Baofengs illegal to use now?

[fullmetaljesus]

A pretty well thought out radio pouch for the Baofeng.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqx_AodHvnj/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=87kblr55eboc

Kinda dig that pouch, my sound was off when I watched it, did he mention price?

 

[lonehoosier]

Just giving you a hard time. Good on you for following the rules, even when it isnt really necessary. (its an arbitrary money grab)

They should. The first test is easy. At least the kids should, it would be good for science class.

Never say never. Get them used to the GMRS stuff. Once they are used to it wait until they have a problem with their phone. Lost phone, dead battery, no signal, missed messages because of some kind of problem, etc.

"Ya know honey, you can send text messages and email with a ham radio. Here, let me show you a trick."

Take the kids out and let them listen & talk to the ISS or other satellites, it they're of an age where that would be cool to do. Maybe pick up a $25 SDR and hook it to the computer. With that and a piece of wire you can listen to just about any frequency out there.

Kinda dig that pouch, my sound was off when I watched it, did he mention price?

Sounds like it will be out in a week or so. No price was said.

 

[Cameramonkey]

The ham thing is VERY handy. It was solidified when I was traveling down to watch the eclipse with the family.

At the Elizabethtown exit we stopped for lunch. It was PACKED. Rush hour x8. Every restaurant was packed, roads packed, etc. At one point we had to separate and me and the kids went to the car and wife went to the restroom. Something came up and I had to reach her ASAP. Couldnt. towers were jammed and I couldnt even text her. Having radios would have been a Godsend.

When we met up, we headed down the road. 5 minutes/miles later, our texts finally went through once we were away from the throng and we had a clear tower again.

 

[AngryRooster]

The ham thing is VERY handy. It was solidified when I was traveling down to watch the eclipse with the family.

At the Elizabethtown exit we stopped for lunch. It was PACKED. Rush hour x8. Every restaurant was packed, roads packed, etc. At one point we had to separate and me and the kids went to the car and wife went to the restroom. Something came up and I had to reach her ASAP. Couldnt. towers were jammed and I couldnt even text her. Having radios would have been a Godsend.

When we met up, we headed down the road. 5 minutes/miles later, our texts finally went through once we were away from the throng and we had a clear tower again.

Perfect example.

A bit off topic, I'm wondering if it will be the same around here when we're on ground zero for the next one. I really hope it's not. I don't want to deal with that crowd just trying to get milk that weekend. I need to set up a phone alarm or an email alert to remind me to have everything done several days ahead so I don't have to go out.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Perfect example.

A bit off topic, I'm wondering if it will be the same around here when we're on ground zero for the next one. I really hope it's not. I don't want to deal with that crowd just trying to get milk that weekend. I need to set up a phone alarm or an email alert to remind me to have everything done several days ahead so I don't have to go out.

Also OT. I'll be in TX w the family. Not missing the next one, and April weather is just too unpredictable to try here.

 

[lonehoosier]

Ok guys I have another question. I’m looking at the idea of a inexpensive portable family GMRS repeater. We go camping about 12 times a year. We’ve experience bad to no cell phone service a lot when we camp.

So I'm looking at using a baofeng and a SR1 Argent to make a mobile simplex repeater. I understand the limitations of over heating the Baofeng but would this be an issue for a weekend trip once or twice a month?

https://www.argentdata.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=98

https://www.argentdata.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=100

 

[rvb]

that looks like it would really suck to use. latency = the transmission length. yuck.
As far as the baofeng getting hot, it would only be in TX 50% of the time, max with that repeater box, no different than talking on it normally...
don't set the radio up for simplex, set it up with a tx offset, or good chance the other radios could hear the transmission 2x, end up talking on top of each other, etc. (though if the radios your fam are using are 'bubblepack' handhelds vs something like baofengs, you won't be able to do that)
Also use PL tones to help avoid anyone in the campground on gmrs keying up your repeater....

Time to get ham tech licenses. Camping this summer I had the radio in my truck working as a repeater for a buddy and I. Able to cover the whole campground that way... no latency.

When I have my truck radio in the house I sometimes use it as a cross-band repeater so I can mill around the neighborhood with my handheld on low power and talk to people across town, check in to nets, etc...

That little box you linked having store/forward mailbox capability is kinda neat, but it would suck as a repeater....

might be a little more $, could probably find a used vhf/uhf cross-band radio for a couple hundred. much better solution.... just need the fam to get that tech license.

-rvb

 

[lonehoosier]

Thanks for the info. I did see where you can use two radios to make a portable repeater instead of the little box. The family getting their tech license is a non starter, never going to happen. All of my prepping this far I’ve had to drag them kicking and screaming even with them benefiting from those preps. This is something I can put in there hands and go, it’s just that simple.

 

[jedi]

and on your family comment as i know them.
they remind me so much of my own family! they have been thru the mess, seen that the preps which they said i was crazy helped them and yet STILL continue to nonprep or learn.

 

[lonehoosier]

and on your family comment as i know them.
they remind me so much of my own family! they have been thru the mess, seen that the preps which they said i was crazy helped them and yet STILL continue to nonprep or learn.

My wife’s favorite comment is “why do I need to do this when I have you” Because honey I might not be here. Then I’ll go to a hotel. In all fairness she is right when it comes down to every day family emergency, not talking about the SHTF that the majority of people have never experienced.

A few years back I got a bigger generator to run the hole house and the wife was not to happy about that. She said in the 14 years we leaved here we only lost power twice and it was no longer then a hour each time. Christmas Eve will lost power as she was shampooing the carpet’s and get things ready for Christmas Day. It was out for 8 hours. Needless to say she never complains about that generator now but still kicks and screams when it comes to preparing.

 

[rvb]

I hear ya. Hoping to talk kids into it when they get older. No luck with the wife. I have My license, and a couple cheap radios put aside pre-programmed to work simplex or via my crossband repeater. should a true disaster happen I will give them the radios to use regardless of laws and I can use my crossband either in the truck or in the house as needed for a few miles of coverage. Of course, it doesn’t help in the campground when running out of ice is the closest thing to TEOTWAWKI.

the two-radio repeater boxes might work better as they take the record/repeat lag out, but I’d think it would have to crossband... or the tx radio would capture the rx radio. No way it would work on gmrs, IMO.

 

[lonehoosier]

https://www.woot.com/category/electronics