2M Radio/Land Mobile

mountainpete

Spamicus Eliminatus
Hi guys,

Bit of background first, then the questions :elkgrin:

Well I just came back from a week exploring a variety of lakes in the Southeastern corner of British Columbia. Had a base camp at a nice campground where my wife and I stayed with my sister and the family (they travel trailered, we tented). Did mostly day runs from there and hit a number of lakes for flyfishing...

Almost all of the roads in those areas are "radio controlled" for logging purposes as are most of the backcountry roads in BC and some in western Alberta. They run on the commercial frequencies of 153 - 158 and almost every person from hunters to guides to commerical trucks have a VHF radio on those bands. Everyone is on those frequencies and actively talking. Since I'm on those type of roads a number of weeks a year, and knowing were and communicating with those fast running logging trucks would lighten my stress level a lot, I'm contemplating getting a radio. It's also a nice safety net since there are a lot of ears listening...

Now the thing is that an amateur 2M radio does not go in those frequencies (which I have been dragging my heels getting because I would have no one really to talk to). They usually max out TX at 147 or so, although the can RX through the 150's. The option that the locals use is a Land Mobile unit which is programmed at the dealer to access the used frequencies (and they would show me how to program more myself). But a Land Mobile unit limits me then if I want to get an Amateur licence in the future (it is less user friendly for dialling in frequencies and out of the box is only TX in the 150's - also $50 a year to the government for a licence). Now I don't want to have to buy two radios in the end if I decide later that I want to get an Amateur licence - but right now I would have absolutely no one to talk to on Amateur radio. So my questions are...

In your area, do you have radio controlled roads like this? What do you use to communicate? Can an amateur radio be programmed to TX outside of the normal range? And if so, is the performance poor in comparison to the proper radio? I want the best all around hardware for what I need.

Also, if I go Land Mobile route, this would be the radio Icom ICF121.

Thoughts? :wavey:

Pete
 

Scott Brady

Founder
Great questions Pete. I am a really newbie to Amateur Radio, and can only use mine in MEX, as I am not licensed yet (please don't yell at me Baja :( )

What is the main motivation for getting one of those radios? Do you typically travel solo, and you are looking for their safety benefit? Maybe a Sat Phone would be a better purchase?
 

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mountainpete

Spamicus Eliminatus
Typically I am solo so safety and knowledge of activities around me is the main motivators... In the areas that I am in, I am almost always within earshot of someone on those specific frequencies. It may be a hunter, a logging truck or just another backcountry explorer.

Sat phones are great, but I'm not willing to accept their price point at this point...
 

UncleChris

Adventurer
Hey Pete,

I am a newbie to ham as well as a newbie to this forum.

I just got my passed my ham test on Saturday. Right after that(of course) I picked up a Kenwood TH-D7A. When I first found out how to use scam, it covered frequencies well into the 150s. I did not try sending in those frequencies, but I am sure that HamRadioOutlet could answer whether or not it is usable in that range.

Scott,

Go for the exam. If you get the book, and get the HamUniversity program, it is right up there with the Microsoft Cert tests. Pretty much go through the questions a million times and you will learn something on the way.

Chris
 

Pskhaat

2005 Expedition Trophy Champion
mountainpete said:
Now the thing is that an amateur 2M radio does not go in those frequencies (which I have been dragging my heels getting because I would have no one really to talk to). They usually max out TX at 147 or so, although the can RX through the 150's.

Actually most ham radios now can easily TX in those freq's but are not programmed to so do. There are easy and documented ways to make that happen.

Something you may also (WE may also) want to consider is 2 meter CB otherwise known as MURS. http://www.provide.net/~prsg/murshome.htm land mobile's can be programmed to these frequencies. No license nor fee required.

Now, for a very low cost you can also do GMRS (UHF) land mobiles. Superior performance and the license is good for your whole immediate family. http://www.provide.net/~prsg/wi-gmrs.htm
 

asteffes

Explorer
You could modify a radio to work on those commercial frequencies but that is definitely not legal in the United States. To be 100% legal, you'll need a commercial radio with appropriate license and ham rig of your choice with appropriate license.

You'll also want to note that modifying radios in any way voids your warranty (something to consider with a $200-500 rig.) However, that's not to say you can't use a dual band radio with MARS/CAP modification to open up transmit on GMRS/FRS 460MHz frequencies (done for emergency purposes only, I swear. Really, I mean it. Really...)

Now, one possibly good reason to have two rigs in an area like that is you'll have a backup. Are there no repeaters where you're at? They're often in places you would never expect, or that you can't easily notice from a distance. There are online databases that will help you track them down.
 

mountainpete

Spamicus Eliminatus
Thanks for the advice Adam. Two radios would be the most ideal option for me, but I am going to end up going with a single radio that covers it all. Since 99.9% of the time I will only be listening to the commerical bands an Amateur radio will work fine - it will only be in an emergency (like a logging truck bearing down on me) would I need to TX on those frequencies.

I'll post some pics of my solution early in the new year. :shakin:

Pete
 

The BN Guy

Expedition Leader
I have the book and am planning on taking the test sometime in January. One of my students told me that the test is actually kinda easy. Take the test! I think it'd be kinda cool talking via skip to some of my fellow EP members.

Just curious...what are radio controlled roads?
 

mountainpete

Spamicus Eliminatus
Radio controlled roads in my region are usually narrow, windy, high mountain forestry/logging roads. A frequency is posted at the start of the main section of the road and mile markers are located throughout. Logging or commercial trucks are required (not sure if it's actually a law) to call out their locations at specific points to ensure other traffic on the road know where each other is. Many personal vehicles call in the their locations too. Sometimes if there is a large amount of logging activity in the area, a controller will advise of road closures or off-limits areas. The whole idea of being radio controlled is so people know where other vehicles are, minimizing the risk of head-on collisions.

While not 100% manditory, being able to hear these calls is a big safety boost on certain roads. Picture a windy road that supports both a logging route and provides access to a lake for fishing. The road has no shoulder what so ever - you can't see around the next corner and it's not wide enough for two vehicles to pass. You are in your truck driving up, a loaded logging truck is coming down. Time is money for those logging trucks so they are really moving - and sometimes a driver may not even blink at taking out a passenger truck if it is on "their road". So basically you hit the bush to save your skin and the logging truck keeps going. Trust me... it's a scary feeling to come around a corner and see a big rig full of trees coming towards you at top speed. :smilies27

If you have a radio that you can at least listen to the calls of those trucks, you can know if one is coming towards you on the same road as you and you can pull off in a safe spot and wait for them to pass.

Pete
 

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