Ham radio -anyone interested in free training?

[Spiderwebb]

Modplod, your posts these past couple days have been excellent - thanks. I've been putting together a Radio strategy for a couple of weeks based on stuff I've read but your last few posts have crystallised the way forward. I now feel I'm getting somewhere!

So I'm going to get a mobile/car based unit, something like :

http://www.4x4cb.com/public/item.cfm?itemID=1562

And then something like this as a base station:

http://www.4x4cb.com/public/item.cfm?Re ... tegory=402

What aerial would you suggest for the base station? I found at few at the following site but the choice is a little daunting!

http://www.thunderpole.co.uk/base-cb-antennas.html

[modplod]

Yep that all looks just fine.

You can use a simple car mag mount for the base station if you wish. Just put it as high as possible. No need to invest in expensive antenna if you want it for SHTF. A simple mag mount like this will give you 10 miles range in ideal conditions.

If you prefer an outside antenna then you don't need to spend very much either. Just ask for an aerial under £30 or so.

If the aerial is cut for 27 mhz you shouldn't need to check the SWR - Do the research on what SWR is.....

Although the CB bands are devoid of activity at the present time, I'm sure this will change very quickly after SHTF.

Your CB set up can be used before SHTF. All you need is another radio to talk to.

Some areas of the UK are seeing increased CB use - mainly by passing truckers etc.

The beauty of CB is that you don't need a licence any more. Just procure the item and enjoy it..

I will be retaining my ham gear but I envisage using CB for everyday chat.

[modplod]

This is all you need - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thunderpole-Ap ... B001J0UVCM

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TTI-TCB-550-TCB ... d_sim_ce_1

The whole base station for less than £65 quid new.

All you need then is a plugin power pack and/or 12 volt car battery for SHTF.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5A-7A-13-8V-1 ... 25737b91da

This whole set up for less than £90 will get you a reliable means of communication up to 10 miles range (think how many people live within that size catchment area - thousands many of whom will also want a CB).

When the landline phones go down together with mobile phones and ham repeaters a CB will be worth it's weight in gold.

If you want a bit of fun before SHTF then simply get your local friends and family on CB too. You can talk to eachother free of charge whenever you like....

Simples.

[Spiderwebb]

Yep that all looks just fine.

You can use a simple car mag mount for the base station if you wish. Just put it as high as possible. No need to invest in expensive antenna if you want it for SHTF. A simple mag mount like this will give you 10 miles range in ideal conditions.

If you prefer an outside antenna then you don't need to spend very much either. Just ask for an aerial under £30 or so.

If the aerial is cut for 27 mhz you shouldn't need to check the SWR - Do the research on what SWR is.....

Although the CB bands are devoid of activity at the present time, I'm sure this will change very quickly after SHTF.

Your CB set up can be used before SHTF. All you need is another radio to talk to.

Some areas of the UK are seeing increased CB use - mainly by passing truckers etc.

The beauty of CB is that you don't need a licence any more. Just procure the item and enjoy it..

I will be retaining my ham gear but I envisage using CB for everyday chat.

So this is what the home straight looks like I live in a fairly poor signal area when it comes to mobile phone and tv signals so guess I'll need a fairly decent aerial, however I'll take your advice and try a mag mount on the base station.

SWR looks tricky! I'll dive into that if I need to take the full-on aerial route - thanks for the info.

Thanks again for your help.

[modplod]

To complicate matters lol.

If you do fancy delving into ham radio why not have this in your arsenal too -

http://www.moonraker.eu/Amateur-Radio/T ... g-Handheld

This little thing will give you access to all repeaters until they go down. Operating on the VHF/UHF ham bands without a licence after SHTF will not be a serious matter. You can also use it just to listen if you prefer...

As I see it the value of a comms set up after SHTF is finding out what is going on locally to where you live. For national news you will use a simple transister radio.

[Spiderwebb]

And if you do fancy delving into ham radio why not have this in your arsenal too -

http://www.moonraker.eu/Amateur-Radio/T ... g-Handheld

This little thing will give you access to all repeaters until they go down.

Transitor radio ordered. Base station CB, aerial, mobile CB and power pack will be acquired next pay day. I'll think about the HAM unit a bit longer.

Also thinking about these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Binatone-Action ... 336&sr=1-8

Just for the OH and I. The reviews are pretty good and for £50...............

[modplod]

FORGET THE BINATONE IDEA - This is 446 mhz crap.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Binatone-Action ... 336&sr=1-8

People are being seriously mislead by the LONG RANGE bit here. It's total tosh.

They have less than 1 mile range. They only kick out less than .5 of a watt (compared to a CB's 4 watts).

446 mhz is designed to be used for licence free business comms eg: same building comms. The supermarkets use them a lot as do skiers and sportsman. My 446 mhz radios have a range of 200 yards on a good day (I use them in the field when I'm pigeon shooting).

Don't waste your money. That said, it's a great idea if you want to complain to the manager of your local Co-op You will have to stand outside the shop though.....

[modplod]

Also, why buy lots of radios which use different frequencies? It makes no sense because you will never be able to join them all toghether.

446 mhz is NOT a good idea for preppers unless you wish to tell dad indoors to answer the phone.

This really does put the CB idea in perspective - they are asking nearly the same price for radios here with a working range of only 200 yards! A CB operating on full power (4 watts) will give you 10 miles or so.

[12mp82]

The good thing about 446 Mhz sets is there low range ability though, like you said telling dad to pick up the phone, but also good if you want to have a community radio circle, everyone in the street can use it and out to about half a Km, outside that it is a weak signal and not so likely to be picked up, also it has multiple frequencies in the range, so if for example you went to channel 2 it isn't going to be heard by people on channel 1 or 3 and with good discipline the channels could be changed up and down at regular intervals to stop people eaves dropping.

also might be useful for roving patrols on the boundaries of a property or large garden.

Just a thought.

[modplod]

Why bother if you possess CB radio which can be used for exactly the same purpose you describe? Instead of just enabling you to talk to the street where you live, it gives you the oppertunity to talk to the whole city!

These toys are being sold for almost the same price of a CB which is tens times more powerful. Sort of gets in in perspective if you ask me...

A simple scanner will pick up all the 446 mhz channels with ease (even if they operate with CTCSS tones). Security is almost impossible with any commercial radio set up including CB. All the more important not to say anything over the air you will later regret.

My advice stands - don't waste your money! CB is the way to go because you get maximum bang for buck with it:D