Enthusiast III
Handheld Ham Radio Adivce
- Thread starter SDRover
- Start date
Off-Road Ranger I
Congrats to the OP for passing and obtaining you Ham license. Here's to wishing you many hours of enjoyment in your new hobby.
I expect to gain my license shortly and am pleased to say that I will be joined by my SO in doing so. When I told her I was considering obtaining the license and suggested she consider it as well so that we could communicate when out on our adventures, she jumped at the chance. (We both have a little bit of a nerdy/geeky trait that sometimes comes out.)
We picked up a pair of Baofeng BF-F8HP's a couple of weeks ago during one of Amazon's "Deals of the Day" sales and I must admit that the price was what did it. It would have been nice to purchase a couple of Yaesu FT-60s, but the thought of a $320ish dollar outlay versus a $80 spend was too great to overcome, even though we have the financial means to do so. Especially for a hobby that neither of us had really ever been exposed to and are really just trying to dip our toes into to begin with to see how much we like it.
I will add this, based upon my recent research of HTs. Had we gone with the Yaesu's, not liked the hobby and decided to sell them, we would be out less than if we try to sell the Baofeng's as I believe the Yaesu's will typically hold their value much better.
Just my two cents... Take what you like, leave the rest and get out there and do some adventuring.
I expect to gain my license shortly and am pleased to say that I will be joined by my SO in doing so. When I told her I was considering obtaining the license and suggested she consider it as well so that we could communicate when out on our adventures, she jumped at the chance. (We both have a little bit of a nerdy/geeky trait that sometimes comes out.)
We picked up a pair of Baofeng BF-F8HP's a couple of weeks ago during one of Amazon's "Deals of the Day" sales and I must admit that the price was what did it. It would have been nice to purchase a couple of Yaesu FT-60s, but the thought of a $320ish dollar outlay versus a $80 spend was too great to overcome, even though we have the financial means to do so. Especially for a hobby that neither of us had really ever been exposed to and are really just trying to dip our toes into to begin with to see how much we like it.
I will add this, based upon my recent research of HTs. Had we gone with the Yaesu's, not liked the hobby and decided to sell them, we would be out less than if we try to sell the Baofeng's as I believe the Yaesu's will typically hold their value much better.
Just my two cents... Take what you like, leave the rest and get out there and do some adventuring.
Traveler I
Enthusiast III
I made simple tiger tail for my HT. 19" piece of 16 Gauge wire with a ring on one end. The ring goes in between the antenna and radio. You can do a search and get more info.
I'm on my phone, so I apologize for a short response.
Traveler I
Member III
Going for your ham radio license will really improve this with basic electronics theory, antenna theory, and an introduction to "formal" communication protocol. Once you have your license, please join us on the weekly Overland Bound Echolink net! It's a great way to become familiar with good operating practices and we've had some great topics related to Overlanding and Amateur radio so far!
You can check out the thread where there's a link posted so you can stream the net live if you don't have your license to get a taste of how it operates and what's being discussed. Good luck!
Enthusiast II
I know they're not as cheap as a Boafeng, but I picked up a Yaesu FT-70D from Gigaparts for $139. And you get the benefit of being able to experiment with digital comms too.
Dan
Traveler I
Let me know how you like it so far, going for my HAM on 2/16 but want to purchase a Yeasu now. I do have a baofeng and have been listening how people speak on them and learning the lingo. But looking to upgrade to the FT-70D
Enthusiast II
I like the FT-70D and especially like being able to experiment with digital communications. It’s a nice solid compact radio. On the less favorable side, the controls are limited to a single multi-function knob and mode buttons - which I guess is to be expected given the price point. I use it with an access point to work the digital side which opens up a whole world of communication opportinutues.
Traveler I
I ordered it after I asked.. LoL.. Looked into the unit a bit and pulled the trigger.
Traveler I
So purchased two radios Baofeng BF-F8HP and have been listening into how things works. While reading up on HAM and taking some flash cards tests for my HAM Cram. I also recent purchased the FT-70 and found that it will not transmit on FRS frequencies, is this true or am I doing something wrong?
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Enthusiast III
The FT-70 will not transmit on FRS frequencies. No Ham radios are supposed to transmit on FRS or GMRS frequencies legally. However the FT-70 will recieve on FRS. Having a Ham legal radio and opening it up so it can transmit on FRS frequencies can be done, but it would then be an illegal radio and if caught you could be fined.
IMO keep FRS/GMRS & Ham radios separate.
IMO keep FRS/GMRS & Ham radios separate.
Traveler I
Interesting! Again I am learning and appreciate that info. So sounds like Baofeng is doing things wrong?
Enthusiast II
Influencer III
- 3,534
- First Name
- Randell
- Last Name
- Beck
- Member #
13744
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- KD2QMS - The Commander
- Service Branch
- USN
BaoFeng is from China. They make radios for sale throughout the world. NOt every country ahs the same rules.
Part 90 US ryules require manufactureres to segregate their freqs as he described above. Its a manaufacturer requireement.
Users, regardless of their radio, cannot transmit on freqs without the appropriate licenses. Its a user/operations question. Even if you ahve a radio that does both, you have to also have the GMRS license to use those bands. Its a gray area whether the radio is "legal" or "illegal". It is technically illegal for the manfuacturer to sell them without a Part 90 compliance rating. The FCC has been negotiating with BaoFeng and a couple of others on this very issue.
I'm learning and really want to do the right thing, so my question is...
You have a ham lic and a GMRS lic. You have a ham radio that's been modified for use on GMRS. Your statement above makes it sound like it is okay to use the ham radio with GMRS if you follow the rules for channel and power. Is that the case?
The FCC is sending mixed signals when it comes to this. Why are they negotiating with BaoFeng. The FCC is the one that says legal or illegal. By not taking a stand the FCC is showing GMRS is not a high priority to them.
Todd
Influencer III
- 3,534
- First Name
- Randell
- Last Name
- Beck
- Member #
13744
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- KD2QMS - The Commander
- Service Branch
- USN
Then you have a radio that was illegal to import and sell for certain uses. Is it illegal for you to use? You are allowed to transmit on those freqs, under those licenses, with certain restrictions on power and such.
The confusing-ness of this is why the FCC is attempting to work these issues out with manufacturers and clarify the situation.
As always, over-regulation creates confusion. MAke sure you only operate on freqs within your licenses and watch the requirements such as power limits.
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Enthusiast III
- 2,420
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- WareWolf
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- MoonWall
- Member #
11831
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- Direct Message Me..
Just to add to the fun I can toss another fun gotcha out there...
I just bought some really nice HT radios from Cobra that have FRS / GMRS channels 1-22. Depending on which channel you are on, and what power setting you are transmitting with, you can use the radio without a license or you may need a GMRS license to be legal. I bought these having my GMRS license and fully researching the product for my needs.
However, this is not an uncommon scenario for those radios you often see sold in multipacks for family / sporting use which has a bunch of folks falling into a fun trap.
Just more regulation goofiness to be aware of and do your best to work with.
Was there anything in the packaging that said you need a license to use some Chanel’s?
Todd
