NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
Cool old ad Al. My dad had a buddy with a closet converted to a big set up. Not as big as the poster. Had exhaust fans to keep air circulating also a HUGE tower next to the house.
Official ONSC HAM Thread
- Thread starter GLTHFJ60
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
RedHeadedStepChild
Proudly wearing my MC1R mutation!
My ham setup has an exhaust to let the smoke out.
So Lucas made it?
Hackers, pigs and British car references. This thread officially has it all..
lumbee1
Native American
JToobe
SILVER Star
Agree HAM is the way to go.....Testing here in Greenville offered 3rd Saturday each month....will probably be Oct. before i can do it. Feeling the need to also get this with the AARL Manual! Will work on getting the Upstate guys licensed.....@Trollhole, @Teddy, @aquatech3, @ceby we can start a study group that will probably involve beer tasting!
There will be plenty of people who will post how much they love their little Baofangs. The have a place and I have 2 myself.
If you want a cheap Chinese radio to throw in a bag and forget about to pretend you'll be able to talk to everyone when SHTF they're perfect. (it's not going to work but if it makes people feel better it's only $25 wasted)
If you want to get one and pretend it's the best toy walkie talkie made there's an argument for that. It you program it and practice alittle and just want to talk on the trails it will work as good or better than some other options. (CB, FRS, etc.) Just don't buy it and hand it to kids as a toy. The FCC will fine people once they find them.
If you actually want to get involved in the ham radio hobby it's questionable. It's only $25 so it's not much wasted but depending on your location hitting repeaters might or might not work. Some people can but usually you can tell who's on a cheap handheld by the poor signal.
A solid choice for better reliability and signal is a "mobile" hard mounted ham radio with an external antenna on a vehicle. That's 50 watts instead of 5 and the antenna makes more difference than the power. Now you might be able to talk 75 miles instead of 5 for around $150. KENWOOD TM-281A Transceivers Mobile 2 Meters
The resentment you'll hear from some people in the hobby has to do with the proliferation of the cheap radios and people who don't think they should have to get a licence. I'm not a big government guy so while I appreciate that thought we have unlicensed people screwing around and interfering which only hurts those of us who are legally trying to enjoy the hobby. Kind of like saying I don't think I should have to buy a trail pass on public land so I'm going to go off trail any time I want in Uwharrie. Not good.
Long post but if you have any questions studying for the test I'm glad to help and once you pass I can help program whatever radio you get.
- Thread starter
- #148
You review Sean seems like it's coming from a guy who had sky-high expectations of the Baofeng radio and was sorely disappointed.
Yes, it's cheap. No, it doesn't have the best range with the stock antenna, but and reception can be improved with a cheap antenna from amazon. Yes, it's cheap and easy to get for lots of people. In some cases, yes new Baofeng users are interfering with other, more experienced HAM users, but that's not the fault of the radio by any stretch of the imagination, it's the fault of unlicensed users. Once again, only illegal to transmit without a license, not illegal to listen without one. If anything, saying the Baoefeng is bad because it's cheap like saying you don't like cheap guns because dumb people can buy them and make a bad name for the firearms community.
A more expensive Kenwood or Yaesu handheld is much better than a Baofeng for a number of reasons, agreed. Furthermore, a mobile unit is far and away better than any handheld. I myself have a Yaesu mobile in Moonshine that gets used frequently and think everyone should have one! My baofeng sits in the center console and gets charged maybe once every 6 months and used probably at 6 events a year. I think it's awesome, especially the fact that it can hold a charge, sitting in my center console (cold, hot whatever) for 6 months at a time.
I do think that people should look at getting a Baofeng (and a license) so that they can be exposed to HAM radios in general, and their benefits, at a low price point. Once they've gotten their feet wet, they can upgrade to a more expensive (and better quality) handheld or mobile unit.
Yes, it's cheap. No, it doesn't have the best range with the stock antenna, but and reception can be improved with a cheap antenna from amazon. Yes, it's cheap and easy to get for lots of people. In some cases, yes new Baofeng users are interfering with other, more experienced HAM users, but that's not the fault of the radio by any stretch of the imagination, it's the fault of unlicensed users. Once again, only illegal to transmit without a license, not illegal to listen without one. If anything, saying the Baoefeng is bad because it's cheap like saying you don't like cheap guns because dumb people can buy them and make a bad name for the firearms community.
A more expensive Kenwood or Yaesu handheld is much better than a Baofeng for a number of reasons, agreed. Furthermore, a mobile unit is far and away better than any handheld. I myself have a Yaesu mobile in Moonshine that gets used frequently and think everyone should have one! My baofeng sits in the center console and gets charged maybe once every 6 months and used probably at 6 events a year. I think it's awesome, especially the fact that it can hold a charge, sitting in my center console (cold, hot whatever) for 6 months at a time.
I do think that people should look at getting a Baofeng (and a license) so that they can be exposed to HAM radios in general, and their benefits, at a low price point. Once they've gotten their feet wet, they can upgrade to a more expensive (and better quality) handheld or mobile unit.
RedHeadedStepChild
Proudly wearing my MC1R mutation!
Bradley.
There's only so many times this thread can pop up before I can no longer contain the urge, and MUST post a semi-annual ham joke.
That's not where I was coming from at all. My opinion comes from comparing them to many other handhelds over the years. Mine do exactly what they're suppose to and like I said have their place. For $25 they pack a lot in that little package. Yes I have a diamond antenna on one of them and that made less difference than I expected but it wasn't the radio's fault.
I never said they were bad. If they're compared to guns they'd be the cheap Saturday night specials or Jenkins .25's which I'm also not sure are a good thing for the shooting sports or responsible gun owners in general. It's not the radio's fault if it is used illegally but $25 ones on Amazon can make access to them a lot easier.
I know my opinion might not be popular but Jonathan asked so I gave my honest answer.
Like i said if someone's got questions on how to get involved in the ham radio hobby, questions about the test, or help programing once you get a license I'm glad to help.
You don't even need a Boefang to get started. You can listen online for free....
Wake and Johnston Counties Amateur Repeaters - Live Audio Feed Web Player Live Audio Feed (Wake County 2 meter repeaters)
Agree. Get a cheap radio (or 2) even if it is just for starters and, when you can, step up to mobile.
Also, those that say cheap radios are the reason for unlicensed operators is a bit of an over-simplification. Sure there are cheap radios and sure there are folks using them without a license, but there are other contributing factors:
1. A hugely overpopulated citizen band, with no regulation, filled with cussing trolls squeezed into only 40 channels (thank goodness the range is so limited).
2. An even bigger cause ... the importance and seriousness of not having a license is only presented and emphasized to those of us that had to study for a test. Almost no one on the outside has any notion of how big a deal it is!
3. Hunters using them and thinking they are not bothering anyone.
4. Preppers ... they recognize HAM is superior but could care less about government oversight.
5. Amazon. It used to be you really had to go to a specialty store to even find a HAM radio. Now you can drop one in your "cart" right along with your coffee and paper towels and NOWHERE in the description does it say you have to have a license.
Heck, even those of us with newly acquired licenses are largely held in contempt by the established HAM community because Element 1 of the Exam was removed (Morse Code) and so we got in without having to really earn our stripes.
BTW ... I love the idea of giving away a couple BaoFeng's at the raffle. I see it as a good motivator to listen/learn and get licensed. I have little (no) concern our club members would go rogue on the airwaves.
- Thread starter
- #152
HAM radios is not something that's only for a "prepper". It's a means of communicating in remote areas when you're alone and have a breakdown or have an emergency and need assistance. For organized trail rides, it is a luxury above FRS/CB because it achieves the same goal (albeit HAM does it with better quality and better range).
I've told this story before, but a friend of mine @hman913 got squeezed between two trucks in the backcountry in Moab and needed immediate medical assistance. They were in an area with no cell reception and no one had a satellite phone. The group used their HAM radios to radio back to the Cruise Moab base camp and were able to coordinate via HAM and GPS location a medivac helicopter to the location. That effort would have been impossible without HAM radios.
Another much more recent example is @BMThiker 's experience with his rear diff. He wouldn't have been able to contact anyone and would have had to walk out of the forest on foot had he not has his HAM. Link to his description of the situation:
Logan's Run 2016 - Sept 15-18 2016
Good point on the emergencies .... but remember that is the exception to needing a license. (the rear diff, No. Getting pinned between truck= yes)
I was largely in the same spot. On the outside, no idea what HAM was, and mostly saw it as 100% dudes tapping out Morse Code which didn't interest me.
Glad I finally gave it a close enough look to see what it really was (and wasn't). Besides, the learning part is fun.
If you do this, get this app to help study:
Ham Test Prep - Android Apps on Google Play
I was largely in the same spot. On the outside, no idea what HAM was, and mostly saw it as 100% dudes tapping out Morse Code which didn't interest me.
Glad I finally gave it a close enough look to see what it really was (and wasn't). Besides, the learning part is fun.
If you do this, get this app to help study:
Ham Test Prep - Android Apps on Google Play
Last edited:
Will look for the Apple version of that. The Dummies book will be here Sunday too, ordered earlier today
- Thread starter
- #155
Wasn't trying to use those examples as exceptions to having a license. All parties involved in the two stories above had HAM licenses.
For those who don't know how small a HAM radio can be...this is what is usually mentioned when you see the name BAOFENG. Not much larger than an FSR, insane clarity, and great usable range - even with just the included antenna. We were able to clearly listen to all trail groups at Logan's Run last year from the shady comfort of the registration tent at Group Camp.
I have a BaoFeng handheld variant as pictured above and a $20 external mag-mount antenna that most assuredly got me that extra range last weekend. If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer (as I do), these links may help you get through the testing phase. You only need to remember 2 electrical formulas, some basics about radio tech and the basics of the Federal Code that guides this "hobby".
http://cherokeehams.com/wp-content/uploads/20140711_2014_2018_study_guide.pdf
http://www.eham.net/exams/
http://ncvec.org/downloads/2014-2018 Tech Pool.txt
Ham Radio Q-Codes
I read the study guides and took the practice tests until I could feel confident taking the exam in real life.
http://cherokeehams.com/wp-content/uploads/20140711_2014_2018_study_guide.pdf
http://www.eham.net/exams/
http://ncvec.org/downloads/2014-2018 Tech Pool.txt
Ham Radio Q-Codes
I read the study guides and took the practice tests until I could feel confident taking the exam in real life.
Do HAM radio licenses ever expire?? My dad swears I got one way back in the day with the boy scouts as my whole troop did. I don't actually remember what we did. If they don't expire ever how would I go about checking on that.
10 years and you have to retest.
Also, go here and you can look up your call sign, or do Advanced search and look for other parameters. License Search
Also, go here and you can look up your call sign, or do Advanced search and look for other parameters. License Search
