Intro to Radio Communications

[alienb1212]

Got a study guide and am going to start working on my technician level license. Really isnt as involved as I thought it was, and looks really easy. I'd encourage others to just do it as well, really looks like cake.

[Robryan]

Some may want to think about the Garmin Rino series they are powerful 5 watt FRS/GMRS unit with GPS functions, When you talk with some one it will automatically put there location on you screen ,and the communication can be coded so only the ones you want can communicate with you. Great if you have children are if someone gets hurt in the woods, all type of possibilities.

[Beachboy]

I just read this thread all of the way through and will tag it to come back to for updates. It has me thinking about what I need to do in the future and the types of equipment to learn more about.

I actually have a set of the $20.00 Walmart GMRS/FRS radios that were purchased at 3:00 AM in a large city to use on a security detail (similar radios to those shown a link posted earlier in the thread, Midland X-tra Talk). We had flown in and would be traveling by car across a very large area and wanted the ability to communicate car-to-car in areas were there wasn't cell coverage. The intended use was simple communications between the vehicles, such as low on fuel, right turn ahead, potty break, etc.), after the detail they were retained for future use, should the need araise. Not knowing anything about them, after the detail was completed I also obtained a Radio Station Authorization so we could 'legally' use the GMRS freqs / function, in an effort to increase their usable range. Based upon what I've read here that was unnecessary.

The thread has made me aware of the overall uselessness of these radios and I see little value in throwing more money into them (external and mobile antennas, etc.).

Thanks for those who have shared their knowledge, I will be checking back to increase my awareness about what is available and usable for us non-radio types.

[TXLowflyer]

This website also looks interesting
http://www.gmrsoutlet.com/home.php


I hope this helps

[Gatorbait]

This thread needs more pics..........

My level 1(short range/neighbohood) comms....









After trying diferent equipment, I have finally settled in this set of gear for my level 1 communication equipment.

What is everyone else using?

Thanks,
gb

[Czecher]

License term is 10 years and I think they automatically renew; not sure as I've only had mine 2 years.
Actually no cost for the license (except vanity calls), you pay for the test.

I just repeatedly took the practice tests at www.hamtestonline.com until I was comfortable enough that I would pass with no more than one or two wrong.
Think you can miss 9.

Here is another practice site:

http://www.eham.net/exams/

It might also be helpful to know that the actual question pools are pre-determined and therefore there are no surprise questions.

You can download the entire question set here:

http://www.arrl.org/question-pools

If you just study those for a while you will see some recurring trends. They ask the same thing in many different way. They also give you you the correct answers. Not trying to discount the testing process but they really could not make it much easier. Study the pool, take the online interactive tests and you'll soon know if you are ready. Someone said their 8 yr old was studying...pretty sure he/she will pass and won't be the first to do it.

The questions and answer you see at the real test will be EXACTLY as those found in the pool. They may change the order of A,B,C,D, but the wording will not change at all. In a pinch, you can always just memorize the tricky questions but that sorta defeats the purpose. Better to just know the stuff.

The licenses are good for ten years but must be renewed manually. (i.e.: pay the fee) If you let it lapse they give you two years after expiration to reinstate your license.

73

[Czecher]

This thread needs more pics..........

Nice. I should put my collection of FRS radios into a watertight box like you did. My Nike shoebox probably isn't going to shed the rain like yours will.

Another thing I thought of...to cover the CB (10/11 meter) band you can pick up some pretty cheap handheld CB's from brands like Midland and Cobra. They aren't as robust as a mobile units but they are portable and they will let you monitor that frequency which may be all you need or want is some cases. HTs and FRS/GMRS radios typically won't get you into that band. Having at least one in your bag might be wise.

If they come with BNC connectors where the antenna attaches, you can dramatically improve your range by simply getting a cheap magnetic trunk/roof mounted external antenna at the Radio Shack. We used a setup like that on a Jeep excursion and the mag-mounts were key to staying in touch.

To boost the transit power of your HT radio you can also look into "brick" amplifiers which will give you much more power on the 2m and 70cm bands. I have one made by Mirage and it works rather well. Again, your radio will need a removable antenna like that Yaesu collection in the box above. Get a jumper that hooks the HT to the brick and a mag-mount antenna on stick on the roof and you're in like Flynn. Power is supplied by the vehicle battery either thru the cig lighter or straight-wired directly to the battery. (If you go to the battery to reduce noise make sure you install a fuse to avoid accidentally setting your car on fire! Just a tip there!)

Handheld units are nowhere near as powerful as base/mobile units but there are a few tricks you can try to squeeze out a little more power. Adding a simple mag-mount antenna goes a long way and can even improve the reception on your scanner.

[Outlander Systems]

Finally got around to getting something.

Picked up a CB Radio, mobile unit.

Model is a Cobra 29 LX LCD. It's attached to some unknown antenna my father had lying around in his garage. Antenna is a cheap, POS, base-loaded, magnetic mounted, 18".





First off, the display is outstanding. My biggest gripe is a lack of backlit knobs; however, after noodling around with it this afternoon, I can pretty much navigate to anything I could be looking for.

Features are pretty much standard, Squelch, Dynamic Mic, RF-Gain, Delta-Tune, etc.

Setup was pretty easy. Wired it into the fuse box, and grounded it to the vehicle. The unit features a self-diagnostic tool for the radio, in the way of a battery voltage test, RF output, and antenna functioning. The unit also has a SWR Calibration/Test feature, that allows the user to determine the Standing Wave Ratio. Even with the shoddy antenna, I was hanging around 1.5 through 39 channels. Channel 40, for some reason, is hanging around 2.5.

The feature I find most luxurious is the ability to scan through channels. When initiated, the scan feature will blow through the spectrum looking for a signal level of a certain strength. At which point the scan pauses, and remains connected to the other station until the signal drops, or you manually resume the scan.

The unit is installed in a Ford Ranger. Apparently, Ford's are notorious for obnoxious noise and interference. When I took a drive, to see how it was working post-install, I noticed a hellacious whining noise coming from the unit. The noise is apparently coming from the fuel pump, by my best estimate. This could've been mitigated by running the positive wire directly to the battery, but I was primarily concerned with verifying the function of the radio.

After consulting the manual, I discovered that the unit has a "Noise Blanker/Automatic Noise Limiter)" setting to, essentially, act as a noise gate, not dissimilar to a guitar effects pedal. Worked perfectly. Once activated, the NB/ABL removed any interference emanating from the bowels of the Ranger.

Another cool feature is the weather scan/weather alert. The unit can be configured to notify the operator of any incoming 1050hz signal/weather warning.

Unit also has channel memory, and a defaulted one-click switchover to channels 9 and 19.

This is my first rodeo for radios, and so far it seems like it will fit my needs.

I made contact with a gentleman by the handle of "Buckaroo", on the other side of the next county over. (Approximately 20 miles).

So far, my only complaint is the lack of backlit knobs.

[QuietShootr]

Finally got around to getting something.

Picked up a CB Radio, mobile unit.

Model is a Cobra 29 LX LCD. It's attached to some unknown antenna my father had lying around in his garage. Antenna is a cheap, POS, base-loaded, magnetic mounted, 18".





First off, the display is outstanding. My biggest gripe is a lack of backlit knobs; however, after noodling around with it this afternoon, I can pretty much navigate to anything I could be looking for.

Features are pretty much standard, Squelch, Dynamic Mic, RF-Gain, Delta-Tune, etc.

Setup was pretty easy. Wired it into the fuse box, and grounded it to the vehicle. The unit features a self-diagnostic tool for the radio, in the way of a battery voltage test, RF output, and antenna functioning. The unit also has a SWR Calibration/Test feature, that allows the user to determine the Standing Wave Ratio. Even with the shoddy antenna, I was hanging around 1.5 through 39 channels. Channel 40, for some reason, is hanging around 2.5.

The feature I find most luxurious is the ability to scan through channels. When initiated, the scan feature will blow through the spectrum looking for a signal level of a certain strength. At which point the scan pauses, and remains connected to the other station until the signal drops, or you manually resume the scan.

The unit is installed in a Ford Ranger. Apparently, Ford's are notorious for obnoxious noise and interference. When I took a drive, to see how it was working post-install, I noticed a hellacious whining noise coming from the unit. The noise is apparently coming from the fuel pump, by my best estimate. This could've been mitigated by running the positive wire directly to the battery, but I was primarily concerned with verifying the function of the radio.

After consulting the manual, I discovered that the unit has a "Noise Blanker/Automatic Noise Limiter)" setting to, essentially, act as a noise gate, not dissimilar to a guitar effects pedal. Worked perfectly. Once activated, the NB/ABL removed any interference emanating from the bowels of the Ranger.

Another cool feature is the weather scan/weather alert. The unit can be configured to notify the operator of any incoming 1050hz signal/weather warning.

Unit also has channel memory, and a defaulted one-click switchover to channels 9 and 19.

This is my first rodeo for radios, and so far it seems like it will fit my needs.

I made contact with a gentleman by the handle of "Buckaroo", on the other side of the next county over. (Approximately 20 miles).

So far, my only complaint is the lack of backlit knobs.

That's not exactly how that works. In the end, the effect is that it will reduce your receiver sensitivity. It would be better to cure the noise problem by putting a capacitor across the supply cable, or by doing something like this: http://www.worldwidedx.com/home-brew...on-filter.html

[Outlander Systems]

Any advice on the capacitor install? Link me, baby!