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Thread: New to Comms

  1. #1
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    New to Comms

    So I am interested in acquiring some comms for me and my family that will be able to be mounted onto plate carriers. After digging through some information on here, it seems like some of the HAM stuff is the way to go but apparently one needs a license for these? I guess all I need is something that can be mounted on my plate carrier, as well as maybe half a dozen other guys armor, and be able to communicate over just a few miles. Any feedback on this would be greatly appreciated, I am new to this subject but just need to be able to communicate with a few family members over a few miles reliably. Thank you.

  2. #2
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    Fieldcraft survival did a video and podcast on this subject and would be a great place to start.

    https://youtu.be/EwfQ-Zd5-0c



    Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
    Last edited by omegajb; 03-27-20 at 18:17.

  3. #3
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    The ham amateur license is pretty easy to get and offers you a whole new level of communication options. With that said, most of the semi-cheesy frs/gmrs radios are good enough for family comms and hunting stuff. I haven’t bought any in a while but they usually have a setting that would technically require a license but nobody seems to care.

    If you step up your game to ham level, then you gain access to repeaters. In my area there are several repeaters on several high locations. Some are run by our local amateur radio club and are very sophisticated, others are owned by individuals, and have varying levels of usefulness. Many of them have solar and battery backups and will keep running in a lot of eotwawki situations.

    Don’t buy a ham radio and start d!cking around on the frequencies without a license- there are many self-appointed guards of the frequencies that WILL locate you and send off complaints to FTC LE about you. They are crazy about it in my AO..

  4. #4
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    I'm a ham and if you were interested in radio and helping with emergency efforts and such then by all means pursue a ham license it's pretty easy now as mentioned.

    That said there were some very good gmrs handhelds and for $80 for 5 years you can be legal with an FCC license.

    They will interop with FRS and there's a very good chance that there are gmrs repeaters in your area that you can use. (Some require joining a club or association.)

    I use Kenwood gmrs radios on my property, and have some over 20 years old that are still Rock solid. They are water resistant, and have extremely good range.

    There are some part 90 approved Chinese radios that are surprisingly good. And some that are just okay.

    TYT make some decent part 90 approved radios that can be used on gmrs, and also ham if you get your license.

    TYT MD-380 and 390 handhelds also work quite well on FM for gmrs and have the plus of being able to do DMR if you get your ham license.

    I have current generation Motorola's as well as many Ham and other commercial radios. Despite what you'll read or hear from old hams, some of the Chinese radios are quite good. And to put it in perspective current Motorola's are made in Malaysia. And there are certainly some junk radios out there from Asia.

    The very common Bofung 5rv or whatever is not as bad as some old farts say, but is not as good as some other radios like the TYTs I mentioned. I will say that they're pretty tough, before I put a tyt mobile on my tractor, I used to clip the boefung on. It got knocked off and I ran over it with the tractor. Tires went over it, squished it into the grass. I wiped it off and I'm still using it.

    Anything but a radio sold as gmrs will require programming to be put on the gmrs frequencies, so if you're not technical you may want to make sure that whatever you get is sold pre-programmed or you line up someone to program them for you.

    The nice thing about the gmrs focused radios is you can often change the subaudible tone from the radio without requiring a cable or PC.

    If you get somewhere and it turns out someone else is using the same tone as you, you can change the radios on the spot. (if you remember how :-) )

    One other thing, if you're thinking about doing ham radio, then a dual band radio (VHF / UHF) will be nice to have. Otherwise just a UHF radio will be less expensive and is all you need for gmrs / FRS.

    I'm very active on ham radio, but the handheld radio I use the most is the MD-380 as I can use it on ham and gmrs.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by omegajb View Post
    Fieldcraft survival did a video and podcast on this subject and would be a great place to start.

    https://youtu.be/EwfQ-Zd5-0c



    Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
    Thanks man I appreciate it. It sounds like HAM is the way to go to get the most capabilities.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by pinzgauer View Post
    I'm a ham and if you were interested in radio and helping with emergency efforts and such then by all means pursue a ham license it's pretty easy now as mentioned.

    That said there were some very good gmrs handhelds and for $80 for 5 years you can be legal with an FCC license.

    They will interop with FRS and there's a very good chance that there are gmrs repeaters in your area that you can use. (Some require joining a club or association.)

    I use Kenwood gmrs radios on my property, and have some over 20 years old that are still Rock solid. They are water resistant, and have extremely good range.

    There are some part 90 approved Chinese radios that are surprisingly good. And some that are just okay.

    TYT make some decent part 90 approved radios that can be used on gmrs, and also ham if you get your license.

    TYT MD-380 and 390 handhelds also work quite well on FM for gmrs and have the plus of being able to do DMR if you get your ham license.

    I have current generation Motorola's as well as many Ham and other commercial radios. Despite what you'll read or hear from old hams, some of the Chinese radios are quite good. And to put it in perspective current Motorola's are made in Malaysia. And there are certainly some junk radios out there from Asia.

    The very common Bofung 5rv or whatever is not as bad as some old farts say, but is not as good as some other radios like the TYTs I mentioned. I will say that they're pretty tough, before I put a tyt mobile on my tractor, I used to clip the boefung on. It got knocked off and I ran over it with the tractor. Tires went over it, squished it into the grass. I wiped it off and I'm still using it.

    Anything but a radio sold as gmrs will require programming to be put on the gmrs frequencies, so if you're not technical you may want to make sure that whatever you get is sold pre-programmed or you line up someone to program them for you.

    The nice thing about the gmrs focused radios is you can often change the subaudible tone from the radio without requiring a cable or PC.

    If you get somewhere and it turns out someone else is using the same tone as you, you can change the radios on the spot. (if you remember how :-) )

    One other thing, if you're thinking about doing ham radio, then a dual band radio (VHF / UHF) will be nice to have. Otherwise just a UHF radio will be less expensive and is all you need for gmrs / FRS.

    I'm very active on ham radio, but the handheld radio I use the most is the MD-380 as I can use it on ham and gmrs.
    Thank you I appreciate the info. I think that investing in a license will probably have to be my best option.

  7. #7
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    This is interesting on maybe the exams being online.
    https://qrznow.com/usa-conducts-firs...am-radio-exam/



    Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

  8. #8
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    Getting licensed is easy. There's no reason not to do it if you have a few hours to study. The entire entry-level test bank is published online and there are several free websites for practice tests and study sessions.

    Technician class license privileges: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Tech%...Privileges.pdf
    Test bank, 428 questions: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/VEs/2...h%20errata.pdf
    Study guide: https://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/upl...guide-v1-1.pdf

    I really liked this website for test prep. It will walk you through all of the questions and as it identifies your strengths and weaknesses it will target particular content areas. If you take the test enough, you can simply learn every question and answer: https://hamstudy.org/tech2018

    The proctored test you ultimately take for Technician level is only 35 questions and you can miss 9 of those. I think it was about $20.00. It took me longer to sign in and walk to the room than to take the test. I'm currently working on my General class using the same methods. I may do the Extra class, just because.
    2012 National Zumba Endurance Champion
    الدهون القاع الفتيات لك جعل العالم هزاز جولة الذهاب

  9. #9
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    So if you do get a ham license I would be looking at handhelds that are capable of DMR. Most of the repeaters in our area are converting over, very little FM activity left.

    A DMR radio can do FM, but FM radios can't do DMR in most cases.

    Ham radio is a great hobby in its own right. Just be aware, you can only talk to other hams. So your other family members will also need to take the test if interested.

    Where gmrs is good for the entire family.

  10. #10
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    I'm not really looking for a new hobby, plus reloading and a pilot's license are higher on the list. If I'm just looking for that mile, really at most that would be my 95%. I'm mainly looking for something for when we are on the range and I can stop yelling like an idiot when we are setting up steel. My son has some Peletor ComTac IIIs and I'm looking to buy a set of higher end active ones like that. What is the best off the shelf, non-license, compatible with electronic muffs out there?
    The Second Amendment ACKNOWLEDGES our right to own and bear arms that are in common use that can be used for lawful purposes. The arms can be restricted ONLY if subject to historical analogue from the founding era or is dangerous (unsafe) AND unusual.

    It's that simple.

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