Ham & off road

[DannyLlama]

I recently passed my Technician test and am waiting for call sign.
For those who are wanting to do it, I recommend 3 things:

• Buy the Gordon West book
• download ham prep app on your phone and take the tets over and over
• Take online ham exams over and over and over

Back to topic.. Today I purchased an older Wouxun KG-UV6D just get started with transmitting over the air waves. It's a lower end Chinese manufacture.
I did that because I will spend more money when I'm ready to install a radio in my truck.

With that said, what Frequencies are of most importance for Off road use?
I don't enough to know if I will pick up any repeaters out in the desert. In the mountain I can see that more of a possibility due to the waves traveling down.

From the quick search that I have done, the Yaesu FT-857D seems to be a do it all type of radio, it is a tri-band radio so that helps with Frequency options. I believe it has HF/VHF AND UHF.

What bands/frequencies and radios have ya'll found successful.

73

 

[1engineer]

I recently passed my Technician test and am waiting for call sign.
For those who are wanting to do it, I recommend 3 things:

• Buy the Gordon West book
• download ham prep app on your phone and take the tets over and over
• Take online ham exams over and over and over

Back to topic.. Today I purchased an older Wouxun KG-UV6D just get started with transmitting over the air waves. It's a lower end Chinese manufacture.
I did that because I will spend more money when I'm ready to install a radio in my truck.

With that said, what Frequencies are of most importance for Off road use?
I don't enough to know if I will pick up any repeaters out in the desert. In the mountain I can see that more of a possibility due to the waves traveling down.

From the quick search that I have done, the Yaesu FT-857D seems to be a do it all type of radio, it is a tri-band radio so that helps with Frequency options. I believe it has HF/VHF AND UHF.

What bands/frequencies and radios have ya'll found successful.

73

Look at you saying "y'all" lol.

 

[MedicLt]

Congrats,, from what I hear,,not an easy test. I have a Yaesu FT-50R with the "tweek solder" deal. Wish I knew how to use this thing to it's potential. (I'm not a ham-guy) I did in the past just sit on my piazza and dial the thing and got to listen to cell phone calls,,funny s**t!!

 

[TravelWest01]

There is a repeater on Keller Peak that you can find with Google search, they host a weekly net on Thursday nights that covers topics related to off-roading and outdoors in General. Repeaterbook.com has lists of repeaters. In SoCal there are a ton of repeaters, the limiting factor is how many you want to program In to your radio.

 

[DannyLlama]

Congrats,, from what I hear,,not an easy test. I have a Yaesu FT-50R with the "tweek solder" deal. Wish I knew how to use this thing to it's potential. (I'm not a ham-guy) I did in the past just sit on my piazza and dial the thing and got to listen to cell phone calls,,funny s**t!!

It's a tough test because nothing about it is intuitive, unless you have electrical background than it's a little easier.

There is a repeater on Keller Peak that you can find with Google search, they host a weekly net on Thursday nights that covers topics related to off-roading and outdoors in General. Repeaterbook.com has lists of repeaters. In SoCal there are a ton of repeaters, the limiting factor is how many you want to program In to your radio.

How far out can you hit these repeaters though? Are they accissible out in Anza Borrego or in Death valley? I would doubt it but than again I dont know enough yet. Any personal input from your experience [MENTION=89257]TravelWest01[/MENTION]

 

[rochmpr]

I think you will find 2m the has the most options and available repeaters. Here is a good link for pre-planning a route:

Repeater Book

As for radios, there is so much to learn, and available features. I, personally, am looking at the Yaesu FTM-400DR, which is 2m / 70cm, has cross band repeat and GPS / APRS (which sounds like a good feature when deep back woods). Was considering Yaesu FT-8800R, but learned that the buttons are not back lit, which would not be fun at night.

I am still researching between units, and antenna. There's way too much to know.

Good luck.

 

[KidVermicious]

This thread is relevant to my interests. Keep talking, y'all*.




*snicker

 

[2014 Warthog]

Heh yeah, look up the 2M repeaters for San diego, imperial, LA and or orange counties and program those all in. Palomar and Monument Peak can be hit from Borrego (It's a large area, depends on where you are of course, canyons, mtns in the way etc)

As a second set of scanning frequencies, I programmed in every simplex frequency on this chart:

http://www.tasma.org/TASMA-2m-Band-Plan.pdf

Repeaters have most the traffic, but you can pick up people in the desert on occasion using one of the above simplex frequencies as well.

There may in fact be a group of people that frequently prefer one simplex freq over another but I don't know it.

In the end though I don;t think there are really that many people out there using 2M overall

More FRS and CB, which is why I have all three

 

[bimrunner]

Lookup area repeaters and program before heading out. I have a yaesu 8900r with the controls mounted in the center stack cubby and the brain under the steering column which provides great amplification out of that area. If I'm running with a small group we operate on 2m and scan for frequencies not being used and little frequency interference. Congrats on the test! I heard it's harder now than when I took it.

 

[bimrunner]

I think you will find 2m the has the most options and available repeaters. Here is a good link for pre-planning a route:

Repeater Book

As for radios, there is so much to learn, and available features. I, personally, am looking at the Yaesu FTM-400DR, which is 2m / 70cm, has cross band repeat and GPS / APRS (which sounds like a good feature when deep back woods). Was considering Yaesu FT-8800R, but learned that the buttons are not back lit, which would not be fun at night.

I am still researching between units, and antenna. There's way too much to know.

Good luck.

The 8900r is backlit on both the mic and controls. Works great with remote mount.

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

I will repeat what others have said. (See what I did there, I kid I kid) Get a book for repeaters and keep that in your rig. That way you can see which one is close to you in the chance you need help. Hopefully someone is listening too.

As for radio I run a Yaesu 8800R and have been very happy with it. I have yet to even touch what the radio is capable of. Like Ben I have my controls up front but on a flex mount with an external speaker. The brain is mounted behind the rear seats on my storage box, out of the way. I do want to get a handheld for when I get out of the truck but still want to be able to talk to others, say for hiking or spotting.

Congratulations on passing the test and welcome to the world of HAM.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Probably a dumb question but can a ham radio communicate with a normal cb?
I would like a ham for longer range emergency use but if everyone else just has a normal cb would I be able to talk to them.

 

[bimrunner]

I will repeat what others have said. (See what I did there, I kid I kid) Get a book for repeaters and keep that in your rig. That way you can see which one is close to you in the chance you need help. Hopefully someone is listening too.

As for radio I run a Yaesu 8800R and have been very happy with it. I have yet to even touch what the radio is capable of. Like Ben I have my controls up front but on a flex mount with an external speaker. The brain is mounted behind the rear seats on my storage box, out of the way. I do want to get a handheld for when I get out of the truck but still want to be able to talk to others, say for hiking or spotting.

Congratulations on passing the test and welcome to the world of HAM.

Baofeng uv-5re plus. I have this for exactly this purpose.

 

[Intruder]

From the quick search that I have done, the Yaesu FT-857D seems to be a do it all type of radio, it is a tri-band radio so that helps with Frequency options. I believe it has HF/VHF AND UHF.

What bands/frequencies and radios have ya'll found successful.

73

857D is overkill. I have one and it's a nice radio, but HF while mobile doesn't work well and you need something like an ATAS antenna to use all three. Most around here only use UHF/VHF frequencies anyhow. I will recommend going with a removable faceplate so you can mount it under the passenger seat and put the faceplate wherever you want. I have mine on a Ram mount on the windshield. Up here we tend to use 146.460 as a trail frequency, but that's more or less just a random consensus type thing.

 

[TravelWest01]

No, ham radios don't have access to CB frequencies. More and more off-roaders are using ham. CB is only 5 watts, while ham mobile units are generally 50-65 watts. The test is not bad, I bought a study guide and spent about 20 hours with it over 2 months. I didn't ace the test, but I did pass it. I think you need the equivalent of a "C" to pass.

 

[Orbital Debris]

I would agree with most of the others that 2m/70cm is the easiest bet for mobile. If you are just looking for truck to truck, short range, you can get by with the HT run through a magmount antenna out thorough the door frame. That will get you by until you settle on a permanent mobile install.

Of course repeater range is highly terrain dependent, but a decent rule of thumb is 10-15 miles between you and the repeater IF you have good line of sight.

Yaesu's are good radios and the 857D looks neat, but you can get a good dual sided VHF/UHF rig for half the price. And it is easy to find good combination U/V antennae that are short and stout for dealing with foliage while giving good range. I've got a Kenwood TM-V71A that tucks nicely into the cubby forward of the shifter, with the main body under the seat.

If you are not worried about cost as much, the Kenwood D710G (competitor to the Yaesu FTM400 mentioned earlier) is an excellent turnkey solution for APRS. It is self contained with an internal TNC, GPS and a nice display.

Remember that the antenna is an important part of the equation, and you will have to balance getting it up high with getting under obstacles. I keep short antennas for everyday use (and to get into my garage), and carry a 38 inch antenna stored in the truck in a PVC pipe for the days when I need distance. I say 38 inch, because that still allows it to fit nicely in the cargo area.

 

[WU7X]

No one seems to have mentioned this yet, so here goes... I think you will find that when off-roading with friends you will probably be using a simplex (non-repeater) frequency. I really like the idea of using 146.46 mHz simplex as a national off-road frequency. Repeaters are really nice when you can hit them. But if your are really back in the boonies it can be pretty hard to find an accessible one. Besides, if you just are interested in talking with the folks you are out with, and they are relatively close by, stay on a simplex frequency.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Dale WU7X

 

[bimrunner]

No one seems to have mentioned this yet, so here goes... I think you will find that when off-roading with friends you will probably be using a simplex (non-repeater) frequency. I really like the idea of using 146.46 mHz simplex as a national off-road frequency. Repeaters are really nice when you can hit them. But if your are really back in the boonies it can be pretty hard to find an accessible one. Besides, if you just are interested in talking with the folks you are out with, and they are relatively close by, stay on a simplex frequency.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Dale WU7X

Good point and one I forgot to mention! I stay simplex most of the time and my first memory option is 146.46. lol

 

[Ol'Baditude]

Grab yourself a Yaesu 8800 or 8900. These are both excellent little radios with lots of features(including x-band repeat) and removable face-plates and should be all you need for offroad use. Unless of course you are interested off the bat in things like APRS or digital modes, then you may want to shop around a bit.
Personally, I went with the FTM-400DR because I liked the touch screen and built in GPS for bearing and altitude monitoring and future digital and data considerations. It's an AWESOME dual bander but is also a bit more expensive than the 8800 and 8900.
Like Intruder said, UHF/VHF is likely all you're going to use in a mobile, so the 857D is probably a bit more than you want to be spending for what you're going to need it for.

For antennas, have a look at my sig for some very good models. A very popular dual band antenna is the Comet SBB5, this is what I'm testing right now and it's been quite good. The SBB7 is awesome as well, but very long so it's not the best for the bush. However, I find I get the best SWR and Sensitivity when I use the Comet 2x4.

You can check the first page of my build thread (in sig below) to see how I've got everything installed.

Good point and one I forgot to mention! I stay simplex most of the time and my first memory option is 146.46. lol

Yep, us too.

 

[chmura]

Congrats on passing the test!

I also just passed a few months ago and have not purchased a radio yet.

My opinion is get a very simple single band one and use that for alittle bit. Like others have said 90 percent of the time you will stay in simplex no need for an expensive radio dual band radio. Of course with a single band you can hit the repeaters as well.

I am thinking about the Icom 2300h. For $169 you get a nice high power 65w radio.

ICOM IC-2300H | ICOM 65W 2 METER FM MIL-STD 810 Transceiver