Baofeng Handheld Ham Radios & More Brands
In a world of expensive Ham Radio Transceivers Baofeng Handheld Transceivers give you the opportunity to have a well built Ham Radio for a Low Cost. They also have very good reviews and you can check that out on Amazon.com, as well as other Ham Radio websites. Just remember as a rule of thumb the more functions the radio has the more expensive it will be. If you can afford a Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood or other brand, go for it.
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Survival Radio: 5 Critical Concerns And Why HAM Radio Is The Only Answer
By Kurt H Petrich | Submitted On July 24, 2014
Want to stay in touch with your loved ones in the middle of a hurricane? Well, if you are thinking about using your trusty cell phone or FRS or GMRS survival radios, then think again.
I want to show you 5 critical issues you need to address. But even if you don't, the truth is, these 5 keys are essential to your survival. So what are they? When it all comes down to it survival radio is about:
1. price 2. reach 3. privacy 4. mobility 5. reliability.
And as I share each of these with you, you'll see why HAM radio is the best solution.
First Concern: Pricing Why is the pricing important when it comes to the best emergency radio? Well, Walmart has some great low priced radios. But watch this. Walmart has two way radios that cost more than a Baofeng UV5R handheld HAM radio. And the Baofeng is of pretty good quality at under $40. The only thing missing is your license. So don't assume that you'll only get bad stuff at low prices.
As for CB radios, emergency handhelds are reasonable priced. You can easily find a Cobra WX or a Midland handheld transceiver in the $70-$100 range. OK, so what's the next essential ingredient to a good survival radio after price?
Second Key Concern: Range Why is reach or range important? Well, do you want to get your signal beyond the neighborhood? If so, then range is critical. For any use beyond your immediate family, walkie talkies are out. FRS or Family Radio Service radios are also out.
GMRS radios say that they can handle 14 miles, but the reality is more like 1 or 2 miles. But here's something interesting.
Some GMRS radios have repeater capabilities. Repeaters are devices spread all around the country that receive and retransmit signals. If you can hit a local repeater, then it can forward your transmissions around the country. The downside to GMRS is that you need a license. So what do you do if you want range but don't want to get a license? Then get a CB.
Now with CB's, their range is better than FRS and you don't need to get a license. With full power, a CB can reach about 4 miles. The limits are your line of sight. If you want to increase your range, then attaching a longer antenna to your CB will do the trick.
Another way to increase range is to get a HAM radio/short wave radio. You'll need a license. At that point, you have access to repeaters which are located all over the country. Some great handheld HAM transceiver examples are the Yaesu VX3R and the BaoFeng UV5R as mentioned earlier.
I think that if you want farthest range, then get your license and pick up a HAM or GMRS radio. But price and range aren't where the search ends. Lets look at another essential survival radio consideration.
Third Key Concern: Privacy Why is privacy important? Well, let me play out a scenario for you that will illustrate the point.
In a disaster, phones go down. So where does everyone run to? The radios. And the more people that are talking, then the less privacy you have. Every radio channel available will have people on it all talking at the same time. It will be utter chaos. For some radios that is.
For instance, with the cheaper radios, the accessible frequencies are very limited. Cheap radio is affordable to many people. Limited frequencies means more people. If you get on an FRS radio in the middle of a disaster, it's going to be very hard to get through to any specific people.
Trying to coordinate with family or friends will be near to impossible. CB will be about the same. So here's where privacy comes in.
Many radios come with "privacy" channels. But there's nothing private about these channels. They are just a cheap feature added to the radio. But with HAM you have a better chance with privacy.
That's because you get a wider frequency spectrum to choose from. For instance you'd have your group start out on a national calling frequency and then move to a special frequency. This special one can be on a ham band or not. It's up to you.
A second factor that thins out the crowds is that HAM operators are required to have a license. And a third factor is that HAM gear isn't as easy to buy as FRS radios. For instance, you wouldn't go to WalMart to buy a handheld amateur radio transceiver. Sure, You can get it through Amazon or eBay, but you're not going to find them at WalMart. So the chances of people buying HAM radios at the last minute is not going to happen.
Fourth Key Concern: Mobility Why is mobility important? Well, what if you have a HAM or CB station setup in your house, and a flood comes? If you have to leave without your gear, then you've got no communications. So mobility is going to be essential.
FRS and GMRS radios are by default mobile. If you want to go CB, then a great mobile CB is the Cobra HH 38 WX ST 40-Channel CB Radio. With the built in antenna, the range isn't that good. Maybe it's a mile.
The downside to mobility is that you can't just plug into the wall for power. Batteries will be at a premium so think about foldable solar panels or a BioLite stove with a USB to power a battery charger. Now although mobility is huge, reliability is even bigger.
Fifth Key Concern: Reliability Why is reliability important? Here's why. You never know what you'll encounter. Let me explain.
Imagine it's raining heavily in a hurricane. Water is everywhere. You are on the run and you drop your radio in the water. Everything is wet and short circuited. End of game.
But, it doesn't have to be. That's because the Yaesu VX7R can withstand 30 minutes of submersion in 3 feet of water. But physical reliability isn't where things end.
Another example of reliability is the use of channels. With everyone crowding existing channels, they increasingly become unreliable to communicate on. But with HAM, you have more to work with. In short, your communications become more reliable.
I Used To Think That FRS Was The Way To Go Maybe you've never considered HAM or shortwave radio. When I first started out, I thought FRS and walkie talkies would do the trick. But after learning more about HAM and all the areas it addresses, I was sold. There were just too many critical areas where HAM blew away FRS and CB.
What I'm going to be doing is start working on getting my license. Then I'll pick up a BaoFeng UV5R or a Yaesu. How about you? Did these 5 critical concerns help you? Do you understand the issues of survival communications a little better?
By the way, do you want to learn other essential survival and bug out skills? If so, check out Kurt's website SurvivalKitClub [http://www.survivalkitclub.com] for more survival kit tips.
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kurt_H_Petrich/229758
Amateur Radio Repeaters
By Carl Broady | Submitted On July 24, 2010
The two meter and seventy cm ham radio bands are the most popular of all of the ham radio bands and it is where most new hams start out. The two meter band is a VHF or very high frequency band and the seventy cm band is a UHF or Ultra high frequency band.
Upon obtaining an amateur radio license or "ticket" generally a hams first investment is in a dual-band hand held two way radio, frequently referred to as an HT or Handy talkie, a term which developed from the old term: walkie-talkie. Customarily the amateur radio operators second investment is in a mobile dual band UHF/VHF transceiver or "rig" which they mount in their vehicle or radio Shack. These two rigs have very similar functionality but the hand held battery-operated rig is usually limited to a maximum output power of about 5 watts. The mobile radio which is connected to the vehicles twelve Volt power supply, or if it used as a base station, to a transformer supplying 12 Volts DC and is capable of transmitting generally up to about 35 watts.
UHF and VHF frequencies are line of sight. Depending on the power output and the location of the transmission aerial UHF and VHF transmissions are able to reach the visible horizon and maybe just a little beyond, but that is the limit. There is one notable exception to this rule which is Tropospheric ducting, where under very unusual and quite rare weather conditions VHF and UHF radio signals travel very much further than the horizon. amateur radio operators take advantage of this phenomena when it does occur by communicating with other hams over great distances.
A 5 Watt Handy-talkie will have an operative range "depending on the terrain and elevation" of roughly 3 miles. A mobile rig on full power with a good antenna in a good location will probably have a maximum range of fifteen to twenty miles under favorable conditions. To get over this limitation in range amateur radio operators make use of radio repeaters, which are frequently owned and operated by amateur radio clubs, but some are privately owned. These radio repeaters are automatic transceivers that listen or receive on one frequency and transmit on a different frequency, this is frequently referred to as "the split". The radio repeater takes the signal that it receives on the input frequency and instantaneously retransmits it on the output frequency using a lot more power, generally about a hundred Watts. In addition to the higher power most of these radio repeaters aerials are located on the top of very high towers or high buildings which actually increases it's range.
A ham's Handy talkie can be used to transmit on the repeater's input frequency and receive on the repeater's output frequency effectively increasing the range of the hand held rig to just beyond the horizon, maybe even as far as thirty or forty miles. Many radio repeater systems have several receiving aerials located throughout the repeater's coverage area but just one main transmitter. In this way a large city can be completely covered with a radio repeater system with hams being able to receive the radio repeater just about anywhere in the city and they are able to be received by the radio repeater or "hit the radio repeater" as it is generally referred to, again from almost anywhere in the city.
Recently some repeaters around the globe have been connected to the World wide web and can be linked to each other using the World-wide-web. For example an ham radio operator in Moscow Russia with an Handy-talkie can chat through their local repeater with a fellow amateur who is driving in their car in New York city United States.
Some radio repeater systems are continually linked to each other but most are linked as and when required by the user and the link is dropped at the end of the conversation.
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Most amateur repeaters are open to all licensed ham radio operators at no cost. These radio repeaters do take money to buy, operate and maintain. They are usually funded by club membership dues and events held by the club like Hamfests. If a ham finds themselves using a radio repeater frequently then maybe they should really consider joining the club that owns the repeater and help to finance it.
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Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Carl_Broady/478159
UHF or VHF Two Way Radios - Which Is Better for Me?
By Billy Daubenmire | Submitted On May 16, 2014
Two way radio customers ask me all the time whether they should use UHF or VHF two way radios. The answer of course depends on where you're planning to use the walkie talkies. It is also important to know if you're already using two way radios because UHF radios won't talk to VHF radios and vice versa. There are some off brand radios that might allow UHF and VHF to be used on the same radio but UHF doesn't talk to VHF without additional technologies so for this article, they don't talk to each other.
UHF stands for Ultra High Frequency. UHF is ideal for customers looking to use their two way radios indoors most of the time. UHF does a better job of penetrating through obstructions like concrete and steel. I recommend UHF technology any time someone has a jobsite where they work both indoors and outdoors. Target, American Eagle Outfitters, and Olive Garden Restaurants all use UHF two way radios.
VHF stands for Very High Frequencies. VHF works best for customers who primarily use their two way radios outdoors. The VHF signal will travel further outdoors but will not provide the best audio quality indoors. Walmart is a large user of VHF two way radios and does so because they have been purchasing two way radios since only VHF radios were available for sale. Surveyors and Landscaping crews are the most common users of VHF technology.
Both UHF and VHF handle held two way radios have a range of 1-2 miles outdoors without the use of a Repeater. Repeaters can extend the range across a city or even a state with the right budget. The range of your two way radios will vary based on the terrain, the number of obstacles, and the wattage of the two way radio. Handheld two way radios can only be 5 watts of power or lower.
I recommend UHF two way radios to all customers unless they are always outdoors. UHF will outperform VHF any time a radio is being used in a mixed environment consisting of both indoor and outdoor. The price point between UHF and VHF is nominal if any and the benefit of having a clearer signal when working both indoors and outdoors far exceeds any price difference you would see. I also believe as technology has improved the audio quality differences between UHF and VHF has been marginalized.
Whether you choose to use UHF or VHF two way radios are a cost effective way to improve safety and productivity at your workplace.
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Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Billy_Daubenmire/1904279