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HAM radio, anyone?

So you use them as a 2way? Defianteley good to know, I'm more curious about their capabilities though. I can definitely appreciate good 2way communication, I'm interested in medium distance, 60 ish mile communication capabilities.

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These lil guys are like 1 to 2 milers ive learned those 25 mile claims are baloney. Yes sir 60 capabale is a whole different class of hardware im not in possession of. But looking forward to the info also.
 
I can remember losing household power due to a transformer shorting out for various reasons, or the power line to the house being knocked down by a falling tree limb, but as long as the phone line itself was not damaged I could still make phone calls.

Back in the 'canes of '04, we lost power for about 2 weeks total. Not once did the land lines NOT work. We suffered without a generator but I bet if we had power, the DSL we had at the time MIGHT have worked. And this was with the phone line lieing on the ground from a tree tearing it down. We still have a fax land line (no DSL anymore) and it has ALWAYS worked during power outages... :)

I picked up a couple CB radios for $10 several months back. I tested one but never got any response from anyone. I'll have to check the other one one of these days...
 
Oli, what models do you use, and what's the range? There's a lot of negative reviews of the baofengs online, but if you approve I may look into a few.

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We use BF-F8HP's .....or "8HP"......5R is the common one . The range is line of sight around here . haven't tested on flat ground much. The 8hp has 8 watts so its actually pretty powerful. Most including 5r are 4 watts .
All these Baofengs suck. They are good for a pinch and good for the money. They are made of the worst unshielded components and with extended use they get hot.....I mean all the metal parts get hot ........not too hot to touch but I run portable radios for a living and never do they get hot and I go through two batteries a shift sometimes.
Something that really sucks is that there is no good reliable clam shell for them. So AA batts aren't really usable IMO

I think if you want it for casual comms or something to get you down the road for shtf cheap then good. If you are looking at HAM for a hobby run from these. If you are looking for something to use every day run from these .

These are all technically illigal , other than one or two models that the FCC actually approved years ago.
Basically back in the day you had to present a HAM license to buy a HAM radio. Baofeng been getting away with it for a while . You can try to call it a scanner but a scanner isnt supposed to have a transmit key.

All that being said I have seen them on fires and had guys in the ranks that picked them up for a spare and have had to fall back on them and they did the job.......but we run $1200 radios normally

You are going to need repeaters to go 60 miles
 
We use BF-F8HP's .....or "8HP"......5R is the common one . The range is line of sight around here . haven't tested on flat ground much. The 8hp has 8 watts so its actually pretty powerful. Most including 5r are 4 watts .
All these Baofengs suck. They are good for a pinch and good for the money. They are made of the worst unshielded components and with extended use they get hot.....I mean all the metal parts get hot ........not too hot to touch but I run portable radios for a living and never do they get hot and I go through two batteries a shift sometimes.
Something that really sucks is that there is no good reliable clam shell for them. So AA batts aren't really usable IMO

I think if you want it for casual comms or something to get you down the road for shtf cheap then good. If you are looking at HAM for a hobby run from these. If you are looking for something to use every day run from these .

These are all technically illigal , other than one or two models that the FCC actually approved years ago.
Basically back in the day you had to present a HAM license to buy a HAM radio. Baofeng been getting away with it for a while . You can try to call it a scanner but a scanner isnt supposed to have a transmit key.

All that being said I have seen them on fires and had guys in the ranks that picked them up for a spare and have had to fall back on them and they did the job.......but we run $1200 radios normally

You are going to need repeaters to go 60 miles
Very good info. 8 watts handheld !! Wowza def a wee bit not ok for us in current times. I withheld comment on 60 miles but will now chime in l. That is a super duper goal for civilian or hobby user coms via handjeld. The repeater network would need to be perfect locations with technical gear $$$ not incognito it would be obvious. And unless talkin hilltop hilltop i think a real lofty goal for lone hobbyist.
 
Very good info. 8 watts handheld !! Wowza def a wee bit not ok for us in current times. I withheld comment on 60 miles but will now chime in l. That is a super duper goal for civilian or hobby user coms via handjeld. The repeater network would need to be perfect locations with technical gear $$$ not incognito it would be obvious. And unless talkin hilltop hilltop i think a real lofty goal for lone hobbyist.
Yeah the 8 watts is strong. We run Bendix King at work, super high end and only 4 watts......but we have repeaters.

So likely you guys all have a repeater network set up by HAM users. I can talk to other states around me on them.......illegal if I did with out a HAM license and identifier but like I said if it gets a little lawless who cares but we have them all programed in sitting to never be used hopefully.

I was into it real heavy for a while found a bunch of info out there .

Here is the one repeater for Cumberland , Kentucky.........https://repeaterbook.com/repeaters/location_search.php?state_id=21&type=city&loc=Cumberland

There are other resources , better ones than this , just a quick grab
 
I wanted to add this free pdf download, though I know that radios have changed a lot since it was written.

During that time, there was little digital encrypt/decrypt, and everything was analog.

However, what many people don't know, is that digital will not work without an analog carrier, whether radio, satellite uplink or whatever.

So, with that said, you're welcome:

https://www.google.com/books/editio...nadian Military Radio Frequency Guide&f=false
 
Ok y'all I finally did it !!! I took the time to get my Ham License , passed my test recieved call sign about 10 days latter I am officially KO4EDK. What did I learn ??? Its Addicting like guns , lots of price points lots of gear lots a varied directions you can take the hobby. In 30 days ive aquired 6 radios !!! 1 stationary , 1 mobile and 4 handhelds :omg:, bought much accesories and built a tower with a homemade dipole antenna !!
I have met a whole new group to "network" with and our personal comm capabilities have grown exponentially. I can talk with folks hundreds of miles away like they are sitting next to me via 2m and 70m various repeater networks. And without repeaters utilizing some fun to make and tweak antennas ive made contact from Puerto Rico to Canada so far IM LEARNING ALOT !!!
Bottom line it was so worth doing and I highly recommend if comms is something that interests you. Wish id have jumped in years ago.
 
That's awesome.

I used to be into CB radio decades ago. I won't mention anything about power amps and power output and such that I'm sure I didn't do because it was over the FCC limits. :hrc:

Even considered getting a bunch of the older BAOFENG radios from amazon because they had capability of being tuned to basically any freq. Again, I am not condoning anyone exceed any kind of limits.

When I was working as a night watchman in my young adulthood, there were times when I could go to the top of one of the mountains and dial in an old cobra 29 CB with an 8 foot steel whip antenna and talk while the skip was rolling and bouncing off the atmosphere and carry on conversations with people 2 states away.
Though ordinarily, 20 miles was good for the terrain in my area most of the time.

I can still remember some of their handles. Squeeky Man. Gambler. And his brother Plumber Bob.

Good memories rolling in. :)
 
That's awesome.

I used to be into CB radio decades ago. I won't mention anything about power amps and power output and such that I'm sure I didn't do because it was over the FCC limits. :hrc:

Even considered getting a bunch of the older BAOFENG radios from amazon because they had capability of being tuned to basically any freq. Again, I am not condoning anyone exceed any kind of limits.

When I was working as a night watchman in my young adulthood, there were times when I could go to the top of one of the mountains and dial in an old cobra 29 CB with an 8 foot steel whip antenna and talk while the skip was rolling and bouncing off the atmosphere and carry on conversations with people 2 states away.
Though ordinarily, 20 miles was good for the terrain in my area most of the time.

I can still remember some of their handles. Squeeky Man. Gambler. And his brother Plumber Bob.

Good memories rolling in. :)
The Boefeng capabilities with a cheap radio are well worth having , GET a programming cable !!. That said a huge plus is the program on the fly ability also to punch up a freq at will. As for monitoring local "official" nets oh yes sir on non-trunked nets its a breeze , now of course listen no talky thats troubke ya dont need. BUT BUT BUT in crisis in tetowaki etc... All bets off and rules be dammed if ya need help in emergency you can access it. I can monitor and the 2 way capability is now at my fingertips with just about all ive explored from locals to staties and some military even. Knowledge and current information is life in a crisis :oldman:
 
Could you send a fax via HAM?

I've been wondering a lot about communications lately...

The short answer is YES.

The real answer is LONG and complicated:
Hams recieve Fax weather reports which would obviously mean somone can send them...
The other thing is much Ham modes is are computer aided/driven today. This would say to me the capability is there.
I read of some projects using old fax machines and things to send and recieve via ham bands but thats way beyond my comprehension and knowledge at this point.


I personally play on the opposite spectrum of things, I wanted Ham for loss of internet and modern comm capabilities. Ie basic radio work via simple antennas and cw(morse code) communication still used by those around the globe when the "grid" fails. I use and very much appreciate the repeater nets also, But those could fail and are not under my direct control. So I am learning to work distance without them also.

Sorry I have limited info but I'm an infant in this realm still
 
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That's awesome friend. Where did you get your study material, and did you take the test in person, or online.

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That's awesome friend. Where did you get your study material, and did you take the test in person, or online.

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Its an in person proctored exam. Id been looking for one for a year. Finally one poped up about an hour drive away. I had a weeks notice, downloaded the pictured App for my phone , I did every exercise and exam until it told me each was proficient. I started practicing studying on Wednesday took test on Saturday. Passed it.
If I can do it with 3 day study anyone can. 12 tested 10 passed. You can do it, hint contact your closest ham radio club , I found out after I could have tested much sooner thru the club.
 
That's awesome friend. Where did you get your study material, and did you take the test in person, or online.

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Here's a view of study guide broken into 10 sections, ya practice a section till ya proficient. I believe theres a pool of 500 potential questions for the exam they choose 35 for your actual test. Screenshot_20200717-132357.png
 
I personally don't care for that type of study. I would rather read the materials, and then be tested on it. I did download the app. Going to start working my way through it

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I personally don't care for that type of study. I would rather read the materials, and then be tested on it. I did download the app. Going to start working my way through it

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Welcome to 2020 grandpa :oldman:just go with the program, I simply crammed for 3 days and got it done. Id probably fail it today. Hopefully you find a test available asap and open the Pandora's box its fun having a new hobby to explore.
 
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