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Radios: CB, HAM, FRS?

F

frijolee

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Big Island, HI
What is NAXJA running for radios these days. Forgive me for not searching but if I'm going to pick something up for SoCal fest I need to get it ordered stat.

I have a handheld CB, but I've never dialed it an and it didn't seem to work right. A lot of folks look down on them but another club I run with uses FRS since it's mostly spotters and vehicle to vehicle communication.

I also eyeballed the Baofeng UV-5R ham. Crazy cheap and good reviews, feel like I remember some folks discussing it some time back. Do all HAM radios need licenses to broadcast? This one is only 4w or 1w depending on power setting.

https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_s...-5r&sprefix=baofen,aps,224&crid=1B8P4NGQXACCD

-Joel
 
What happened to the edit button? Damn I hate the forum rules sometimes!

Should have added, by not work right, I mean my present CB could listen in, but couldn't seem to broadcast... I might have missed a mute button or something dumb, but I wasn't figuring it out while driving last time.
 
Ham is typically what is used for SoCalFest. And no, it is not legal for non-licensed users to transmit on a ham band, regardless of power, but folks still do it.

BTW, the test is pretty easy to pass if you take a few evenings to study up on the rules and can manage 7th grade math.
 
Spam.
 
For the sake of this event all you will need is simplex operation. As the name rather implies, that is not particularly complicated. I bet some jerk could take care of that for you in less than a minute.

For the future, I would suggest getting a license and then either getting a programming cable or getting the help of someone who has the programming cable and then putting in local repeaters and likely useful frequencies. It is far easier to get information into those radios with a cable than it is to do it directly. You should still learn how to enter a repeater directly, but you don't want to spend several hours entering a bunch of repeaters. There are better things to do with one's life.

But for now, and especially since you are not licensed, just stick with simplex operation and the cheap antenna that comes with the radio. That should be adequate to stay in communication with the group, and not enough to reach out and offend sticklers.

Oh, and make sure you charge your radio well before you go. A dead battery just makes for a paperweight, and you probably don't need extra paperweights flying around in your XJ. Which, by the way, reminds me, SFR makes some brackets to mount a Baofeng: http://oldsite.stinkyfab.com/sfr-products/radio-mounts/baofeng-rugged-handheld-radio-brackets.html

Of course that makes for a 50% increase in the cost of your communication system. ;)

Still, $15 - $17 to keep things from flying around might be a wise choice.
 
JohnX said:
I will only have ham on my run.
Click to expand...

I thought that's all that people used these days...CB has been dead for years.
 
cracker said:
I thought that's all that people used these days...CB has been dead for years.
Click to expand...

:wstupid:

Yeah, I still have one in the XJ, though. Need to get licensed and swap in a ham unit. I do have the little handhelds so I can keep up.
 
Bent said:
:wstupid:

Yeah, I still have one in the XJ, though. Need to get licensed and swap in a ham unit. I do have the little handhelds so I can keep up.
Click to expand...

Yeah but you're old and stubborn.....you went back to RE drop bracket four link too :looser:
 
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