what ham radio sys would you need

[ted]

in case of bad floods storms or tornados or jest right out kaos where people can listen to police fire and amb, plus still be able to communicate with each other to help or protect others and come together tgo frends and family and to come together as one unit to support each other.

[bigwakes]

I would get a Yeasu hand held radio. They are 5 Watts and dual band. The Williamson County repeated system is pretty amazing. Most of the ham towers in the county are on the same towers as police and fire radios with the same backup generator running the system. That tells me they would be up even if all hell broke loose. If you can talk to one tower in the county you can talk to all of them because it is a linked repeated system. The HT (handy talkie) is the best option for a first radio.

[ted]

where can you get one and how do you go about getting a permit

[enfield]

ARRL | Licensing, Education & Training | Getting on the Air

[bigwakes]

Your in Williamson county, so the first place to go is WCARES.ORG they have a tremendous amount of information and are always happy to help newcomers. I took a class through those guys and they sponsored the test that I took too.

[tnhawk]

where can you get one and how do you go about getting a permit

You'll need a Technician License at a minimum, for Amateur Radio. Find an amateur radio club near you and they will inform you of classes to prepare you to pass the test.

[TGO David]

Hand-held is fine if you're in an area with good repeater coverage, but I would honestly recommend a 12-volt mobile (vehicle mount) radio as my first and only radio if I could have just one. Reasons:

1. Higher power output

2. Better reception / transmission courtesy of more antenna options

3. Typically easier to use courtesy of larger surface for operating controls

4. More versatile since you can mount it in a vehicle, operate it from a 120Vac to 12Vdc power supply, or operate completely off the grid with 12Vdc battery supply, possibly served from solar power.

Just my $0.02 worth on the matter as someone who's been playing with amateur radio (General Class) for about a year now.

As for where to buy, I have used and can recommend both Gigaparts.com and Ham Radio Outlet.

[TGO David]

FWIW, I also have another Yaesu FT-7900R radio (2m/70cm) less than 6mos old that I might be willing to sell soon. I am probably going to put a different radio in my truck soon and have to go with something smaller, and sadly more expensive, because of space limitations. The 7900R is a great radio.

PM me if you're interested. I'll get around to listing it for sale officially sooner or later.

[Guest Skully]

$110 + accessories that you may want.Wouxun KG-UVD1P - KG-UV2D - KG-UV920R Mobile Transceiver

great guy to deal with.

[R_Bert]

Hand-held is fine if you're in an area with good repeater coverage, but I would honestly recommend a 12-volt mobile (vehicle mount) radio as my first and only radio if I could have just one. Reasons:

1. Higher power output

2. Better reception / transmission courtesy of more antenna options

3. Typically easier to use courtesy of larger surface for operating controls

4. More versatile since you can mount it in a vehicle, operate it from a 120Vac to 12Vdc power supply, or operate completely off the grid with 12Vdc battery supply, possibly served from solar power.

Just my $0.02 worth on the matter as someone who's been playing with amateur radio (General Class) for about a year now.

As for where to buy, I have used and can recommend both Gigaparts.com and Ham Radio Outlet.

+1000

Handhelds are no substitute for a decent mobile unit. HTs are primarily dependant on a repeater system (lose the repeater and you are screwed), whereas the mobiles can easily accomodate reliable *stand-alone* comms in the 10-25 mile range (or more). The receiver audio quality and output, along with a more ergonomically suited microphone will provide more comfort, and overcome distractions during extended EMCOMMS.

Use the HT for its intended purpose...fill in the gap until you get to or can set up a better radio system (or operate as a remote to a real radio).

Bert (K4AR, 37 yrs on the air)

[TGO David]

Use the HT for its intended purpose...fill in the gap until you get to or can set up a better radio system (or operate as a remote to a real radio).

Bert (K4AR, 37 yrs on the air)

Not to mention with certain mobile units with cross-band repeating built in (Yaesu 8800 comes to mind) you can bounce your hand-held through them and get out further than with the hand-held alone. This is very useful on hikes and such, provided your mobile is operating off of non-switched 12Vdc power. Which is yet another reason why I'd start with the mobile first.

[Guest jdcjr]

+1000

Handhelds are no substitute for a decent mobile unit. HTs are primarily dependant on a repeater system (lose the repeater and you are screwed), whereas the mobiles can easily accommodate reliable *stand-alone* comms in the 10-25 mile range (or more). The receiver audio quality and output, along with a more ergonomically suited microphone will provide more comfort, and overcome distractions during extended EMCOMMS.

Use the HT for its intended purpose...fill in the gap until you get to or can set up a better radio system (or operate as a remote to a real radio).

Bert (K4AR, 37 yrs on the air)

+1

Absolutely correct!

James (N5ZFK)

[tnhawk]

I learned quickly that both a mobile radio and HT are desirable for VHF communications.

KJ4WOU

[cybernorris]

Ok, stupid question as I haven't been an active ham for over a decade... is code still required to go beyond Tech?

[Guest bkelm18]

Ok, stupid question as I haven't been an active ham for over a decade... is code still required to go beyond Tech?

No.

[R_Bert]

Ok, stupid question as I haven't been an active ham for over a decade... is code still required to go beyond Tech?

Code is no longer required at all.

[cybernorris]

Am on my way to ARRL site with the casual thought of upgrading to General Class.... Thanks!

[tnhawk]

It shouldn't take long to upgrade to General and the additional bands offer long distance communications.

[Makiaveli]

Couple questions for you oh so educated types

Do you have to have a permit just to own one? As in, I buy one and store it in case of disaster?

Second, back in the late 80's I got a permit of some type since I was working at a small airport and needed it for the radio we had there. I don't believe it had any kind of expiration, but I have long since lost the actual card. Any chance it's valid still and if so would it have anything to do with Ham type radios?

[BigJim]

Makiaveli,

No permit required to purchase and listen to ham radio. As far as the permit you got in the 80's, I have no idea. I would imagine it has expired. I would encourage you to get an amateur radio license. It is really not that difficult, and if you buy a ham radio you might as well be able to use it.

[R_Bert]

Couple questions for you oh so educated types

Do you have to have a permit just to own one? As in, I buy one and store it in case of disaster?

Second, back in the late 80's I got a permit of some type since I was working at a small airport and needed it for the radio we had there. I don't believe it had any kind of expiration, but I have long since lost the actual card. Any chance it's valid still and if so would it have anything to do with Ham type radios?

You may own, and listen without a license, but under no circumstances are allowed to transmit without a amateur license. There are no exceptions for disaster, etc.

Anyone, with a class license with sufficient priviledges may operate any amateur radio (even if owned by you).

As easy as the license are to obtain, it should not be an issue.

BTW, it is illegal for a ham radio operator to communicate with a non-licensee on the ham bands (and most ops will ignore). At a very few times, armed forces stations have had special permission granted by their command *and* the FCC, but generally they operate split-frequency and each service transmits in its own proper band.

Hope that helps.

[tnhawk]

Couple questions for you oh so educated types

Do you have to have a permit just to own one? As in, I buy one and store it in case of disaster?

Second, back in the late 80's I got a permit of some type since I was working at a small airport and needed it for the radio we had there. I don't believe it had any kind of expiration, but I have long since lost the actual card. Any chance it's valid still and if so would it have anything to do with Ham type radios?

The FCC permit used for flying and airport use doesn't permit legal operation on the Amateur Radio bands.

[Makiaveli]

Ok thanks to all for that. Will add it to my Things to Do Before the World Ends list then

[Wingshooter]

I know this thread is about a year old, but I am about to start studying for the Tech, and I found this thread to be informative. I would like to take the test mid September.

Besides a fun and useful hobby, I would like to have a means of communicating with my brother in Florida should the traditional methods fail. He is getting started in it too, so it's a learning experience for both of us. I want a moble unit in my truck that I can also use as a base unit if desired. I have been looking at the Yaesu FT-857D and the FT-7900R. Just wondering if the HF and increased wattage of the FT-857D are really worth the extra $$. I assume I will need to go further than Tech to use HF.

Do I understand it right that with VHF/UHF I will need repeaters to reach Florida and HF can do it without repeaters under the right conditions?

Edited August 5, 2012 by Batman

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Not trying to make hay out of licensing, but there is one scenario where you might end up using

one where there would be no licensing authority left to worry about. Might even be the last thing

to communicate with except for a can and two strings.

That also means you have to have batteries or something to power it with.