What kind of radios does /k/ use?
I've been looking for A handheld radio to use at no more than a few miles. Done a lot of research and found that the best radios are probably the GMRS type, but I'd rather not need a license.
If it's just something you'll be using for a few miles, get a baiting uv5r. Like, less than 30$ on Amazon, good quality and will work for what you need it for. Don't need a license for it either.
>>29356357
That does need a license because it can broadcast in ranges that require it. You could use it on the low power end and technically no one would know any better but it isn't legal.
>>29355707
I myself have a UV-5r for daily use (muh li-ion), a Yaesu FT-817, and just this spring break I've put together a tiny low power SDR for HF.
Personally I'd recommend getting a UV-5r and using it on FRS. The reason it's illegal to do is that FRS radios are required to have a fixed antenna and limited power.
This has been the source of much butthurt in many threads. It's technically illegal, yes, but it's not like anyone gives a shit. It's like j-walking in fucking new york, everyone does it. You can do it and get away with it, no one gives a shit about a few dB of RF power it makes like no fucking difference.
>>29356671
Do you use any extras on your baofeng?
Antenna, battery, ect?
>>29356938
I have a SMA to BNC adapter that lets me use a selection of better whip antennas. I don't have an extended battery pack, however I do have a battery eliminator that hooks up to either lipo batteries, or a few lead acid batteries I have.
>>29356671
tell us more about your mobile setup. i dont mean handhelds. like I want to set up a mobile station from a radio i can ruck with
>>29355707
if you're looking for best bang for your buck with all the capabilities of the higher end handhelds,
I would say the wouxun and baofeng are best bang for your buck to do very close range stuff ( within a few miles ).
Examples would be for any sort of organized defense/offense where you have two or more people and need communication, driving in multiple car convoys, or just handing out to neighbors on your block in a natural disaster/anti looter community watch sort of deal.
I've got a couple wouxuns and several baofengs for both scenarios, never hurts to have more than less radios and since you can find baofengs on amazon for 35$ a pop, they really are the best value.
I've got one of my wouxun handhelds linked to a slim jim radio antenna that I can stick out of my window and it lets me hit repeaters over 80 miles away.
Use it to scan local police and fire department frequencies so I can hear all the action going on in the city.
>>29356671
>>29357022
Listen to this guy OP. Like he says, no one really cares if you use it without a license, police have way bigger concerns to worry about than a guy who likes to do simple communication with some other radio friends. If your worried about it, then just study and get the license.I've never messed with it but I hear it's pretty simple.
>>29357065
To go with the Yaesu FT-817 I have an Emtech ZM-2 tuner, 2 lengths of wire to throw in a tree, a long whip antenna, a blade antenna, a mount for those antennas on my hiking backpack, various converters for power, different batteries.
I bought the radio used so the internal battery was basically dead. I have 2 lipo batteries from R/C stuff that have deans ultra plugs. I then plug those into a deans to anderson power pole adapter that I made. My lead acid batteries also have power poles, but those are ridiculously heavy. I then have a cable that goes from power pole to the plug on the back of the radio.
For antennas, I can use any of the options pretty easily. If I ever go hiking though I take the HF whips since the hills in my area are pretty barren and there's nothing to throw a wire on to make an antenna. I've actually been really surprised by the long whip made from sections of steel rod. I was able to make it out to the east coast (I'm in LA) on 5 watts with a 9 foot whip and a pretty small ground plane (only the frame that holds the antenna to the pack). The blade antenna is much nicer though for rapid deployment and disassembly. It's literally 2 pieces of a tape measure taped together, so it folds nicely, and "snaps open" very easily as well.
>>29356671
>Personally I'd recommend getting a UV-5r and using it on FRS. The reason it's illegal to do is that FRS radios are required to have a fixed antenna and limited power.
Just make sure to stay on the FRS/GMRS/MURS frequencies. Outside of that you risk Hams (who hunt down people for fun) or feds (if you transmit on commercial or government frequencies) coming after you.
>>29357212
So that tape measure in shrink wrap antenna actually works?
>>29357376
ya it's literally 2 pieces of tape measure that are cut to the same length that are taped together. For the contact I scraped away the insulation on the tapes at the bottom and put a bolt inbetween the two tapes. The bolt has a couple holes drilled through to have nuts and bolts going through to ensure the tapes are firmly pressed against the bolt. The bolt is a 3/8-24 which is standard for CB antennas, so I just used a CB mount to that has 3/8-24 on one side and a SO-239 on the other. It works on 6m and 12m without a tuner, it's tolerable for 10m or CB, and it can be used with my tuner easily. I did this in a rush, but if you can find a piece of heat shrink tubing to put over it that would probably be even better.
>>29357467
Please tell me there's a tutorial for this somewhere
>>29357548
Nope I pulled it out of my ass. It's rather easy to follow though. In terms of the construction there's not much to it. Go to a hardware store and get a 3/8-24 bolt like 3 or 4 inches long. as well as some smaller nuts and bolts to go through the main bolt. Chop the top of the bolt off so you're left with a shaft with some threads at the end. Drill a few holes through the bolt that are big enough for the small nuts and bolts to fit freely through. Then get the tape measure and remove the paint with some sandpaper by hand, or with something like a dremel. Drill corresponding holes in the tape measure so that it can be held to the main bolt with the small nuts and bolts.
For getting the right length of the whip and tuning it there are already guides out there. You can just treat it like a regular whip in calculations. This part will be easy to find online.
>>29356671
whats your battery life looking like on that?
Just had a pair of Baofeng UV-82HPs show up today. If you're looking at Baofeng this is the one to get, far better quality than a UV-5R or BF-8HP for only a little bit more money.
>>29357212
>I was able to make it out to the east coast (I'm in LA) on 5 watts with a 9 foot whip and a pretty small ground plane
voice or tone?
>>29355707
What exactly is the point of getting an amateur license anyway?
>>29357664
The bolt is how I attach it to the radio? Do I strip the shielding off an existing antenna and bolt it to the tape? I'm not really understanding yet
>>29357793
To be able to transmit on amateur radio frequencies without Hams hunting you down for fun.
>>29357732
I've gone 3 days using my UV-5r, having it on for about 12 hours a day. It wasn't even low on battery or anything by the end, I just did it to see how it would work.
>>29357788
It was SSB on 20m.
>>29357806
You use the bolt to attach it to a CB antenna mount like the pic. The antenna mount is attached to the radio by an aluminum bracket I made. The bolt that the tape attaches to is just a regular bolt. The antenna is literally a tape measure attached to a bolt. The bolt is then connected to the coax cable by using the CB adapter.
>>29357793
You get to operate a radio with a power of up to 2 kilowatts (with some restrictions near the boarders) on a wide variety of bands without getting ass-raped. You get access to the whole spectrum of ham radio frequencies going from 2MHz up to the GHz range
fuck off to /out/
>>29357664
>Yaesu FT-817
Can I give you a burner email I can contact you from? Im trying to get all my radio shit figured out and need a mentor who isn't some old fuck
>>29357866
>Hams hunting you down for fun.
Who would hunt me down and for what reason? Is the point of amateur radio to talk to other people in emergency situations?
Out of curiosity is an Aeronautical Restricted Operator license (had to get it for a class) the same as a amateur radio license or would I still need to get an amateur license if I wanted to set up a radio?
>>29357959
What Yaesu is that? I cant read that small print
>>29357951
The HAM community is pretty autistic. Doesn't hunting down scofflaws sound like a fun activity for a couple retired IT guys who don't get any from their fat wives anymore?
Traditionally, the community self-polices because they don't want their hobby to be more regulated than it already is. The FCC can change the rules at the drop of a hat.
It's not a criminal matter, so cops don't give a shit unless you prank government frequencies and make their job harder. The FCC can assess pretty steep fines though.
>>29357664
>dat drawing
a magical place
>>29357996
>Traditionally, the community self-polices because they don't want their hobby to be more regulated than it already is. The FCC can change the rules at the drop of a hat.
Basically this, the gun owning community would likely be the same if the ATF had that power.
>>29357938
I'll be happy to help. You can contact me at [email protected]
>>29357979
It's a FT-897
>>29357959
It's not the same license. If you want to use ham bands you'll need to get a ham license.
>>29358164
Fuck never thought of that
>people eyeballing your mags at the range to make sure they're pinned
>old fudds slyly checking the length of your barrel
>"you're not transporting that thing without a trigger lock are you?"
>"is your safe compliant anon?"
I daily carry a Kenwood Nexedge. We use a repeater tower and the max range is around 50 miles.
>>29357996
>>29358164
>>29358258
The model rocketry community also acts similarly if I remember correctly. Pretty sure they voluntarily restrict selling more powerful rocket motors to people even thought there are no laws about it.
So I bought a yaesu ft 60 got my license but still don't really understand this shit.
I do telecommunications for a living and figured a ham would be easy to grasp and be similiar. Holy fuck was I wrong.
Any tips as where to get started to learn this shit??
>>29357467
lol, thats some backwoods hamming right there.
how are you matching the impedance with that?
>>29357875
>I've gone 3 days using my UV-5r, having it on for about 12 hours a day.
I meant with the 817 running the Li-Pos
>>29358599
I have a coupler for the ZM-2 tuner to attach directly under the antenna mount.
>>29358641
Oh idk what the max duration would be. I never operate long enough to drain them completely.
>>29358422
Check out eham.net
>>29358422
arrl handbook, various forums associated with radios
MBITRs
>>29358230
Alright, thanks for the info anon, guess I'll start looking into getting a ham license so I pretend I'm from the cold war looking for numbers stations.
>>29358837
>implying
That's a nice fill you have there anon.... It would be a shame if anything were to happen to it....
Using a baofeng on FRS/GMRS or MURS channels is less serious than a 922r violation and about as enforceable. Think about that before mouthing off about "needing" a license. OP: consider that nearly nobody has a GMRS license and basically every two way HT sold to the unwashed masses is a combination GMRS/FRS radio.
The baofeng uv3r is the best deal on the market right now, but I prefer the uv5r because it's programmable without a computer and has better controls. They both operate on MURS, FRS, GMRS and marine frequencies in North America. If you're in Europe it does 433 MHz and some CB freqs. If you're in Africa it hardly matters what frequency you use.
I have a uv5r but I'm thinking of getting a uv3r for lending purposes. My bubble pack GMRS radios work fine but the uv3r has more frequencies and can be used to make a cheap tx/rx sdr.
>>29358230
I hit you up on your email
Boom. 7 watts max and a metal frame.
>>29359070
I saw that. I'll respond properly when I get home
>>29358314
>voluntarily restrict
Its a Gentleman's Agreement for those in the know.
Long time ham here (I don't do HF, I have a job, I stick with VHF/UHF/800, DMR and P25). I also work with radios on daily basis professionally.
I'll answer few questions on HAM and Police/Fire scanning while I'm here.
>>29360794
So im using a handheld ptt on my uv82hp, fromthe handheld it goes to my howard leights. When i receive it only comes in on one side of my howard leights. Is this normal?
>>29360874
You have a mismatched connector or it's loose.
Chink radios might not have standard connectors.
>>29355707
PRC-320 and a Bingchong.
The Clansman is currently getting a new battery built.
>>29360874
>>29360996
The baofengs connector is not just a plug for a speaker and a plug for a mic. It's a kenwood style connector and it's wired a bit weird.
You can either make an adapter or do what I did, which is take the shitty earpiece that comes with the radio, cut off the earpiece and wire it to a 3.5mm plug so I can plug it in to the headset.
>>29361039
>an actual proper manpack radio
jelly
>>29357330
How would someone hunt you down?
>>29361133
I appreciate that. Right now i just have a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male connecting the lapel ptt to the howard leights. Ill go to radio shack and make something.
>>29355707
Any /k/ommandos here in WPB?
>>29361133
>jelly
Yeah, I can put up pics later or throw info if you're interested. Bought it from a guy in the UK who still has a few of them.
>>29361172
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_direction_finding
Hams actually made a sport out of it that they call fox hunting where people compete to find hidden transmitters.
>>29361219
I am guessing you are located in Oklahoma? Where at?
>>29361378
Northeast area. I've been able to listen to Romania from the cross country course off campus.
>>29361391
I am in central OK. Just getting started with radios. No groups at my college which is disappointing
>>29361411
Not really much of a thing anymore, but I'll post in the next radio thread whenever I've got mine running again.
>>29361133
Ah no i figured it out. The audio out on the lapel i have is mono so when you plug a 3.5mm stereo male in it only comes through on one channel.
I have 12ish motorola JEDI series radios coming to me in the mail.
What should I do with the 800MHz ones?
Would anybody here be interested in a handheld UHF repeater? It would only be 5 watts, but you could bring it pretty much anywhere.
OP, you a ham guy, or do you do radio professionally?
Also, at IWCE today, and holy shit the amount of chinese radio makers there was crazy.
>>29362246
NICE. If there are a few radios that are 800MHz and aren't useful you can probably sell them on ebay or eham for quite a bit assuming they're in good shape. Professional Motorolas like those generally hold their value pretty well, so I'm sure you can get some nice cash from them.
>>29355707
I use an APX 7000 XE. Just like the pic, except with a normal antenna, not that stubby.
_____________________________________
However, for your purposes, I would recommend you consider MURS. It is far better than FRS, but still doesn't require a license.
I tried getting a retro/vintage com thread going. Any recommended spots for information on 70s/80s handhelds? I have a Lafayette and a Midland..
>>29357664
>today /k/ is /diy/
>>29357142
You know there's an app for listening to emergency services radio?
>>29359995
More like Cuck's Agreement.
PRC-148 MBITR is pretty nice
>>29355707
this is a great thread.
now i want to get a radio
thanks fags
>>29368147
/k/
>>29368147
Get one.
>>29368236
>>29355707
Kenwood TK-3160
It's a piece of shit man down radio issued to me. To anyone with deep pockets that likes LEOs, please donate new radios.
can you use these to monitor the police?
>>29368541
If they aren't using a digitally trunked system, yes. Broadcast on those and you will die though.
>>29368307
>To anyone with deep pockets that likes LEOs, please donate new radios.
Sorry LEO, but upgrades mean trunked systems and I'll be damned if you're going to hide something and get me to pay for you to hide it.
>>29368998
isnt it possible to listen to trunked systems?
>>29369215
Yes. But you need a scanner that is compatible with trunked systems.
You can get such scanners on amazon (or from many different electronics/radio sites.
Alternatively, you could also buy a trunking radio and just program it for listening only.
