If your letting unlicensed operators use them on repeaters you will get caught, not might, will.
The test is simple, make a ham license part of the qualification to be a trail leader.
HAM Cheap Little ONe
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The test is simple, make a ham license part of the qualification to be a trail leader.
These are now going for under $30 at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009MAKWC0?tag=ihco-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009MAKWC0?tag=ihco-20
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Thanks for the head's up. I bought another one.
I've got a couple of the uv-5ra's and plan to install one in the hilux. I bought the 12v plug in to replace the battery on it, the CB style microphone and also got a ram mount base to attach to the back of the 12v plug in battery so I can just keep it in the truck. Does anyone have any feedback regarding antenna's for these little hams that can be attached to the exterior of the vehicle, wether it be by magnet or otherwise?
Kevin, I have the programming cord if you need it, but havent played with the program to set it up yet.
Kevin, I have the programming cord if you need it, but havent played with the program to set it up yet.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
With an adapter cable, any vehicle mounted antenna can be used with the Baofeng. I have on that adapts it to a regular PL 259 connector.
Quick question, what is the difference between the UV-5RA and 5RB? Looking at picking one of these up and then getting my tech's license in the spring.
Wow...the price came down since just last week during CyberMonday week....The -5RAs were about $41....The -5Rs were $35...
Glad I didnt pull the trigger on a couple of the -5R that were up on Lightning Deals several times...The Lightning price was $25...I'da been PO'd to see the new price only $5 more on the -5RAs
Glad I didnt pull the trigger on a couple of the -5R that were up on Lightning Deals several times...The Lightning price was $25...I'da been PO'd to see the new price only $5 more on the -5RAs
All the UV-5R variants are the same internally. The only differences are cosmetics and firmware versions. To my knowledge, the variant (RA, RB, R+) does not indicate firmware version either. I also read on some of the for sale ads that the larger capacity battery may not work with some of the variants.
More info:
http://www.miklor.com/uv5r/
Geof
Hi guys, I asked for one of these for Christmas and I have it on good authority that I will get it. 
With that said I'm unlicensed and want to get my Technician license ASAP. Some of the EE-styled questions I'm seeing are somewhat daunting; do you guys have any study guides you recommend, or other methods of getting up to speed?
I have been looking into local tests to take and I'd definitely like to knock it out of the park on the first shot. I'd also like to learn more than just what I need to know for the test, and learn etiquette, etc. As a radio noob, I appreciate any and all guidance. Thanks!
Update: I signed up for https://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com and am going through the questions - this is exactly what I needed! Excited to take this test once I get through all this material.
With that said I'm unlicensed and want to get my Technician license ASAP. Some of the EE-styled questions I'm seeing are somewhat daunting; do you guys have any study guides you recommend, or other methods of getting up to speed?I have been looking into local tests to take and I'd definitely like to knock it out of the park on the first shot. I'd also like to learn more than just what I need to know for the test, and learn etiquette, etc. As a radio noob, I appreciate any and all guidance. Thanks!
Update: I signed up for https://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com and am going through the questions - this is exactly what I needed! Excited to take this test once I get through all this material.
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Do not be put off by the exam questions. Keep in mind that you already know the answers. They're given to you by all the study guides. There is a pool of 100 questions and the exam uses 30 of the pool. So you are studying with the same EXACT questions that will be asked on the exam.
You're using the same site as many of our members did to get their ticket. You'll do fine. Good luck.
You're using the same site as many of our members did to get their ticket. You'll do fine. Good luck.
Thanks Drew, I see there are quite a few different ends out there, and I already ordered a wrong antenna (http://dx.com/p/3g-rp-sma-double-ring-5dbi-antenna-black-202886), do you have any links or the name for type of antenna connector that I would be looking for if you dont mind?
Edit: looks like this will do: http://www.amazon.com/Original-Antenna-UT-108UV-SMA-Female-wholesaler/dp/B00DTQ4A6M?tag=ihco-20
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Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Cody-The one in your link will work fine. However, it's limiting as the female SMA is not a standard antenna hook up. It is cheap enough to buy and use though.
I would recommend you get a decent Comet or Diamond antenna mount and wire the truck with coax that ends in a PL-239. That is a standard antenna mount and when you upgrade to a truck mounted mobile radio it will have the SO-238 that accepts the PL-239.
In the end you are going to want the power and clarity of a mounted mobile (as opposed to hand held) radio, so you may as well plan for that and only do the antenna work once. The UV5's only put out about 4 watts, which is OK but there are situations where you'll want 25 watts or more.
Your call though, and the more I think about it the antenna you show would be a good back up redundancy to have along on a big trip. If you wanted to use it to get you started it should work great, assuming things like the magnet are powerful enough not to get knocked off by trees or wind.
Ebay is another good source for stuff like batteries, chargers etc. You can buy the adapter cables there, like SMA female to SO-238 for pocket change. They will come straight to your door in 2 days from some sweat shop in China.
This does point out one of the many weaknesses of this radio, and that's the antenna mount.
The other major one is the charger.
While this is a great radio for the price, it is not a great radio, if you know what I mean.
I would recommend you get a decent Comet or Diamond antenna mount and wire the truck with coax that ends in a PL-239. That is a standard antenna mount and when you upgrade to a truck mounted mobile radio it will have the SO-238 that accepts the PL-239.
In the end you are going to want the power and clarity of a mounted mobile (as opposed to hand held) radio, so you may as well plan for that and only do the antenna work once. The UV5's only put out about 4 watts, which is OK but there are situations where you'll want 25 watts or more.
Your call though, and the more I think about it the antenna you show would be a good back up redundancy to have along on a big trip. If you wanted to use it to get you started it should work great, assuming things like the magnet are powerful enough not to get knocked off by trees or wind.
Ebay is another good source for stuff like batteries, chargers etc. You can buy the adapter cables there, like SMA female to SO-238 for pocket change. They will come straight to your door in 2 days from some sweat shop in China.
This does point out one of the many weaknesses of this radio, and that's the antenna mount.
The other major one is the charger.
While this is a great radio for the price, it is not a great radio, if you know what I mean.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Jon is right on here. The Tech test is not challenging even if you are not a good test taker. They tell you in advance the questions and all of the answers. I thought the pool was 300 questions deep but Jon may be correct that now it's only 100.
I found the best study guide was Hamtestonline. You have to pay for it though, but it made the tech test a breeze. There are lots of free tests out there but without the background provided on Hamtestonline. It's actually fun to use.
Yeah I was using a pool of 396 for my tech license. I used Ham Radio Study on my Android, and flipped through questions when I could. You flip though them enough, you start memorizing and regurgitating the answers.
You know what, a cheap hand held and antenna is good enough for me, I'm not a radio geek, and I usually only turn the thing on when there's a group of us on the trails. Spending $300 plus on a bigger dash mounted unit and i wouldn't be getting $250 worth of benefit the way it gets used.
I can see the more expensive longer range units working for those who are not in the valleys and canyons of the rocky mountains but rather flatter ground of the other areas who plan to camp or travel by themselves for a week or three where they can get talk to friends through some repeaters, but I'm just not seeing the benefit of upgrading from something cheap, and I like something easily removed to be left in the house after the break in this spring.
You know what, a cheap hand held and antenna is good enough for me, I'm not a radio geek, and I usually only turn the thing on when there's a group of us on the trails. Spending $300 plus on a bigger dash mounted unit and i wouldn't be getting $250 worth of benefit the way it gets used.
I can see the more expensive longer range units working for those who are not in the valleys and canyons of the rocky mountains but rather flatter ground of the other areas who plan to camp or travel by themselves for a week or three where they can get talk to friends through some repeaters, but I'm just not seeing the benefit of upgrading from something cheap, and I like something easily removed to be left in the house after the break in this spring.
You say this now.... wait until your group has some distance between rigs, you're at the front and you re trying to talk to the back. Suddenly a mobile is a lot better proposition.
I copy/pasted all the ones I missed into a file and once I was getting a passing score all the time on the practice tests, I focused on the ones in the file.
I believe I got 100% on the tech test.
For a UV5R you want a Diamond SRJ77CA. It has the right connector and is a great replacement antenna for a dual-band HT, half-wave at 440, quarter-wave at 2m. There are cheaper copies of it from Nagoya if you want to go cheap.
You know what, a cheap hand held and antenna is good enough for me, I'm not a radio geek, and I usually only turn the thing on when there's a group of us on the trails. Spending $300 plus on a bigger dash mounted unit and i wouldn't be getting $250 worth of benefit the way it gets used.
I can see the more expensive longer range units working for those who are not in the valleys and canyons of the rocky mountains but rather flatter ground of the other areas who plan to camp or travel by themselves for a week or three where they can get talk to friends through some repeaters, but I'm just not seeing the benefit of upgrading from something cheap, and I like something easily removed to be left in the house after the break in this spring.
Even with a handheld I would recommend a external mount antenna. This will increase you range significantly. BTW, my 65W Kenwood 2m only cost $125 from HRO and I can easily reach repeaters 100 miles away and allows communication on either side of the mountain.