TOTALLY NEW TO COMMS AND NAV, NEED PURCHASE ADVISE

[e60ral]

It's stupid simple. The test is easy then you buy a radio, plug it in to your computer, in CHIRP or other programming software pick the area you want, then download those repeaters. You'll figure it out in less than a day of playing with it, the basics to get on a repeater are easy.

Also in a true emergency you wouldn't need a license, although in a true emergency I wouldn't want to count on being able to get a 2m repeater.

You can get an inReach and only activate when you want, they have plans with no subscription required

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[prerunner1982]

GPS on a Tablet and a ham radio... might as well get a Mobilinkd bluetooth TNC, download APRSDroid and run APRS. Of course get your license and get familiar with the radio and such first, no reason to add stuff to "complicate" things if you are already feeling overwhelmed.

A lot of the ham radio stuff sounds more difficult than it needs to be sometimes so feel free to ask if you have any questions.

 

[BigSwede]

Our club uses 2M ham for comms, but it is all simplex for the most part. So really I have only scratched the surface of the ham options and abilities. And that's okay, nothing says you have to make it a hobby, first and foremost it is a tool.

 

[Silverhorse]

thanks for all the input gents, much appreciated! I'll keep you posted. I'm leaning toward this option YAESU FTM-400XDR (dont know why ) also I don't see much info on the HAM antennas ??

 

[87Warrior]

Start studying and reading about ham and much of the introductory mystery will be solved. I used the ARRL book to study for my technician license and learned a lot in the process, more than I would have by memorizing the study questions. A basic understanding of ham radio lingo and principles will help you get familiar with the radio functions and help you pick the right antenna for your application.

I used a Baofeng Uv-5r+ for two years and upgraded to a Kenwood TM-71A the first of this year. Man, the Kenwood is so much easier to use even though it is packed with features. I highly recommend this radio.

 

[Silverhorse]

thanks i will look at the kenwood also. I will more thank likely go with the Kenwood for NAV/radio

 

[LR Max]

One thing I was just thinking about, on the tablet, get whatever your phone is. If you have an iPhone, get a iPad.

My iPad is linked to my work iPhone. Its pretty cool. My iPad is wifi only, but I can wifi hotspot it to my phone, and it'll automatically do it which is nice.

 

[prerunner1982]

also I don't see much info on the HAM antennas ??

The gold standard is generally the Larsen 2/70.

However I run Browning BR-180 antennas and they get smacked against tree limbs daily and have held up fine for years...and are less than half (almost 1/3) the price of the Larsen.


Black- $26.54: https://www.amazon.com/BROWNING-Ama...=1492711199&sr=8-1&keywords=browning+br-180-b

Larsen - $69.95: http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-000565

 

[Silverhorse]

thanks guys, good points! My phone is an Android... so I'm not sure what the android tablet is called?

and I'm happy to see from the link that the HAM antennas are not all HUGE like I have seen when you search the internet for HAM antennas :Wow1:

 

[prerunner1982]

thanks guys, good points! My phone is an Android... so I'm not sure what the android tablet is called?

Android Tablets... :ylsmoke: There are many companies that make tablets running the Android operating system. I ran/run and Asus 7 and if I only used it in the vehicle it may have fared better but I carried it with me fairly often and it began to have problems. The screen would go white and I would have to torque/twist the tablet or ********** it on the back to get the screen to work. I assume something was loose and grounding out. Eventually after twisting the thing enough the screen cracked and has rendered it all but useless. It was a relatively cheap tablet though.

and I'm happy to see from the link that the HAM antennas are not all HUGE like I have seen when you search the internet for HAM antennas :Wow1:

The two I linked are dual band and are around 34-37" tall and are 1/2 wave on 2m. You can get shorter 19" dual band antennas which are 1/4 wave on 2m or a longer 52"+/- 5/8 wave 2m antenna.

Shorter antennas will have a steeper angle of radiation, the signal will go up as it goes out. A steep angle of radiation can be good in mountain areas or in the city when repeaters are on top of mountains/buildings. Longer antennas have lower angle of radiation allowing the signal to go further towards the horizon. Red line vs Blue line in the attachment image.



The big ham antennas you are probably seeing (if mobile) are HF antennas. Which like CB antennas needs to be longer and to work on multiple bands sometimes have big loading coils. HF mobile can be fun, though not the optimum way to operate HF. There is something about talking all over the World from your vehicle though that is just magic.

 

[e60ral]

I have always had plenty of range with my 1/4 wave Tram 1181, I have it mounted on a NMO lip mount on the hood.

 

[Silverhorse]

got it thanks. I noticed the Australians mount their antennas on the front winch bumpers..

 

[Silverhorse]

"There is something about talking all over the World from your vehicle though that is just magic. " :victory: I remember my Grandparents had a really old radio and at night you could pick up stations from all over....

 

[e60ral]

You're starting from the wrong point.

Do some research into who you're going to try and communicate with and then acquire the necessary gear to accomplish that goal.

Simply buying a Ham ( it's not an acronym) radio and programming in some frequencies won't help you if no one is monitoring the frequencies you've programmed.

Relying on a laptop to program your radio means you won't know how to switch to other frequencies manually if needed. At the very least, keep the manual or a set of programming instructions with the radio at all times.

There are loads of monitored repeaters in the southeast, program your radio with a laptop and just scan the channels to find them

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[ChadHahn]

iPads have the best GPS performance but they also cost a fortune.

I've had good luck finding iPad Minis at pawn shops for not much money. Just make sure to get a cellular one (they have the plastic bit on the back at the top).

Chad