize modified equipment, transmit out of band, and beyond normal power limits?
If not, then we'll talk about it hypothetically...
For open road and open terrain travel, I prefer CB radios, with a precisely tuned antenna and for emergencies and use in Mexico, the addition of a linear amplifier. Get on some high ground and you can reach close to a hundred miles with a 1kwatt linear amp. The drawback is that most CB radios don't have PL tones (private line tones) so you're gonna get all the chatter that's out there.
For shorter range, outdoor use, I would get a few modified Ham radios, Icom T2H's tend to have the most power, is cheap, and easy to mod. You can program them to use any VHF freq from 134 to 174 mhz, including lots of public safety freqs as well as the National Weather Service freqs. Your sound quality is much better and your signal will not get drowned out as easily as CB, but your range drops a little. Complying with the FCC laws, one could get a 2 watt business band radio that puts out 2 watts on MURS (multi use radio service) which is a free band like CB. The FCC noticed that motorola and Radio Shack was putting out radios like crazy and everyone was buying them and using them indiscriminately that they just made them a free-for-all.
For indoor, and indoor/outdoor use, the only choice is UHF... First, you must forget about the range that the company tells you. The numbers they give you are pure bull. What you need to do is check on the FCC site and see what the actual radiated power of the radio is. ie. some radios may be made to put out 4 watts, but what actually makes it out of the antenna is half a watt. The only FRS/GMRS radio that puts out the maximum 4 watts is the Icom F-21GM. If you wanna check out what your radio puts out, ask Garageboy where to look... he had been doing some research on it for a little while. My trials with 4 watts UHF in NYC, line of sight from an elevation of 60 feet is 1.25 miles. UHF is dampened a lot by foliage and rain for some reason so it's not a great choice for woods and jungle use, but it excels in the city.
If you're gonna use your radio in your car, any radio, be sure to have an external antenna. Any radio transmitting from inside a metal box is not going to have good range. However, the higher the frequency, the better it will perform in that envornment.
I hope that answers some of your questions... the next piece will be using repeaters and other fun stuff.
If not, then we'll talk about it hypothetically...
For open road and open terrain travel, I prefer CB radios, with a precisely tuned antenna and for emergencies and use in Mexico, the addition of a linear amplifier. Get on some high ground and you can reach close to a hundred miles with a 1kwatt linear amp. The drawback is that most CB radios don't have PL tones (private line tones) so you're gonna get all the chatter that's out there.
For shorter range, outdoor use, I would get a few modified Ham radios, Icom T2H's tend to have the most power, is cheap, and easy to mod. You can program them to use any VHF freq from 134 to 174 mhz, including lots of public safety freqs as well as the National Weather Service freqs. Your sound quality is much better and your signal will not get drowned out as easily as CB, but your range drops a little. Complying with the FCC laws, one could get a 2 watt business band radio that puts out 2 watts on MURS (multi use radio service) which is a free band like CB. The FCC noticed that motorola and Radio Shack was putting out radios like crazy and everyone was buying them and using them indiscriminately that they just made them a free-for-all.
For indoor, and indoor/outdoor use, the only choice is UHF... First, you must forget about the range that the company tells you. The numbers they give you are pure bull. What you need to do is check on the FCC site and see what the actual radiated power of the radio is. ie. some radios may be made to put out 4 watts, but what actually makes it out of the antenna is half a watt. The only FRS/GMRS radio that puts out the maximum 4 watts is the Icom F-21GM. If you wanna check out what your radio puts out, ask Garageboy where to look... he had been doing some research on it for a little while. My trials with 4 watts UHF in NYC, line of sight from an elevation of 60 feet is 1.25 miles. UHF is dampened a lot by foliage and rain for some reason so it's not a great choice for woods and jungle use, but it excels in the city.
If you're gonna use your radio in your car, any radio, be sure to have an external antenna. Any radio transmitting from inside a metal box is not going to have good range. However, the higher the frequency, the better it will perform in that envornment.
I hope that answers some of your questions... the next piece will be using repeaters and other fun stuff.
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CB was designed for fairly short range .That means nonamplified !!! The CB amplifiers are not FCC certified which means they put out lots of electronic garbage ,interfering with other radios , and they are not legal ! If you want short range go FRS, medium range go CB, and short to long range go amateur radio.
MelancholyMutt
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Sigh...
everytime you tell someone what the real deal is, there's always some guy who knows just enough about it to tell you the wrong stuff...
everytime you tell someone what the real deal is, there's always some guy who knows just enough about it to tell you the wrong stuff...
MelancholyMutt
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CB then...
It gives you the ability to communicate with others on the road as well as get updates on traffic conditions and speed trap locations via channel 19 and some local authorities monitor channel 9. You can get a mobile system as well as a portable for when you communicate car to pedestrian.
It gives you the ability to communicate with others on the road as well as get updates on traffic conditions and speed trap locations via channel 19 and some local authorities monitor channel 9. You can get a mobile system as well as a portable for when you communicate car to pedestrian.
MelancholyMutt
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a CB rig can be had for about fifty bucks from radio shack and an external antenna for about 20 bucks more... no license necessary...
Motorola FRS radios are not CB, they're FRS/GMRS (UHF, license necessaery to use above 1/2 watt, etc, but....)
CB is license free - look at Cobras etc
BTW: those motorolas they sell in blister packs aren't even made by Moto, instead, they're from Giant in china.
https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/GenericSearch.cfm punch in the FCC ID on the back of the radio - clicked detailed summary and it'll show you how much wattage your radio is REALLY putting out
CB is license free - look at Cobras etc
BTW: those motorolas they sell in blister packs aren't even made by Moto, instead, they're from Giant in china.
https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/GenericSearch.cfm punch in the FCC ID on the back of the radio - clicked detailed summary and it'll show you how much wattage your radio is REALLY putting out
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MelancholyMutt: Thanks for the summary. There's a lot of good stuff in there!
I have a decent CB rig for my car, but I suspect I should get a better antenna for it. The one I have is a through-the-glass inductively-coupled type. Do you have any recommendations on the best types of car antennas?
My wife and I are studying to get amateur licenses. Are there any car antennas that work well for both CB and some amateur bands?
--Bob Q
I have a decent CB rig for my car, but I suspect I should get a better antenna for it. The one I have is a through-the-glass inductively-coupled type. Do you have any recommendations on the best types of car antennas?
My wife and I are studying to get amateur licenses. Are there any car antennas that work well for both CB and some amateur bands?
--Bob Q
MelancholyMutt
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most hams take regulations as some gospel handed down from god himself. They tend not to understand that when the sh!t hits the fan, certain little laws don't really matter, or that laws apply only in certain countries and certain areas... The attitude of most ham operators is the same as if there's a disaister to run from, and one stops at a crosswalk simply because there is a red light...
For example... Linear amps for CB radios is a common accessory in places like Mexico and Central America... This forum is not limited to americans living in the continental US, so many answers are tailored without parochial laws in mind.
And, most hams I know are real busybodies trying to get into other people's business. ie, they think that having a drivers license allows them to sit on the side of the highway and report people who are speeding... Here in NYC. As kids, we knew them as tattletales and stool pigeons... here, in NYC, they're known as rats and no one wants to be around them.
For example... Linear amps for CB radios is a common accessory in places like Mexico and Central America... This forum is not limited to americans living in the continental US, so many answers are tailored without parochial laws in mind.
And, most hams I know are real busybodies trying to get into other people's business. ie, they think that having a drivers license allows them to sit on the side of the highway and report people who are speeding... Here in NYC. As kids, we knew them as tattletales and stool pigeons... here, in NYC, they're known as rats and no one wants to be around them.
MelancholyMutt
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bquinlan said:
the biggest problem with CB's is an untuned or improperly tuned antenna.
I second the CB's for many of the reasons Melancholoy states. The use of channel 9 for emergency, and car to car with lots of people on the air all the time.
Firestik makes a good antenna that I have had good luck with. Go to most truck stops and you can find a CB shop. They can tune the Antenna for you and it will never be needed again. The only thing I don't like with CB is that if you are far from the main freeways you may not have anyone around.
FRS radios are battery and can be replenished. You can have conversations with others in your group by using the quiet tone, but this does not mean others can not hear you.
They are cheap enough that you can get 4 for the price of a CB and pass them out on road trips or to others in the family or group.
Badge54
Firestik makes a good antenna that I have had good luck with. Go to most truck stops and you can find a CB shop. They can tune the Antenna for you and it will never be needed again. The only thing I don't like with CB is that if you are far from the main freeways you may not have anyone around.
FRS radios are battery and can be replenished. You can have conversations with others in your group by using the quiet tone, but this does not mean others can not hear you.
They are cheap enough that you can get 4 for the price of a CB and pass them out on road trips or to others in the family or group.
Badge54
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Mutt, you know the wrong types of hams !! I know a bunch of hams who have been accused [because they have large visible antennas] of causing tv and phone interference.When they checked things out they found the problem was caused by a CBer with amp in the neighborhood.Those amps are really bad........bquinlan, the through the glass antennas don't work well.Mag mounts or better a permanent installation would perform much better.Glad to hear you want to become hams. I use a 102" "CB" antenna on my truck which is meant for the 11m CB band , but I have a tuner and radio that permits me to operate from the 40 to10m amateur bands. I don't have any experience with CB so can't give you details.Amateur radios are not set up for CB.
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Check what's the CB radio traffic is like in your area. most likely very little.
Before Cell phones, NYC cabbies used their CB radios with a K40 antenna to communicate.
Same with FRS, where I am it's pretty dead but used by some commercial interests such as construction guys and schools but when I travel outside my area it gets more busy.
Most ham guys here are pretty old and work for the major TV stations and they are kind of elitist. (since they work in that field, they have access to many antenna arrays) Even a ham guy admitted it to me when I sold him all my stuff. He said it, I didn't and he used a much more colorful word.
Before Cell phones, NYC cabbies used their CB radios with a K40 antenna to communicate.
Same with FRS, where I am it's pretty dead but used by some commercial interests such as construction guys and schools but when I travel outside my area it gets more busy.
Most ham guys here are pretty old and work for the major TV stations and they are kind of elitist. (since they work in that field, they have access to many antenna arrays) Even a ham guy admitted it to me when I sold him all my stuff. He said it, I didn't and he used a much more colorful word.