Talk me into or out of a HAM license.

[Traxx]

A little back ground.
I have been using CB radios, ohhhh for 30ish years. So, I am inclined to install one in the F-150. Sometimes its nice to listen to the truckers when I am on a long road trip, but they have gotten weird over the last few years, and of course the dirty signals some of them broadcast.
I would be installing a old magnum 257, I love these. Good clean signal, not loud but very clear.
I don't know much about HAM and what benefit I can get out of it.
Some considerations. Cost, non invasive install, clarity, ease of use. I am not really into the whole power thing, clean signal is the stuff for me.

 

[joshjunior]

Most are moving away from cb radios. I know my local club almost exclusively runs ham and the dual band baofeng handhelds

 

[Ubiety]

Who do you want to talk to? Get what they have.

 

[M Rose]

I have CB, ham, and will soon have GMRS... the deal is as @Greg Eigsti pointed out... it doesn’t matter what you have if no one else is using the Coms you use. Now going solo is a whole different matter... nothing beats HF for distance and usefulness.

 

[Dlnuckolls]

I agree you should use whatever the folks your interacting use. The clubs I meet with here in my area are CB and GMRS users, so that’s what I pack in my gear. I also will be getting a ham license, for future use.

 

[Traxx]

Okay, so no real reason to go for the HAM.

 

[Boort]

@Traxx

I switched to HAM earlier this year after getting together with the OB folks in my area. I was previously using FRS and was just about the only one on this outing. I passed off one of my FRS radios to one of the HAMs and they relayed comms so that I could be kept in the loop. The FRS was limited in range and on a couple of obstacles where we were separated reception was weak at best. (I heard that GMRS and a rig based CB are both better for this than FRS.) A big benefit at least in Colorado is we have a well connected repeater network through out the state that has volunteers who monitor for emergency traffic so if you can get on the repeater network from your location you can get help if needed. (Details at Colorado Emergency Reporting Net). As I mentioned in another thread you can also get location specific weather info by receiving the NWS WX stations; Frequency for given areas are at https://www.weather.gov/nwr/station_listing.

The Technician license was fairly easy to pass after studying for a bit with HamStudy.org. and the testing fee was far less than the GMRS license. (though I hear that may be changing, so if you are considering getting your HAM license you probably want to do so sooner than later.) I'm still learning.

Boort

 

[M Rose]

Okay, so no real reason to go for the HAM.

Is no real reason? The ability to communicate at 5 watts of power reliably is enough reason for me... look up QRP. The things you can do on 2m are so much better than on 11m. I said I have a cb... it is the last means of coms, and usually only monitored, I did one trip this year where the cb was actually used... the rest of my trips 2m was where the coms were happening... again thinking of getting a gmrs radio just for monitoring.

 

[Ubiety]

Okay, so no real reason to go for the HAM.

HAM allows many more “activities” than something like CB or GMRS. For instance APRS can report your position to the internet and WinLink can send/receive email with your radio and a computer. There is a lot more open to hams and it’s pretty simple to pass the technician test. All depends on what you are after - yakking on the trails or a new hobby :) Hahaha.

 

[Ubiety]

Is no real reason? The ability to communicate at 5 watts of power reliably is enough reason for me... look up QRP. The things you can do on 2m are so much better than on 11m. I said I have a cb... it is the last means of coms, and usually only monitored, I did one trip this year where the cb was actually used... the rest of my trips 2m was where the coms were happening... again thinking of getting a gmrs radio just for monitoring.

Agree that in our area GMRS use is high enough to warrant a mobile. Rino is a great little GMRS radio but mobile is where it’s at ;)

 

[Traxx]

Well, it looks like now you want to talk me into it. Before it was like Mehhh. What gives?
I think I will still pass on it and the CB.

 

[Ubiety]

Well, it looks like now you want to talk me into it. Before it was like Mehhh. What gives?
I think I will still pass on it and the CB.

Nobody trying to talk anybody into anything, just trying to help inform so the best decisions are made. If you want to yak in the trails and put the radio down when not in use the CB or GMRS are the likeley choices. CB is dead in most regions so you will want to see what other locals are using so you can chat with them out on trails. If you see RF as a big interesting mystery and want to play and learn in this space then HAM is the way to go. It’s all up to you.

 

[Prerunner1982]

If you are going to be out and about on your own a ham radio is a great tool to have.
There are many places that have linked repeater networks that coverage very large areas in case you need to reach out to someone for assistance.
With ham radio you can also use it to track yourself, send SMS text messages, and emails. This requires an infrastructure with internet gateway which isn't quite as expansive as normal ham radio repeaters but can still be a neat tool.

Group comms.... use what they use or try to convert them to something better.

Perhaps this thread may help: OB Approved - US Comms - An Introduction to your communication options