Ham radios and this hobby, any military radios work for that?
Happy Thanksgiving.
I have been encouraged to become a ham radio operator and know nothing about them. I assume some of these radios I see at shows in trucks and stuff broadcast on amature radio frequencies. I will one day need a radio and was wondering if any of you guys are experts on the subject? I can get a radio that will work locally with a repeater tower for about $150 but I suspect one that will transmit across country will cost a lot more. If I have to get something, it might as well be former military.
If you do a search using "ham radio," you'll see some good related topics. There are a few of use here! Some or most was under military ellectronics (old site topics).
this sounds like fun thing to get into,i too have been encourage to get into it,always something pops up to do, a great winter hobby, maybe this winter,steve from western maine
Hi there:
First, i need to ad the obligatory reference to previous threads. There was quite a discussion a while back about ham radio. Several of the member's avatars have a little signal corps flag in the corner. Those are some of the hams on the site.
First, a little about repeaters: Repeaters use a system called duplex. That means that the receive on one frequency and transmit on another This is often called the offset. I don't know of any Mil radios that are capable of that except the PRC-127, which is really just a Bendix King cop-radio with a green wrapper. The PRC-127 operates in the 2 meter band (144-148Mc) The tactical radios such as the PRC-6 PRC-77 GRC 8-10 and the rest don't do the offset. That having been said, The FM tactical Mil radios are mostly all capable of simplex in the 6 meter ham band (50-54Mc). There are several hams in our local club who use these.
You need to check out the licensing requirements for the "Technician Class" license. It is a 35 question test and with a bit of study it is not difficult to pass. The Mil radios are fun to play with and they are RUGGED. The drawback is that there aren't a lot of people (at least around here) to talk with, on the Mil stuff.
Check out the search function here and also have a look at the American Radio Relay League web site (ARRL.org). There are several guys here who'll be happy to answer your questions as well. I hope this gets you started, Ham radio is a lot of fun and combines well with Mil vehicles.
73 (that's a ham radio thing...short hand for "best wishes")
Thanks for the info guys. Just for the record, our church (LDS or "mormons") has asked us to get a couple of people in each of our units to become certified with the ham radios. Locally a member that is an expert on emergency prepardness is teaching a class on the techincal class. After the 9 hours of class we will take the test.
This is not a hobby interest but more of a community service project. Of course most of the interested people plan to become involved in the hobby of ham radio, but as for me I'm not a real "social" person so it's pretty much just emergency preparedness interest.
I will search the forum for more info. Thanks Joe.
I've been on the air since july 2007. I find it to be amazing at what radio can do. I use hadheld radios only. Yaesu VX-7 is a 5 watt hadheld radio that has capability in transmitting on 4 different bands of frequencies.
There is an organization called the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) which governs ham radio, and will give you all the info you could ever need to get started , find an exam location, and give you the practice tests to score well.
Then you get your FCC License issued directly to you. Not a location, or a vessel.
As far as comunication goes it is the catalyst that started cell phones and everything else that we use wirelessly today.
K2DWH
__________________ 1992 DEW ENGINEERING & DEVELOPMENT LTD - TRAILER, CARGO, 1/4 TON, 2 WHEEL, M101 CDN 2
1971 AM GENERAL CORPORATION - TRUCK, CARGO, 2 1/2 TON, 6X6, M35A2 W/W
Another SS member here who wants to get into Ham radio. Looking to get a base and a handheld. There is an abundance of help here on this site. I grew up listening to an old hellicrafter receiver. Dad wanted to get a license but morse code kept him from going forward, that and working. We spent plenty of nights listening to conversations and then getting foreign radio. Well now I am my dad. But can get a technical license without knowing code. I just have to talk my kids into buying me a radio or two. Go to the one of the web sites that offer practice questions and take the test to see where you are weak. Get a Ham for Dumbbies book afrom the library and study on what you are weak at. That is my plan. Have a great thanksgiving.
You will find that Ham Radio (aka Amateur Radio) is an extremely fascinating and diverse "hobby." Depending on your interests, talents, time and pocketbook it can be SO much more than a hobby! I've been licensed since 1976 8s, and have dabbled in all sorts of areas of the hobby.
Joe, I'm in the same "club" you are (LDS), and am one of the "older" Hams in the stake. We've tried to get some things going over the years, but they never seem to really catch fire. But those of us who are licensed and at least moderately active can, and will, step up to the plate to provide emergency whenever necessary.
As for combining Amateur Radio with MVs, it seems a natural fit to me! I'll be configuring my M109 to function as a mobile communications center, as well as rigging up a VHF/UHF rig in the cab for commo when on the road (through the cab intercom I'm working on).
I also use my Amateur Radio skills with the VA Defense Force, and am the resident 'guru' in my Battalion.
I started off with a Military Vehicle and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, I was talked into getting a military radio. I've always liked radios and found them to be very enjoyable. Having a MV I like sticking to the military radios but not so much into the ham side of the hobby. Many of us in our MV club (MTA of NJ) have our ham licenses. I didn't think much of getting my license since I was only using it for parades and convoys. I'm very glad that I did and it is something to be proude of having. While taking the Ham class and the test after, I have gained more respect for using the radios then just for fun in a convoy or parade.
If you are interested in getting a radio for your MV. Here are steel soldiers most of the topics will be talking about the military side of the ham radios.
There are a lot of threads here about military radios. Some good search words would be PRC, RT-246, RT-524, SINCGARS.
Cheers,
C'dub
KC2UCZ
__________________
' When the pin is pulled, Mr.Grenade is not our friend ' - U.S. Marine Corps
Ham radios and this hobby, any military radios work for that?
