Will someone teach me to HAM/CB?
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e60ral
Banned
There are illegal radios that can do both 10m Ham and CB, but I'm assuming you are interested in 2m/70cm Ham for mobile communication and hitting repeaters. You will need both a CB radio and Ham
For the CB a lot of people go with the Cobra 75 WX ST or the Midland 75-822 for compactness. I use the Midland 75-822 but wish I had the Cobra.
The Ham radio just depends on budget and what features you want. I suggest a Baofeng UV-82 or 5R to start, these are handhelds (HT in ham lingo) that are really cheap . Get your technician license, a cheap Baofeng handheld, and program in some local repeaters to decide if you like it. If you do like it, then you can connect that to a vehicle mounted antenna or upgrade to a real mobile rig. A mobile rig will have more power than the handheld. To program the radio you can do it manually or buy a programming cable and use the free CHIRP software. CHIRP makes it super easy to program the radio, it will download all the local repeater info for you.
For the CB a lot of people go with the Cobra 75 WX ST or the Midland 75-822 for compactness. I use the Midland 75-822 but wish I had the Cobra.
The Ham radio just depends on budget and what features you want. I suggest a Baofeng UV-82 or 5R to start, these are handhelds (HT in ham lingo) that are really cheap . Get your technician license, a cheap Baofeng handheld, and program in some local repeaters to decide if you like it. If you do like it, then you can connect that to a vehicle mounted antenna or upgrade to a real mobile rig. A mobile rig will have more power than the handheld. To program the radio you can do it manually or buy a programming cable and use the free CHIRP software. CHIRP makes it super easy to program the radio, it will download all the local repeater info for you.
wfo9
New member
Yes, totally different things. Apples and oranges.... Ham requires that you obtain a license by passing a FCC test (the basic level is technician). CB is available for anyone to use without a license. If you have a basic understanding of electronics and electrical theory you should be able pass the technician test with about 8hrs of study time. Some people struggle, but I felt it was very easy.. You do have to study though, since some of the questions are very HAM/FCC specific.
CB is limited to simplex communications (no repeaters) and 5W of output. Ham has some crazy limit for most classes like 1500watts, but common output for mobile radios in UHF/VHF is 50 watts.
The range of ham UHF is very environment specific.. but with repeaters it is easy to reach 50mi + and with linked repeaters there are no limits....
There are probably radios out there that do both HAM and CB, but you would still need different antennas.
CB is 11m wavelength.
HAM local UHF/VHF bands are typically 2m/70cm. Ham includes duplex communications where you receive on one frequency and transmit on another. This allows for repeaters to be in the mix and it greatly increases your range and overall reliability.
HAM also covers HF for skywave type comms (think talking to other countries by bouncing waves off the ionshphere...) but those are usually dedicated radios and require a higher level license and very tall/large antennas. Not typical for mobile use, but there are people who have the setups.
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I highly recommend HAM, for clarity and function. The Technician level test is very simple, and will give you the vast majority of frequencies that folks are using for trail applications.
As for cost, a basic 2m band mobile rig can be found for under $250; less if you pick up a lightly used radio. Antennas are part of the fun. Mounting options are plentiful, and you can even learn to make your own. (I keep a home brew J Pole 2M antenna with my handheld radios.)
Check out Home for basic info and test prep stuff!
-H-
KF7PTG
As for cost, a basic 2m band mobile rig can be found for under $250; less if you pick up a lightly used radio. Antennas are part of the fun. Mounting options are plentiful, and you can even learn to make your own. (I keep a home brew J Pole 2M antenna with my handheld radios.)
Check out Home for basic info and test prep stuff!
-H-
KF7PTG
cartrouble
New member
Everyone else has really hit on the differences between CB and ham radio. I think for offroad purposes, I'd start with CB. There's really very little difference between installing a CB and installing a ham radio. If you enjoy the install and getting on the air with CB, then consider adding a ham radio. On my 4Runner, I've got two ham radios. One for VHF/UHF (local comms) and one for HF (long range communications...hundreds to thousands of miles). I can relatively easily swap out my HF antenna for a CB antenna.
Install isn't incredibly complicated for either. You need an antenna. You need something to mount your antenna to your vehicle. You need a radio. You need a piece of coax to connect the antenna to the radio. You need to connect your radio directly to the battery. Probably the most difficult parts are running the coax and power cables. The process is roughly the same for both CB and ham radios.
If you're interested in learning becoming an amateur radio operator (ham) then I'd suggest finding a local amateur radio club. You can find a club and/or an exam session at Home
As for learning the material for the test you might check out No-Nonsense Study Guides - KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog (Technician class study guide is free). http://hamstudy.org is a good place for practicing tests
Lastly, for more information about installing a radio in your vehicle KØBG.COM is a great resource (primarily for HF mobile but the concepts apply to VHF/UHF or CB as well)
Have fun! Radio can be a ton of fun!
Install isn't incredibly complicated for either. You need an antenna. You need something to mount your antenna to your vehicle. You need a radio. You need a piece of coax to connect the antenna to the radio. You need to connect your radio directly to the battery. Probably the most difficult parts are running the coax and power cables. The process is roughly the same for both CB and ham radios.
If you're interested in learning becoming an amateur radio operator (ham) then I'd suggest finding a local amateur radio club. You can find a club and/or an exam session at Home
As for learning the material for the test you might check out No-Nonsense Study Guides - KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog (Technician class study guide is free). http://hamstudy.org is a good place for practicing tests
Lastly, for more information about installing a radio in your vehicle KØBG.COM is a great resource (primarily for HF mobile but the concepts apply to VHF/UHF or CB as well)
Have fun! Radio can be a ton of fun!
Salvo Jimmy
Member
I went with the Midland based on the fact my local truck stop CB shack thought it better since they could tune it for peak performance, staying legal BTW. They had both the Cobra and Midland in stock but the Cobra could not be tuned.
It performs very well for me, connected to a Wilson 5000 magnetic at SWR 1.1. Doesn't do as well as a Cobra 29 they had tuned for me years ago but it just would not fit in the 2016 as it did in the 2004.
Salvo Jimmy
Member
You seem to refer to an illegal mod with the " yes you can" and "mine is legal"
Mine is legal, just tweeked for peak performance. I'm sure the shop is familiar with the Cobra. They sell lots of the brand, including the 75. Had a long discussion with them and have been doing business with them for about 15 yrs. They did the Cobra 29 legal tune for me years ago.
Salvo Jimmy
Member
Yes and in my case only to just at the 4W max allowed. Out of the box the Midland was at 3.2W. A review I saw on the Cobra had one out of the box at 2.8W, as I recall. Per the shop they can't do that to type of tweek to the Cobra. My guess is something extensive is required for the Cobra 75 whereas it's simple on the Midland, like it was on the Cobra 29.
e60ral
Banned
The Midland has everything in the unit so it's heavy and bulky, the cobra uses a remote radio so it's much lighter and compact. I don't like the button layout, it just doesn't feel natural in the hand to me (I also don't like the look of the antenna on the top of the Midland, but that's a minor complaint)
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Let's be correct here before we spout off what's legal and what's not. Any HAM radio can be modified to RECEIVE stations no matter what they are, but it's only illegal if you try to TX with these radios. That's why HAM can listen on FRS but cannot TX on FRS frequencies as part of the manufacturer software restrictions.
If the intent is to be able to TX on both bands, then you're crossing into unlawful actions which no one here should support (if they are FCC licensed for HAM operations at least). It's better just to carry both rigs and use one or the other depending on what you want to do.
If the intent is to be able to TX on both bands, then you're crossing into unlawful actions which no one here should support (if they are FCC licensed for HAM operations at least). It's better just to carry both rigs and use one or the other depending on what you want to do.
cartrouble
New member
Most of the talk of illegality is transmitting more power than what's legal on CB bands. But everything else you say is mostly correct. There are some transmissions that it is illegal to listen to (namely around 800mhz where analog cell phones live). With that said for the most part it is legal to listen to most frequencies without any kind of license.
If you are part of a 4 Wheeling club and go on excursions with them, you probably want CB because it is likely they'll use CB for trail comms.
If you are out on the trail solo or with an informal group, and you want radio for emergencies or communicating longer distances via repeater, you want licensed amateur radio, or "Ham". Start with 2m/70cm bands. Check the link in my sig for how I put a ham radio in my TE.
Here in Colorado, we have an awesome state-wide linked repeater network which allows comms over a huge area. Gotta be a ham to use it. There's networks like this all over 'Merica.
Ham is a nickname, not an acronym. Therefore, no such thing as HAM radio. :gun4:
If you are out on the trail solo or with an informal group, and you want radio for emergencies or communicating longer distances via repeater, you want licensed amateur radio, or "Ham". Start with 2m/70cm bands. Check the link in my sig for how I put a ham radio in my TE.
Here in Colorado, we have an awesome state-wide linked repeater network which allows comms over a huge area. Gotta be a ham to use it. There's networks like this all over 'Merica.
Ham is a nickname, not an acronym. Therefore, no such thing as HAM radio. :gun4:
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Salvo Jimmy
Member
I use the Midland with the battery pack removed and the vehicle adapter (with its power and antenna connector) in place of the battery pack. Antenna on top of the unit is removed and the Wilson 5000 mag connected to the vehicle adapter. That makes it about the same size/weight. to me at least, as the Cobra.
e60ral
Banned
It's definitely heavier (significantly), but I was talking about the antenna connection at the top. It's a minor thing but I don't like the way it looks, it doesn't look like a real radio mic
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Salvo Jimmy
Member
10-4. BTW, it's not clear in the Midland manual but if an external antenna is connected to the vehicle adapter, the antenna on top should be removed. I saw this in a review I read and the shop told me that as well. Degrades performance if left on.
