More monies. It was my backup plan.
Pyramid Universal Compact Bench Power Supply - 7 Amp Regulated Home Lab Benchtop AC-Dc Converter Power Supply for CB Radio, HAM W/ 13.8 Volt Dc 120V AC Supply, Dual USB, Cigarette Lighter PSU990KX https://a.co/d/hK6octE

LOL… This rabbit hole is even deeper than YouTube can even dream of!!!

On my two extended overland trips to Africa the first one through SA and Botswana we used Baofeng hand held radios and they worked pretty well. The second trip through the desert of Namibia where we frequently could not see each other either because of the dunes or the coastal fog rolling in we had to switch to Kenwood HAM radios that were plugged into the cigarette lighter and had a long magnetic antenna that we stuck on the roof. The range of that set up was much better than the Baofeng’s we used previously.

When I came back to the states I bought a Kenwood HAM radio with a removable faceplate that allowed me to install the radio under the seat out of the way and install the faceplate above the rear view mirror. I also had the gmrs channels programmed in as well. The ability to use up to 50 watts of true power allows us to communicate over longer distances if you’re not near a repeater.

All of this to say that once you get into radio comms you might want to consider getting a stronger/better radio to either have installed in your vehicle or at least one that you can plug into your cigarette lighter and slap a nicer antenna on the roof.

Down the rabbit hole we go!


https://imgur.com/a/uiZp5ug

I’ve only used the bluetooth programmer and app a little bit, but the app is not nearly as easy to use as the CHIRP software on the computer. There’s no spreadsheet where you can see everything and make changes like CHIRP. Instead, you can only see one channel’s settings at a time.

Also, the app seems to be buggy. There’s two tabs, channel and function. Using the function tab and going back to the channel tab, I find all my channel settings reset to something other than what I had set up in the first place.

Lastly, in order to save and restore settings with the app, you have to sign up for an account. Reading the TOS was interesting. For instance, you have to agree to abide by Chinese law.

This was on my iPhone, I haven’t tried it on my Android tablet yet. It seems the only way for this to be useful so far is to set up the radio using CHIRP, then use the app to read those settings and save a copy to my phone. I could then retrieve those settings without my computer. I could have a GMRS only set, a MURS only set, a Marine VHF set, a HAM set for FL, a HAM set for MI, etc. The first three for listening or emergency use only of course.

On another note:
I already had a pair of decent, cheap, repeater capable GMRS radios and 4 other GMRS HTs. There are no GMRS repeaters near me here or in MI so I’m limited to short range coms only with them.

Adding a couple HAM HTs makes sense for me. There are HAM repeaters here. I have no doubt my knowledge sponge kids could get their tech licenses.

That these radios have could be used on other commonly used frequencies in an emergency is fantastic. Just the inclusion of the FM radio is worth $20. After Ian, it cost me little over $20 to add a small battery operated AM/FM radio to my hurricane kit. One of these handhelds is way better than that radio if just for the simple reason that you can directly punch in the frequency of the station you want to hear. And then there’s the flashlight even.

I thought this might be helpful to those of us who have just gotten their GMRS license, it helped me.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:

All of this to say that once you get into radio comms you might want to consider getting a stronger/better radio to either have installed in your vehicle or at least one that you can plug into your cigarette lighter and slap a nicer antenna on the roof.

A 50W radio will likely blow the fuse to your cigarette lighter in many cars sold in the US.
Wiring direct to battery is better for many reasons, less noise being one of them.

I’ve taken to using a LiFePO4 battery pack in my back floorboard to connect my base/mobile to instead of my truck’s battery. Having a battery pack is good anyway for when power is out. Bioenno is a brand of battery used by many hams. I have several and used them recently when power was out for a week.
Yet another rabbit hole to possibly go down.

I went down this rabbit hole a number of years ago. I have a few UV-5R’s now. I have made sure close family and friends have them and do all their programming as well. For what they are, I can’t speak highly enough about them when you break down cost, ease of use, and functionality. I used mine every morning to listen to the local ham net, listen in on tankers and the coast guard while on family beach vacations and to tune in to the local repeaters while camping around Ohio.

I have since added some cheap QYT KT-8900D’s as my mobile and base station setups to compliment the UV-5R’s I have floating around. I also helped my company’s safety department by programming about 40 Baofeng BF-888S radio’s to stash around the building in the case of an emergency, use for emergency drills, etc. They even bought a GMRS repeater for me to play with and mount on the roof for use with the radio’s and cover our campus.

It has been super handy to gain some base knowledge on FRS/GMRS and Ham frequencies, capabilities and have those conversations with family and friends on settling on a channel/frequency to reach out on in case the SHTF.

quote:

Originally posted by SigSentry:
I've heard it through the "grapevine" that GMRS is kind of "exploding". Perhaps it's only because Para pushed it past the tipping-point. Repeaters are being established all over and it won't be long before nationwide nets are established. I'm sure ham is having a resurgence as well with GMRS as a gateway drug.

I feel fortunate to have a number of repeaters I my area with wide coverage.

Definitely NOT exploding in New Hampshire! Near as I can identify, there are a total of 10 GMRS Repeaters in my ENTIRE state, though only nine are currently operational, and three have EXTREMELY limited range according to myGMRS. All of them are located in the southernmost 1/3 of the state, and I would only be able to reach two of them with a HT Radio from my property.

By contrast there are over 130 HAM Repeaters (2M & 70cm) in NH according to Repeater Book!

^well, you'll just have to create a repeater, put the Yagi on a 25' tower then. Our repeater/s will soon be going to not-for-profit and requesting donations to maintain ( it ain't cheap I gather). From the members I hear it sounds like many don't have a problem staying busy in retirement.

North Georgia GMRS charges $90 a year for access to their repeaters and I think it might be worth it. Their net has really good coverage and is very active. Locally I have access to 2 open ones and they work well for my purposes.

--edit--
looks like someone beat me to it by a few weeks...


I'm not too terribly late to this post but don't have the time to read through all 22 pages yet... Wanted to throw this out there too, The Guerrilla's Guide to the Baofeng Radio. Lot's of good info even if you don't plan to be a resistance fighter in the future. You can also go to his webstore at brushbeater.store and order it there and other good books and equipment.

For those about to embark on the journey to navigate the FCC site and get your GMRS (or HAM) license, this video helps with advice on the "dumpster fire" site. Also some very helpful tips in regards to retaining some privacy in regards to one's home address; FYI- your future call sign is linked publicly to the address you use, anyone who hears your call sign can look it up in the FCC website and get your info. But there are ways to get around this. Randy (NotaRubicon) also has tips for this as well on youtube.

Received my GMRS dedicated radios and programming cable. Poked around with chirp for about 20 minutes, didnt find there to be much of a learning curve, it's intuitive...and I'm an idiot, so get a cord and start programming.

I also spent some time programming the UV5G by hand over the past few days, once you get comfortable with the prompts and shortcuts, it's pretty easy. Obviously cloning multiple radios is better than doing multiple radios by hand.

Man, this thread is moving quickly! I can't keep up!

I was thinking about starting a second thread- one that's more of a tutorial/information repository.

I've played with my radios minimally so far, really concentrating on getting licensed and considering which accessories I can use.

The magnetic base/roof-mount antenna is a must-have, since automobile bodies inhibit radio signals. I wouldn't want any sort of permanent installation for an antenna, not just because it would mean drilling holes in my truck, but also to be able to use the antenna in other locations.

I need to begin determining which channels I want to program into my radios.

I need to sort out bands/frequencies so that I can carry basic information in my head.

As this thread demonstrates, ham radio/GMRS is a sprawling subject and it is easy to get lost in all the technical details. As with all things, though, the study of a subject will bring about clarity, though with this particular subject, clarity may be slow in coming.

Hopefully, the zombie apocalypse is far enough in the future for me to get my ducks in a row.

Para,

I was actually thinking the same, theres so much info here, another (focused) thread may help. I've read this thread entirely 3 times and fragmentally a few more times.

A few weeks ago, who would have thought so many of us would fall off the ledge...

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
A few weeks ago, who would have thought so many of us would fall off the ledge...

I'm like one of those cot dam Instagram influencers.

Except my tits are real.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
As with all things, though, the study of a subject will bring about clarity, though with this particular subject, clarity may be slow in coming.

To this end, I would encourage the purchase of the ARRL Technician License Manual. A read through that will clarify many of the questions I've seen in this thread and make some sense out of the somewhat complicated realm of radio. The General class manual is also a good reference (study guide should you want to progress to that level) for more advanced topics such as antennas/propagation. $30 each is money well spent.

Also, as I understand it, the allowable GMRS frequencies lie in a very narrow band (around 5 MHz as I recall). There's not a whole lot of room in there to move around, and should SHTF you can bet that every frequency is going to be busy as all get out and your ability to get in touch with Aunt Bea, the wife, or the kids, is going to be very limited. When making plans for such an event, I would recommend have a (long) list of possible frequencies to monitor for personal comms as your one "go-to" frequency may very well be in use by a whole lot of other fella(s) doing the same thing. Listen to one radio "pile-up" for a bit and you'll understand well what I mean.

Or...upgrade to ham and have a much larger playground. If you're serious about emergency comms and preparedness, a couple hundred bucks will get you set up with decent radios as opposed to cheap Chinese junk that may or may not work when you need it, antennas that will work for their intended purpose, and the knowledge to use both.

Just my two cents. I am not poo-pooing getting these little radios and knowing how to use them, just know that they may not work like one hopes and they may not serve your purposes. Better than nothing? By all means. But...

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I'm like one of those cot dam Instagram influencers.

Except my tits are real.

Applied for my GMRS license thru the FCC website today. Used our P.O. Box as the address. I don't know about those who experienced it already, but that website is not very intuitive, I needed online help from a youtube video and 3r party guideline. It ain't like buying something from Amazon. But I guess it is a typical government website.