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What are the range on those? I know the surrounding area dictates that, depending on what’s around you. I have some wouxon Gmrs handhelds and I was wondering how the ham handhelds compare.First dive into the world of HAM. I mainly purchased these to train on and supply my family with a better prep opportunity if/when things go south.
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I’m as green as they come wrt HAM or baofengs. I got so far as to turn off the beeps and the voice prompts.What are the range on those? I know the surrounding area dictates that, depending on what’s around you. I have some wouxon Gmrs handhelds and I was wondering how the ham handhelds compare.
Get CHIRP and buy the proper cable, my clone one sucks to set upI’m as green as they come wrt HAM or baofengs. I got so far as to turn off the beeps and the voice prompts.
I’m now going to search this forum for more insight and experience.
Around here, useful range simplex with a small attached antenna? Couple hundred yards, maybe. Wire it to a bigger better gain antenna, maybe a mile.What are the range on those? I know the surrounding area dictates that, depending on what’s around you. I have some wouxon Gmrs handhelds and I was wondering how the ham handhelds compare.
If this is a real concern and goal you need to get your general license and learn the digital messaging protocols. VHF/UHF has its uses, but you are reliant on repeaters and proximity. HF brings a whole lot more to the table in regards to off grid information sharing.4-pack of UV-5Rs is a really good investment. I was just talking to my buddy today about prepping for WW3, and while stocking ammo and food is a good idea, I emphasized the importance of communication in a SHTF scenario. There's going to be zero cell service, zero wifi, zero GPS. You are completely on your own. I imagine that picking up a live broadcast, or direct communication with another party would be a lifesaver.
I'm in the same boat as you as I need to learn how to effectively use these!
Around here, useful range simplex with a small attached antenna? Couple hundred yards, maybe. Wire it to a bigger better gain antenna, maybe a mile.
Using a repeater, closer to a few a miles.
It depends. A Beofeng is a handi talkie. HT. They have limitations compared to a radio that was designed to mount in a vehicle or in a home.What are the range on those? I know the surrounding area dictates that, depending on what’s around you. I have some wouxon Gmrs handhelds and I was wondering how the ham handhelds compare.
I'm also begining to play with some Arduino compatible mesh radios. As a Ham, I can actually run them on different bands.4-pack of UV-5Rs is a really good investment. I was just talking to my buddy today about prepping for WW3, and while stocking ammo and food is a good idea, I emphasized the importance of communication in a SHTF scenario. There's going to be zero cell service, zero wifi, zero GPS. You are completely on your own. I imagine that picking up a live broadcast, or direct communication with another party would be a lifesaver.
I'm in the same boat as you as I need to learn how to effectively use these!
Yeah dude, all of that is Japanese to the average "I bought a 4 pack of baofengs" user asking what the range on them is.It depends.
I live at 1000 feet above sea level outside of Worcester. I have a Diamond X50 antenna on top of a 40 foot telephone pole. It is connected to a 50 watt, 2 meter / 440 mobile hooked up to a 110 VAC to 13.8 VDC power supply, with LMR 400 coax cable.
I can hit the Saddleback Mountain Repeater, in Milton NH on 5 watts, and work into Maine, NH and eastern Mass. I can hit Mt. Greylock on 5 watts, and work into Vermont, NY and Western Mass. I can hit Mt Washington on 50 watts, and work into southern Canada. I can hit the Vernon CT repeater, and work all over CT.
With just an HT and a rubber duck antenna on top of Mount Wachusett, I can work 75 miles or more, direct, on simplex. In my backyard, maybe 20 miles due to trees, hills and buildings. Rubber duck antennas are barely adequate under the best of circumstances.
Beam antennas are even better than the X50.
If you really want good results, get a VHF / UHF mobile from one of the big 4 - Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, maybe Alinco or Anytone. Get a 35 amp, 110 VAC to 13.8 VDC power supply, a Diamond X50 antenna, and enough LMR 400 cable to get that antenna as high above trees and buildings as possible. The power supply will be big enough to run an HF rig in the future along with the VHF / UHF.
That will give you a decent shot at having good comm capability.
MHO.
Around here, useful range simplex with a small attached antenna? Couple hundred yards, maybe. Wire it to a bigger better gain antenna, maybe a mile.
Using a repeater, closer to a few a mile
If you study for a ham radio license to legally use those Beofengs, it would make perfect sense.Yeah dude, all of that is Japanese to the average "I bought a 4 pack of baofengs" user asking what the range on them is.
50 watts, LMR400, OMG13.8VDC!, have nothing to do hand out Chinese hand held radios.
It would, but that ain't what homeboy is asking.If you study for a ham radio license to legally use those Beofengs, it would make perfect sense.
Wow, thanks for the detailed explanation. This is the stuff that scares me off anytime I think about getting my ham license!It depends. A Beofeng is a handi talkie. HT. They have limitations compared to a radio that was designed to mount in a vehicle or in a home.
HT's have low output power compared to a mobile. They have VERY compromised antennas, which are portable, but not very efficient. They also have shitty front ends, and are not good at rejecting unwanted signals or dealing with strong signals nearby.
What is a reasonable range of a VHF / UHF radio? Lets' start with a mobile radio as an example.
I live at 1000 feet above sea level outside of Worcester. I have a Diamond X50, omni-directional antenna on top of a 40 foot telephone pole. It is connected to a 50 watt, 2 meter / 440 mobile. Most ham radio gear expects to see 13.8 volts DC, so if you run them in the house, you need to hook them up to a 110 VAC to 13.8 VDC power supply, like an Astron. The radio connects to an outside antenna with LMR 400 coax cable. LMR is low loss cable, and is a good choice when transmitting VHF / UHF signals.
I can hit the Saddleback Mountain Repeater, in Milton NH on 5 watts, and work into Maine, NH and eastern Mass. I can hit Mt. Greylock on 5 watts, and work into Vermont, NY and Western Mass. I can hit Mt Washington on 50 watts, and work into southern Canada. I can hit the Vernon CT repeater, and work all over CT.
What about an HT?
Let's go with the perfect situation.
With just an HT and a rubber duck antenna on top of Mount Wachusett, I can work 75 miles or more, direct, on simplex. In my backyard, maybe 20 miles due to trees, hills and buildings. Rubber duck antennas are barely adequate under the best of circumstances.
Beam antennas are even better than the X50.
If you really want good results, get a VHF / UHF mobile from one of the big 4 - Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, maybe Alinco or Anytone. Get a 35 amp, 110 VAC to 13.8 VDC power supply, a Diamond X50 antenna, and enough LMR 400 cable to get that antenna as high above trees and buildings as possible. The power supply will be big enough to run an HF rig in the future along with the VHF / UHF.
That will give you a decent shot at having good comm capability.
HT to HT is good if you are driving with another car, and want to maintain contact between vehicles that are a couple of miles apart. Or if you are close to a repeater. But don't expect miracles.
MHO.
Getting the license is the easy part, it is a multiple choice government test, so it's just memorize and regurgitate. Get the license then start tinkering with what interests you, that's how you actually learn it. I have been a General for a year now and I probably couldn't pass the test if I had to take it right now because it was a memory dump.Wow, thanks for the detailed explanation. This is the stuff that scares me off anytime I think about getting my ham license!
Basic dual band HT's are pretty simple, there isn't really any mojo you need to know to use them unless you are doing some more advanced stuff like passing digital or building a repeater out of 2 of them or something. What are you trying to do with them that has you jammed up?There's a book, Baofang for Dummies for sale out there. I've got it and the radios already, still clueless and green too, need to read the book.
This, the things that have to be configured on an HT are universal.Basic dual band HT's are pretty simple, there isn't really any mojo you need to know to use them unless you are doing some more advanced stuff like passing digital or building a repeater out of 2 of them or something. What are you trying to do with them that has you jammed up?
You don't need to spend a lot of money, you just need to identify what you want to do and focus on it. You can put together a real good 2m set up for less then $250-300 if you watch HRO's emails for sales.So quick math for radio, power supply, coax, antenna I'm looking at $650 to get into ham radio, f*** that. I just threw my baofengs away because listening to a bunch of ham guys talk about dumb shit on a radio apparently isn't for me.
Why is it we always need to spend stupid money on stuff? "PSA is shit you need KAC, Vortex sucks, Nightforce is the only way to go"
This reminds me of mechanics telling people they need to buy snap on when they won't use them everyday, or You have to buy Dewalt or Milwaukee cordless tools when they will only get used a dozen times a year. Yeah they are great tools but do you really need to spend thousands of dollars when a few hundred will get the job done?
This is really the thing, if you are not using this stuff, you are not going to be able to use it when you need to. I always roll my eyes at dudes that are like "I'm not going to get licensed, when my SHTFantasy happens licenses won't matter." Sure, that is true, but good luck operating any of that gear you haven't used. I have a radio next to me on my desk right now that is very good and user intuitive, I use it all the time, and I still need a cheat sheet to anything other then scan through my channels.Not being licensed and thus not being able to transmit will make learning more difficult. Some stuff you have to learn through mistakes. If you can't get into a repeater it could be a number of things and you won't know if you got something wrong if you never have the opportunity to try.
It’s not that hard. 5 year olds get their ham licenses and build stations.Wow, thanks for the detailed explanation. This is the stuff that scares me off anytime I think about getting my ham license!
You can use Baofengs and enjoy them. They will not perform as well as a 50w base radio with a high gain antenna on top of a tower, just like a crescent wrench won't do all the things a SnapOn impact wrench will. Sometimes you're looking to remove rusted lug nuts, sometimes you're looking to loosen a hose clamp.So quick math for radio, power supply, coax, antenna I'm looking at $650 to get into ham radio, f*** that. I just threw my baofengs away because listening to a bunch of ham guys talk about dumb shit on a radio apparently isn't for me.
Why is it we always need to spend stupid money on stuff? "PSA is shit you need KAC, Vortex sucks, Nightforce is the only way to go"
This reminds me of mechanics telling people they need to buy snap on when they won't use them everyday, or You have to buy Dewalt or Milwaukee cordless tools when they will only get used a dozen times a year. Yeah they are great tools but do you really need to spend thousands of dollars when a few hundred will get the job done?
How much is a decent pistol set up? $600 for a Glock. $200 for 250 rounds of carry ammo. $50 for a holster. $200 for training. All for tools to protect your life in case of a meltdown.So quick math for radio, power supply, coax, antenna I'm looking at $650 to get into ham radio, f*** that. I just threw my baofengs away because listening to a bunch of ham guys talk about dumb shit on a radio apparently isn't for me.
Why is it we always need to spend stupid money on stuff? "PSA is shit you need KAC, Vortex sucks, Nightforce is the only way to go"
This reminds me of mechanics telling people they need to buy snap on when they won't use them everyday, or You have to buy Dewalt or Milwaukee cordless tools when they will only get used a dozen times a year. Yeah they are great tools but do you really need to spend thousands of dollars when a few hundred will get the job done?
Is taking a class a requirement or can I just study and take the test?
This changes is when you have a group of friends that are into it for the same reason. Then you are doing regular comms checks or even doing your own mini-nets. Going to a massive antenna has opened me way up to 2m simplex and I can chat with friends 20 miles away, off grid, no repeater.most of what you'll hear people talking about on their radios is radios.