Ham radio idiot here <--

[goldenbeagle]

I am looking for a small portable HAM RADIO setup for my son and I to mess with while camping. I learned in the military how to make/put up a portable antenna...but know nothing more.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? Price is not really an option.

Thanks in advance folks.

 

[Oni]

Here's some info: http://www.arrl.org/

and here's a toy store http://hamradio.com/

 

[goldenbeagle]

Thanks!

 

[gary in ohio]

I am looking for a small portable HAM RADIO setup for my son and I to mess with while camping. I learned in the military how to make/put up a portable antenna...but know nothing more.

Before you even start to worry about what radio, you will need to get a license.
Best way to get a license is find a local club and work with them. Check out http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club to locate a club.

While studying for your license you can explore the various radio options.

 

[goldenbeagle]

cool cool ...thanks

 

[Spikepretorius]

Step one would be to do the course and get qualified and licensed before looking for a radio.

 

[7wt]

Step two would be to decide who you want to talk to and how you want to talk with them. Are you interested in local repeater traffic or does the idea of contacts with folks from far off lands sound better? The way you mentioned putting up a portable antenna and messing around with radio while camping sounds more like DX to me. Start with a tech ticket and mess around with 6M or 10M while you gain experience and study for your general. That's what I am working on now, just waiting on the radio that can get me on 6 & 10. Personally I find 2M boring but far off DX beyond fascinating.

 

[rusty_tlc]

You might also want to look into QRP, very low power radios used for DX communication.

 

[7wt]

Yea, I am beginning to think QRP is the way to go for the outdoor types. The videos I see on YouTube where guys activate SOTA peaks with Yaesu FT-817's and Icom 703's just looks like too much fun. On that note, my FT-817 should be here by the end of the week. :wings: Now I gotta read up on building a light weight J pole for some 2m SSB and a 10m dipole so I can try out some DX for a change.

 

[xtatik]

Yea, I am beginning to think QRP is the way to go for the outdoor types. The videos I see on YouTube where guys activate SOTA peaks with Yaesu FT-817's and Icom 703's just looks like too much fun. On that note, my FT-817 should be here by the end of the week. :wings: Now I gotta read up on building a light weight J pole for some 2m SSB and a 10m dipole so I can try out some DX for a change.

Life's too short for QRP.....eepwall:

 

[DaveInDenver]

Life's too short for QRP.....eepwall:

And my back's too old for QRO! Also every backpack pound taken for xmit power and battery is a pound less in whiskey! An extra 5 amp-hr battery lasts a whole weekend at 'full' power, too.

7wt, I have a FT-817, such a neat radio. The single thing that most irritates me about it, though, is it won't and can't be forced to RX the NOAA WX stations. That IMHO is the one glaring duh of it. I built a Elecraft T1 tuner for it and primarily use a 44' doublet made from a 4-wire ribbon cable (e.g. the NorCal doublet). It's good for SSB on 40m+ in the Lower 48 reliably and 80m is a fair shot depending on my QTH. The doublet is pretty short at 44' across but the 88' version was just too awkward when trying to use in the mountains where trees start getting small. Now just /when/ I finally learn code...

 

[7wt]

Yea, I am pumped, everyone I talk with that has one loves it. I am not worried about the NOAA bit at all. I have a VX-6 for that so I am covered.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Yea, I am pumped, everyone I talk with that has one loves it. I am not worried about the NOAA bit at all. I have a VX-6 for that so I am covered.

That's what most people do and honestly doing VHF/UHF is a whole different antenna animal anyway, but it still bugs me since the point of the 817 is as the basis for a small kit in the backcountry afterall and throwing in another radio defeats the purpose. Not to mention that the VX-6 and similar take SMA antennas (adapters!) and don't use a common battery. They do use the same external power cable and share 13.8VDC tolerance at least! Sometimes lack of systematic attention to details sticks in my craw. I could see adding a VX-3R or some other tiny WX RX-only radio, though.

 

[xtatik]

And my back's too old for QRO! Also every backpack pound taken for xmit power and battery is a pound less in whiskey! An extra 5 amp-hr battery lasts a whole weekend at 'full' power, too.

Ahh, I understand. You're combining QRP and backpacking..gotcha'.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Ahh, I understand. You're combining QRP and backpacking..gotcha'.

Yup, most of the rest of the time I run my amp to 11. Still, the 817 prolly does have the most time...