Any HAM amateur radio users in the house? (Houston: landscaping, transfer)

[behtypa]

I am new to this. Could anyone help me to get a few answers?

I am going to obtain a basic Technician License. I am trying to build 2 rigs for emergencies:

1. A portable transceiver (UHF/VHF?), battery operated (aka Walkie Talkie).
2. Stationary based (house) HAM rig.

For both:
- where can I compare models and what shall I pay attention to? What brands, wattage, frequencies, criteria, etc.?
- Where would be a good place to buy them?
- what antennas?

For both, I would like to have them charged with a solar panel. (solar panel -> 12/24V battery -> charger). Could anyone share their experience on that?

Thank you.

[DJboutit]

I am in CB Radio

www.worldwidedx.com will help you out a lot more

[HoustonRonnie]

CQ...come in, CQ...

Ronnie

[kreeyax]

Eagerly awaiting behtypa's thread next month titled "Everything you need to know to survive the zombie apocalypse".

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by kreeyax

Eagerly awaiting behtypa's thread next month titled "Everything you need to know to survive the zombie apocalypse".

Hehe, I was thinking the same thing.

[behtypa]

Originally Posted by kreeyax

Eagerly awaiting behtypa's thread next month titled "Everything you need to know to survive the zombie apocalypse".

LOL. Just trying to learn more.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by behtypa

I am new to this. Could anyone help me to get a few answers?

I am going to obtain a basic Technician License. I am trying to build 2 rigs for emergencies:

1. A portable transceiver (UHF/VHF?), battery operated (aka Walkie Talkie).
2. Stationary based (house) HAM rig.

For both:
- where can I compare models and what shall I pay attention to? What brands, wattage, frequencies, criteria, etc.?
- Where would be a good place to buy them?
- what antennas?

For both, I would like to have them charged with a solar panel. (solar panel -> 12/24V battery -> charger). Could anyone share their experience on that?

Thank you.

Why not get a FTA receiver as well... so you can see what the zombies are doing across the land as they descend upon Houston?

[HoustonRonnie]

Zombies already occupy the City Council. It's too late!!!! RUN!!!

Ronnie

[escanlan]

Hello Bethypa,

You've got your hands in a lot of stuff lately. Been real busy with the landscaping and home, etc. You must have finished all of those projects?

Yes there are Hams on the board here. As a matter of fact I'm N2HBS. Been a licensed Ham Operator for over 40 years. Things have changed a lot since I built my first QRP rig inside of a large tuna fish can. They just don't build much anymore.

Anyhow what you can do is review some of the Ham Radio magazines online now. Here is a link for a list of them ham radio magazines - Publications: Magazines . Many have various equipment reviews, tech articles, etc.

What would do you a lot more good than CD is Google search "Ham Radio" & "bulletin board" and you will get a whole slew of active BB's Hams hang out on. Much better to ask the questions there and it can help you learn and prepare for the written test.

Good luck and maybe I'll hear you DX'ing some day and butt in just as you try to grab that QSL from a rare location?

[Deez Nuttz]

I can help. Licensed operator here currently studying for my general class ticket.



First thing I want to point out, is spend your money on the antenna, the coax and an SWR meter, before the radio. I say this because your antenna is the heart and soul of your radio. Period. Next is your coax. You want the correct coax for the frequency you plan to run on. Not all coax is the same. What works great on HF frequencies may not work on VHF/UHF frequencies.



The SWR meter is a must too because too high of an SWR = more signal going back into the radio as heat, as opposed to going out over the air. And you know that heat is the #1 killer of electronics.



Now, as for what radios to get....first off you need to find out what frequencies are active in your area. Some areas only have a 2 meter frequency....some only have 70 centimeters....some have both. Some even have 220MHz and others may even have 6 m.



If you only have 70 cm in your area, then it makes little to no sense to buy a 2 m rig...and vice versa. Same applies for 220 MHz and 6 m.



My suggestion is find out if there's a local amateur radio club near you, and consult them to find out what repeaters are active in your area. I say "repeaters" because for VHF/UHF these are a God send. You can also work simplex on either VHF or UHF.



As for what brand of radio...that's up to you. I like Yaesus myself, but I do happen to have a Kenwood TS-2000 all bander (except 220 MHz) that's pretty good....however the TS-2000 will set you back $1700 and would be (IMO) an overkill if you don't plan to do much talking with it.



You asked about watts and criteria...truth is watts are good for busting thru the muck on the air waves, but again it's the antenna type and height and how low of an SWR you can get that dictates your transmit range....but for watts, truthfully, for VHF, 50 watts is more than enough, same holds true for UHF.



As for criteria....I say look for radios that have CTCSS built into them as this allows you to work repeaters. Most VHF/UHF amateur radios built in the last 20 years have this. Some of your older radios do not.



So for beginner radios...if you need both 2 m and 70 cm, go with a Yaesu FT-7900. It will set you back $300 at least, but it's a great radio for working repeaters and simplex.



Or if you need a radio like the 7900 that can monitor 2 m and 70 cm simotaneously, go with the FT-8800. It'll set you back around $430. The good thing about the 8800 is it has what is called "crossband repeat"....meaning it acts sort of as a repeater for when you're on your hand held....because hand helds don't have that great of range for transmit or receive, the 8800 picks up your transmit and resends it to a wider area.



If you just need a 2 m rig, I can vouch for the Yaesu FT-2800/2900 radios. I had the 2800 and it was a good radio. You can get these new for around $200.



If you only need a 70 cm rig, I believe only Alinco makes one, and they're as much (if not more) as a typical 2 m rig. Last I checked, the Alinco 70 cm was closer to $280.



There are some used 70 cm rings on the market...only one I ever had was a Kenwood TS-421A...good radio. but hard to find. I bought mine used (from 1987) off eBay for $130 and later sold it there too for the same price.



If you plan to make a mobile rig into a base station rig, don't forget you will need a power supply. I noticed you mentioned a solar panel....that will work but I do not have any experience using solar panels to run amateur radios. Instead I opt for the gooprobably d old Astron line of power supplies. Plug 'em in the wall and they convert 120 VAC over to 12 VDC. And they're robust too.



Next you asked about antennas.....for a base station, a Diamond or a Comet would be your best bet. If going with a Comet, go for the GP-9....it will run you $189 but it's 17' tall and has a good range on it. Diamond makes an X-300 that is similar. Make sure you get the feed point on the antenna (where the coax hooks up to) at least 20 ft in the air (30 feet or more if you can would be better) for the best range.



Coax...go with Times Microwave LMR-400. It's almost 1/2 inch thick but it's not lossy which means more of your signal ges out the antenna and not get lost thru the transfer of the feed line. It's also thick coax. If you need it to be flexible, they also make an LMR-400UF which stands for "ultra flex".



As for hand helds, i don't have much experence, other than I can tell you they do not have the same tx or rx range as a mobile or even a base, due to having siuch small antennas. I currently have a Baofeng dual bander that is a really cheap $50 radio and it just doesn't pick up or receive that well, even though I put a better antenna on it.



Finally you asked where to buy....I deal with Assocate radio out of Overland Park, KS as they're good to deal with. I've read good stuff about Amateur Electronis Supply (AES) out of Ohio, there's also Ham Radio Outlet I think in Ohio....take them with a grain of salt.



Any other questions, hit me up, I am glad to help.