School me on Hand Held radio/walkie-talkies.

[ratski]

I'm wondering, what about handheld CBs?

I had a CB license back in the stone age (23 channel) and as I recall it was just "fill in the form and send it in".

Hand held ham might not be a bad idea, but what kind of test is involved. I remember when I was a teenager (and TV was black and white) I studied for the ham test but got discouraged with the morse area. I know that morse isn't required anymore, but haven't a clue what the test would be like.

Dave

 

[TerryMiller]

Dave,

Apparently, the Lawton Fort Sill Amateur Radio Club has a Facebook account. If you aren't into Facebook (as I'm not), they apparently meet every first Tuesday of the month at the Great Plains Technology Center at 7:30 pm. At least that is what it says on their page when it finally opened up for me to read it. If they are like other Ham clubs, they welcome new people that are interested in the hobby.

When I had my license, the Tech category did not require morse code knowledge or proficiency, but one could take a code test and qualify for Technician-Plus privileges. ARRL's page on licenses is here and explains a bit about each.

But, I'd bet that if you went to their meeting, you would find out a lot more detail about the license and test.

EDIT: Sucks to have a one-track mind. Handheld CB is likely a worthless situation. At one time I and my kids had a set of the CB walkie-talkies and we were lucky to get 1/4 of a mile. And, that was in the Panhandle with no trees or anything else to block the signal.

 

[.45Fats]

Just got my licence about a month ago at a conference out in Nevada. Cake walk, all the questions are publicly available and I have a power point around here somewhere with all of them in it. shoot me an email and I can forward that over.

other great resources:
No Nonsense Study Guide
http://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010_Tech_Study_Guide.pdf

free (with free non-spamming registration) online practice quizes
http://www.qrz.com/hamtest/

and if you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'm sure someone else here that has been certified for more than 4 weeks can answer them

I'm wondering, what about handheld CBs?

I had a CB license back in the stone age (23 channel) and as I recall it was just "fill in the form and send it in".

Hand held ham might not be a bad idea, but what kind of test is involved. I remember when I was a teenager (and TV was black and white) I studied for the ham test but got discouraged with the morse area. I know that morse isn't required anymore, but haven't a clue what the test would be like.

Dave

 

[sugarshane]

So in summary, HAM is the best way to get distance in a handheld? I've been thinking about get the license as well.

 

[uncle money bags]

legally, yes.

 

[aviator41]

It's really the only way to get organized infrastructure to use as well. thats Ham's big advantage over other CB or FRS frequencies.

 

[p238shooter]

A Technician license will give you privileges to operate on the 2Meter and 440 meter bands and a little in the 10M band for local communications. Handy Talkies will usually communicate 5-20 miles dependent on terrain, mobiles 20-30 miles, again depending on terrain. These will also operate through existing privately owned repeater systems which will retransmit 50-70 miles.

If you are interested in getting your technician ham radio license, and are willing to study an hour or so a night for a couple of weeks, I highly recommend a $25 purchase of:

http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com

You can try some of it for free to see if it will work for you. It is less expensive than most books and very effective to not only answer the questions, but know why the answer is correct. It gives you flash cards and drills you. You miss something it will give you the correct answer and why. It will re-nag you to make sure you got it.

My Wifey who knew nothing about radio studied a couple of weeks and made a 97% on the Tech test (70% is passing).

When the FCC dropped the code requirements I upgraded from Tech+ to General in a week, and to Extra 3 weeks later. I was a Tech+ for many years because I could not do Morse code faster than about 8 words/min. I had a lot of electronics background but the code stopped me. I am glad it is gone, but it is also a useful tool. I just do not need it at 10WPM or faster.

Take a look at it. He will give you a little free preview, you just have to make a log in so it can remember where you left off the last time. WB5Y Ken

 

[p238shooter]

Ham radio it is a great family hobby. One of my friends sons passed the Tech test when he was 11 and he is very good on the radio, always has a fishing story. There are many radio clubs around the usually meet once a month to have a meal and shoot the bull. Very nice people in general, and willing to help out.

We had an ice storm several years ago with no power 7 days out in the country. Day 3 the cell phone tower ran out of back up fuel. I used the boat battery in the garage to communicate with my friends. I had one radio friend in particular who usually turned his radio off when he went to bed. He offered to leave it on with the volume turned up. He stated, "if you need anything in the middle of the night, you get on the radio and wake me up, fire, ambulance, anything -- got it?" He was 40 miles away in the city with power and phone service. I did not need him, but was glad he would be there if we did.

When all normal forms of communication are down, ham operators can and do talk, locally, or around the world. 12V power is pretty accessible, you can take it with you easily.

 

[Brandi]

We have a couple older sets of the multichannel FRS radios, they are perfect for use under two miles. I've used them during hunting trips to keep in touch with hunting buddies, tree stand to trees stand but also while trying to find each other in the woods. You do have issues depending on terrain but as long as you are within a mile or two of each other its not much of a problem. Where they really shine is for car to car communication when traveling in a group, however, I suspect in a mountainous or high hill area you would get gaps in communication. They also work very well when Christmas shopping or keeping track of wandering children at the mall, although you look pretty silly lol.

The FRS style radios are really handy but, as mentioned, have limitations way below what the advertising trys to make you believe. If I could afford to do the Ham portable radio route I would. If you need signal 2 or more miles out, Ham is the only legal way I know of.

 

[p238shooter]

Any radio systems for personal communications including GMS, FRS, commercial 150mz or so radios, marine radios, ham 2m and higher frequency radios are basically line of sight. There is very little bending and scatter for "over the hill" communication. That is why most important stuff is up on a tower, to "see" further. Higher power for range and scattering helps, but might not be a cure all for all situations at those frequencies with varied terrain.

I talked to South America and Italy this evening on a Ham radio on 14Khz, but it was on a pretty hefty radio and a substantial antenna. If the power goes down, a standard 12V car battery will only give me 4-6 hours of talk time without a recharge.