Firstly apologies if this is a stupid question, newly licensed and still learning, and there isnt much material out there for the question i have.

Im putting together a camping kit with PRS radios (Licence free UHF in NZ)
Running 5w handhelds, and a 5w mobile base station ill be keeping at camp

Reason for PRS / License free is my kids can have and use them as well, and anyone we are going camping with.

My understanding from my 4WD research is that a high gain antenna will be 'flatter' then a lower gain one, so while its good for flat roads, if you are in a hilly area, its not the best.

EG post: https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/eatter/lower_gain_antenna_better_in_hilly_terrain/

I was investigating getting a dual antenna setup for the base station,
One being a low gain antenna, currently looking at ones rated at 3-5 db, and a high gain one, locally i can get one rated at 10 db.

However im not sure what would be best for each camping location

EG one location we like to go has a big hill in the way, and my little handhelds even though we were only 4-500m away, the hill was destroying the signal.

I feel like in this instance the lower gain antenna would do better as its more 'rounded' so would get over the hill better? or am I reading that wrong?

If that is right, and my understanding is right, i feel like having both a low gain and a high gain antenna would be a nice mix being able to get signal distance vs area (bad word choice?)
Am I right in thinking this, or am I going down the wrong path?

Following on from that, if there would be a benefit to two antennas, how would I best go about setting it up?
My first plan was to put a switch near the base and just run one or the other, and whoever is running the radio can swap between the two depending on what sounds better.

My second (and bad plan) started looking at a way to combine them, but that seemed like it was just asking for trouble.

The third plan (cost more but might be worth it?) is there are some mobile units out there with dual antenna and advertise being able to switch internally depending on better signal type.
EG oricom uhf182

However im not sure if those are more suited to two antennas in different locations, or two different types of antenna.

Again apologies if I am just going down the wrong path here, or fully getting something wrong, but if you don't ask you never learn.

HI all,

I'm AJ7CM, Andy, new Extra class. I've seen a few prepper posts on here asking variants of the same question:

"I have family [one state over / next nearest city / 150 miles away]. How can I reach them in an emergency when the [grid is down / stuff hits the fan / without any other infrastructure]? My budget is $500."

Some hams will invariably pile on the post to laugh at the silly prepper. I'll take a more open minded view. Emergency communications is a perfectly valid entry into the hobby, and many of us are on a budget. As long as they're coming into this eyes wide open, I think it's a great question. So I tried to use my HF station to suss out the feasibility. The writeup below is intended as a resource when this question comes up again, so I can point to it and hopefully help someone out.

TL;DR: I think you can set up emergency area (100-200mi radius) daytime comms for $400-$500, using a 5w QRP and a wire antenna, and make it actually work. Yes, you have to get licensed, and there's a good reason for it.

I have a basic HF radio (Xiegu G90) and a wire antenna at NVIS height (40M EFHW at 15' above ground). This afternoon at 1pm PST, I tried the following with my station set to 5W in Seattle:

• Sending FT8 on 10m (DX) and 40m (NVIS)
• Sending CW to get picked up on Reverse Beacon

Then I had a ham friend in Portland (150 miles away) try setting his rig to 5W and use his NVIS antenna (71ft EFRW at 14' AGL). We tested the following:

• Having a short chat on JS8Call
• Getting a signal report on CW

This was done on good band conditions (MUF 32, FoF2 11, SFI 216, SN 156, HF Conditions listed as 'GOOD,' geomag field quiet, noise level S1-S2 by N0NBH's estimation).

Here's what I found:

• FT8 on 5W on daytime 10M (MUF of 32) with my basic antenna showed a few immediate area signals on PSKReporter (I think from direct wave), then a skip zone for ~2 states, then the rest of the country showing solid reception. Switching to 40m (below the FoF2 of 11) for NVIS netted me pickups on PSKReporter in the immediate 4-state area and nearby province of Canada with strong signals, which pushed into the skip zone not covered at higher frequency
• My CW at 5w on 40m was picked up by a station ~150 miles away on Reverse Beacon Network at +33db. I listened in on a similar strength (+30db on RBN) signal and it was clear and copyable
• JS8Call was completely usable on a distance of 150 miles with two NVIS wire antenna at 5w on each end. My SNR on his station was +07, he showed up to me at -10. We had an easy, keyboard to keyboard chat that seemed natural, if a bit slow. One message didn't fully receive (showed "..."), but it would be easy enough to ask again.
• My ham buddy called my CW send at 150mi NVIS 'S5, readable, easy copy'

So, at 150 mile distance you'd have usable CW and completely workable digital comms during the daytime on 5w with a low wire. But how the heck do you do this? If you're a prepper who wants to reach your family, what's the budget to do this on the cheap??

Here's my modest proposal, which should net similar results. There are definitely other ways to do it, but this gives an idea:

• Radio: QMX+: $150 as a kit, $210 assembled. You can run CW out of the box, and JS8Call with a direct usb connection to your laptop. (https://qrp-labs.com/qmxp.html)
• Power supply: A Bioenno 12Ah battery with a charger: $140. The QMX draws 80mA on receive and 700mA on transmit. This battery would keep you trucking along on JS8Call for 24+ hours. (https://www.bioennopower.com/products/12volt-12ah-lifepo4-battery?variant=21682380357)
• Antenna: A $40 EFHW kit (https://km4ack.square.site/product/49-1-efhw-antenna-kit/34), or a MyAntenna EFHW 4010LP: $134 assembled (. You'd want to get this at 20-25 feet up to get 40M NVIS
• Coax and lightning arrestor: $50 for Amazon brand (i.e. generic RG8X and a Proxicast arrestor)
• Total: $534 assembled, or $380 with the radio and antenna as a kit. Add $40 for a basic CW paddle from CW Morse (https://cwmorse.us/products/army-green-pocket-double-paddle-morse-code-key)

But that's not your entire budget. You also need to budget time. For a prepper, an HF radio doesn't work the same as a sat phone that you can pick up and use. You'd need to budget:

• 1-2 weeks to study for and pass the amateur radio technician exam
• 2-3 weeks to study for and pass the general exam (with an understanding that both ends / every end of your link needs this license)
• A few days to set your radio up, figure out how to get your coax outside, and where to put your antenna. It'll take trial and error
• A few weeks of tinkering and listening on your radio learn about solar weather, propagation, and bands
• A few days to identify, locate, and fight the RF interference in your house
• Time to get digital modes set up and working (takes a few days of fiddling)
• Time to make a family comms plan (i.e. PACE plan) for when to check in, on which frequencies, with which modes, and what alternates to use if they aren't working. You can't just pick up the radio and hope the person on the other end is there

A few FAQs that I've seen or heard:

Q1. Do I really need a license?

A1: Yes, you do. You need practice to make ham radio work. It's not plug and play. Using any frequency in immediate threat of life and death is fine, we know this. Practicing without a license is illegal, and using your radio without practice is a surefire way to fail. Studying the right way for the license tests also teaches you how to use your radio, so why skip it?

And besides, practicing 'in peacetime' is fun. It may turn into a hobby.

Q2: My [brother / uncle] bought a [Baofeng] and he says he can talk to us in [Cleveland] from [Toledo], is he right?

A2: No. VHF/UHF radios like the classic Baofeng are also 5w, but those frequencies rely on line of sight. In the city, they're good for 0.5-2 miles maybe. In the country, with good terrain, a dozen miles maybe. You can reach out much further with repeaters, which can bounce your signal using their more powerful antenna and transmit power (and usually their good positioning on mountains or tall buildings). They're worth a try, especially given they're inexpensive and permissions are included in your Technician license. But they're not magic.

Q3: Can I make my own radio? Why are these so expensive?

A3: Ham radio has a long history of experimentation and homebrew. If you get your license and want to homebrew a radio, welcome! More power to you. It's doubtful you'd get better results than the low power (QRP) radios already on the market, thought. Doubly so if you include the dollar value of your time

Q4: Why do I need to practice? In movies from the 90s, people pick up a mic and call 'mayday' and then a chopper arrives.

A4: The frequency spectrums for amateur radio are large, and people are on there communicating in a variety of modes (voice, digital, morse). Band conditions constantly change. Someone isn't going to hear you if you just pick up the mic. You'll probably need to learn how to find bands that are open for that time of day and solar weather, find other contacts or nets in progress, or have advance planning with the specific person you want to talk to (before the disaster happens!) about how to reach them and when (i.e. call each other on 7.078 JS8Call at Noon and 3PM every day). Having a plan and schedule will also keep you from burning up precious battery.

Q5: What about voice? Can't I just call someone on the radio?

A5: Yes and no. Voice is much less efficient than a mode like Morse. Your voice is spread over a wide range of frequencies, where morse is a single tone. This means that your voice doesn't reach out as far. A common saying is that 5 watts of cw / morse is equivalent to 100w of voice. Digital modes like JS8Call rely on amazing feats of math and science to dig signals out of the noise, and can reach out even further than noise, because computers can spot signals humans can't always hear.

Q6: The test looks hard. Do I really need to?

A6: Yes. Planning a deep pantry, a backup water supply, and a go-bag is hard and complicated too. You can do it.

Q7: What about a satellite phone? Or a Garmin? Or my iPhone's satellite messaging?

A7: Those are awesome options. Some can be more expensive (i.e. a standalone satellite phone with a voice mode), and some require a monthly subscription (Garmin, satellite phones).

There are some pros of ham radio against satellite options:

• It doesn't have monthly fees
• It's a fun hobby that can help you meet people
• You learn valuable skills about things like electronics, space weather, morse code, and anything else you're interested in

There are also significant downsides vs. satellite options:

• Every household that wants to be in the communication network / link / chain in your plan needs a licensed ham operator, which means the people on the other end need to care and be willing to learn. Often, the people asking about comms on here are very motivated - and the other end of the link may not be prepper, or may not want to put in any work.
• Band conditions change by the day, and often by the minute. You can have your conversation interrupted by a solar flare and completely lose each other. Satellites are 'pick it up and dial,' and radios are not

A basic guide to your psychology as a ham radio operator. This is tongue in cheek only!

In this method, we combine the worst of pop psychology with the world's most annoying question:

"You already own three of these, why did you just buy another?"

Instructions: Please think of the type of radio & operation that is MOST interesting / captivating to you, in general (averaging for passage of your time in the hobby).

Think about the prices you usually pay, the type of radio you usually buy, the band(s) you like, are you a QRPer, which mode do you generally prefer, etc.

Then review the List of Meanings, below.

This will give you your eternal answer to: Why DO I keep buying this / doing this / getting sucked into this? What is my unconscious psychology telling me I need to focus on?

List of Meanings

• Type of radio: Difficulty level of your usual problems in life (HT = movement OK = easy unless you are not active. Desk = sit down & focus = easy unless you can't sit still or focus)
• Band: How often you should work on your problems, and what kind of activity is required (higher frequency = more thinking, more frequent activity)
• Transmit Power: How much effort you should consider spending, in trying out potential solutions to your problems (more power = more effort)
• Working Range, in General: How far out (in time) your biggest problems are right now (less distance = short-range problems, maybe problems for today or this week. More distance = longer-range problems - how to plan for the next 10-20Y for example)
• Rx Range: How much attention you are usually giving to your problems (longer range = not enough)
• Tx Range: How far ahead in time your solution must apply (very short range = today / next week; long range = 10-20Y)
• Sensitivity: How much detail-focus your problems require
• Mode: How fancy the solution to your problems will need to be (CW = not fancy at all; FT8 = so sorry to break this news but you may need to focus on some really efficient and possibly novel solutions to your problems)
• Number of Radios you Own: How common it is for you to be confronted by this kind of problem. Maybe your solutions to this scope of problem-solving aren't as sticky, or efficient, as they could be.
• Meaning of Radio Cost: How much interest and involvement it will take to work on the problem(s) in front of you right now, to avert big complications. (Low cost = lower interest; high cost = more interest, involvement, will)
• Any Other Gear (collecting antennas, building ham shack furniture, etc.): Your problem is related, but also really weird...I mean special! :-)

Bonus: Philosophical Meaning of Ham Radio & You

• "To me, ham radio is about science": Your life problems should be approached via formal trial and error methods. Perhaps you spend too much time imagining what will probably happen, rather than actively testing your ideas. You may tend to get stuck as an ideas-person. Especially if you have a favorite sci-fi TV show or fandom.
• "To me, ham radio is about talking, and connecting people": Your problems cannot be easily solved internally / on your own, without integrating new perspectives somehow. Perhaps you need to connect with information-oriented people, not just anybody, and get out of your own mind. As special as it is in there!
• "To me, ham radio is mostly about listening, learning what's out there. A quiet hobby": Your problems require structured introspection, for example adding some structure and organization to the thoughts in your mind. Perhaps you spend too much time in random time-wasting or watching Youtube. Perhaps you have consumed enough information to power 100 Nobel-winning scientists by now, and it's time to publish some ideas, methods, or experiments of your own.
• "To me, ham radio is about building stuff": Your best approach to life is hands-on. Perhaps you talk too much. Wayyy too much.

73 all.

Marc KM6NHH

I am not a ham radio operator but am thinking about it. Honest news sources are being threatened and law enforcement, like the FBI, is being dismantled. I feel like I will soon be living in Vichy France. Are you seeing an increasing interest in having a ham radio in order to stay in touch with other like minded citizens?

Hi,

I live in Japan and want to get a Ham radio license.

I am new to this and don’t currently have a license in any country.

Thanks.

EDIT: sorry, thought I said, I’m in the US. :)

Hi :)

I’m a beginner. I’ve narrowing down my licensing classes. I’m obviously looking at the next step! When I’ve looked, I’ve realized this is a purchase I’ll need to save up for.

So, for an introductory radio, what is a less expensive set up that is good great quality? All I have really learned from reading through a few subs is that Baofengs are over hyped and not what you want.

I’d like to have this available if we lose NOAA like we’ve been warned is going to happen. I’d also like to be able to talk to friends across the country if comms went out. And general community :)

Thanks for any direction!

Will antenna height help with further range versus just having more output power? I have a 5ghz WiFi sector antenna setup with the max FCC Eirp of 36dbm (4 watts). I’m able to go about 1800-2000 feet away line of sight with the antenna setup on a tripod mast 8ft off the ground with level terrain before I just about lose signal on my iPhone. Will giving the antenna more height improve range? Thank you

I am an experienced extra-class ham. I am too old to erect an antenna at my location. Do you know where I can tune in using my Windows laptop? I would like a receiver on the West Coast of the US. I want HF, CW, and SSB.

I still don’t understand it :D

What the title says lmk what yall think if i have any chance of accomplishing this i am an electrician by trade and i am handy

I have an Radioddity GD-77, unfortunately I've lost the programming cable and Radioddity don't sell those anymore. So now I'm looking for an alternative.

From what I understand the GD-77 has it's USB circuits built in, so cables with built in chips (like Baofeng or Wouxon cables) won't work, it needs to be a cable that's basically just a pin-through cable.

Any ideas on where to find a suitable cable?

Maybe I am just missing some sort of basic understanding of radio waves, but I am studying for my technician license and I am having trouble understanding all the abbreviations mentioned and most of those abbreviations are not explained in the study material I have to go look them up. Does anyone have any tips or advice for keeping all the frequencies and abbreviations straight?

I need to receive a few Frequencies of Radio Signals for a school project. Is there any cheap sdr receiver that can do the job? I don't need great reach or high definition or anything like that. Just the bare minimum

My quansheng radio just arrived, and I think I have everything setup, I have copied the radio frequencies used from BD502 from Hytera and it seems to work just fine. Running at frequency 154.490 at CTC 67mhz. I'm afraid to test this without knowing if I'll get the FCC on me, but from what I'm reading 154 is a channel you are allowed to use without a ham license correct?

Hi, I've recently passed my foundation level exam and have been trying to get a call sign on the ofcom website. However I am having trouble finding a suffix, whatever I enter is not availble. Is there a problem with the website? Can anyone advise me please? Thank you

With a ham radio license, of course.

As far as I'm aware, there are no rules regarding what radio protocol must be followed? So is it not against the rules?

I know most people won't care, especially if its very low power <5 mile range. But I'm still curious as to the TRUE legality of it, is it legal or not?

Edit, some clarification:
There are many FRS radios within the 2m band that are capable of transmitting "SMS" protocol. I'm not actually certain what it is exactly, but it seems to be unique to FRS and seemingly isn't related to AX.25 or other commonly used protocols. However if someone can enlighten me that would be much appreciated. An example is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Ailunce-Waterproof-Channels-Rechargeable-Compatible/dp/B076V85XPM?th=1

example datasheet:
http://www.sunrisedigit.com/product/30-en.html

I just bought one of these toughpads from a guy updating the tablets at the big 3 factories. They swap them out every 2-2.5 years. You can damn near drive a truck over these. Since I spent less than a decent Dual band HT, I can spend more on the gobox. What would recommend?

Hi all, I’m hoping to find the right individual or individuals to get me up to speed. Back story, I’m a special forces veteran who primarily worked with HT’s communications with ground and air-frames. I separated from the military almost 10 years ago and have since joined the career firefighting world, both structural and wildland.

I’m not a preparedness nut but I do understand and respect the power of communication when all else fails.

Hence why I’m here. I’ve gotten my FCC license and purchased my first ham radio, of course it’s a baofeng) UV-21R. I’ve been silently listening and learning. I proceeded to purchase the Kenwood Th-D75A to learn digital APRS applications to further my comms plan.

All that being said I’m looking for an incredibly knowledgeable person with this equipment to be able to ask questions and or test certain aspects of this equipment with.

Thanks in advance.

Can someone shed some light on why the NEC requires an antenna system be grounded to the homes electrical grounding system even if you install a separate grounding rod closer to your antenna, And why that extra rod would still need to be bonded to the homes electrical grounding rod?

Grounding makes sense, I'm just not understanding the reasons they say to do it this way.

I am playing with the 33cm band but have trouble finding information. It seems it is like FRS/GMRS, using mostly the same frequency but with different rules. These rules are easy to find about what a "unlicensed" FRS user can do vs a licensed GMRS user. But for 33cm I can't find what a "unlicensed" user can do vs a licensed one can. Can an "unlicensed" user use repeaters? What is the max power output for this band and different users?

Trying to get an old amplifier project up and running, wanna try to buy some used tubes to save a buck, let me know if ya got some laying around

Hey everyone,

I apologize in advance, I know this might not be the right subreddit, but I assume you have enough knowledge to help me.

I recently got an RTL-SDR V4 and have been experimenting with various RX antennas to improve signal reception in my environment (I live in an apartment on the top floor of a building, on the outskirts of the city). However, I seem to be having some issues when building antennas because I feel like my antennas are getting worse and worse... Here are a few examples:

1. ADS-B Antenna:

The first antenna I built consisted of a small plastic-coated metal jar lid, with 8 radials made from 1.5mm copper wire extending from the coax center, and the same wire for the vertical element. The coax was RG174-U (50Ω), and the shield was barely wrapped around each radial under the lid (I had about 1.5 cm of wire under the lid to hold the radials in place). I assume this made it a mid-fed connection. The radials and vertical element were about 69mm long. Reception was AMAZING! I was getting signals from 300 km away through my room’s window without any issues.

Then, I decided to build a second and third version... I 3D-printed an 8-sided truncated pyramid, covered the flat top with aluminum tape to simulate the jar lid, and precisely soldered the wires to the foil. I measured everything accurately, but this time, I connected the coax shield above the pyramid to the aluminum foil (which I assume made it an end-fed antenna). The result? Barely 100 km range.

Okay, version 3: I connected the coax shield inside the pyramid, below the antenna's top, and linked it to the radials... Even worse reception, barely seeing one or two nearby planes and not even receiving all the data...

2. Ground-Plane Antenna:

Same issue... I initially built one using copper wire for the radials and vertical element, with a slightly larger jar lid in the center. The coax shield was loosely wrapped around the radials, but the reception was great—picking up signals between 100-500 MHz, lots of noise but stable signals. The radials were about 60-70 cm long, bent at around 45 degrees with pliers.

Then, I tried to improve it. I 3D-printed another pyramid with precise angles and replaced the copper wire with telescopic antennas (so I could adjust the length of the radials/vertical element). Again, I first connected the coax shield above the pyramid (end-fed), and the result? Horrible reception.

I realized my mistake and reconnected the coax mid-fed (inside the pyramid). I used a 1.5mm copper wire to connect the telescopic elements inside the antenna housing and properly soldered everything. Reception improved slightly but was still terrible compared to the first version. FM radio was full of static, DAB was choppy and cutting out—a total disappointment.

3. MiniWhip (PA0RDT):

I also built this antenna for the 500 kHz - 30 MHz range, and it works reasonably well, though with a lot of noise. My biggest issue with this one is that my entire waterfall display is vibrating (I don’t have DC voltage on the coax, since the antenna is powered through the coax). I suspect the issue might be that I didn't use a J310 transistor, but some substitute. So, even with this antenna, I'm not very happy.

Questions:

• What am I doing wrong?
• Is this just Murphy’s Law at work—if an antenna works well, no matter how badly built, it’s best not to touch it?
• Does end-fed vs. mid-fed connection really make such a huge difference in reception, and am I even doing it correctly?
• I usually don’t use connectors for the coax-to-antenna connection—I just solder the coax directly to the antenna parts. Could that be a problem?
• Does using different metals cause issues? (e.g., I have no idea what metal my telescopic antennas are made of—they barely accept solder.)
• Does it matter if the aluminum tape I use isn’t completely smooth but slightly wrinkled?
• Does the exact physical location where I connect the coax shield to the radials and how much the coax core is "exposed" significantly affect reception?

I am looking for a good "pocket radio" with weather for use away from my home/radio shack. Both of these seem to get good reviews and run ~$65. It appears Grundig is no longer in this part (radios) of the market. I'm not opposed Tecsun or others as long as they work well and are reasonably durable for normal abuses like light rain, drops, etc. Good AM/FM reception is needed in addition to NOAA channels.

My Qdosen DX-286 works well but, is a bit large and lacks weather channels.

What type connection is the IF? I tried a RCA and a SMA. It’s not either one. Trying to tie in a RSPDX to use as a panadaptor on a Kenwood TS-830

Hey, apologies, I searched the sub but I’m pretty overwhelmed by the results—I’m looking to get a small in-home setup to be able to touch base with my family/get information if there’s an in-place disaster and the internet/cell systems goes down. Couple specifics:

• We are both in the States on the west coast.

• We know we need licenses but I’m unsure of which kind specifically for our needs

• budget is variable. Ideally inexpensivish wrt our purposes.

• One of us worked communications in the military and is an electrical engineer so if there’s a set up that would work best for us but is initially complicated that’s…probably ok?

So a couple of years ago I went out and got my technician's license. Now I'm wanting to upgrade to my general but when I go to the Coors website to verify my FRN number, I'm unable to log in.

The website says my account doesn't exist for the email that I inputted. It's the only email I've had and it's the only one I used so I'm a little confused here. If I never had a Coors account, how in the hell did I get an FRN number to get my current technician's license?! 🤣😑

Has this happened to anyone else? Did the accounts just poof disappear? Do I need to remake an account and somehow associate it with my current FRN number?