Radio recommendation

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by CWB, Feb 25, 2022.

  1. CWB

    CWB Member

    Messages:
    1,868
    Likes Received:
    3,656
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    MO
    With all of the turmoil going on around the world, I'm think it's time to invest in a good quality radio and portable solar panel. I want one to receive emergency info and to communicate with like ham. I dont care about license because in an emergency who give a damn about FCC rules. Would love to hear anyone's thoughts and personal experiences on one.
     
  2. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

    Messages:
    11,374
    Likes Received:
    18,232
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alabama
  3. TerryD

    TerryD Member

    Messages:
    830
    Likes Received:
    1,805
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Virginia
    Getting the Ham license is a lot more than FCC rules. There is SO MUCH to learn about radio waves, how they propagate, antenna building and tuning. There isn't any one radio you can buy that "just works". It's the same as any other equipment, be it a knife or radio or anything else. If you don't have the knowledge and training to use it and understand how to use it properly, it's just an expensive hammer.

    If EMP is SERIOUSLY your concern, you're honestly not going to have anyone to talk to anyways so having one of three working radios on the planet but none are for the same frequencies, you're just talking to yourself.

    I'm not trying to be crass or condescending. But so many people buy radios and won't learn to use them. "Bob" from the latest podcast put it great: "everyone thinks they will just rise to the occasion, and that doesn't happen...." (I'm paraphrasing).

    You want to talk radio? Hit me up. I'll be glad to help. But you're not gonna like what I have to say if you hope you can get one, cheap radio that'll do anything other than talk to people in the same room as you.
     
  4. Kylemeister

    Kylemeister Member

    Messages:
    237
    Likes Received:
    496
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Oklahoma City, OK, USA
    Ham radio is a pretty easy and fun hobby. Just realize that your operating privileges granted by the FCC can be suspended by the FCC. The government in Ukraine issued a 30-day halt to all amateur radio operations a day or two ago with the Russian invasion.

    It's a hobby that can be as shallow or as deep as you want it to be. If you want a license to just talk on the repeater to the folks in the same town, groovy. If you want to chase the high of making contact with a station over 10,000 miles away, we have that too.

    You get out of it what you put into it. Morse code isn't required for any of the three license levels in the US. However, Morse is still widely used in amateur radio.
     
    CWB, Wisdom and TerryD like this.
  5. Wisdom

    Wisdom Member

    Messages:
    723
    Likes Received:
    1,048
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    South
    I’d highly recommend getting at least a Technician license. The problem with the theory that in a collapse scenario the FCC will not be around (honestly they do little enforcement now) is that you won’t understand how to use the equipment. To Jeff’s point the iphone is far superior as long as they work. You also need a network of other hams. Regardless of your location, you can almost bet their around you close. Otherwise a County Comm short wave radio with SSB is far more useful than a uv5r that everyone gravitates to. You can monitor the Ham traffic and much more if you know the freqs.
     
    TerryD and CWB like this.
  6. CWB

    CWB Member

    Messages:
    1,868
    Likes Received:
    3,656
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    MO
    If the cell towers/system gets cyber attacked, then you might not have phone or internet. Just looking for something strictly as a backup way for info and emergency communication
     
  7. TerryD

    TerryD Member

    Messages:
    830
    Likes Received:
    1,805
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Virginia
    Well, being IN the local radio community will provide access to information as well. You have the ARES and MARS groups that will be active and passing information and being known in your area and also able to help will pay off for you as well as your community.
     
    CWB likes this.
  8. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

    Messages:
    11,374
    Likes Received:
    18,232
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alabama
    You make a great point. Being known in the community is going to give you a lot more access to information should things go south, this is why you should not shortcut the route and operate illegally. Licensing is too easy to do. Study, take the test, learn about radios and systems, become part of your community, and when things go bad you will already be in a position to help yourself and others.
     
    CWB and TerryD like this.
  9. TerryD

    TerryD Member

    Messages:
    830
    Likes Received:
    1,805
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Virginia
    Honestly, during a crisis, communities really rally around themselves first. It's not going to be often that you are exiting a community during a disaster so training to help support your community in some way is always a good idea.

    I am planning on adding some digi-peaters to our local APRS network this year. I've got to aquire another cheap 2m radio and a RPi to run it and then figure out some more programming to get it to automatically restart direwolf. Then we'll have the ability to do packet e-mail and as long as we can get into a connected i-gate we can bring in weather reports and the like.

    Then we have TWO wide area repeaters in this area with backup power and a myriad of HF capability in the club so information will be flowing between us and the ARES ops around Richmond and NOVA.

    On top of that, as long as I have an operable vehicle, I can get to the tops of mountains other can't to open communications with other groups if needed
     
    CWB likes this.
  10. anomad

    anomad Member

    Messages:
    161
    Likes Received:
    296
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    NC
    I am fascinated about getting into this field/area of preparedness.

    Tagging along more of all the valuable information everyone has posted so far. Thank you.
     
    CWB and TerryD like this.
  11. TerryD

    TerryD Member

    Messages:
    830
    Likes Received:
    1,805
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Virginia
    Look for your local ham radio club. Go to some meetings and get to know the folks. Some folks will be welcoming, others may not. My local club loves new folks coming around.

    They will help you get the information you need to pass your exam and most clubs can proctor the test as well.

    Word to the wise, don't go in talking EOTWAWKI stuff. They aren't going to take you seriously as a member. That's not why they're there. They enjoy it as a hobby. I became interested after doing a lot of studying to set up CB radios for the local offroad club and hearing about the things Ham radio could do.

    I'm glad to help where I can but a local club is really useful. Most have weekly nets to just get on the air and get comfortable using your radio. The contests are petty fun too! I really like working a contest with my local club. Lots of bull shooting, good food, and even a little radio play. Haha.
     
    CWB and anomad like this.
  12. Kylemeister

    Kylemeister Member

    Messages:
    237
    Likes Received:
    496
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Oklahoma City, OK, USA
    TerryD and Strigidae like this.
  13. shaneadams90

    shaneadams90 ESEE Knives Marketing Director Staff Member

    Messages:
    2,217
    Likes Received:
    7,361
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    30721
    Your local HAMM radio club is the place to start...I got my Tech License (KM4SHQ) and RARELY use it....HOWEVER, with that said, when the weather turns bad here our local HAM club does a "weather net" and we get live updates from the surrounding area. This has proven to be VERY helpful a number of times when tornadoes and bad weather have been in the area....
     
  14. Kylemeister

    Kylemeister Member

    Messages:
    237
    Likes Received:
    496
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Oklahoma City, OK, USA
    One of my projects early every year is to grab the latest copy of the repeaters for Oklahoma, and then update my HT to have all of the Skywarn repeaters west of I-35 loaded.

    During storm season, I try to make sure the HT is always in the truck to monitor things in the afternoon on storm days.

    I just watched the National Weather Service Norman OK training modules for Skywarn again last night as a tune up. Always try to watch the training for your local NWS forecast center, as the information is tailored toward your geographic area.
     
    TerryD likes this.
  15. Nowhere

    Nowhere Member

    Messages:
    152
    Likes Received:
    182
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Neither Here, Nor there...
    True, no one will care about FCC rules in an end-of-the-world situation. But hams are still hams and if you are talking on the airwaves and no one knows who you are, then you might not get the response you are hoping for. Also, getting a license involves learning about how radios work, what they can and cannot do and how the emergency communication contingencies work. All REALLY good stuff to know if the **** hits the fan. The technicians exam isn't that hard to pass and there's never been a better time to do it. The good news is you don't need a license to listen.

    As to your ask about a good radio, you'll probably want an HT (handheld), that way you can take it with you literally every where you go (I do). A full featured one is expensive ($400+), but a good one can be had for much less. If you can find a Yaesu VX-6 around, get that. They have a super-wide receive capability and are almost as durable as a brick. I've had two. Wide receive means you can listen to nearly anything within range. It's analog only, so it won't pick up everything (most public service stuff is trunked digital now), but this and a good digital scanner (I use the Uniden SD100) will pick up anything within earshot.

    I've been a ham for 12 years now and I'm president of my local radio club. Happy to help you sort out anything related to radio.
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2022
    TerryD likes this.
  16. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

    Messages:
    11,374
    Likes Received:
    18,232
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Alabama
    I just picked up the Anytone 878 HT and enjoying the DMR side of things as well as analog
     
    Nowhere, Strigidae and TerryD like this.
  17. Kylemeister

    Kylemeister Member

    Messages:
    237
    Likes Received:
    496
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Oklahoma City, OK, USA
    DMR can be a lot of fun, especially when paired with a hotspot that links up to your cell phone for Internet access.
     
  18. Nowhere

    Nowhere Member

    Messages:
    152
    Likes Received:
    182
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Neither Here, Nor there...
    The Anytone 878 family are great radios. I've had a couple and they make DMR fun.
     

Share This Page