Ham or CB

[RoverXventures]

I was wondering what radio solution works best for overlanding?

 

[RoarinRow]

I'm no expert, but the most common response I see is, 'depends on what your group or local area uses'. If most of the group / people use CB, then I guess you'd go that route. Same with Ham. From my understanding Ham has better range as it can leverage repeaters, better sound quality, more bands/frequencies, use of APRS for location tracking, etc. I just passed my Ham Technician test a couple of weekends ago. No test needed for CBs.

 

[chrisradford]

Ditto for what RoarinRow said; if you're looking for a radio that will be more likely to reach the outside world from wherever Ham (with repeaters) will give you far far better range in part because of the additional power, and partly because of the repeaters being so common (though you do need to know their frequencies), however if you're traveling in a group you'd be limited to only those with a license using the radios so CB is probably a more practical solution.

The Ham test isn't at all hard—35 questions, 75% pass mark—but it does require study and a test ($15) to get the license. Interestingly in the off-roading community Ham seems to be more popular on the West Coast, whilst on the East Coast we're still mainly on CB or FRS.

Of course, it also depends on the country you're in, in the USA the FCC regulates all this but that's obviously not the case in the rest of the world and some of the US Ham frequencies are military or police frequencies as close by as Mexico (or so I'm told) and those are certainly not frequencies you want to be broadcasting on by mistake.

 

[Downs]

1. What do people you run with use? The best HAM radio in the world does you no good if all of your buddies are on CB and not willing to make the move over.

2. Are you willing to get licensed?

3. Dont' discount GMRS if you simply do not want to deal with HAM licensing. For what the vast majority of us are doing GMRS is more than adequate.

HAM is the most flexible for sure. You are allowed to use a lot more power than CB. CBs are limited to 4 watts vs 50 on GMRS or 1500 on HAM. The equipment as far as the antennas can be much more compact. A truly resonant antenna for CB would be over 100 inches long where as a GMRS 1/4 wave is about 6 inches long and a 2m half wave is around 18 inches or so. Lot less antenna to get hung up on stuff.

I am setup to run all three because the off road communications landscape is so fractured you never know when you may running with someone with CB or GMRS or HAM.

I don't buy the HAM as an emergency tool for communications. WHile the repeater network is quite robust you aren't guaranteed to have one close or that someone is listening. I monitor the HAM 2m "Calling" frequency anytime I'm in my Jeep. I've rarely heard anyone on it anywhere.

If you want real emergency off grid help get a PLB or EPIRB.

 

[chrisradford]

I don't buy the HAM as an emergency tool for communications.

To be clear, I would also not suggest HAM as a solution for emergency situations; my thinking was that if you're meeting up somewhere remote, it is more likely to be feasible for comms than CB, but then… so is your smartphone

 

[Graeman]

I don't buy the HAM as an emergency tool for communications. WHile the repeater network is quite robust you aren't guaranteed to have one close or that someone is listening. I monitor the HAM 2m "Calling" frequency anytime I'm in my Jeep. I've rarely heard anyone on it anywhere.

If you are using the Calling frequency it is a simplex frequency. So the range will be minimal compared to a frequency that is connected to a repeater.

 

[Downs]

If you are using the Calling frequency it is a simplex frequency. So the range will be minimal compared to a frequency that is connected to a repeater.

Very well aware of that, but it is the NATIONWIDE calling frequency and supposed to be used to "call" out to other users and I can count on one had how many people I've heard calling on it, and I make pretty regular CQ calls just cause and have talked to even less. And while the HAM repeater infrastructure is very robust it's not everywhere and even if you find one in repeater book that's in range there's no guarantee anyone is even listening or it's even still on the air.

I still maintain the best emergency comms device out there is a EPIRB/PLB. I worked on the user end systems (aircrew survival radios) which use the same COSPAS/SARSAT system that the civilian ones use and if you push that button and have a clear view of the sky your signal is going to get received.

 

[Graeman]

I rarely ever monitor the 52 frequency since I am more into off roading. I prefer to monitor 46 frequency and I don't get much traffic on my radio either. I am now thinking of using dual watch so that I can monitor both of nationwide calling frequencies.

 

[Downs]

I've heard even less on on the 70cm Calling freq. My normal daily monitoring is 2m Call, local HAM repeater, local GMRS repeater.

When I'm out of the local area on my own
2m Call
70cm Call
OB GMRS
OB VHF

If I'm with a group I'l replace one of those, usually 70cm call, with whatever our group is using.

 

[Sparksalot]

I've heard even less on on the 70cm Calling freq. My normal daily monitoring is 2m Call, local HAM repeater, local GMRS repeater.

When I'm out of the local area on my own
2m Call
70cm Call
OB GMRS
OB VHF

If I'm with a group I'l replace one of those, usually 70cm call, with whatever our group is using.

I do something similar. Outside my local area I monitor
146.52
146.46
gmrs 15

sometimes I also will have either HF ham or a CB with me.

 

[M Rose]

Very well aware of that, but it is the NATIONWIDE calling frequency and supposed to be used to "call" out to other users and I can count on one had how many people I've heard calling on it, and I make pretty regular CQ calls just cause and have talked to even less. And while the HAM repeater infrastructure is very robust it's not everywhere and even if you find one in repeater book that's in range there's no guarantee anyone is even listening or it's even still on the air.

you haven’t been to NE Oregon... my radio never shuts up... our 2m repeater network stretches from Caldwell, Idaho to Spokane, Washington as far west as Portland... I scan 6 repeaters and simplest all day every day, and I answer any CQ I hear. I have only had a couple of CQs that went unanswered...

But yes 2m is basically an 80 mile range or so on average... you really need a General License to get out and talk to people...

One other thing... just because you aren’t answered doesn’t mean you weren’t heard... Some of us are listening for distress calls, and don’t answer daily rag chew.

 

[RoverXventures]

Man I love this club! Thanks everyone for your input! It helps alot.

 

[Ubiety]

I don't buy the HAM as an emergency tool for communications. WHile the repeater network is quite robust you aren't guaranteed to have one close or that someone is listening. I monitor the HAM 2m "Calling" frequency anytime I'm in my Jeep. I've rarely heard anyone on it anywhere.

If you want real emergency off grid help get a PLB or EPIRB.

Saw some sweet/tiny EPIRBs at the boat show a few months back; if these tickle your fancy, and they do mine, check out the marine market for these devices.

Geek alert! I saw something last night about a LoRa satellite??? We could do some really COOL stuff with LoRa in the unlicensed spectrum; and if we could easily hit sats then it would be easy to engineer an intra/extra convoy comms system - at low data rates of course. But I also see that there are "tiers" of LoRa that allow for higher throughput at the cost of distance.

>>I don't buy the HAM as an emergency tool for communications.
I wholeheartedly agree with you Mr @Downs - certainly not in the wild places of MT, NV and parts of SE OR.

 

[Sneaks]

you haven’t been to NE Oregon... my radio never shuts up... our 2m repeater network stretches from Caldwell, Idaho to Spokane, Washington as far west as Portland... I scan 6 repeaters and simplest all day every day, and I answer any CQ I hear. I have only had a couple of CQs that went unanswered...
<snip>
One other thing... just because you aren’t answered doesn’t mean you weren’t heard... Some of us are listening for distress calls, and don’t answer daily rag chew.

Same here in northern Maine. Both 2m and 70cm repeaters are active all day and night. .52 there's at least one person signing on "Kxxxx listening on 52 on mobile." When I got licensed in Feb, out of the 23 people taking the test that day, 19 of us were local FD\EMS providers. Cell coverage is spotty (or non-existent) in a lot of places, Verizon is the best for coverage, AT&T the worst, Tmobile\Sprint in the middle (and those inexpensive PAYG that use them). CB still is pretty strong between the logging trucks and the old school mentality of the area. Not sure on GRMS as I don't have one.

 

[MattLew]

I was wondering what radio solution works best for overlanding?

As has been pointed out by others, the best answer depends on your circumstances. It also depends on what those in your area use.
Every form of communications has advantages and disadvantages... each also has certain aspects of communications that it serves well, and others that it may not work for at all.
No matter what communications methods (yes plural) you choose, they do no good if you do not have someone on the other end to talk to.

<Note: I am addressing this as the opinion of someone living in the US. Different countries have different radio services, so if you are outside the United States, you may need to do some research, and please post that information to the forums here.>

Cell: Good privacy, universal user base, great interface to emergency services, but limited as to where it has coverage. (check the area you want to go against your providers coverage map. The more remote, the less likely it will function.

FRS: Good for immediately local communications. Perhaps vehicle to vehicle on a trail, but more realistically used for vehicle to spotter. They also have the advantage of being tiny so it is easy to toss a few into the vehicle for a trip. Also good for keeping in touch with the family around camp, but not if you get too far away from camp. The price is very reasonable.

GMRS: Uses the same band, and shares some frequencies with FRS. Has longer potential range, especially if you have a mobile rig with an external antenna. Additionally has the ability to use repeaters. BUT... You must be licensed, however licensing is just a matter of paying the fee and processing the paperwork. You are also very limited by line of sight.

CB: Fairly universal and license free, but it's popularity is limited due to idiots abusing the service. Good range, and easy to loan someone in the convoy a radio if you are traveling with a group. It is generally looked down on by HAMs due in large part to the previously mentioned idiots out there. It is still a good thing to have installed, even if it is one of those ultra compact radios where everything is built into the handset, or even a handy talky with a power cord and external antenna. I personally am installing one of the minimalist ultra compact CBs in my Tacoma so as to conserve space for my HAM radio gear and leaving my old Cobra for installing in my base station.

Ham Radio 2m FM voice: I am singling this out because it is more or less universal among ham radio operators. Decent range, depending on your radio, you can talk anywhere in the world if you can reach a VoIP gateway such as wires or d-star, most areas have good repeater coverage. Some of the disadvantages... You are limited in part by line of sight. You may be able to punch through the woods, but dirt and rock, not so much so. Requires a license, and taking a fairly easy test. And if you are out of your neck of the woods and or have an unusual call sign, the locals might be hesitant to talk to you until someone has identified and "vetted" you. (I speak from experience with this. I was visiting family in wisconsin a number of years ago. I was calling on 3 different local repeaters for a couple hours and not a peep. No one would respond to me... I was starting to think something was malfunctioning on my radio. Finally one of the locals looked up my call sign and called back to me with a couple questions about who I was and where I was from... He announced I was legit and next thing you know I am working a pileup on their repeater. "we didn't think you where for real with that call sign".)

Ham Radio, other VHF and UHF bands: There are a number of options, but not many are commonly used in these settings. most common you can use 10m, 6m, and .7m FM simplex or repeaters the same general statements as with the 2m FM voice. I personaly consider being able to hit the 10m repeaters to be very useful to someone overlanding due to the extended range vs other FM services, but outside of that it falls back to "what are the folks in your area using".

Ham Radio APRS: This service is a digital mode, so you have to be able to hit a gateway to do much good, but if you can reach a gateway, you can send and receive messages all over the world. You can also give your approximate or exact GPS position and track different APRS users. Like all Ham radio services, you have to have pass a test and get a license to use it, but it can be used on an entry level license. Because APRS operates primarily on 2m, it has all the same advantages and disadvantages above. Many APRS users also connect their APRS station to weather stations to share real time weather information (temp, humidity, and wind speed are not uncommon).

Ham Radio HF: Great range permitting communications half way around the world, but if you are in a valley, your signal might not be able to get out. There are a number of data modes available at this level as well including the ability to send and receive e-mail. You do have to upgrade your license to the general level (second tier), thus do have a take an additional test to use this service.There are also a number of nets you can take part in related to most any radio related field of interest, and you can almost always find SOMEONE listening.

Ham Radio HF NVIS: everything I said about HF, except because you are directing your signal vertically, it only has a range of about 500miles, but is largely unaffected by terrain. this is very handy if you are heading off in the mountain valleys, or more importantly the canyons.

Ham Radio Satellite Communications: most dual band hand held radios these days can make contact with amateur radio satellites, and like 2m FM, you at least need a technician license to do so, but I would consider this a for fun mode, not a practical mode when it comes to Overlanding. The advantage is that you are using a satellite as a repeater, so even a 5 watt hand held radio with an affordable simple antenna can make contact. Terrain is not an issue if you can see where in the sky the satellite is, but that brings us to the HUGE disadvantage to amateur satellite. You have to be able to find the satellite as it moves across the sky. typically this takes either a computer (or a cell phone app) or some very complex calculations. it also requires pointing your antenna in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. For this reason I consider it too unreliable for emergency comms except as a last resort.

Other Ham Radio operations: While the above Ham radio options are mainly focused on convoy and emergency communications, Ham radio and Overlanding are hobbies that integrate well together. In Ham radio, there are two sub hobbies in particular that go well with Overlanding. Those being grid chasing, in which radio operators try to make contacts in every map grid, and Overlanders have the equipment and skill set to be able to reach very rare unpopulated grids, which will absolutely make the day of those folks who do grid chasing. For some grid chasers, people like us might be the only chance they will have to make a once in a life time contact in an especially rare grid. The other activity we are especially well equipped for is called mountain topping. In mountain topping, the idea is to go and set up a base camp on some mountain top and see what contacts you can make. This goes hand in hand with grid chasing, but more often includes things like trying to establish microwave links between distant locations (this includes data connections, and Ham radio operators have managed to establish a wifi link across the Shenandoah Valley just to see if they could.) then there is QRP or LOW power communications in which you try to make contacts with radios that are running 5 watts or less.

PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons): some people call these EPIRB, though the two are technically different, though in practice the difference is largely in size and intended use. EPIRB is a fairly bulky device intended for use on boats traveling more than 2 miles off shore, ELTs are the aviation equivalent, and PLB is a compact personal unit. Not all of them have built in GPS, though most do. SOME are (still) designed to work with an external GPS to know their position. It is very important that you check the specs of the unit before you buy one... ONLY get one that has integrated GPS (most of them). All three units work by sending a signal to a sattelite which then sends it back to an emergency center (much like your local 911 system does). The emergency center then contacts the local authorities based on where on the map your beacon says you are.

Avalanche Beacons: If you play in avalanche country you should have one of these for each person, plus one in your glove compartment or console, especially if you are out away from your vehicle on snow mobile, ATV, or skis (also keep at least one avalanche kit with a folding probe pole, and a snow shovel as well as at least 1 snow test kit for the group, but this is veering off topic. The Avalanche beacon is valuable in avalanche country just like a PLB is for general use)

Satellite communicators such as spot and inReach are great to have if they fit in your budget they allow you to send (and in some cases receive) messages from anywhere in their coverage area (pretty much any of North America and many other places) cost is similar to having another cell phone depending on what bells and whistles you want on your service plan. I highly recommend having one of these if you are solo in remote areas. When in a group the value is somewhat diminished but can still be a life saver if you need emergency airlift out. As an added bonus, you can use the tracking function to let friends and family keep track of where you are via website or social media. (I personally recommend having one of these if you can afford the service plan, and establishing a check in schedule with friends or family where you will send them a message even if it is a pre-programed "all is well")

Sat Phone: This is the top shelf. You can be in touch with whomever you wish whenever you wish most anywhere in the world, but the cost to play on this level is steep. Still if you can afford it, it is THE luxury communications device. I would say it is over kill, but I am one who believes there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to life support.

Summery: (IN MY OPINION) Get your Ham Radio license at least at a Technician Class (General Class is much better) it is cheap, fairly easy, and gives you the most versatility. Install at least a minimalist CB in your vehicle even if you rarely use it. Get a pair of cheap midland or similar FRS/GMRS handhelds (if nothing else, they are valuable for communicating with a spotter). Finally if you can afford the service plan, get a satellite communicator. (if you convoy with friends, get a hand held CB you can loan to someone in the group who lacks comms. Not everyone is a licensed ham, and CB is the easiest to hand off to an unlicensed operator in a convoy... Then encourage your friends to get licensed as hams as well. Cost of entry is reasonably low, and the overall benefits are far greater than ANY OTHER mode of communications. I personally consider anything else to be an add on, or a substitution...

FINALLY: Whatever you choose as a mode of communications, plan for redundancy. IN THEORY with a General Class Ham Radio license, you do not need ANY other mode of communications... the versatility of ham radio means it has all the bases covered, yet I can not say this enough... always have more than one redundant life support system. This means always having at least 2 forms of communication equipment. IF I could take only 2 into the wilds with meI would go with my ham radio gear and the Garmin inReach (just because I like the current inReach better than the current spot... 2 years ago I preferred the spot)... by the time I have my truck ready to take out on it's first serious trip, I will have a minimalist CB, my all band all mode ham radio, and either an inReach, or a PLB (plus maybe a pair of FRS/GMRS HTs.) That said, Others on this board have stated they believe in Ham radio first, GMRS second, and CB last. MANY hams are biased against CB as I mentioned above, but it STILL has it's place, and does deserve more respect than SOME give it, but IF EVERY vehicle in the group has at least one licensed ham in it, 2m simplex is still going to be vastly superior for convoy communications even if just using an HT.

I am sorry this got so long, but I had a lot of information to convey.

 

[M Rose]

As has been pointed out by others, the best answer depends on your circumstances. It also depends on what those in your area use.
Every form of communications has advantages and disadvantages... each also has certain aspects of communications that it serves well, and others that it may not work for at all.
No matter what communications methods (yes plural) you choose, they do no good if you do not have someone on the other end to talk to.

<Note: I am addressing this as the opinion of someone living in the US. Different countries have different radio services, so if you are outside the United States, you may need to do some research, and please post that information to the forums here.>

Cell: Good privacy, universal user base, great interface to emergency services, but limited as to where it has coverage. (check the area you want to go against your providers coverage map. The more remote, the less likely it will function.

FRS: Good for immediately local communications. Perhaps vehicle to vehicle on a trail, but more realistically used for vehicle to spotter. They also have the advantage of being tiny so it is easy to toss a few into the vehicle for a trip. Also good for keeping in touch with the family around camp, but not if you get too far away from camp. The price is very reasonable.

GMRS: Uses the same band, and shares some frequencies with FRS. Has longer potential range, especially if you have a mobile rig with an external antenna. Additionally has the ability to use repeaters. BUT... You must be licensed, however licensing is just a matter of paying the fee and processing the paperwork. You are also very limited by line of sight.

CB: Fairly universal and license free, but it's popularity is limited due to idiots abusing the service. Good range, and easy to loan someone in the convoy a radio if you are traveling with a group. It is generally looked down on by HAMs due in large part to the previously mentioned idiots out there. It is still a good thing to have installed, even if it is one of those ultra compact radios where everything is built into the handset, or even a handy talky with a power cord and external antenna. I personally am installing one of the minimalist ultra compact CBs in my Tacoma so as to conserve space for my HAM radio gear and leaving my old Cobra for installing in my base station.

Ham Radio 2m FM voice: I am singling this out because it is more or less universal among ham radio operators. Decent range, depending on your radio, you can talk anywhere in the world if you can reach a VoIP gateway such as wires or d-star, most areas have good repeater coverage. Some of the disadvantages... You are limited in part by line of sight. You may be able to punch through the woods, but dirt and rock, not so much so. Requires a license, and taking a fairly easy test. And if you are out of your neck of the woods and or have an unusual call sign, the locals might be hesitant to talk to you until someone has identified and "vetted" you. (I speak from experience with this. I was visiting family in wisconsin a number of years ago. I was calling on 3 different local repeaters for a couple hours and not a peep. No one would respond to me... I was starting to think something was malfunctioning on my radio. Finally one of the locals looked up my call sign and called back to me with a couple questions about who I was and where I was from... He announced I was legit and next thing you know I am working a pileup on their repeater. "we didn't think you where for real with that call sign".)

Ham Radio, other VHF and UHF bands: There are a number of options, but not many are commonly used in these settings. most common you can use 10m, 6m, and .7m FM simplex or repeaters the same general statements as with the 2m FM voice. I personaly consider being able to hit the 10m repeaters to be very useful to someone overlanding due to the extended range vs other FM services, but outside of that it falls back to "what are the folks in your area using".

Ham Radio APRS: This service is a digital mode, so you have to be able to hit a gateway to do much good, but if you can reach a gateway, you can send and receive messages all over the world. You can also give your approximate or exact GPS position and track different APRS users. Like all Ham radio services, you have to have pass a test and get a license to use it, but it can be used on an entry level license. Because APRS operates primarily on 2m, it has all the same advantages and disadvantages above. Many APRS users also connect their APRS station to weather stations to share real time weather information (temp, humidity, and wind speed are not uncommon).

Ham Radio HF: Great range permitting communications half way around the world, but if you are in a valley, your signal might not be able to get out. There are a number of data modes available at this level as well including the ability to send and receive e-mail. You do have to upgrade your license to the general level (second tier), thus do have a take an additional test to use this service.There are also a number of nets you can take part in related to most any radio related field of interest, and you can almost always find SOMEONE listening.

Ham Radio HF NVIS: everything I said about HF, except because you are directing your signal vertically, it only has a range of about 500miles, but is largely unaffected by terrain. this is very handy if you are heading off in the mountain valleys, or more importantly the canyons.

Ham Radio Satellite Communications: most dual band hand held radios these days can make contact with amateur radio satellites, and like 2m FM, you at least need a technician license to do so, but I would consider this a for fun mode, not a practical mode when it comes to Overlanding. The advantage is that you are using a satellite as a repeater, so even a 5 watt hand held radio with an affordable simple antenna can make contact. Terrain is not an issue if you can see where in the sky the satellite is, but that brings us to the HUGE disadvantage to amateur satellite. You have to be able to find the satellite as it moves across the sky. typically this takes either a computer (or a cell phone app) or some very complex calculations. it also requires pointing your antenna in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. For this reason I consider it too unreliable for emergency comms except as a last resort.

Other Ham Radio operations: While the above Ham radio options are mainly focused on convoy and emergency communications, Ham radio and Overlanding are hobbies that integrate well together. In Ham radio, there are two sub hobbies in particular that go well with Overlanding. Those being grid chasing, in which radio operators try to make contacts in every map grid, and Overlanders have the equipment and skill set to be able to reach very rare unpopulated grids, which will absolutely make the day of those folks who do grid chasing. For some grid chasers, people like us might be the only chance they will have to make a once in a life time contact in an especially rare grid. The other activity we are especially well equipped for is called mountain topping. In mountain topping, the idea is to go and set up a base camp on some mountain top and see what contacts you can make. This goes hand in hand with grid chasing, but more often includes things like trying to establish microwave links between distant locations (this includes data connections, and Ham radio operators have managed to establish a wifi link across the Shenandoah Valley just to see if they could.) then there is QRP or LOW power communications in which you try to make contacts with radios that are running 5 watts or less.

PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons): some people call these EPIRB, though the two are technically different, though in practice the difference is largely in size and intended use. EPIRB is a fairly bulky device intended for use on boats traveling more than 2 miles off shore, ELTs are the aviation equivalent, and PLB is a compact personal unit. Not all of them have built in GPS, though most do. SOME are (still) designed to work with an external GPS to know their position. It is very important that you check the specs of the unit before you buy one... ONLY get one that has integrated GPS (most of them). All three units work by sending a signal to a sattelite which then sends it back to an emergency center (much like your local 911 system does). The emergency center then contacts the local authorities based on where on the map your beacon says you are.

Avalanche Beacons: If you play in avalanche country you should have one of these for each person, plus one in your glove compartment or console, especially if you are out away from your vehicle on snow mobile, ATV, or skis (also keep at least one avalanche kit with a folding probe pole, and a snow shovel as well as at least 1 snow test kit for the group, but this is veering off topic. The Avalanche beacon is valuable in avalanche country just like a PLB is for general use)

Satellite communicators such as spot and inReach are great to have if they fit in your budget they allow you to send (and in some cases receive) messages from anywhere in their coverage area (pretty much any of North America and many other places) cost is similar to having another cell phone depending on what bells and whistles you want on your service plan. I highly recommend having one of these if you are solo in remote areas. When in a group the value is somewhat diminished but can still be a life saver if you need emergency airlift out. As an added bonus, you can use the tracking function to let friends and family keep track of where you are via website or social media. (I personally recommend having one of these if you can afford the service plan, and establishing a check in schedule with friends or family where you will send them a message even if it is a pre-programed "all is well")

Sat Phone: This is the top shelf. You can be in touch with whomever you wish whenever you wish most anywhere in the world, but the cost to play on this level is steep. Still if you can afford it, it is THE luxury communications device. I would say it is over kill, but I am one who believes there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to life support.

Summery: (IN MY OPINION) Get your Ham Radio license at least at a Technician Class (General Class is much better) it is cheap, fairly easy, and gives you the most versatility. Install at least a minimalist CB in your vehicle even if you rarely use it. Get a pair of cheap midland or similar FRS/GMRS handhelds (if nothing else, they are valuable for communicating with a spotter). Finally if you can afford the service plan, get a satellite communicator. (if you convoy with friends, get a hand held CB you can loan to someone in the group who lacks comms. Not everyone is a licensed ham, and CB is the easiest to hand off to an unlicensed operator in a convoy... Then encourage your friends to get licensed as hams as well. Cost of entry is reasonably low, and the overall benefits are far greater than ANY OTHER mode of communications. I personally consider anything else to be an add on, or a substitution...

FINALLY: Whatever you choose as a mode of communications, plan for redundancy. IN THEORY with a General Class Ham Radio license, you do not need ANY other mode of communications... the versatility of ham radio means it has all the bases covered, yet I can not say this enough... always have more than one redundant life support system. This means always having at least 2 forms of communication equipment. IF I could take only 2 into the wilds with meI would go with my ham radio gear and the Garmin inReach (just because I like the current inReach better than the current spot... 2 years ago I preferred the spot)... by the time I have my truck ready to take out on it's first serious trip, I will have a minimalist CB, my all band all mode ham radio, and either an inReach, or a PLB (plus maybe a pair of FRS/GMRS HTs.) That said, Others on this board have stated they believe in Ham radio first, GMRS second, and CB last. MANY hams are biased against CB as I mentioned above, but it STILL has it's place, and does deserve more respect than SOME give it, but IF EVERY vehicle in the group has at least one licensed ham in it, 2m simplex is still going to be vastly superior for convoy communications even if just using an HT.

I am sorry this got so long, but I had a lot of information to convey.

This is all very great information. I would say you should ad it the the official OB Commo thread on Boot Camp... or submit your on BC article on Coms... i give it Five Thumbs Up.

 

[leeloo]

Nothing is stopping you to have both. A CB is not that expensive, there are small antenna designs, and it is used all over the world. For convoy work is good enough and for long distance travel is useful because you get warnings about speed traps and other issues that you might have on the road. Tough the frequencies in use might differ a bit from continent to continent, most units now have a selectable region, so if you go from the US to South America or Africa, you can still use it easily.

 

[MattLew]

This is all very great information. I would say you should ad it the the official OB Commo thread on Boot Camp... or submit your on BC article on Coms... i give it Five Thumbs Up.

thank you... but that is just off the cuff rantings of my opinions... nowhere near ready for broadway, if you really think it should be a BC article, I can see about working on writing something better up, but it would likely take a while before I was happy with it.

 

[M Rose]

I was being serious...

 

[Downs]

GMRS: Uses the same band, and shares some frequencies with FRS. Has longer potential range, especially if you have a mobile rig with an external antenna. Additionally has the ability to use repeaters. BUT... You must be licensed, however licensing is just a matter of paying the fee and processing the paperwork. You are also very limited by line of sight.

To be clear, they share all of the simplex frequencies. When they made all those rule changes in 2017 they combined both services so now all 22 simplex channels are shared. The only differences being bandwidth settings and power. FRS will be narrowband and 2 watts on all channels except for the center channels 8-14

1-7
FRS
2 watts Narrowband (12.5 khz)
GMRS
5 watts Wideband (20 khz)

8-14
FRS and GMRS
0.5 watts and Narrowband

15-22
FRS
2 watts Narrowband
GMRS
50 watts Wideband

23-30
GMRS repeater inputs only (no FRS operation)
50 watts Wideband

These repeater inputs are all between those low power narrowband frequencies on channels 8-14 which is why I'm guessing the FCC kept those at .5 watts and narrowband.