Radios and coms

[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.