HAM Radio Purchase

[Gun Runner 5]

If I was planning to purchase my first HAM radio that was going to be used primarily for trail communications what would be your recommendation? Prices and reviews are all over the place on websites such as Amazon and EBay.
Thanks

 

[Skidoo]

For a first basic radio the Kenwood TM-281A is hard to beat. It has plenty of memory to keep settings for repeaters handy and gets NOAA weather.
Its 2M only but that is what is used most all the time. My friend who got his license last year has this one and is very happy with it.
There are a few areas that also use 70cm but that is very rare and quite a jump up in price for dual band units.
If mounting space is a problem, remote faceplate mounting of pricer units can come in handy.
I have a Kenwood TM-V71A as I wanted more bells and whistles.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

For a first basic radio the Kenwood TM-281A is hard to beat. It has plenty of memory to keep settings for repeaters handy and gets NOAA weather.
Its 2M only but that is what is used most all the time. My friend who got his license last year has this one and is very happy with it.
There are a few areas that also use 70cm but that is very rare and quite a jump up in price for dual band units.
If mounting space is a problem, remote faceplate mounting of pricer units can come in handy.
I have a Kenwood TM-V71A as I wanted more bells and whistles.

Thanks .... much appreciated.

 

[half k cruiser]

If I was planning to purchase my first HAM radio that was going to be used primarily for trail communications what would be your recommendation? Prices and reviews are all over the place on websites such as Amazon and EBay.
Thanks

If your just using it on trail and don't think you will be wanting to do repeaters/ APRS or any of the other add on's then that Kenwood 281 @Skidoo mentioned is a good unit, I had one in my 80 series. Yaesu also makes the FT-2900 which is a pretty no frills, but well built and powerful 2m unit. If you think you want something fancy the FTM-400 XDR is all the rage with the Wires-X allowing you to talk essentially around the world from your mobile.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Being able to communicate on highways and trails is my main goal. Thanks for the information.

 

[Dharma Dude]

Which radios do you off-road buddies have?

Maybe it's different in Georgia but I here in California, I found that a regular GMRS radio works best on-trail.....most people I off-road with don't have ham licenses.

And on-highway....you can't beat a cell phone, or internet group chat.

 

[half k cruiser]

Which radios do you off-road buddies have?

Maybe it's different in Georgia but I here in California, I found that a regular GMRS radio works best on-trail.....most people I off-road with don't have ham licenses.

And on-highway....you can't beat a cell phone, or internet group chat.

Depends on where your at. I've been through some areas of highway in Utah and Colorado where you have 0 cell reception. Plus it's nice to be able to grab the mike blind and just transmit random thoughts. However, running whatever your group is running is a pretty good idea. That way maybe the group knowledge will be able to get you through the beginner phase of operations.

 

[e9999]

think twice about the ubiquitous BaoFengs, those have a lot of baggage...

 

[Skidoo]

For my travels I find 2M is the most useful, but then I have convinced all seven of my wheeling partners to go the ham route.
I have done trail leading at Cruise Moab and most leaders are running ham, and some of the participants are switching over.
Most of the GMRS radios folks have on the trail are probably 5Watt handhelds, so having over 50Watts with a quality antenna on ham gets me a better chance of getting through. You need a license for GMRS, but they are easier than ham to get.
When I am at high elevations I have had several clear conversations with other ham guys 60 miles away.
Then there is the great 2M repeater support in remote southern Utah and other places I go.
One of few places I have been with no repeater coverage is most of Death Valley so having high power ham rigs can be useful.
Cell phone coverage has improved a lot but still a fair amount of highway that I take is in the dead zone.

 

[WB8LBZ]

Do you have a brand preference? Will you be part of a group that with a main person to do all the programming of radios or will be doing your own? Are you looking only for a new radio or will a used one do? Did you want a mobile unit or a hand held? I have a non-ubiquitous BaoFeng, $27 dollars total (loaner radio if it gets left on a rock-driven over or not returned). I also have several Icom rigs that I use for voice and APRS. It might be easier to go with the flow on rig choice until you get a feel for what you want.

Larry in El Paso

 

[1911]

2 Meters is an excellent trail band for all the reasons already stated. Also second the recommendation for the Yaesu FT-2900, a powerful, compact, nearly bullet-proof radio. No fan to clog or make noise, tolerant of where you put it. On the low end of price for a quality radio. Even if you outgrow it later, you will always have a use for a good quality 2M radio. I still use my original FT-2800 that is 11-12 years old now all the time.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Do you have a brand preference? Will you be part of a group that with a main person to do all the programming of radios or will be doing your own? Are you looking only for a new radio or will a used one do? Did you want a mobile unit or a hand held? I have a non-ubiquitous BaoFeng, $27 dollars total (loaner radio if it gets left on a rock-driven over or not returned). I also have several Icom rigs that I use for voice and APRS. It might be easier to go with the flow on rig choice until you get a feel for what you want.

Larry in El Paso

Prefer a unit installed in the Cruiser.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Which radios do you off-road buddies have?

Maybe it's different in Georgia but I here in California, I found that a regular GMRS radio works best on-trail.....most people I off-road with don't have ham licenses.

And on-highway....you can't beat a cell phone, or internet group chat.

Georgia is a "hands free" State and most of the older Cruisers don't have Bluetooth so chatting on a cellphone isn't practical.

 

[Dragos80]

It always comes down to what the others in your group are using as a way of comms.

It doesn't matter what I prefer, what I like and what I think is the best unit. If you don't run the same type of radio as your group your radio might as well be a brick.

Do they use 2m, 70cm, MURS, GMRS, 10m (export CB radio ), cell phones, sat phone, hand gestures, pigeons or smoke signals?
You have cheap and you have expensive in each category.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

The majority of us are driving diesel Land Cruisers so "smoke signals" aren't out of the question.

 

[JLH]

I'd have to vote for the Yaesu ft-2900 as well. Good performer and a decent price point, finding a taken care of used radio is a good option. I also think their menu system is easier to use and remember. My icoms are just less intuitive.

 

[e9999]

OP, you may want to contact your local amateur radio club. Usually a very welcoming environment and some old-timer will likely gladly tell you all you want to know and may even throw in a radio for cheap or as a loaner or maybe free.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Thanks guys, the information is appreciated.

 

[ChaseTruck]

I have the Yaesu FT-1900r (55W max instead of the 75W of the 2900) in my truck, and for what little I use 2m (my trail buddies are all on CB, which works for us, and I've had trouble finding an antenna that could stand up to bush by the side of the trail - although that seems solved by now), it has worked very well. I keep the manual for the radio in the truck; so I can look up stuff. I find programming HAM radios through the keypad on the mic to be a real chore. I've done all my programming of memory channels, repeaters and such using CHIRP software (free...); I think a programming cable is available from Yaesu. It was a bit of a challenge to find the right USB driver software to run CHIRP from my MacBook Pro; in fact, it might be already out of date again. Once you've got CHIRP running, you won't want to go back to slogging through menus on the radio.

 

[e9999]

well, I would not say that getting a ham license is trivial. It does take some studying, you need to find an exam, pay fee(s) etc. The exam is not difficult technically speaking, but it will take a few hours all together to get it all done. Certainly more time-consuming than just paying online for a GMRS license. And you can lose it all if you forget to renew. But you get more potential use out of the ham license. One of the main advantages I would think is the availability of repeaters which I imagine is better than GMRS, so better distance communication. Plus APRS, email etc. And I wonder if a ham radio is not cheaper than a comparable GMRS.
There is also MURS.
At the end of the day, though, if you're talking about trail communication, it is meaningless to discuss that without there being a consensus among the participants, whatever it is, and I suspect there will always be folks who just don't want to deal with the ham aggravation.