I have been interested in Amateur Radio for a long time. I have been studying for a while and am taking the Advanced Qualification Exam soon. Pretty easy as I seem to be getting around 95% on all the on-line practice exams with only a couple of weeks of casual studying.

Wondering if there are any operators here, what your call sign is, and what equipment you have.

I am starting with a mobile unit. I plan on doing a lot of overland 4x4 expeditions in the coming year and CB with it's 1-5 mile range just won't cut it......although I will still run my trusty Uniden.

kaninja
I have been interested in Amateur Radio for a long time. I have been studying for a while and am taking the Advanced Qualification Exam soon. Pretty easy as I seem to be getting around 95% on all the on-line practice exams with only a couple of weeks of casual studying.

Wondering if there are any operators here, what your call sign is, and what equipment you have.

I am starting with a mobile unit. I plan on doing a lot of overland 4x4 expeditions in the coming year and CB with it's 1-5 mile range just won't cut it......although I will still run my trusty Uniden.

I thought about getting my ham license few years ago but i don't know anyone that uses it. The CB air waves are a ghost town where i live. The only people i hear are dump truck drivers or skip. Cell phones have done a number on Amateur radio users over the years.
 
 

Never went past the CB level

I do have a technician license that I got a couple years ago, but I never actually made the jump and invested in any equipment. Wish ya the best in getting started! 

robbysites
That is one of my other hobbies - you asked the right guy - call sign K4RKS - Look it up on QRZ.
I have a technicians license -really need to upgrade. But I have been an amateur operator for 12 years. Talk mostly on vhf but I have a Kenwood TS-2000 and it operates on all hf in all modes plus vhf and uhf in all modes max power 100 watts.
I have a push up pole with an omni antenna 144 - 440 17feet long 50 feet up
PM me if you have any questions - I have made contacts all over the world.
robbysites

Wow. Thanks so much. Right now I am sticking with a mobile unit.

This is what I am looking at.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/...D=06HNBADHV6YHTP7K8HF7

I like that it can run in low power mode (5W) for low heat, then you can crank it to 75W when you want to reach out.

Seems like a good 2M unit.

Going to pair it with something like this.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/...D=0YFF67XFCCG7N962MKQY

kaninja

robbysites
That is one of my other hobbies - you asked the right guy - call sign K4RKS - Look it up on QRZ.
I have a technicians license -really need to upgrade. But I have been an amateur operator for 12 years. Talk mostly on vhf but I have a Kenwood TS-2000 and it operates on all hf in all modes plus vhf and uhf in all modes max power 100 watts.
I have a push up pole with an omni antenna 144 - 440 17feet long 50 feet up
PM me if you have any questions - I have made contacts all over the world.
robbysites

Wow. Thanks so much. Right now I am sticking with a mobile unit.

This is what I am looking at.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/...D=06HNBADHV6YHTP7K8HF7

I like that it can run in low power mode (5W) for low heat, then you can crank it to 75W when you want to reach out.

Seems like a good 2M unit.

Going to pair it with something like this.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/...D=0YFF67XFCCG7N962MKQY

I have the Yaesu 2900r and I use it as a base station. It is one of the best 2m radios for the money. There is no fan so if you run it at full power it will get very hot. I zip tied a computer fan to mine and that solved the problem. All of my radios have adjustable power settings so I only use what I need. I used to have a mag mount antenna, but I replaced it with an antenna with a permanent mount with a higher gain.
 
You don't even need a radio - you can use echolink and talk all over the world with your computer and USB headset. But I prefer an actual radio. I am a member of a few nets held each week. I am also a net controller for the w4snn.org. It is held every Saturday simplex 146.46 7:30pm to 8:30pmin Northeast Fl.
 
robbysites

pbniel
KD9AZW. Have at least 6 HF radios and 3 VHF and UHF radios. The HF Radios are the most interesting as you can easily talk all over the world with no wires - have talked to Australia, Antartica, and all over Europe and South America. It is still magic to me.
The digital modes are really great - how would you send an e-mail without the internet? You can with ham radio.
VHF and UHF are usually used for shorter range communications although there are many who go for distance. These usually go through repeaters so you can easily talk across a city with no "good buddy".
 
Most of my radios are computer controlled and some are SDR or software defined radio which are totally computer controlled - no knobs!
Great hobby if you are into computers also!

Well said KD9AZW - I too have made contacts all over the world on 10 meters. I have 1 hf rig and 4 vhf/uhf rigs. In addition to that I have about 9 HTs.
The popular misconception is the good buddy thing. Ham operators police their own and you must id your call every 10-15minutes  in a conversation (QSO). They sell very inexpensive ($36.00) dual band HTs that are great if you live in a big city. You can use the repeaters with 3 watts. And digital is definitely a cool technology - e-mail without internet - you bet!
K4RKS

I bet you guys wish you could setup antenna farm like this one. http://www.smeter.net/w6obb/antenna-farm.php
 

I'm not a Ham radio operator, but I'm a Civil Air Patrol mission radio operator. We use totally different HF and VHF channels but we do nets similar to Hams.

Been telling myself to get my license for years and still havent.  The way things are going, I prob should sooner than later.  Love the above pic of the handheld Phonepatch, havent seen one of those in years, laughs....
 
Id prob get a 2M_Hnadheld myself, stuck in apartments sucks.  Its been ages, but Im not even sure what ext antenna for a handheld would work with out OTA TV antenna and 4G/LTE GSM's without feedback?
 
 

knightsilver
Been telling myself to get my license for years and still havent.  The way things are going, I prob should sooner than later.  Love the above pic of the handheld Phonepatch, havent seen one of those in years, laughs....
 
Id prob get a 2M_Hnadheld myself, stuck in apartments sucks.  Its been ages, but Im not even sure what ext antenna for a handheld would work with out OTA TV antenna and 4G/LTE GSM's without feedback?
 
 

2 meter is the best to work and the busiest. They sell High gain 2 meter HT antennas - you would be surprised how far you can talk. I have a 7 watt HT made by Icom and with a gain antenna I can hit a repeater 60 miles away, and really far on simplex (based on the weather).
K4RKS
robbysites
 
Comet Original SMA-24 146/446 Dual-Band High Gain Antenna

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COMET 144/440 MHz. Dual-Band Superflex Handheld Antenna (Gain: 144 Mhz. 2.15dBi 1/4 wave / 440 Mhz. 3.5dBi 5/8 wave, Max Power: 20 Watts, Length: 17") SMA

 
 
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post edited by robbysites - 2016/04/29 13:38:12

kaninja
So I am wondering is this a good antenna in your opinion? If I paired it up with the 2M mobile unit I originally posted?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/...ords=ham+radio+antenna

My birthday is in 2 days, I might just order it up.

Tram makes good antennas. They are typically the 2nd choice to diamond. My antenna looks similar to this but mine has gain. So simply put you are going to broadcast further and hear better with an antenna that has gain. A 1/4 wave mag mount will talk a long way, but a gain antenna will multiply your output at any wattage. This antenna will be convenient and not hit the ceiling on drive thrus, carports etc. Mine is black and no one can even see it. The short length of this antenna will make it easy to remove.
If you get this antenna place it in the center of your vehicle as it will create a circular pattern and allow you to pick up stations better from any direction.
 
The rule on antennas is "height is might" and the better antenna will make even a sub-par radio work well. Too many people get great radios and skimp on their antennas. the best radio in the world will work like crap if you do not put some money into a good antenna.
 
Gain for example with a 75 watt antenna - well placed will exceed the 75 watts if the standing wave ratio is low and you have an antenna with a gain of 2db.
Another thing I keep seeing is interference. If you use an OTA antenna for your TV you WILL NOT have interference from your 2m rig - Remember cb is 11 meters or 27 Mghz - 2 meter is 144-148 Megahertz. So no problems unless you put the antenna right next to your TV and keydown (tranmit)
 
CB was cool 35 years ago - it is commonly referred to as the CRAZY BAND. Just listen and you will understand where i am coming from.
 
To the point - Get the antenna with the mag mount and enjoy. Just remember repeaters require a 6 M shift up or down and simplex does not - it is point to point. This antenna you are asking about will open repeaters. Just remember to put the shift (which is automatic on the 2900r) and put the proper pl tone in, or no one will hear you. Google the repeater and it will tell you the proper pl tone.
K4RKS
rs

I have a Kenwood TM281A. I can't recommend it enough. Great transmission and receive. There are a lot of really cheap Chinese radios out there, but I generally hate them all. I'm running a Larsen 1/4 wave antenna and it's performance in the city and the mountains is awesome. I have a 5/8 Larsen for travelling on flatlands.

Are mobile cell repeaters worth the cash? Not sure if I could talk my in-laws , wife into getting their ham license.

I am in British Columbia Canada.

Mobile cell repeaters can work very well. Decent ones are usually between $400 - $700. If you are way in the middle of nowhere they can be the difference between zero bars and 2-3 bars. However if you are way offroad, in between mountains and heavily forested areas....you can still be stuck with no ability to make a call.