Radios and coms

[chad newton]

What radios and set up is good to go. I’ve heard ham are better, you get more channels, I have the slightest mother fucking idea on any of it. Greg’s set up got me thinking, I need to get educated...

[Dorkface]

http://www.warriortalk.com/showthread.php?128926-Individual-Radio-Configuration-(very-pic-heavy)

[chad newton]

What is the difference in the standard one and the military version? Is there any benifit other then it costs 3x more?

[Steven Spaugh]

What radios and set up is good to go. I’ve heard ham are better, you get more channels, I have the slightest mother fucking idea on any of it. Greg’s set up got me thinking, I need to get educated...

Your question is like asking what firearm should I get. What application. What range do you need. Who do you intend to communicate with. I could go on.

There is a guy with a tremendous amount of knowledge, and actual experience, that teaches all of it. He has written page after page on his site. He was Special Forces, and communications was his specialty. He goes by NC Scout, and you can get a lot of information at https://brushbeater.org/the-foundation-squaring-away-communications-basics/

[Greg Nichols]

I just ordered the new gen3 8w, 3800. No reason not to upgrade while I'm thinking about it

[chad newton]

Fuck it, I’m thinking about getting a 6 pack. I have a lot of people to deal with. Then kit out a couple....

[chad newton]

It’s like 150.00 with the chargers.

[chad newton]

I’ve used them. At the beginning of shift I would pick it up off the charger, make sure it worked and turned on and wasn’t missing pieces. End of shift I would plug it back in.... I hate 10 codes btw.... Just saying....

[Dorkface]

Depending on what freqs you are going to use the older ones are better. On FRS, like walkie talkies freqs, VHF and UHF the old ones transmit way above what they are suppose to. The old ones transmit at 5 watts and they are only suppose to transmit at like .5 or 1 watt according to the FCC to be compliant. With the new models the 8 watts they are talking about are on HAM freqs and not the others. Its why a couple years ago there was a sudden rush to get the old ones. For HAM freqs you are suppose to be licensed to talk on them. Depending on the area there are old radio fudds that WILL try to track you down because they are rules police and their wieners don't work.

Beofengs are also not encryped so they transmit in the open and are easily triangulated. Something to consider depending on who the bad guys might be.

[Greg Nichols]

I specifically did not get the HAM version for that reason.

[chad newton]

For sure bro, and I know they come for you. We used to have a mechanic that was a tweaker. He would work until like 8-9 at night on our stuff and then go home a tweak on the radio the rest of the night. They came a couple of times and jammed him up. He said he would talk to people in Alaska....

[chad newton]

https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiLksuDl8_5AhW1HH0KHWNAAvwYABAKGgJwdg&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASJeRoL2qHu19M2nU22vBJLIYobto9jdXFIxfltsofd4 XclGs1Tu8&sig=AOD64_0kNsatM1058Fm8Inks91M6j2f1dw&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiwwsGDl8_5AhUWDkQIHb5GAIIQwg8oAHoECAEQC w&dct=1&adurl=

[chad newton]

Is that one illegal or what.

[Dorkface]

Is that one illegal or what.

I don't see anything in the body of your last post.

[chad newton]

https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwiLksuDl8_5AhW1HH0KHWNAAvwYABAKGgJwdg&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASJeRoL2qHu19M2nU22vBJLIYobto9jdXFIxfltsofd4 XclGs1Tu8&sig=AOD64_0kNsatM1058Fm8Inks91M6j2f1dw&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwiwwsGDl8_5AhUWDkQIHb5GAIIQwg8oAHoECAEQC w&dct=1&adurl=

[Dorkface]

Everyone should watch everything from S2 Undergroud.

Secure Radio Communications overview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apLxePngNlM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apLxePngNlM

Radio Direction Finding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWs6shlc9m0


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWs6shlc9m0


I can't remember which videos they are in off the top of my head but Forward Observer has some good videos on SHTF intelligence gather and a good chunk on Signals Intelligence. I have a couple Uniden scanners. One is a Bearcat that has a close call function that will automatically switch to the closest strongest signal. Anyone on a Beofeng and lots of others will trip it and key in. I also have a Uniden Home Patrol 2 that lets me listen to trunked police, fire, DHS, emergency frequencies that normal scanners can hear. Its super important stuff that most skip over because they think its boring and isn't a gear video to jack off too.

[chad newton]

Thanks bro. This is way over my head....

[Cacti Rat]

For HAM freqs you are suppose to be licensed to talk on them. Depending on the area there are old radio fudds that WILL try to track you down

I disagree. When it comes to HAM frequencies, the govt. has ZERO interest in monitoring, let alone tracking down unlicensed transmissions. Terrorist, drug cartels' and smugglers have all gone digital communications. Even entities like fishing fleets have gone digital to secure their communications.

I don't mean to be rude, but radio fudds will not track you down. There are thousands of unknown radio transmissions on the HAM RF spectrum every day. The Govt. has less than zero interest in the HAM radio frequency spectrum.

This from someone who has first hand knowledge.

[Dorkface]

I disagree. When it comes to HAM frequencies, the govt. has ZERO interest in monitoring, let alone tracking down unlicensed transmissions. Terrorist, drug cartels' and smugglers have all gone digital communications. Even entities like fishing fleets have gone digital to secure their communications.

I don't mean to be rude, but radio fudds will not track you down. There are thousands of unknown radio transmissions on the HAM RF spectrum every day. The Govt. has less than zero interest in the HAM radio frequency spectrum.

This from someone who has first hand knowledge.

We are on the same page. The government doesn't care but just like the range nazis there are HAM nazis. Those are the fudds I was referring too. Albeit not clearly. lol. Some of them get they closest thing they can to a boner at the idea of going on a "Fox Hunt" to track down those dirty rules breakers.

[Cacti Rat]

DHS/NSA sees HAM radio as the horse and buggy of communications.

[Cacti Rat]

On the matter of shortwave... nobody is going to chase you down if you're one of a thousand transmissions in the short wave spectrum you will go unnoticed.

[LawDog]

just like the range nazis there are HAM nazis. Those are the fudds I was referring too. Albeit not clearly. lol. Some of them get they closest thing they can to a boner at the idea of going on a "Fox Hunt" to track down those dirty rules breakers.I'll bet they were wearing a mask at home, all alone, with a little cotton condom on the microphone, to keep everybody safe from COVID.

Another consideration when violating the rules is location. If you do all of your radio practice from home, you can be located. If you do it when you are out and about, whether on foot or in a vehicle, there is zero chance of being identified. If the HAM nazis hand over a location to the FCC, and it is a moving dot on I-75, that report goes straight into the trash.

[apamburn]

So, it's really easy to get lost in the minutae of radio stuff. That's in part because it's technical. It's in part because radio fudds are geeks and just like the technical stuff.

But in reality it's possible to avoid most of that to understand basics and avoid getting into the weeds.

The short story

You need to define your use case including purpose of radio and anticipated communication distances.

The Baofeng UV5R series are the cheapest thing you can get your hands on that also serve a fairly wide variety of purposes. They are a good place to start.

But they're shit radios.

I own or have owned a dozen or so and use them in "field" conditions fairly regularly. They aren't waterproofed at all, the volume knob over time develops static (usually due to dirt but I've never been able to clean successfully), and the labels on the buttons begin to wear quickly when the radio lives in a pouch. I've seen buttons stop working too. The accessory port where you connect mics is not secured and I've also encountered issues with accessories getting pushed / pulled slightly and unexpectedly affecting use.

You asked about the "military grade" Baofeng radio, and I'm not sure if or how that's better. I think it's supposed to approximate the size of the PRC 152 radio for airsoft LARP but really it's just a dressed up UV5R as far as I know. They may have added waterproofing, not sure.

Just plan to replace them as they break or shit out on you and realize what you're buying.

Legalities

So here's the deal. The FCC regulates radios - their accessories, antennas, power, and what frequencies they can transmit on. The FCC also regulates what credentials, if any, you need, to use radios that have certain amounts of power or use particular frequencies.

You should know that, and you should know what frequencies are verboten.

If you (general you, not specific Chad Newton you) need to go yell about being a pirate maverick caution-to-the-wind renegade go do that and come back...

All better? Good. We just need to be aware of where the line is drawn between legal and illegal, and make an intentional, informed decision about our behavior past that. Get licensed, don't get licensed, whatever. Up to you. Just be informed.

Some Nitty Gritty

Radio frequencies are split into somewhat standardized sections they are, in order of lowest frequency to highest: High Freq (HF) >> Very High Freq (VHF) >> Ultra High Freq (UHF)

You can go look at the upper and lower frequency bounds for each if you want, but all you need to know is that lower frequencies can travel farther than higher frequencies (generally) but higher frequencies (generally) are better at penetrating walls, buildings, etc... than lower frequencies (generally).

VHF and UHF radios (generally) require you to be able to actually see the other antenna to communicate (even if you can't see with your eyes, the antennas need a clear "line of sight" to one another).

HF radios (generally) don't require line of sight to communicate.

VHF radios used to be very popular for public service and still are popular amongst HAM radio users because the lowest license level lets you use VHF.

To get past the line of sight and power limitation of VHF radios, people typically install radio repeaters on towers in elevated locations. Repeaters *receive* your radio transmission, then broadcast it out at their higher position, and with much more power.

Rubber to the Road

Let me give you some concrete examples.

When I lived in Utah I could connect from my house to a repeater on a mountain 20 miles away with a Baofeng UV5R handheld. That's because the landscape is flat and I literally could see the antenna on top of the mountain.

That repeater let me talk to people another 30-50 miles away (because they too would call into the repeater, which would broadcast out to me).

But when testing direct handheld-to-handheld communication with my wife, I lost contact after about 3 miles.

Living in West Tennessee now, during a recent exercise our TOC lost VHF contact with a deployed team less than 1 mile out. We weren't using a repeater. That is due to the difference in terrain. Here it is flat and heavily forested.

However with a HF radio we could communicate with another TOC 30 miles away and HQ 100 miles away.

See the difference?

HAM frequencies and Unlicensed Frequencies

Going to skim a little technical stuff, but I'll keep it limited.

Back to the FCC, the Crown has seen fit to deem certain parts of the HF, VHF, and UHF frequency bands require a license to use, and certain parts do not. Here is a breakdown of a few of the options in front of you. Do with the licensing requirements what you will.

HF Radio - requires General license to use. Max power is like 200 watts
CB Radio - No license, uses HF frequencies, but FCC says no repeaters, 4 watts max power
MURS Radio - No License, uses VHF frequencies, no repeaters, 2 watts max power
VHF Radio - requires technician license. Not sure on max power.
UHF Radio - requires technician license. Not sure on max power.
GMRS Radio - Requires family license (that I'm sure is not enforced), uses UHF frequencies, repeaters are allowed, 5 watt max power handheld, 50 watts max power base station
FRS Radio - No license, uses UHF frequencies, no repeaters, 2 watt max power, and no detachable antennas (don't ask...FCC is stupid)

The Baofeng UV5R

The old UV5R could communicate on any HAM VHF or UHF frequency PLUS any MURS, GMRS, or FRS frequency.

Evidently FCC didn't like that much (transmit power > 2 watt)

Now I understand that the new firmware prohibits those unlicensed frequencies. I'd bet you can flash with the old firmware to restore that functionality.

So which one?

You're going to have to specify who you want to talk to, how far away, and what other infrastructure you have.

At the end of the day it's *likely* that a couple of UV5Rs will do the job if you are just looking for comms for a "patrol". If you want something more durable look into Yaesu perhaps. If you go with the UV5R just know what you're getting into.

[Dorkface]

I'll bet they were wearing a mask at home, all alone, with a little cotton condom on the microphone, to keep everybody safe from COVID.

Another consideration when violating the rules is location. If you do all of your radio practice from home, you can be located. If you do it when you are out and about, whether on foot or in a vehicle, there is zero chance of being identified. If the HAM nazis hand over a location to the FCC, and it is a moving dot on I-75, that report goes straight into the trash.

Lol no doubt. I wasn't trying to focus on them but use them as an example. Being aware of them and then if you take things further; Blasting out a signal in some sort of tactical situation its worth knowing the ramifications. Along the lines of some hard lessons drone pilots in Ukraine learned when they started getting munitions dropped on them.

Its an important consideration that only a couple of sources are talking about. I only have a shallow knowledge of it myself. Communications are vital. Depending on the nature of whatever the conflict its worth knowing all aspects. Sorta like if your adversary is using Nods then being aware of washing your gear in soaps with optical brighteners could cause problems.

[Country Boy]

I’d be hesitant to just pick a frequency and use it. You don’t want to use a nearby business radio frequency or a public service frequency, because you will absolutely get on somebody’s radar. You don’t need the local cab company to hear you broadcast, “All units, Irene. I say again, Irene.” You can search frequencies of your AO at https://www.radioreference.com/db/ Results are by county.

I feel like the 5 MURS channels are underutilized. https://www.radioreference.com/db/aid/7733 They aren’t programmed into the 22 channel bubble-pack radios, so to broadcast on them you either need a dedicated MURS radio or a Baofeng radio. They give a bit of security through unpopularity. They are 2Meter wavelength, so more ideal for rural use. The MURS channes are in the 151’s and 154’s MHz, and for comparison the ham 2M bands are 144-148 MHz. Since the MURS channels outside the amateur radio channels, hams can’t complain about you using “their” frequencies if you aren’t on their frequencies.

Some people would prefer to not use one of 22 approved FRS/GMRS channels nor one of the 5 approved MURS channels. Instead of driving on the approved streets, perhaps you could use an unused “alley” between them. For example, two of the adjacent MURS frequencies are 151.8200 and 151.8800. I used the search from my first paragraph and found that in my whole county, there is only one business that uses a frequency in between 151.8200 and 151.8800. Some scofflaw could easily avoid the gravel company at 151.8350 and find an unused frequency “alley” in their area and have 151.8650 as their “private” channel. You’re not going to raise much interest from the amateur radio folks, because you aren’t on “their” frequencies of 144-148. You’re not interfering with public service or business radio, so they won’t even know you exist. It wouldn’t be legal, but by doing a bit of research and working the fringes, you’ll more likely avoid the eye of Mordor.

One could have their radios programmed with an approved channel of 151.8200 as their primary, and the unapproved channel of 151.8650 as their alternate. Test distances and capabilities on primary, switch to alternate for your brief code-word sketchy shit, and then back to primary to coordinate celebratory dinner plans.

Baofeng’s are definitely entry-level, non-robust radios. Legit amateur radio brands like Icom or Yaesu are much more rugged but are programmed to only broadcast on the amateur radio bands. I can go to Hamradio dot com and get a Yaesu FT-65R for $90. Looking at 2M channels, I could listen to the MURS channel of 151.8200 but I could not broadcast outside of the amateur frequencies of 144-148. However for an extra $35, you can buy it modified so it will broadcast outside the amateur radio bands on the FRS/GMRS & MURS channels, and many frequencies in-between. It’s called a MARS modification. $125 will get you a much more ruggedized radio than your $25 Beofeng UV-5r. Depending on your price of failure, the extra $100 per radio may or may not be worth it.

[Country Boy]

If one doesn’t go the licensed amateur radio route, a realistic expectation will be decent short-range communications. You can talk to the dude a couple blocks away, talk to your overwatch, or talk to the rest of the Vikings defending the longhouse. However using repeaters or broadcasting over-the-horizon on HF is the realm of amateur radio or legit private communication systems. Would it be cool to talk to your QRF that is 20 miles away? Absolutely. But 95% of my needs is having instant communication with my crew that is right here right now.

[Greg Nichols]

Once again too many people are acting like Christian Slater in Pump It Up. Jesus, feds ain't gonna come getcha over some occasional chatter on non-digital channels.

Stop all this permission asking and hand wringing. It's thoughts and actions like this that almost ruined rifle braces for everyone. Stop it.

[Country Boy]

There is no downside into putting a few minutes of thought into picking a frequency. I don’t see it as hand wringing. I see it as variable elimination. 144-148 are ham channels. Knowing that I can either decide to use them or decide to avoid them. I’d rather avoid them. So I pick something at random, say 155.28. I take a few minutes to search through the website I posted for the area that I’m in. I find out that particular channel is for Yuma County Search and Rescue. I can either decide to use it or decide to avoid it. If I’m in Yuma County I’d rather pick a frequency that isn’t already assigned to somebody else. I’m not concerned about being hunted down by the black helicopters, but it is an inconvenience to have to go to the A or C part of the PACE plan. It doesn’t take a lot of time to recon the frequencies in use in an area. It takes more time to walk to the 300 yard line, hang a target, and walk back.

[Greg Nichols]

Black helicopters matter

[Dorkface]

Once again too many people are acting like Christian Slater in Pump It Up. Jesus, feds ain't gonna come getcha over some occasional chatter on non-digital channels.

Stop all this permission asking and hand wringing. It's thoughts and actions like this that almost ruined rifle braces for everyone. Stop it.

Indeed. Learn the rules and then figure out where they can be bent and where they can be broken. Where actions have more or less risk and go from there.

[Steven Spaugh]

Quansheng TG-UV2 PLUS 10W Powerfull 5 Bands

You can monitor two frequencies at the same time. Better quality. No…you can’t get five for a buck. Is that how you buy guns? Sure Baofeng works, but it is crap. If you want something of real quality…Yaesu VX-6R

Keep in mind, if you don’t know how to set these up, and don’t really know much more than “push to talk”, you will never get good use out of your equipment. Would you spend money on a firearm and keep it in the box?

You can learn a lot from NC Scout. He teaches RTO. He has a large amount of information on his website. I referred to it in my earlier post. Check it out, or not. You might learn how to make a jungle antenna. You might learn how to get the most out of what you have. Isn’t that why you hang out here????
http://www.warriortalk.com/blob:http://www.warriortalk.com/738528a9-fabf-4c43-985f-7dd11dd71e60
http://www.warriortalk.com/blob:http://www.warriortalk.com/f4fd6471-454e-4dde-8b9a-1f99be3cc944

[Greg Nichols]

Calm down dude. The signal to noise ratio of this thread has been horrific. In 30 responses A) nobody reread Sua's thread before commenting and B) in 30 responses this is the first post suggesting an alternative. Instead of getting butt hurt or spreading irrational fear that the gov gonna git ya. Maybe... just maybe... discuss equipment options and tactics for use.

For fucks sake I thought this was warriortalk not a sewing circle.

[chad newton]

Radio talk.... This is why I have never got into this stuff. It’s way too fucking confusing.... You have to have a mind fuck degree in waki takis....

[Greg Nichols]

To add. This is the third time a we've attempted to have a good discussion on commo thats gone right in the shitter. The first one was so left field specific to HAM that only a few had interest and it died, the second was Sua's thread that got so damn polluted with HAM and hand wringing i had to take the time to either delete the posts or merge them into the stagnant HAM thread.. now we're here again with a thread of little to no content in it for the exact same reasons. Correct it or I'll kill it.

[apamburn]

For whatever it's worth I reviewed Sua's post. But it doesn't answer the OP question which is very broad. Sua's post was mostly focused on layout and config of the baofeng and was very good at that.


Radio talk.... This is why I have never got into this stuff. It’s way too fucking confusing.... You have to have a mind fuck degree in waki takis....

Unfortunately it's not as simple as just buying a shit box baofeng and you're good.

It's not as complicated as some make it though.

But people that are into this domain are often willing to help. I have learned as much as I have needed, but it is just a means to an end to me.

You never did specify: what distances do you want to communicate and what purpose do you want the radios for?

[chad newton]

For whatever it's worth I reviewed Sua's post. But it doesn't answer the OP question which is very broad. Sua's post was mostly focused on layout and config of the baofeng and was very good at that.



Unfortunately it's not as simple as just buying a shit box baofeng and you're good.

It's not as complicated as some make it though.

But people that are into this domain are often willing to help. I have learned as much as I have needed, but it is just a means to an end to me.

You never did specify: what distances do you want to communicate and what purpose do you want the radios for?
Really I just wanted to open up the conversation to learn.... Which I learning.... Patrol oriented stuff, short distance, nothing too crazy. My terrain where I currently live in between two mountain ranges and if need be I could communicate to base(home). Basically get my feet wet and not get arrested for it would be nice. I don’t mind spending a couple hundred a radio if it makes sense to get better quality stuff....

[apamburn]

Really I just wanted to open up the conversation to learn.... Which I learning.... Patrol oriented stuff, short distance, nothing too crazy. My terrain where I currently live in between two mountain ranges and if need be I could communicate to base(home). Basically get my feet wet and not get arrested for it would be nice. I don’t mind spending a couple hundred a radio if it makes sense to get better quality stuff....

Here's what I would recommend then.

VHF radios would probably suit your needs.

Get a couple of baofengs.

Next, check radio reference.com for your area. Pick a frequency not listed there. Use a VHF freq. Again, ask for help if you need it.

Now get a friend and play. Drive away from each other and try to talk. Try inside and outside buildings and cars. In the woods. Etc.

Try programming to listen to public safety radios. Police radios receive on one frequency and transmit on another, and radio reference doesn't publish the transmit freq, so there's probably 0 chance of accidentally squashing a cops transmission, but don't key the mike to be safe.

And that will tell you if VHF does what you need.

If you want to be able to talk to your house buy a desktop radio. They come with more power. You will need to pick out an antenna and some cable and then go play with that too. Mount the antenna on your house or at least hang it out your window. Now try with that. Maybe put in your car instead.

Most likely this will satisfy your needs. If you are concerned with the quality or durability of the baofeng then you will need to dive back in to research other VHF radios. :-)

It will require experimentation and time, but you will start to get the hang of it.

If you end up wanting to program channels on your radio (instead of manually inputting frequencies) get a baofengs programming cable and download CHIRP. It's a free software.

Baofeng hired Satan himself to design the manual programming process. CHIRP is much easier.

And as always there are people here to help answer questions on your journey.

[apamburn]

And the probability of arrest....shouldn't even factor into the equation, unless you somehow interrupt public safety comms and are standing next to a cop or something, which would be really improbable.

I'd recommend to spend the coin on better stuff after you figure out the system, not before.

[Greg Nichols]

Thanks mate. That's content worth a thread.

[Dorkface]

Radio talk.... This is why I have never got into this stuff. It’s way too fucking confusing.... You have to have a mind fuck degree in waki takis....

Its a complicated subject that has a bit of a learning curve. As an example the subject of antennas can get super deep. The antenna is just as important or most so than the radio. Take the baofeng for instance. It comes with a pretty crappy antenna and if someone replaces just that part with a better quality one the performance in regards to signal clarity and send and receive ranges go up. Radios depend on line of sight. If you are standing on the ground the signal will only go so far before either the ground gets in the way, like a hill, or the planet curves and things cant be seen. If you were standing on top of a 10 story building the line of sight would be dramatically different. Its why they put radio towers up on hills or have a 200 foot tall antenna. And that is before even talking about what kind of antenna is being used lol. Omni directional: sends the transmission out in a 360 degree circle or a directional one that only sends it a specific way. For simplicity handhelds come with omni directional ones.

Now take that and apply it to a situation where you might not want everyone to know a transmission has happened. Standing on top of the 10 story building that has a line of sight radios of say 150 miles could be counter productive. Change a few variables being in a city on a 10 story building but your surrounded by a bunch of 20 story buildings. It will do weird things from bouncing some to being absorbed. Most people have stopped at a stoplight in their car and suddenly lost their tunes but then creep forward a few inches and the party starts again.

[LawDog]

Correct it or I'll kill it.Please lean towards correction rather than killing. I can weed through the chaff. When you know as little as I do about this subject, everything helps. Even the discussion of rules has some utility--when it comes from someone who has knowledge of actual enforcement practices. The thread can be pruned to turn it back toward selecting proper gear and how to use it.

[SoCal1]

I live on 145 acres of farm land and wanted a communications solution for the family that would:

1. Be easy to use for daily on farm communications
2. Cover the entire farm
3. Would work with hearing protection
4. Be usable if we needed to communicate in an emergency, dealing with trespassers, dealing with predators, or if a wild mob of liberals decided to make themselves available for target practice.

I settled on these GMRS radios since they are a little more durable then the radios available in retail stores:

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-905g.html

and these hearing protections muffs with GMRS radio add-ons:

https://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Electronic-Shooting-Glasses-Cleaning/dp/B07XVMBK96/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1GC79MIWM9DJ6&keywords=walkers+razor+walkie+talkie&qid=1660923950&sprefix=walkers+raz%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-6

I programmed them to use a GMRS frequency that does not get any use in my area with a DCS code.

I also have a base station GMRS radio in the house with an antenna at about 25 feet high.

With this setup we can communicate all over the farm and it keeps everyone familiar with how the radios operate in case of an emergency.

[Country Boy]

That's a solid setup for your situation.


I live on 145 acres of farm land and wanted a communications solution for the family that would:

1. Be easy to use for daily on farm communications
2. Cover the entire farm
3. Would work with hearing protection
4. Be usable if we needed to communicate in an emergency, dealing with trespassers, dealing with predators, or if a wild mob of liberals decided to make themselves available for target practice.

I settled on these GMRS radios since they are a little more durable then the radios available in retail stores:

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-905g.html

and these hearing protections muffs with GMRS radio add-ons:

https://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Electronic-Shooting-Glasses-Cleaning/dp/B07XVMBK96/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1GC79MIWM9DJ6&keywords=walkers+razor+walkie+talkie&qid=1660923950&sprefix=walkers+raz%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-6

I programmed them to use a GMRS frequency that does not get any use in my area with a DCS code.

I also have a base station GMRS radio in the house with an antenna at about 25 feet high.

With this setup we can communicate all over the farm and it keeps everyone familiar with how the radios operate in case of an emergency.

[62-10]

6 watt portable marine radios are relatively inexpensive, readily available, & waterproof...just sayin.

[coastalcop]

NOT an expert, but GMRS radios ar coming into their own i. the 4x4 community. the “license “ is easy to get if youre into that ,and midland makes soem pretty good off the shelf higher wattage options od handheld and vehicle use. Prices arent baeofang bit are far short price wise of motorola dual band setups.

at least to me. gmrs has far more usability than frs systems, but has far more oitput wattage from the factory and doesnt require the rocket science technical knowhow of ham systems. nice middleground for a knuckldragger loke me

damn I gotta get the settings on this new ipads keyboard worked out, Im writing like a fuckin idiot

[LawDog]

damn I gotta get the settings on this new ipads keyboard worked out, Im writing like a fuckin idiotOkay, sir. Just stand with your feet together, hands at your sides. I want you to hold your head still and—with your eyes only—follow the tip of my finger.

[coastalcop]

Okay, sir. Just stand with your feet together, hands at your sides. I want you to hold your head still and—with your eyes only—follow the tip of my finger.

Or 80s era east texas field sobriety . “ Ok the last test is to bend down, place your hands on your knees and spell “ RUN” three times, loudly and fast.

somewhere , a family member that lives in that area and was in LE, has a beta video from the dash cam ( cutting edge in that era) of this test and the poor drunk that got tricked into it. Upside, he got public intoxication instead of Dwi. down side, a bunch of cops got to see this poor schmo bending over and saying “ are you in”. three times.

[Hasher]

I live on 145 acres of farm land and wanted a communications solution for the family that would:

1. Be easy to use for daily on farm communications
2. Cover the entire farm
3. Would work with hearing protection
4. Be usable if we needed to communicate in an emergency, dealing with trespassers, dealing with predators, or if a wild mob of liberals decided to make themselves available for target practice.

I settled on these GMRS radios since they are a little more durable then the radios available in retail stores:

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/wouxun-kg-905g.html

and these hearing protections muffs with GMRS radio add-ons:

https://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Electronic-Shooting-Glasses-Cleaning/dp/B07XVMBK96/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1GC79MIWM9DJ6&keywords=walkers+razor+walkie+talkie&qid=1660923950&sprefix=walkers+raz%2Caps%2C266&sr=8-6

I programmed them to use a GMRS frequency that does not get any use in my area with a DCS code.

I also have a base station GMRS radio in the house with an antenna at about 25 feet high.

With this setup we can communicate all over the farm and it keeps everyone familiar with how the radios operate in case of an emergency.


Dorkface

do you think this can be made to work with the setups we have?

[Dorkface]

Dorkface

do you think this can be made to work with the setups we have?

Those are stand alone radios so they will work with anything else on the same frequency; Be it Baofengs, Motorola walkies or whatever.

[Hasher]

Got ya.

i was looking for a cable and pin interface.

makes sense now.

[Boy Scout]

So, it's really easy to get lost in the minutae of radio stuff. That's in part because it's technical. It's in part because radio fudds are geeks and just like the technical stuff.

But in reality it's possible to avoid most of that to understand basics and avoid getting into the weeds.

The short story

You need to define your use case including purpose of radio and anticipated communication distances.

The Baofeng UV5R series are the cheapest thing you can get your hands on that also serve a fairly wide variety of purposes. They are a good place to start.

But they're shit radios.

I own or have owned a dozen or so and use them in "field" conditions fairly regularly. They aren't waterproofed at all, the volume knob over time develops static (usually due to dirt but I've never been able to clean successfully), and the labels on the buttons begin to wear quickly when the radio lives in a pouch. I've seen buttons stop working too. The accessory port where you connect mics is not secured and I've also encountered issues with accessories getting pushed / pulled slightly and unexpectedly affecting use.

You asked about the "military grade" Baofeng radio, and I'm not sure if or how that's better. I think it's supposed to approximate the size of the PRC 152 radio for airsoft LARP but really it's just a dressed up UV5R as far as I know. They may have added waterproofing, not sure.

Just plan to replace them as they break or shit out on you and realize what you're buying.

Legalities

So here's the deal. The FCC regulates radios - their accessories, antennas, power, and what frequencies they can transmit on. The FCC also regulates what credentials, if any, you need, to use radios that have certain amounts of power or use particular frequencies.

You should know that, and you should know what frequencies are verboten.

If you (general you, not specific Chad Newton you) need to go yell about being a pirate maverick caution-to-the-wind renegade go do that and come back...

All better? Good. We just need to be aware of where the line is drawn between legal and illegal, and make an intentional, informed decision about our behavior past that. Get licensed, don't get licensed, whatever. Up to you. Just be informed.

Some Nitty Gritty

Radio frequencies are split into somewhat standardized sections they are, in order of lowest frequency to highest: High Freq (HF) >> Very High Freq (VHF) >> Ultra High Freq (UHF)

You can go look at the upper and lower frequency bounds for each if you want, but all you need to know is that lower frequencies can travel farther than higher frequencies (generally) but higher frequencies (generally) are better at penetrating walls, buildings, etc... than lower frequencies (generally).

VHF and UHF radios (generally) require you to be able to actually see the other antenna to communicate (even if you can't see with your eyes, the antennas need a clear "line of sight" to one another).

HF radios (generally) don't require line of sight to communicate.

VHF radios used to be very popular for public service and still are popular amongst HAM radio users because the lowest license level lets you use VHF.

To get past the line of sight and power limitation of VHF radios, people typically install radio repeaters on towers in elevated locations. Repeaters *receive* your radio transmission, then broadcast it out at their higher position, and with much more power.

Rubber to the Road

Let me give you some concrete examples.

When I lived in Utah I could connect from my house to a repeater on a mountain 20 miles away with a Baofeng UV5R handheld. That's because the landscape is flat and I literally could see the antenna on top of the mountain.

That repeater let me talk to people another 30-50 miles away (because they too would call into the repeater, which would broadcast out to me).

But when testing direct handheld-to-handheld communication with my wife, I lost contact after about 3 miles.

Living in West Tennessee now, during a recent exercise our TOC lost VHF contact with a deployed team less than 1 mile out. We weren't using a repeater. That is due to the difference in terrain. Here it is flat and heavily forested.

However with a HF radio we could communicate with another TOC 30 miles away and HQ 100 miles away.

See the difference?

HAM frequencies and Unlicensed Frequencies

Going to skim a little technical stuff, but I'll keep it limited.

Back to the FCC, the Crown has seen fit to deem certain parts of the HF, VHF, and UHF frequency bands require a license to use, and certain parts do not. Here is a breakdown of a few of the options in front of you. Do with the licensing requirements what you will.

HF Radio - requires General license to use. Max power is like 200 watts
CB Radio - No license, uses HF frequencies, but FCC says no repeaters, 4 watts max power
MURS Radio - No License, uses VHF frequencies, no repeaters, 2 watts max power
VHF Radio - requires technician license. Not sure on max power.
UHF Radio - requires technician license. Not sure on max power.
GMRS Radio - Requires family license (that I'm sure is not enforced), uses UHF frequencies, repeaters are allowed, 5 watt max power handheld, 50 watts max power base station
FRS Radio - No license, uses UHF frequencies, no repeaters, 2 watt max power, and no detachable antennas (don't ask...FCC is stupid)

The Baofeng UV5R

The old UV5R could communicate on any HAM VHF or UHF frequency PLUS any MURS, GMRS, or FRS frequency.

Evidently FCC didn't like that much (transmit power > 2 watt)

Now I understand that the new firmware prohibits those unlicensed frequencies. I'd bet you can flash with the old firmware to restore that functionality.

So which one?

You're going to have to specify who you want to talk to, how far away, and what other infrastructure you have.

At the end of the day it's *likely* that a couple of UV5Rs will do the job if you are just looking for comms for a "patrol". If you want something more durable look into Yaesu perhaps. If you go with the UV5R just know what you're getting into.

This is by far the best “intro to two way radio for the regular Joe” I’ve seen in quite a while.

Two way comms is a rapidly growing interest and concern for a lot of preparedness-minded or switched-on folks. The events of the last couple years have reiterated that shit can go south quick, and a lot of folks are not prepared for what’s coming. Reliance on cell phones and internet based communication is great for distance and quality, but not great without electricity.

As has been mentioned, figuring out your needs will help you in establishing your comms protocol. If you only need to talk to a small handful of people that are very close in proximity, then CB/MURS/FRS/GMRS are great, readily available solutions, and all have the ability to integrate into “tactical” loadouts with earpro and push-to-talks. These systems also allow you to build up to vehicle mounted (mobile) and base station (fixed) locations, increasing power and some distance.

For example, a small community could establish a “neighborhood watch” with each homeowner placing a GMRS base in the home, and fixing an external antenna. Additionally, each member could purchase a GMRS portable with a shoulder mic and earpiece. Homes spread out within a few miles would have an open line of communication should SHTF, and should the cavalry be called to a specific location, then all members would have comms with each other and a “base,” not unlike the farm usage mentioned above.

Where the rubber meets the road for most of us here, is the concern of “security.” This comes in various factors, and as mentioned above with the black helicopters (which is basically non-existent for current airwaves,) ham operators on a “fox hunt,” or just the kids next door playing on bubble pack FRS Walmart specials, security of your transmission can be a concern. For the recreational user, most think that “privacy codes” on the above mentioned radios open up a magical subchannel or add encryption to the frequency. It should be absolutely understood that in no way, shape or form, do they add any “real” privacy to your transmission. The only thing that privacy tones do is lock YOU out from hearing other people on the same frequency that are not using the same tones. A radio programmed without tones on a specific frequency will hear all traffic on that frequency, even if it has a privacy tone activated. Do not let a privacy tone give you a false sense of security about a specific product.

As security measures increase, we move up to offset, which is sending and receiving on separate frequencies, but not necessarily with the use of a repeater. This can help a little with passive listening security, but anyone actively searching for transmissions will have the necessary equipment to scan active frequencies.

Moving up again, we move into digital modes. While digital is itself worthy of a whole thread, the meat and potatoes is that your transmission is digitally compressed and sent out as a packet, then reopened on the other end. This allows for a few bonuses over analog modes, namely in that digital is more expensive and thus, it’s not as common as CB/MURS/FRS/GMRS, so there is a little “security in obscurity” there. Also, digital modes can sometimes provide better battery life for portable radios, due to the fact that digital packet transmission utilizes less energy than traditional analog. But where digital really shines is in data and encryption. Being able to send digital packets over the airwaves rather than voice transmissions means that a “text message”’or file can be sent and deliver the same information with much less chance of interception. Think of it like walking in the room while your wife is talking to her friend. You overhear the gossip, whereas if she she was texting, you just know that she’s texting, not WHAT she’s texting.


Now, with all that said, don’t think that two way radio comms is off the radar of the alphabet boys. During the summer of love a couple years ago, there were a LOT of Baofeng radios pulled off of Antifa/BLM rioters. Additionally, they were using digital communication apps like Voxer, Zello, Telegram, Signal and Snapchat (not to mention Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and other open source social media) to coordinate movements and operations. They are well aware that radios are being used, they just do not have the capability to ACTIVELY and CONSTANTLY monitor all two way traffic. Traffic is only monitored in more secure areas like DC and during those “special events.”


Part 2 to follow on equipment with links when I can bust out my laptop.

[Redbug]

Here's a good Utube about surveillance, radios, and other good subjects pertaining to communications. If you look into the Utube description, (under show more), it details what subjects are discussed in a timeline. I keep up with S2 Underground. I have been a ham for more than 30 years. Back before cell phones and you made phone patches via the local VHF ham repeater when out in the boonies hunting so your wife would not worry. HF is good because regular people can talk to regular people continents away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nam87B2u6bo

[Travlin]

I was reading last weekend that the FCC is moving to pull the bandwidth from ham operators. Are you hearing anything about that?

[Knowledge]

I was reading last weekend that the FCC is moving to pull the bandwidth from ham operators. Are you hearing anything about that?
It doesn’t really matter what they do does it?

[Travlin]

No it doesn't, it just seemed a bit coincidental they wanted to pull long distance coms.

[Redbug]

I was reading last weekend that the FCC is moving to pull the bandwidth from ham operators. Are you hearing anything about that?


Yes...Commercial interests want more frequencies for whatever they want to do. All the new technologies need more bandwidth. Look at all the thousands of satellites above earth being put up for all sorts of uses. The Govt will sell those frequencies and make a mint. Once the frequencies are sold they are gone from the ham community forever. The ham community has dwindled since the internet has come about. But governments and companies censor the internet, (and they all do), but ham and shortwave is wide open. But it is monitored. Good examples of internet censorship lately, (and not just the internet), has to do with covid, Ukraine, global warming, the blacks, politics with the party in power, and the list goes on. I might add...I can no longer watch the national news because of all the propaganda. I know better and I think you guys do too.

[Johnny C!]

Great write-ups by apamburn & Boy Scout.

Copied & pasted to give out for when
people ask me about comms.

One nice thing about the UV5R's is that
they are cheap enough to be considered
as disposable. In the 40 or so that I have
handled, the only issues I have had was
that the handheld lapel mics are very failure
prone, and I had one charge station that did
not work. IMO, they have great capability if
the operator is knowledgeable, (i.e., if that
person has at least a general ticket), and they
are inexpensive enough for anyone to own more
than a few.

Great discussion.

[Greg Nichols]

Ok school me on vehicle mounted comms, CB and VHF. Want good units for my future war wagon.

[apamburn]

Ok school me on vehicle mounted comms, CB and VHF. Want good units for my future war wagon.

I'd like to learn about this as well - I don't know much about options for vehicle mounted radios.

I do know that you will likely need a separate amplifier and that amp and radio will need to connected to the battery somehow, so there's going to be some work getting wires through the firewall somewhere.

[chad newton]

Why couldnÂ’t you run the beufang or better unit with an car mounted antenna? Rig up a car charger to keep it charged and you can take it when you leave the vehicle.... just a thought. IÂ’m sure there is dedicated car units but always an option you could probably use.

IÂ’m sure from what IÂ’ve read the longer antenna will get you further coverage.

There is a ton of options. I will do some research tonight and see what ones will be the best all around. Looks like around 400.00 is about what they will cost. I think a home base one would be a pretty good deal with an antenna that can be put on the roof or outside then taken down. IÂ’m not really into those giant antennas that the entire neighborhood can see.

[SoCal1]

I will be using the Yaesu FT-2980R 80 watt 2m radio with a monoband 5/8 wave antenna in my truck as soon as I have time to install them. The radio is $179 and the antenna is about $50.

For mobile operations the antenna choice and mounting location makes a big difference in performance. A 1/4 wave antenna signal is directed more vertically compared to a 5/8 wave antenna which is directed more towards the horizon. Mounting the antenna where there is enough ground plane, or metal under the antenna, dictates how much of the power from the radio gets out and in what direction. For VHF a 42" diameter area is perfect but very difficult to provide on most vehicles.

[Greg Nichols]

I want a good VHF so I can communicate both with my radios and emergency band, and CB for vehicle to vehicle and emergency band.

I want it for both tactical and safety applications when in the bush where I may not have cell service and people are scarce.

[apamburn]

Why couldnÂ’t you run the beufang or better unit with an car mounted antenna? Rig up a car charger to keep it charged and you can take it when you leave the vehicle.... just a thought. IÂ’m sure there is dedicated car units but always an option you could probably use.



You could. I have. Magnetic mount antennas for baofeng are cheap and plentiful on Amazon.

But if you're going to be tied to a vehicle with its own power generator, it's far better to use a significantly more powerful radio. You will get out much farther.

That alone is powerful enough....

Now, imagine a jeep that contains a repeater, not just a simple radio.

You go drive out to check something on your large property, park, and begin a foot patrol around the area. Your truck repeater enables you to communicate with your home because it retransmits your messages with more oomph.

Or maybe it's a squad commo truck and you park it on a ridge between two valleys - the squads in each valley are then able to communicate with each other.

Even without a repeater it would be as simple as having a guy literally repeat what is said so the other parties could hear.

[chad newton]

I think it would be pretty cool to be able to do it both ways. I didnÂ’t think about relaying the messages either, similar to how truckers and cops used to run cb radios.

See, more shit to think about....

[Steven Spaugh]

Why couldnÂ’t you run the beufang or better unit with an car mounted antenna? Rig up a car charger to keep it charged and you can take it when you leave the vehicle.... just a thought. IÂ’m sure there is dedicated car units but always an option you could probably use.

IÂ’m sure from what IÂ’ve read the longer antenna will get you further coverage.

There is a ton of options. I will do some research tonight and see what ones will be the best all around. Looks like around 400.00 is about what they will cost. I think a home base one would be a pretty good deal with an antenna that can be put on the roof or outside then taken down. IÂ’m not really into those giant antennas that the entire neighborhood can see.

You can use an HT with any antenna. The antenna does need to match the band you want to use. The disadvantage of an HT is comparable to a handgun. Very mobile, but short on power. There is also duty cycle to consider.

When considering something for the home, you could choose a mobile unit. They can be less expensive, still have 40 - 50 watts power, and you could put it into a vehicle. I like the ICOM 2730A. You can monitor two frequencies at the same time. Those frequencies can either be VHF or UHF, or one of each. You can transmit on either side with just a quick push of a button.

Regarding antennas for the home, they don’t have to be 50’ in the air. However, UHF/VHF is line of sight. If it would suit your needs for stealth, and range, you could put an antenna in your attic. I had a J-Pole antenna in my attic in the Chicago suburbs, and it would reach a repeater in downtown Chicago. A range of about 30 miles. Of course, the repeater antenna was on a tall building. Line of sight, remember?

Here is a place that you could get one like I have. https://www.jpole-antenna.com/shop/2-meter-slim-jim-antenna/ By the way, my attic was too short for it to be straight up and down. I had to put it on a slight angle. It still worked great. WARNING!!! I posted a video of this guy in another thread. Greg did not like the fact that he is not in good physical shape. Most ham radio nerds are not, but they know radio like Gabe knows what he teaches.

[Steven Spaugh]

I want a good VHF so I can communicate both with my radios and emergency band, and CB for vehicle to vehicle and emergency band.

I want it for both tactical and safety applications when in the bush where I may not have cell service and people are scarce.

If “emergency band” means Fire & Police, you would be able to listen, but not transmit on their frequencies. You would have to have a radio that is set up to transmit on those frequencies. Modern ham radios are designed to not allow you to transmit on those frequencies, which would be illegal. Of course, if you are part of one of those organizations, it would not be illegal. Since you were in that category, one might assume that you already knew that.

Perhaps that is not what you meant. If so, disregard.

[Steven Spaugh]

Expanding on an advantage of the Icom 2730A:

Since being able to listen to two different frequencies at the same time, and being able to transmit on either one is one button push away; you could transmit on frequency A, and listen on frequency B. The person you are communicating with could transmit on frequency B, and listen on frequency A. Anyone that happens on one of those frequencies would only hear one side of the conversation.

Add to that some brevity codes, and authentication codes, along with call signs, now whose listening to what? You could add a one time pad, but that would require some knowledge as to how all that works together.

I know, I got a little carried away. It depends what you want to do, who you want to do that with, and for what purposes.

A ham radio can also be set up similar to a CB, with a lot more options. Using CHIRP, or other software to program your radios, you can set up memory channels, just like you do with your car radio, or what is already programed into every CB.

For those that want to learn more than the very basics, take a look at what is at www.Brushbeater.org (http://www.Brushbeater.org). You could learn a lot…if you are into that kind of thing.

[Johnny C!]

I tend to be wordy, so I am working to not be
as wordy.

Steven mentioned the J-Pole. These can easily
be made from a common cable called ladder line.
One significant advantage to the ladder line version,
is that it's easy to add to your ruck, day pack, or
have in your car & string it up with a piece of 550
cord, and greatly improve your range, even with an
HT. I like to buy stranded ladder line so that it is
much more durable when rolling it up or un-rolling it.
I use one at home for my base radio and was asked to
switch to a lower wattage because I was pinging one
of the local repeaters to hard, that is 30 miles away.
These can also be purchased pre-made for around $30.

As for transmitting on LE/EMS freq's, if you have a
legitimate emergency, car wreck, injured hiker, etc,
any one can use any freq available. FCC rules.

Lastly, I have $25 dollar quarter wave mag mount
antennas on all of my vehicles. Plugging them in to
an HT greatly improves the range of an HT, partly
because of the ground plane the roof of your car
makes. I primarily use HT's in my cars because they
are so easy to move from car to car, take them inside
to recharge, and take them out of the car to eliminate
the possibility of theft. And these quarter wave
antennas are compact enough to easily take it with
you if I had to abandon your car. You could then
use another car or other sheet metal structure to
optimize it's capability.

Still wordy.

[Greg Nichols]

If “emergency band” means Fire & Police, you would be able to listen, but not transmit on their frequencies. You would have to have a radio that is set up to transmit on those frequencies. Modern ham radios are designed to not allow you to transmit on those frequencies, which would be illegal. Of course, if you are part of one of those organizations, it would not be illegal. Since you were in that category, one might assume that you already knew that.

Perhaps that is not what you meant. If so, disregard.

Well CBs have Channel 9 for emergency so I thought VHF might have something similar

[Steven Spaugh]

CBs have Channel 9 for emergency. Yes, they do. However, I’m not sure anyone uses it that way anymore. Perhaps it is different where you live, but in the Chicago area, nobody uses channel 9 for anything. I don’t think the police listen anymore. The only channel I have heard any traffic on, is channel 19. Evidently most people are not aware there are 40 channels.

So, there is a list of emergency frequencies. Here is a link. https://survivalblog.com/2014/09/23/an-emergency-frequencies-list/

Note that there are a couple ham radio emergency frequencies. Also, in a real emergency, you don’t have to be licensed to use a ham radio to communicate about the emergency. You also don’t have to be concerned about proper prodical. It would be good to know what frequency would best serve, but if you connect with someone, chances are they will do their best to help.

[Steven Spaugh]

Since not everyone has the same use and goals for their radios, I thought I would throw this into the mix. A shack in the box. Here is a link to some ideas, although you can find many variations, including using ammo boxes. You can have VHF, or UHF, both, and HF. It really depends on your radios, and what you are trying to accomplish.

http://www.emergencyradiogokit.com/

Please note that a lot of Ham Radio people are radio nerds. Many are in their sixties, and not in good physical shape. They are not necessarily like the tribe here. That does not mean that they don’t have a lot of good information. There are also some SF folks that specialized in radio.

[Steven Spaugh]

Some might find this of interest. More options, more power, more battery. Sometimes more is…well, more better.

63603

https://www.amazon.com/Military-Powerful-12000mAh-Portable-Tactical/dp/B09MK2LK61?crid=GM21WHGB3NZE&keywords=Ar-152&qid=1666062261&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjg1IiwicXNhIjoiMy40NSIsInFzcCI6IjE uNTEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=ar-152%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=tacwisdom-20&linkId=633301397630258bab61abb93436e7c1&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl (https://www.amazon.com/Military-Powerful-12000mAh-Portable-Tactical/dp/B09MK2LK61?crid=GM21WHGB3NZE&keywords=Ar-152&qid=1666062261&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjg1IiwicXNhIjoiMy40NSIsInFzcCI6IjE uNTEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=ar-152%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=tacwisdom-20&linkId=633301397630258bab61abb93436e7c1&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl)

[apamburn]

Some might find this of interest. More options, more power, more battery. Sometimes more is…well, more better.

63603

https://www.amazon.com/Military-Powerful-12000mAh-Portable-Tactical/dp/B09MK2LK61?crid=GM21WHGB3NZE&keywords=Ar-152&qid=1666062261&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjg1IiwicXNhIjoiMy40NSIsInFzcCI6IjE uNTEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=ar-152%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=tacwisdom-20&linkId=633301397630258bab61abb93436e7c1&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl (https://www.amazon.com/Military-Powerful-12000mAh-Portable-Tactical/dp/B09MK2LK61?crid=GM21WHGB3NZE&keywords=Ar-152&qid=1666062261&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjg1IiwicXNhIjoiMy40NSIsInFzcCI6IjE uNTEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=ar-152%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=tacwisdom-20&linkId=633301397630258bab61abb93436e7c1&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl)

This was mentioned earlier I think;

I'm not certain it's a bad deal, but keep in mind that it is still just a junk Chinese Baofeng UV5 radio dressed up as a PRC152 - maybe with a little more power. It does come with larger battery and it looks like a nicer antenna than the typical Baofeng UV5 series.

I doubt it's waterproof and it's definitely not actually milspec. It also will not provide significant performance improvement over a cheaper Baofeng UV5. Not enough of a power bump to really notice, though the antenna may help (a little).

Not saying it's bad, just that it's lipstick on a pig. If you know you're buying a pig then no surprises.

And I say that owning multiple UV5s myself.

[stankasz1]

This was mentioned earlier I think;

I'm not certain it's a bad deal, but keep in mind that it is still just a junk Chinese Baofeng UV5 radio dressed up as a PRC152 - maybe with a little more power. It does come with larger battery and it looks like a nicer antenna than the typical Baofeng UV5 series.

I doubt it's waterproof and it's definitely not actually milspec. It also will not provide significant performance improvement over a cheaper Baofeng UV5. Not enough of a power bump to really notice, though the antenna may help (a little).

Not saying it's bad, just that it's lipstick on a pig. If you know you're buying a pig then no surprises.

And I say that owning multiple UV5s myself.

In your experience, what's the actual useful range on these? Let's say it's flat with no hills. Thanks

[apamburn]

In your experience, what's the actual useful range on these? Let's say it's flat with no hills. Thanks

I don't pretend to be an expert but I did a write up on that very subject previously in the same thread

http://www.warriortalk.com/showthread.php?145213-Radios-and-coms&p=2004472#post2004472

[stankasz1]

I don't pretend to be an expert but I did a write up on that very subject previously in the same thread

http://www.warriortalk.com/showthread.php?145213-Radios-and-coms&p=2004472#post2004472

Found it thanks

[Steven Spaugh]

The Guerrilla's Guide To The Baofeng Radio is a handbook for those finding themselves in an austere environment, an underground resistance, or going into harm's way with one of the most common pieces of communications equipment in the world. Going far beyond simple programming or what's written from the Amateur Radio perspective, this manual goes in-depth on how to communicate, creating a communications plan, improvised wire antennas, digital operations and encryption in an easy to follow, step-by-step format based on combat proven methods. Whether you've just invested in a few of the inexpensive radios for an uncertain future or find yourself in rough corners of the world, this manual covers how to create communications where there otherwise would be none.




https://www.amazon.com/Guerrillas-Guide-Baofeng-Radio/dp/B0BNV21F4P?crid=EI06IAT29DLX&keywords=the+guerrillas+guide+to+the+baofeng&qid=1670245150&sprefix=the+guerrillas+guide+to+the+baofeng,aps,30 5&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=brushbeater20-20&linkId=9b6eecc608d39b94363bea891e13a3fb&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl (https://www.amazon.com/Guerrillas-Guide-Baofeng-Radio/dp/B0BNV21F4P?crid=EI06IAT29DLX&keywords=the+guerrillas+guide+to+the+baofeng&qid=1670245150&sprefix=the+guerrillas+guide+to+the+baofeng,aps,30 5&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=brushbeater20-20&linkId=9b6eecc608d39b94363bea891e13a3fb&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl)

[Steven Spaugh]

A very thorough review of this book is at this link. By the way, I get nothing from sharing information about this book. I just know the author knows radio very well. If you want to shorten the learning curve, you should check it out.:thumbup:

https://www.americanpartisan.org/2022/12/review-the-guerrillas-guide-to-the-baofeng-radio-by-don-shift/