View Full Version : A good SHTF portable 2 way radio
Okay Dit-Dot Dudes ... This one's for you. :D
Was looking at getting a GOOD portable, two way radio, with good range and possible security features, for a SHTF scenario. But aside from a couple of tin cans with a string running between them, I don't know that much about radios.
Have been searching the web lately, and have been running into these radios here ... http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_5?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=uv-5r+radio&sprefix=uv-5r%2Caps%2C310
and came across this one .... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MAULSOK?psc=1 ... which has some of the features I'm looking for.
It appears that it has about a 15 mile range when pushing 8 watts, which is nice, but I'd really like something with a 30 to 50 mile range, if that's possible.
Don't want to get a HAM license just yet, but would like a good comm system where I can talk to someone on the same freq. across town, as we wait for TOMAHAWK9521 to reach terminal velocity and deliver the rest of the commo gear ... ask him the story about that, I'm sure he'll tell you. :D
If you have any recommendations on this radio or any other, without breaking the bank, I as well as a few others on the board would be interested in your input.
Danke'
The Reaper
06-14-2015, 19:52
Not a commo guy, but I do not see you hitting those ranges without a repeater, and to hit those requires a license.
I like the Baofengs and have a few, but it isn't a Yaesu, nor should it be at that price.
I do believe that the Nagoya antennas for the Baofeng, and a magnetic base antenna for a mobile or an even better antenna for a fixed base will give you significantly better performance and range.
TR
VHF or UHF short of 100+ watts and flat land will not go 50 miles. Our cars have 100watt VHF & UHF radios and we get car to car around 30 mile reliable communications.
A HH that normally is 5-15 watts will get you in flat terrain 10-15 reliable miles. There are so many variables to this. Where I am right now we have repeaters on the mountain and our HH radios work in the valley most of the time but putting a building between you and the mountain and you get nothing.
A HH with an external antenna helps depending on those damn Commo Gods....
just my 2 cents using our gear at work.
Along with what brand,,
What are the "better" freqs range??
:munchin
Team Sergeant
06-15-2015, 06:57
UHF/VHF are line of sight radios. That advertised 15 mile range might be good if you can see that far. In an urban area you'd be lucky to get 500m range.
Unless you're running a repeater (which most law enforcement agencies employ) or have a ham license forget it, you're not going to get the range you're looking for.....
Also those handhelds have a very limited amount of channels so anyone in the area might be on your freq. While this is 'Merica, home of the Free, radio freq's, not so much.....
Thanks for the info Gents. It is most appreciated.
I do like that BaoFeng that I have posted above, and TR, if you say they're a fairly good radio (and that you have a few), that's good enough for me to seriously look into getting it as a good "beginning" radio.
We've got a couple of the Baofeng UV-5RE+ and easily get 5 miles with perfect LOS. I'm sure it will get more with good LOS, but we haven't tried it yet. The manuals are almost useless but there is a lot of information, including youtube vids, online.
Pat
Howdy SDiver,
Baofengs can do a lot, in terms of frequency coverage, but they are NOT "High-reliability" - their primary advantage is their extremely low price, which means you can buy a bunch of them as spares.
Expect fairly poor receiver performance - not in terms of sensitivity, but in selectivity and interference rejection. This could be a deal-killer in an urban area or near other (especially high-power) transmitters, but not as significant in rural areas.
But what channel you choose can be a make or break decision, at least until the poop has hit the ventilator, because right now, pretty much EVERY channel belongs to someone, and they are likely to defend it against interlopers if they detect you operating there. Getting your ham license (and legit call signs to use) is one way to cover training today, or you can use the FRS/GMRS channels in UHF, but then you will be contending with LOTS of other folks with unlicensed radios..:)
As far as bands, in general VHF will give you longer range than UHF, though sometimes UHF will outperform VHF in the "concrete canyons" because it bounces (reflects) better.
NONE of these radio will work more than a little beyond Line-of-sight (LOS), no matter how much power and antenna you attach. I can sometimes talk 50 miles with my VHF marine radio, but thats between my masthead antenna (65' up) and a coastal mountaintop USCG base station - talking from my boat to a handheld, I would be lucky to get much beyond 5 or 6 miles, even from that 65' high antenna across open water. Put hills or buildings in the way, and range drops dramatically.
Talking out to 30-50 miles is pretty much going to require infrastructure, generally a repeater at a high location, and isn't going to happen for you unless you are allied with someone that has installed one. Amateur radio has lots of repeaters installed, as does GMRS, but whether these would be useful after Armageddon is not at all clear. I'll let SF_BHT tell you what would happen if they discovered someone using his employer's radio system..:eek:
FWIW, even HF radio (which has potentially worldwide range without infrastructure) has real problems at shorter distances like 50 or 100 miles.
And finally, getting your ham license is not a big deal anymore (NO dits and dahs required!) - my wife just got hers after one (long) day's study!
Hartley
Badger52
06-21-2015, 19:11
The Baofengs are ok for the price; I prefer the Wouxuns (I have a pair of KG-UV3Ds, one around the house, one in the SKYWARN go-case). Both pretty popular; both setups pretty configurable with software; quick panel changes on the fly not so much. But you can load (on mine anyway) 128 presets. Good to find the online supplemental manuals someone did to surmount the "Chinglish" versions that sometimes come included.
If you won't spend the 20 mental minutes to at least pass the Tech exam you should at least be familiar with where the ham frequencies are because you need a license to transmit on those even simplex, whether you're using a repeater or not.
I have a simple Diamond mag-mount on the vehicle to which I connect the h/t when out & about. Certainly with VHF, you ain't doin' much if you don't get that meager signal outside that 4-wheeled "cage." Any decent mag-mount will reap big dividends.
:)
helicom6
11-23-2015, 06:59
I was glad to find this thread, as I go into another cycling race season as an owner of a women's professional cycling team, security has become an even bigger factor to me and my support staff. Last season, 2015, we used 10 watt radios in the team vehicles, operating on freqs around 144 MHz, and handhelds operating on GMRS freqs around 150+. We realized during the canyon and mountain race routes that we didn't have very good coverage...not even the race radios that we are all issued from the race organizers were able to operate effectively in that environment. However, since my logistics man is a Harris Corporation radio man...we moved to first, sending a vehicle up the road before the caravan to set up as a feed station for our riders, and as a repeater station. We also had support staff further up the road with another radio and antenna as another repeater. This became a nightmare for many races, and seeing how my logistics man also works with certain agencies setting up P25 radio systems...we just switched to P25, and operated under the radar, as it were. If you have to get any radio for emergency use..P25 is the only way to go. My belated .02
Cheers!
Team Sergeant
11-23-2015, 10:10
I was glad to find this thread, as I go into another cycling race season as an owner of a women's professional cycling team, security has become an even bigger factor to me and my support staff. Last season, 2015, we used 10 watt radios in the team vehicles, operating on freqs around 144 MHz, and handhelds operating on GMRS freqs around 150+. We realized during the canyon and mountain race routes that we didn't have very good coverage...not even the race radios that we are all issued from the race organizers were able to operate effectively in that environment. However, since my logistics man is a Harris Corporation radio man...we moved to first, sending a vehicle up the road before the caravan to set up as a feed station for our riders, and as a repeater station. We also had support staff further up the road with another radio and antenna as another repeater. This became a nightmare for many races, and seeing how my logistics man also works with certain agencies setting up P25 radio systems...we just switched to P25, and operated under the radar, as it were. If you have to get any radio for emergency use..P25 is the only way to go. My belated .02
Cheers!
That's why 18E's are the heat..... Imagine you must have comms, secure comms worldwide and oh, yeah, your lives depend on it. ;)
CloseDanger
10-13-2016, 22:37
I did not know where to put this:
power it with butane or carbon dioxide. (http://hackaday.com/2016/10/13/pneumatic-launcher-gets-ham-antennas-hanging-high/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+hackaday%2FLgoM+%28Hack+a+Day %29)
But I assume you knew or had this already.
bblhead672
06-09-2017, 14:48
Have decided to get back into radio communications, (last time was a submarine radioman in early 80's), as part of my preparedness for emergency situations.
Bought a BaoFeng BF-F8HP as entry level equipment and a Technician class training package.
Hopefully have some of that radioman school knowledge still residing in brain cells. :D
This might be worth looking into also
https://www.gotenna.com/
This might be worth looking into also
https://www.gotenna.com/
goTenna Mesh enables text and GPS on your phone 100% off-grid. It introduces revolutionary mesh networking, which means if someone is out of point-to-point range, your messages will automatically and privately relay through other users to get to the right place.
This sounds like vapor ware??
Who is my "other user"??
I don't see the likelihood of a bunch of people signing up to be my relay team??
This sounds like vapor ware??
Who is my "other user"??
I don't see the likelihood of a bunch of people signing up to be my relay team??
Users in your group are repeaters to extend the range up to 50 miles is what it is saying.
lets say you and team Sgt and myself are in the woods. you and I walk 3 miles we both can talk to TM Sgt.
I stay put and you walk another 3 miles you are now out of range of TM Sgt on your own but because I am only 3 miles away it will use me as a repeater for text and it will send to TM Sgt and he will see it after it gets retransmitted from my device. it's 256 bit encryption also.
I was thinking that was the process,, but it means you need a "team" with a structured rules for times available, locations, and traffic patterns.. Something most people will not have knowledge of.
I think I would rather up the game, get the education for a Technician Class License, with privileges above 30 MHz, then use 2 meter handhelds and a base with a good tower antenna..
If you go for a General or Extra class License you get access to just about every freq you can buy gear for.
http://www.arrl.org/getting-your-technician-license
http://www.arrl.org/upgrading-to-a-general-license
http://www.arrl.org/upgrading-to-an-extra-license
When I was a kid, my dad had Extra class and would QSO QSP the world. He could Key at 30+. Learned it in the navy WWII.
I remember sometime in the early 70't when there was an earth quake in Peru, he, and friends, acted as relays for families in the US trying to contact "home".
I sat for the General test at 12, pass the technical, but could not Key worth a shit. Back then 95% of the traffic was Key driven.
Badger52
06-11-2017, 10:40
Bought a BaoFeng BF-F8HP as entry level equipment and a Technician class training package.
I've likely mentioned this before in a couple of other threads but if you are going to the bother of studying/taking the Tech exam, study & bang away at the online practice exams for the General - Puh-LEEZ, in the name of all that is holy in the Ionosphere. About 50-60% of the Tech info you will see again on the General, maybe just phrased differently. There is no extra fee at a testing session, you can keep progressing up the ladder till you don't pass one. (The Extra is a different animal.) But go for the General - pass the Tech, get up, go to the bathroom, have some coffee & a donut, then sit back down & pass the General. If you have any inkling that you might want to do some HF for local or regional comms sans repeaters, you can thank me later.
And no, there is no longer a code requirement...
even though it's really cool to know & still works when the solar cycle is in the shitter.
:lifter
bblhead672
06-12-2017, 07:45
I've likely mentioned this before in a couple of other threads but if you are going to the bother of studying/taking the Tech exam, study & bang away at the online practice exams for the General - Puh-LEEZ, in the name of all that is holy in the Ionosphere. About 50-60% of the Tech info you will see again on the General, maybe just phrased differently. There is no extra fee at a testing session, you can keep progressing up the ladder till you don't pass one. (The Extra is a different animal.) But go for the General - pass the Tech, get up, go to the bathroom, have some coffee & a donut, then sit back down & pass the General. If you have any inkling that you might want to do some HF for local or regional comms sans repeaters, you can thank me later.
And no, there is no longer a code requirement...
even though it's really cool to know & still works when the solar cycle is in the shitter.
:lifter
Good advice, thanks. I started going through Tech practice tests this weekend, scoring around 70% consistently without even studying the material. I can see how people spend two to four hours with the materials and pass the test.
Peregrino
06-12-2017, 08:09
I've likely mentioned this before in a couple of other threads but if you are going to the bother of studying/taking the Tech exam, study & bang away at the online practice exams for the General - Puh-LEEZ, in the name of all that is holy in the Ionosphere. About 50-60% of the Tech info you will see again on the General, maybe just phrased differently. There is no extra fee at a testing session, you can keep progressing up the ladder till you don't pass one. (The Extra is a different animal.) But go for the General - pass the Tech, get up, go to the bathroom, have some coffee & a donut, then sit back down & pass the General. If you have any inkling that you might want to do some HF for local or regional comms sans repeaters, you can thank me later.
And no, there is no longer a code requirement...
even though it's really cool to know & still works when the solar cycle is in the shitter.
:lifter
Pretty much the way I did mine. Totally painless and the HF freqs available to the General licensee are well worth the minimal extra investment. It's not long term/long range emergency comms if you're depending on somebody else's repeater.
What they said! :)
My wife (who is very intelligent but has difficulty identifying a radio vs a rutabaga) took a 1-day course and passed her tech exam with over 90%. I suspect she could have done General as well.
73 DE Hartley
W1OQ
Badger52
06-12-2017, 10:35
Get your foundation studying the old-fashioned way. Of the couple primary ham-oriented sites this one (http://www.eham.net/exams/) has the better practice exams, imo, based on the feedback you get. Like most things, the real learning starts later & then continues if you let it.