Amateur radio, getting started, quick and simple guide


"Checkmate, King Two, this is White Rook, over!"

Before we get into the details, let's make it clear now is the best time to get into Amateur "HAM" radio, for 3 simple reasons:

1) Radios are now cheap, VHF radios that used to cost $300-$400 are now $25.
2) The FCC increased the power limits for the unlicensed bands.
3) You no longer need to learn CW "Morse Code" order to get a license.

Now, the details....

Amateur radio - what is it, and do I need it?

Let's start by saying 99% of new users are using hand held radios.  Everyone now coming into "Ham radio" just wants walkie talkies that work over greater distances.

The cheapest way to start in the hobby is the FREE Scanner Radio app for your phone. This will allow you to listen on Ham radio repeaters, and fire, police, airport traffic on your cell phone. You can't talk but even for advanced Hams this is a great app.

Let's look at the 3 things that killed Ham radio, in order: CBs, Usenet, Cell Phones

First, when CB radio came along, you didn't need to pass a Ham exam to talk on radio (which was really useful in the days before cell phones) and there were many thousands more people talking on CB than ever were on the Ham bands, so CB was where all the buzz was at as far as two way radio was concerned.

Usenet, the social media of the 80s/90s. When Usenet came along, people could communicate with other people around the world, without building a radio shack and a shortwave tower. So Usenet gave you access to the world, without being a licensed Ham operator.  Ironically, the Ham operator groups became very active on Usenet.

Cell phones, the standard issue person radio.  Talk to anybody, anywhere, without a license. Nextel even had shared channels, just like talking on Ham repeaters. And now we have Zello.



So what need is left for licensed Ham radio?  First the 1%'ers.  These are the "Elmer's" , electronics hobbyists, they like to spend their weekends solving impedance mismatch problems and running cable up towers, so they can type Morse code to friends in China.  They are also the backbone of emergency services when the power goes out and your cell phone doesn't work.  The other 99% need a Ham license for mobile radios where there's no cell service, like on hikes, camping, off road adventures. Also when you need many to many communications rather than person to person calling, like event management.





Do I really need a Ham license? No. Currently there are a several unlicensed, high power frequencies anyone can use on VHF (MURS) and UHF (FRS/GMRS).  The problem in the past was the unlicensed frequencies where power limited to .5 watts.  The .5 watts range is basically as far as you can shout in a good, loud voice.  This why department store walkie talkies are practically useless. But now the rules are changing and you can use higher power on the unlicensed bands. Amazon has 6 watt GMRS handhelds, no license required.









This leaves about the only reason to a get a Ham license is to be able to talk out of your area, by direct contact on the 6, 10, 20 meter bands or via the repeater system.  This will allow your small $25 4 watt radio to communicate over a wide area, by having the repeater tower receive and rebroadcast your signal.  Even in remote areas you stand a good chance of being able to reach a Ham repeater on the 2 meter VHF or 70m UHF bands.  There are open repeaters in the GMRS band however they are few and far between, most repeaters in that band are closed, you have join a club and/or pay money to have access to them.

So, Ham radio is all but dead?

No - in fact there's hundreds of times more Ham radios being sold today than ever before! Because system on chip makes them cheap, there's the $25 Baofeng HT and a lot of experimenters are are plugging $25 USB Software Defined Radios into $25 Raspberry Pis and having lots of fun.

How hard is the Ham test?

Well, if you know what the components of a transistor are, the test is easy.  If you have no clue about resistors, oscillators and Ohm's Law, then the test is very hard.

However it's multiple choice quizz show type test.  Once you see the show in reruns a few times you know what all the answers are.  Just download the Ham radio technician class testing app and retake the test until you're passing.  It shows you the right answer each time, so eventually you learn all the answers in the test pool.  Then go to a test center and you'll have your license.

What radio do I buy?  Very simple answer, here's 3 radios to choose from;

BaoFeng UV-5R

BaoFeng BF-F8HP

BaoFeng UV-82HP

The UV-5R is the cheapest at $25, doesn't sound as good, doesn't scan as well, but a great 4 watt radio for VHF or UHF.  The BF-F8HP is the next step up at 8 watts, I use this one.  The UV-82HP is water proof and transmits up to 7 watts.  They all transmit on the same "Ham radio" bands. And note for more money you get a cooler looking box. Functionally, these radios are the same, even 4 vs 8 watts doesn't make much difference, so just get the Baofeng UV-5R. And buy the Abbree 19in antenna.


UV-5R, BF-F8 with 3800mAh battery, UV-5X3 tri-band with 17in wip 


But how far can I send and receive?


AR-152A 18in

Can be folded

On VHF I'm able to transmit a clear signal with my UV-5R ($25 on Amazon with a $10 AR-152A antenna from eBay) to a local repeater that's 6 miles away, suburban environment, lots of tall buildings in the way, and I'm inside my house.  Longest contact I've made from BaoFeng to BaoFeng, at 8 watts, was 31 miles. The other guy was on a mountain and I was in suburban valley near sea level. Line of site was heavily obstructed by tall trees. 5x5 contact on VHF. I've had 5x5 contacts on UHF 18 miles away.







ABBREE AR-152A 42.5in


And when you need to phone home from Mars, go with the 43in antenna! Of course it's practical, not to hold in you hand but if you have the radio on your belt and have a loop from your shoulder to keep the antenna from bobbing too much and use a remote speaker/mic, the antenna extends just over your  head and you get fantastic reception. You can also go to the folded configuration, which is more practical than the 17in  Nagoya, and even folded you get better reception than with the Nagoya.





Check out Hoshnasi's review of the Abbree 42.5in antenna


The HAM shack


    
6 meter HT


 
TIDRADIO TD-H8 and Quansheng UVK5(99)









This kit adds Bluetooth to your Ham radio, costs $30 on Alibaba.

 
Contacting Space, Star Trek Communicator BT to radio to ISS




The space probe antenna


Now that's an impressive SWR across the whole VHF/UHF bands!




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