HAM Radio FAQ

[Zorba]

Don't need to wait for a class. Do the hamstudy.org 'study mode'. It keeps track of how proficient you are. I waited until I was in the low 90's and took the test.

https://hamstudy.org/tech2018

Hamstudy.org is da bomb! My aptitude is currently 82%, took a sample test and only missed one. But I might not get a test that easy in reality, so drilling continues...

 

[abruzzi]

Hamstudy.org is da bomb! My aptitude is currently 82%, took a sample test and only missed one. But I might not get a test that easy in reality, so drilling continues...

the fortunate thing is that the questions (in the US) are all pre-written, and you can see every question before you go in. The questions are randomly built into sample tests that the tester will pull and provide you. So all of the (again, US based) testing apps pull from those exact same questions. It is setup as a fixed number of policy, math, electronics, operations, etc.. I had an iPad app and I just took the sample test it generated about 50 times, guessing when I didn't know the answer. By the time I got to test 50, I had seen every question at least a few times. I also found most of the questions on the Technician test were common sense (policy questions), and since you need a 74% to pass, you can miss 9 of the 35 questions and still pass. And since it is a fixed number from each category, if you're bad at electronic components, you know that will only be 4 questions. Math and ohms law are another 4 questions. So you can miss all those and still pass. (the rest are much easier to memorize.)

But repeated drilling is the easiest way to pass the Tech test. General its a bit harder since there are more and harder math and electronics questions. Extra is much harder. I did the General immediately after the Tech since they weren't going to charge me extra, and I had studied the General questions, so I figured--no loss trying to pass now. And lo-and-behold, I passed it.

 

[Zorba]

the fortunate thing is that the questions (in the US) are all pre-written, and you can see every question before you go in. The questions are randomly built into sample tests that the tester will pull and provide you. So all of the (again, US based) testing apps pull from those exact same questions. It is setup as a fixed number of policy, math, electronics, operations, etc.. I had an iPad app and I just took the sample test it generated about 50 times, guessing when I didn't know the answer. By the time I got to test 50, I had seen every question at least a few times. I also found most of the questions on the Technician test were common sense (policy questions), and since you need a 74% to pass, you can miss 9 of the 35 questions and still pass. And since it is a fixed number from each category, if you're bad at electronic components, you know that will only be 4 questions. Math and ohms law are another 4 questions. So you can miss all those and still pass. (the rest are much easier to memorize.)

But repeated drilling is the easiest way to pass the Tech test. General its a bit harder since there are more and harder math and electronics questions. Extra is much harder. I did the General immediately after the Tech since they weren't going to charge me extra, and I had studied the General questions, so I figured--no loss trying to pass now. And lo-and-behold, I passed it.

Just for laughs, I took a General practice test. Bombed it of course, but scored 65 which was better than I thought I would do. The legal stuff and operational procedures are the bugaboos on the Tech test that keep my studying; the electronics, ohms law, et al are easy.

 

[Akitadog]

Back around 1990 I was heavily into radio, repairing and working on amps. I wanted to get into Ham so bad, could not get the code speed up. Fast forward to now in 2010 I took a hamcram test to get my Tech and last year upgraded to General. I have noticed the ham activity has gone down since the 90's.
I'm a firm believer in the Hamcram's.

 

[TurboTJ]

In the areas where I wheel, VHF/UHF is virtually useless for emergency purposes. There are very few repeaters and simplex is useless unless you are in a group. In addition to VHF/UHF I also have an HF radio with a screwdriver antenna that works on 40 meters and above. I can always contact someone on HF. They may be 1000 miles away but they can relay a message. I suppose this is redundant because I also carry a satellite tracker with text and SOS capability. Belt and suspenders.

 

[WSS]

I have two Yaesu ftm400's both mars/cap modded. Love em. APRS is set up on both. They are remote mount only and touch screen. In the Jeep, I run a tri band Standard Vertex (now owned by Yaesu) and a pair of UV5R bofengs. I have a pair of bofengs in every vehicle as well. All programmed the same via CHIRP.

I have a high level GMRS repeater on my property too. 75' crank up tower and a 9dbi antenna. She is a performer. Took me a while to get it right but it is spot on. It is running a 6 pass duplexer (American made is the key) and two new motorolas tied with a ID-O-matic. It is run off a 100ah deep cycle battery, my best guess is 40hrs of tx time with no power.

I have been on Gold mtn in Big bear and opened it with no noise. I have offered it before here, if any member in the IE wants to use it, PM me and I'll get you the PL's and freqs. Gotta have the GMRS license. The base coverage is from Pomona/Fontana/Corona/Rancho Cucamonga area. With some coverage in Riverside, Moreno Valley and Redlands

The GMRS license is all about money. You do have to have a FRN before you can purchase the license.

https://www.fcc.gov/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs

 

[suicideking]

I have two Yaesu ftm400's both mars/cap modded. Love em. APRS is set up on both. They are remote mount only and touch screen. In the Jeep, I run a tri band Standard Vertex (now owned by Yaesu) and a pair of UV5R bofengs. I have a pair of bofengs in every vehicle as well. All programmed the same via CHIRP.

I have a high level GMRS repeater on my property too. 75' crank up tower and a 9dbi antenna. She is a performer. Took me a while to get it right but it is spot on. It is running a 6 pass duplexer (American made is the key) and two new motorolas tied with a ID-O-matic. It is run off a 100ah deep cycle battery, my best guess is 40hrs of tx time with no power.

I have been on Gold mtn in Big bear and opened it with no noise. I have offered it before here, if any member in the IE wants to use it, PM me and I'll get you the PL's and freqs. Gotta have the GMRS license. The base coverage is from Pomona/Fontana/Corona/Rancho Cucamonga area. With some coverage in Riverside, Moreno Valley and Redlands

The GMRS license is all about money. You do have to have a FRN before you can purchase the license.

https://www.fcc.gov/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs

That's quite the assortment. I love those FTM400's. Saw one in a friends rig. If I could stop buying other Jeep parts, I could get nicer radio.

Sounds like your GMRS repeater covers a large area. I need to get my license eventually.

 

[WSS]

That's quite the assortment. I love those FTM400's. Saw one in a friends rig. If I could stop buying other Jeep parts, I could get nicer radio.

Sounds like your GMRS repeater covers a large area. I need to get my license eventually.

Thanks! I took a long break from Amateur radio. About 4 years ago, the school my son goes to needed some volunteers for security at events. No one had radios. Before I knew it, I was back in up to my elbows. Both campuses now have their own dedicated low level repeater and about 300 radios. All the staff and teachers have a radio now. The school leased the freqs from a local comm company and use there license.

We are using the baofeng bf888 HT's. Super cheap, in fact you don't fix em, you replace em. I can get them for $9ea if I buy 20-30 at a time. All are programmed with chirp using the same file. Anyone with a file and a cable can upload to the radios. These little rigs have a basic scramble function. They last about two years, some go three. This is daily use, on all during school, set on the charger at night. The battery is the number one failure and the plastic housing is the second. Both failures are too close to a new radios cost, we chuck em. I have to give those chinese radios a 8.5-9.0 rating. The uv5r class radio seems to be just as durable. I know they leak RF and some have squelch trouble, but hey, a little RF leaking on your hand is good for you. LOL

 

[suicideking]

What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger?

I've told my wife we should get some cheap GMRS radios for the kids when they're around the neighborhood since one license covers the whole family. I just think it would be cool if other kids on the block had radios too during this weird stay at home crap. She's not onboard...

 

[SSTJ]

Well, look at THAT! For that money, and Midland's rep, I think my decision has just been made! Features look GREAT at that price point.

@Zorba @abruzzi , what do you think of the 25W max on the Midland that I posted above?

@abruzzi thanks for the very helpful introduction.

 

[SSTJ]

I have two Yaesu ftm400's both mars/cap modded. Love em. APRS is set up on both. They are remote mount only and touch screen. In the Jeep, I run a tri band Standard Vertex (now owned by Yaesu) and a pair of UV5R bofengs. I have a pair of bofengs in every vehicle as well. All programmed the same via CHIRP.

I have a high level GMRS repeater on my property too. 75' crank up tower and a 9dbi antenna. She is a performer. Took me a while to get it right but it is spot on. It is running a 6 pass duplexer (American made is the key) and two new motorolas tied with a ID-O-matic. It is run off a 100ah deep cycle battery, my best guess is 40hrs of tx time with no power.

I have been on Gold mtn in Big bear and opened it with no noise. I have offered it before here, if any member in the IE wants to use it, PM me and I'll get you the PL's and freqs. Gotta have the GMRS license. The base coverage is from Pomona/Fontana/Corona/Rancho Cucamonga area. With some coverage in Riverside, Moreno Valley and Redlands

The GMRS license is all about money. You do have to have a FRN before you can purchase the license.

https://www.fcc.gov/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs

I wish I were on the other side of the country so I could try out that GMRS repeater ...

 

[WSS]

What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger?

I've told my wife we should get some cheap GMRS radios for the kids when they're around the neighborhood since one license covers the whole family. I just think it would be cool if other kids on the block had radios too during this weird stay at home crap. She's not onboard...

Here is a family friendly kit:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08K8N945W/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Or you can get the individual charger kit:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075KFN6FH/?tag=wranglerorg-20

I notice baofeng now has a usb charge setup, the BF-888ST.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BYVM7JL/?tag=wranglerorg-20

I have a pair of "radioditty" HT's I bought for testing. So far, they are holding up

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y5V7DN4/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[SSTJ]

Well, look at THAT! For that money, and Midland's rep, I think my decision has just been made! Features look GREAT at that price point.

Well, now I see that it is a re-branded version of this radio ... and this radio.

Still, yes, it does look like a good deal for a starter dual-band, which is all I'm really looking for.

 

[Zorba]

Well, now I see that it is a re-branded version of this radio ... and this radio.

Still, yes, it does look like a good deal for a starter dual-band, which is all I'm really looking for.

Yep, I figured that out too. So far, I've found the "Retevis" brand at the lowest price, $105 on eBay WITH programming cable. The videos and reviews off these all come back pretty positive, although it may be necessary to enlarge the "audio hole" in the mic.

But I wanna setup something completely different for a 10M base - thinking Halicrafters or other vintage gear.

 

[SSTJ]

Yep, I figured that out too. So far, I've found the "Retevis" brand at the lowest price, $105 on eBay WITH programming cable. The videos and reviews off these all come back pretty positive, although it may be necessary to enlarge the "audio hole" in the mic.

But I wanna setup something completely different for a 10M base - thinking Halicrafters or other vintage gear.

Nice, I hadn't read much about that particular version/branding.

Have you also read, as I have, that the AnyTone comes ready/able to transmit on all of the frequencies on which it receives, whereas the Midland will only transmit on Ham frequencies? Not that I'm keen to transmit illegally, but I'm just curious about why some versions of the same radio would offer different ranges for transmission.

 

[Fred Stroggs]

The subject of Ham Radio, in relation to preparedness, is one that’s often overlooked. When it is talked about, it’s often an afterthought in an article, or it’s presented by someone who has no real experience with radio communication technology.

In my opinion, Ham Radio still plays a very important role in emergency communications and preparedness. If you’re serious about survival and prepping, you really need to look into HAM Radio.

In general, radio communications is a pretty complicated subject; one that can hardly be covered in a single article. That being said, I want to answer some of the most common questions I receive about Ham Radio, and why I feel it’s so important to survivalists and preppers.

Why is Ham Radio Still Important?
In an age where communication is often taken for granted, it’s easy to overlook the importance of Ham Radio.

I often receive questions like: “Why do I need Ham Radio when I have a cell phone?” or “Didn’t the internet kill Ham Radio?” While these modern forms of communication may have shifted the attention away from Ham Radio, by no means did it make it unnecessary. In fact, during a disaster, it’s very likely that these modern forms of communication will be the first ones to fail.

The number one reason for preparedness minded people to consider Ham Radio is its reliability during times of crisis. Since the early 1900s, this form of communication has reliably made it through every major crisis, disaster, and emergency situation with flying colors. When all other forms of communication fail, Hams are often the ones who are called upon to help communicate in and out of the disaster zone.

When the grid goes down, the Ham Bands will still be alive and very active.

What about my Emergency Radios, can’t I just use that to get information?
Probably Not! Emergency radios are great; I have a few of them myself, but during a large-scale disaster, they’ll probably become completely useless.

Think about it this way; most Emergency radios have the normal local AM & FM Bands, a few weather channels, and possibly some shortwave frequencies. During a large-scale disaster, most of these radio stations will either shut down because of a lack of power, or they’ll go silent when their employees stop showing up for work.

On the other hand, Ham Radio will be more active than ever. During any kind of disaster, small or large, the Ham bands light up. From being able to monitor local communications, to monitoring what’s happening nationally or even throughout the world, Ham Radio allows you to find out what’s really going on.

One thing to keep in mind about Ham Radio is its operators are independent operators that don’t answer to any corporations or government officials. Yes, you do have to be licensed; but the people you’re listening to are independent operators that have no agenda, not filters, and no reason to lie about the situation. You will be hearing raw, unfiltered news right from the source.

How will I power my Radio when the Grid goes down?
While some radios require massive amounts of power, there are a lot of Hams who enjoy the challenges of operating on next to nothing. In Ham lingo, it’s known as QRPing. And yes, these weird terms and phrases actually mean something and are extremely useful when operating in low power situations.

From using solar, wind, and other alternative power sources to the batteries in your vehicles, boats, or RV’s there are a number of ways to power a Ham Radio after the grid goes down. In fact, some radios can be operated with little more than the batteries in your smoke detector.

Personally, I’ve talked to people from around the globe with less than 10 watts of power. If you really know what you’re doing, you can transmit with even less. I use an Icom 703, with a battery pack that can be recharged with a small solar panel.

Can’t I just buy a Radio without becoming licensed?
I often come across people who buy the equipment without ever learning how to use it. In my opinion, it’s the same as buying a gun and then never learning how to fire it. While there’s nothing stopping you from buying the equipment, I probably wouldn’t do it without learning how to use it first.

Each type of equipment, power source, antenna, and communication mode has its own set of strengths, weaknesses and intricacies. Ham Radio equipment isn’t something that you can just pull out of the box during an emergency. Just like every other skill in life, it requires practice; and in the case of Ham Radio, a lot of it.

I refuse to be part of something where I have to be licensed by the FCC.
I hear this argument a lot; and while I usually do everything I can to keep government out of my life, in the case of HAM Radio, I feel the benefits far outweigh the risk. So unless you’ve sworn off driving for the very same reasons, I advise anyone who’s serious about learning the ins-and-outs of emergency communications to take a good look at becoming a licensed Amateur Radio Operator (HAM).

How hard is it to get a Ham Radio License?
In general, radio communications is a pretty complicated subject, one that’s impossible to cover in a single article. That being said, the licensing process itself is actually pretty easy.

Over the last decade, the testing process has been simplified. Some of the past requirements, such as learning Morse code, are no longer required to obtain a license. In my opinion, it’s a shame they’ve dumbed down the testing by removing the Morse code requirement, but I’ll save that rant for another day. What’s important here is that almost anyone, with a little bit of practice, can get their license.

How do I Start?
The Technician class license is the entry-level license of choice for most new ham radio operators. To earn the Technician license, you need to pass a 35 question examination. The test covers basic radio theory, FCC regulations, and basic operating practices. The license allows you to access the very popular 2-meter band.

The cost of the exam is $15. You can find a testing center through the ARRL Website.

To really get the most out of Ham Radio, you should shoot for at least a General Class License. This license will require you to take another 35 questions examination, covering more advanced radio theory, regulations and operating practices. Once you pass the General Exam, you will have access to all VHF/UHF Amateur bands and most HF privileges (10 through 160 meters).

Can you recommend a good starter Radio?
If you’re just starting out and have your Technician class license, you don’t need to spend a whole lot of money to get started. In fact, a Baofeng UV-5R Radio will only set you back about $35, and is a great way to get started. The dual band UV-5R covers the 2-meter band and 70CM ham band (136-174 & 400-480 MHz FM), making it the perfect choice for beginners.

 

[Zorba]

Nice, I hadn't read much about that particular version/branding.

Have you also read, as I have, that the AnyTone comes ready/able to transmit on all of the frequencies on which it receives, whereas the Midland will only transmit on Ham frequencies? Not that I'm keen to transmit illegally, but I'm just curious about why some versions of the same radio would offer different ranges for transmission.

Apparently has to do with region - but from what I'm seeing, that can be changed in a deeply buried menu option somewhere. Unless I'm mis-reading something, which is entirely possible...

 

[Fred Stroggs]

Ham radio and Jeeps were made for each other. I own a TJ and a JKU and both run a 100 watt HF transceiver (with separate auto tuning unit) and a separate 2m/70cm transceiver. I use 2 antenna on each jeep; a HF whip resonate at the band used (I have multiple band whips which I must physically swap over if I want to change band) tuned by an LDG auto tuner and a dual band whip for the 2 meter/70 cm transceiver. I have Kenwood, Icom and Yaesu radios and all are good. My call sign here in Aus is VK2GRD. TJDave is correct - ham radio will always work even when the world has gone crazy and is the ultimate emergency communications system.

 

[suicideking]

Apparently has to do with region - but from what I'm seeing, that can be changed in a deeply buried menu option somewhere. Unless I'm mis-reading something, which is entirely possible...

Similar to the Boafeng, some radio mfg's ship the same unit everywhere and don't block out the GMRS frequencies. The Midland model is probably a US programmed version. You would probably need to do the MARS/Cap mod (use a soldering iron to remove a capacitor) to get it to work on GMRS.

 

[SSTJ]

Thanks all. For me (a rookie, just learning Ham), I think I'll go with either the Midland or AnyTone. It seems like it has a lot of features for pretty cheap. Since I won't be relying on it for any survival/extreme conditions, I'm just interested in getting as many features as possible, to play around with and learn. Will be taking a local Ham test pretty soon.