Would you mind schooling me on the different types of radios?

[ArcadiaGP]

CB, Ham, SW... I know nothing about this particular subject. I know that CB and Hammers have a distaste for one another, and I know Ham needs a license for whatever reason.

Could you help me understand the different types of radios that one may utilize in a portable/prepper/SHTF situation?

Why are they sold in pairs? Are they meant to only communicate with one another? Can't you tune in to other people around you? Like if you wanted to radio for assistance? Am I misunderstanding how they are meant to be used?

Some have channels I understand... are there a finite number of channels, and all users in the world utilize these same channels? Are there some channels that are dedicated for one specific purpose (like weather)?

Just some starting questions... and I'm sure it's been asked here and there already. Just getting more involved with my home preparedness, and this is one of the items on my list to become more educated about before making a purchase.

 

[SSGSAD]

When I was a kid, my dad had sw, on his radio, and we could listen, all over the world .....

 

[TheWabbit]

It sounds like you are asking about different wireless services like FRS (typical walkie talkie), GMRS, Amateur Radio Service.

https://www.fcc.gov/general/wireless-services

I just recently received my General license.

 

[pudly]

A good comms overview video:

[video=youtube_share;vnNPVBcNp_8]http://youtu.be/vnNPVBcNp_8[/video]

 

[Spear Dane]

If you see radio's being sold in pairs they are not ham radio's they are FRS or GMRS. You will see such radios at Wal-Mart. They will have really impressive marketing hype like "Range UP TO 35 miles" Don't believe it for a minute. VHF hand held radio propagation is line of sight.
Yes some hams have a distaste for CB and yet a lot of us (I am an Extra) started with CB. If you are still in Indy and plan to stay put in a SHTF scenario I would suggest strongly you get at least your ham Technician class license and VHF radio, which can be had for <$50. There are a TON of repeaters in the area and a strong chance of one of them being up. Do not whine or complain about studying for a test...elementary school kids (Literally) take and pass this test regularly.

To that plan add a decent CB radio because many people have them. To the plan also add a good general coverage (AM,MW,SW) receiver. If you want to transmit on the ham bands located in the SW/MW segments you will need at least a General and your equipment cost (< $200 up to now) will go up significantly.
What ever you end up doing, don't just buy stuff, throw it in a box and forget about it. Use your equipment on a regular basis, learn how it works, if you break the whip antenna off what are your options to fix it? And so on.

 

[indiucky]

If you see radio's being sold in pairs they are not ham radio's they are FRS or GMRS. You will see such radios at Wal-Mart. They will have really impressive marketing hype like "Range UP TO 35 miles" Don't believe it for a minute.

True what the Dane said....I think it's more like "35 yards".....

 

[ArcadiaGP]

Yeah, I don't think those sorts of radios are anything that I'd consider in the situations I'm thinking of.

But as far as "the good stuff"... CB, Ham, etc.... what is ideal for a SHTF/Prepper situation? Portability seems nice, convenient... are those viable?

 

[MAC100]

Yeah, I don't think those sorts of radios are anything that I'd consider in the situations I'm thinking of.

But as far as "the good stuff"... CB, Ham, etc.... what is ideal for a SHTF/Prepper situation? Portability seems nice, convenient... are those viable?

Get your amateur radio ticket and learn about it. Communicate so many ways not just voice. local, 50 feet to several miles with a VHF handheld, or around the world with a HF radio and a piece of wire for an antenna. its a fun hobby too if your into technical stuff. CB is roughly 4 -5 miles unless you are going to run illegal power and a crazy antenna system. CB is just a set of frequencies channelized. 26-27mhz. with an HF radio you can listen to these frequencies and can easily mod your HF radio to transmit on them also. Legally though you can still only run 4 watts even though your HF radio can transmit 100 watts. but in a SHTF situation dont think anyone will care you are running more than legal power on those Freq. biggest draw back of an HF radio vs CB though is cost. You can find decent stuff used if your not looking for the latest greatest models.

Getting you Technician ticket is not hard at all. You do have to study a little but its very basic electrical concepts Ohms law, etc.

 

[Spear Dane]

The ideal radio for SHTF IMHO: Yaesu FT-817ND, Yaesu FT817ND

 

[cobber]

Buy from a reputable dealer. Don't look for the cheapest thing on e b, or you may get a 2005 model designed for the Malaysian market.

 

[MAC100]

Buy from a reputable dealer. Don't look for the cheapest thing on e b, or you may get a 2005 model designed for the Malaysian market.

Good advice!!! Even if buying used buy one of the so called big 3 manufacturers. Yeasu, Icom, or Kenwood. dont buy Galaxy or some other Chinese garbage! That said though the Boefang Hand helds (Chinese maker) are not too bad for a first radio for a newb that just got their Tech license. Their like $50. I have my General License and have several high dollar radios but still have several of these Baofangs because they are so cheap for what they do I keep one in every car I own, my basement, etc. The Yeasu FT817 is a great radio for SHTF. covers VHF and HF has option for internal battery so can be used portable, in the car, on your desk, etc. Only limitation is it is max 5 watts transmit. The way HF (high frequencies 1.8 - 28mhz) works though if conditions are right you can still communicate around the world even with 5 watts. Lots of people have these in their Go Bags. a step up from there is the Yeasu 857: almost same size as 817, covers VHF and HF but is 100 watts output. the negative of this is to put out 100 watts it draws aprox. 20 amps of power. So you need a proper power supply or hard wired to a car battery and the car battery would go dead pretty fast if the car is not running charging the battery. both of these radios are $500-$700 each.

See if there is an amateur radio club in your area. They would be the ones who administer the tests. You can also learn alot from them. In the Amateur radio world finding a very experienced person to help you out is called an Elmer. Your in a big city so should not be hard to find a club. check the ARRL website (national organization for amateur radio) and a couple internet forums. Eham, QRZ and do some browsing around. Just be careful posting on QRZ. IMHO filled with a lot of crotchedy old men who got their license in the 50's and do not like the preppers who get their license for SHTF situations and hate CB even worse. So you may get some really jerk responses if you post something like "whats the best radio for SHTF" Feel free to PM me if you got more detailed questions.

 

[Sailor]

The ideal radio for SHTF IMHO: Yaesu FT-817ND, Yaesu FT817ND

Great radio for sure, I would not choose it for a beginner or if you plan on having just one radio though. (who ever buys just one lol)

 

[bulletsmith]

The ideal radio for SHTF IMHO: Yaesu FT-817ND, Yaesu FT817ND

Holy cow they pack a lot in a small package these days. I let my Tech. lic expire some years ago, I kind of regret it now... Just wanted to say that it really is a good hobby and a worth while skill to have. If you are a tinkerer and maybe a bit of an electronics guy jump right in. As stated above, learn more than just how to turn it on. Imagine understanding how to build your own antenna systems. Or building a system that can communicate with a satellite. There is probably more in that hobby than you have considered.

/ramble

 

[Bill of Rights]

Here's another vote for the Baofeng models. I have a UV-5R, and I understand that even with as much as they packed into these, the 8R and other newer models have even more features. I know when Lars was active on here, he swore by the Yaesu brand as well.

I managed to pass my Technician and General the same day (missed Extra by a couple of questions), and then my Extra several months later. That's not an indicator of knowledge or of skill with the radios, it just means I studied the hell out of the QRZ test bank. I'm not much for talking (voice) to people I don't know, so I've not been very active, but I could make contact and get info in or out if I needed to.

It (passing the tests) can be done, and I can see how it (HAM) could be very helpful in SHTF, as long as the .gov is not jamming the airwaves.

Besides, with the way this place loves bacon, the move to HAM is a no-brainer.

Happy New Year, all.

Blessings,
Bill