I kept mine easy. No modification to the vehicle. There is plenty of room for the radios under the seat. APRS works great.
Lets see those HAM radios (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter half k cruiser
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
How many radios do you need?
Looks like one for HF and one for VHF/UHF.
Some great info Don. I'm curious who all is licensed? I've studied and am taking the test sometime soon when I can. If you are really interested in getting a ham set up I highly recommend the license - not only is it required by federal law, but you'll learn a lot just studying for it and understand things like why antenna length matters, etc. There is a lot more to it than just buying the unit and antenna and connecting them, as Don has pointed out.
I STILL don't see an ideal place for a faceplate in the GX (IMO), lol, but these are some good ideas and pics, thx guys
I STILL don't see an ideal place for a faceplate in the GX (IMO), lol, but these are some good ideas and pics, thx guys
Do the doors close with the faceplates mounted like that?
HAM License test is like Spanish class in high school, you learn stuff to pass the test but you don't learn something useful like having a conversation!
Personally, I just use the Simplex channels out on the trail where no one ever uses the call letters. The license was pointless. I am licensed but won't bother renewing. If you can afford a HAM radio then get one and never bother with a CB radio.
Understood. For me the science about radio waves is pretty interesting as well as the tech side of the electronics and the gear and all I've done is study to take the test! I guess if you're going to hook up a beam antenna with enough wattage or RF exposure to matter you should know what you're doing. But yeah, even the "bubble pack" walkie talkies, ie GMRS hand held units require a license, which I'm sure nobody does, let alone even knows
HAM License test is like Spanish class in high school, you learn stuff to pass the test but you don't learn something useful like having a conversation!
Personally, I just use the Simplex channels out on the trail where no one ever uses the call letters. The license was pointless. I am licensed but won't bother renewing. If you can afford a HAM radio then get one and never bother with a CB radio.
ppc
M Go Blue
HAM License test is like Spanish class in high school, you learn stuff to pass the test but you don't learn something useful like having a conversation!
Personally, I just use the Simplex channels out on the trail where no one ever uses the call letters. The license was pointless. I am licensed but won't bother renewing. If you can afford a HAM radio then get one and never bother with a CB radio.
You realize that you can renew your license online for zero cost, no additional testing and takes only a couple of minutes? As far as not using your call sign, how lazy can you be? You only have to use that once every 10 minutes in a conversation. Obeying the rules is what makes HAM so much better than CB.
Agree, disheartening that someone seems to be promoting not using call signs and disobeying FCC regs. Look, rather listen to what CB has become. Actually HAM is going that way as well. Not sure people get what “best practice” is or don’t care anymore.
Btw, our club and others here in CO use call signs on simplex all the time. Sorry to go off topic.
Btw, our club and others here in CO use call signs on simplex all the time. Sorry to go off topic.
Well I'm glad to see some support for licensing, I do believe in it. The point is that the bandwidth is limited and at some point there needs to be some understanding of managing the use of it.
HAM License test is like Spanish class in high school, you learn stuff to pass the test but you don't learn something useful like having a conversation!
Personally, I just use the Simplex channels out on the trail where no one ever uses the call letters. The license was pointless. I am licensed but won't bother renewing. If you can afford a HAM radio then get one and never bother with a CB radio.
The license makes you FCC-compliant and costs $15....and is free to renew.
I don't understand why people won't go through such a minuscule amount of effort once every ten years to follow the rules that are in place to keep these frequencies available for amateur radio use.
As do I.
Wow, I knew my take wouldn’t be popular but I guess I really struck a Nerve.
Ummm as far as being lazy it’s just sort of obnoxious to call out your call sign when no one else I. The group does.
Here in San Diego most of the people have hacked Panasonic radios that they use for chase vehicles for the Score races down in Mexico. And the sound quality and range is just so much better than CB that it is a must have.
Anyway, I will be sure to not give you guys my call letters so you don’t turn me into the boogie man!
If I had a home set-up where I was trying to contact other states or countries then I would definitely follow the rules more closely. But when I am just chatting with my buddies as we drive around for the day then I am not going to Nerd our.
Sorry if this disappoints anyone.
Ummm as far as being lazy it’s just sort of obnoxious to call out your call sign when no one else I. The group does.
Here in San Diego most of the people have hacked Panasonic radios that they use for chase vehicles for the Score races down in Mexico. And the sound quality and range is just so much better than CB that it is a must have.
Anyway, I will be sure to not give you guys my call letters so you don’t turn me into the boogie man!
If I had a home set-up where I was trying to contact other states or countries then I would definitely follow the rules more closely. But when I am just chatting with my buddies as we drive around for the day then I am not going to Nerd our.
Sorry if this disappoints anyone.
PS thanks for the info on renewal if it’s no hassle I will probably do it then.
Wow, I knew my take wouldn’t be popular but I guess I really struck a Nerve.
Ummm as far as being lazy it’s just sort of obnoxious to call out your call sign when no one else I. The group does.
Here in San Diego most of the people have hacked Panasonic radios that they use for chase vehicles for the Score races down in Mexico. And the sound quality and range is just so much better than CB that it is a must have.
Anyway, I will be sure to not give you guys my call letters so you don’t turn me into the boogie man!
If I had a home set-up where I was trying to contact other states or countries then I would definitely follow the rules more closely. But when I am just chatting with my buddies as we drive around for the day then I am not going to Nerd our.
Sorry if this disappoints anyone.
You could always be that one guy to influence your group into proper radio etiquette..
Right, lol, and join the chess club while you are at it.You could always be that one guy to influence your group into proper radio etiquette..
Yeah, because following federal laws that grant us privileges to operate on specific frequencies (instead of selling them off to the highest bidder) is exactly the same as joining a chess club...are you afraid the cool kids at school are going to pick on you for following the rules? If so, **** 'em.
Last edited:
If you think using them correctly will keep them from being sold off I have a bridge to sell you (I wont even wait for the highest bidder). The gov'ment does what the gov'ment wants. ?Privilege to use a naturally occurring electromagnetic wavelength spectrum what next do I need a license to use light too? Its at this point when I should point out I am a raging anarchist who believes the scariest words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I am here to help." I will not try convince anyone that they need to change behavior that has limited negative externalities.Yeah, because following federal laws that grant us privileges to operate on specific frequencies (instead of selling them off to the highest bidder) is exactly the same as joining a chess club...are you afraid the cool kids at school are going to pick on you for following the rules? If so, f*** 'em.
ppc
M Go Blue
I would suggest you do a Google search on "Richard Burton HAM Radio" and learn about another anarchist.
Well why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel! Just kidding, look I think the non-license guys are missing a point here. The frequencies are limited and there is actually a lot to managing them that you wouldn't necessarily know if you haven't taken the license exam. I don't see much difference between abuse of trails, which leads to closures, and abuse of the radio spectrum, which could lead to restrictions - it's just the radios are not really trackable that easily. One day you may be annoyed by an incompetent radio user messing up your equipment - it's possible to blow out your channels with an overpowered signal and make them unusable, etc, etc.... anyway, to each their own and yes minor use on the trail isn't likely to lead to anything major but
I did, thanks for letting me know about him. His problems stem from regulation and trying to follow them and uptight people who were dis pleased with how he was using them. Also I swear like a sailor, so yeah I could suffer his fate too, so I definitely wont be saying my license every 10 min.
I have an engineering background, I understand how radios work quite well actually, yes I get how a bandwidth can be clogged up (but never damaged via a radio. You can be a responsible user with out being and jerk or following all the rules and etiquette and you can be a jerk while using etiquette and following the rules too. I get how you are comparing them to trails, but the fact of the matter is that once someone who is clogging up the channel turns off the machine no damage will be done to the channel. Someone damaging a trail leaves it the trail is still damaged. Even with permits people still damage trails and cause problems... even with permits people still cause problems on the ham spectrum. Honestly I see hams being used on the trail to get extend range for group communication, I dont see a bunch of ham enthusiasts fonching at the bit to take their uber rigs out to the trails to see how they work. If the ham bands get janked up we will find a new tool, that is all.
I am also the same kind of person who would bypass my secondary air injection (govt required) I would take off a DPF if I were running a diesel too. I get how both are there to help everyone but seriously at a certain point it feels like they are just there to lord over someone either with etiquette or fiat. I also lived in a house where nothing was built to code and clearly didnt have many permits, some parts were fine, some parts were not but they all outlasted the original builder who has long since passed away. Some of the things that werent built to code worked better than if they were built to code.
I also pointed out how I would not encourage anyone to follow rules or etiquette I never said I dont follow rules or etiquette. I do find it obnoxious how etiquette can be forced upon a group by an outside actor like the govt rather than letting the community who are using the spectrum build, use and enforce their own etiquette.
