n00bie user - 1st radio / 1st post

[drick]

hi,

I'm brand new to HAM, and decided to jump into the pool for 2015. My 1st pair of radio's are the Baofeng UV-82's based on a recommendation from family member who uses the UV5r for paragliding and likes it.

I plan to attend the next "HAM-cram" that is offered locally in the Silicon Valley, but am not certified yet. I've already purchased HAM for dummies and The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual to try and learn more about the hobby.

So far, I've spent quite a bit of time here and on youtube trying to determine what i can do with the setup i have and how everything works.

I have the two radios mentioned, the BF factory programming cable, and the NA701 & NA771 antennas. Also have CHIRP installed and running, and have a basic police scanner set up for my area.

So, on to my questions.

1. with my radio's, i have display mode set a to name, and b to freq thinking that this would show me the name and freq at the same time of radio traffic. this however is not what it appears is happening. the b mode is scanning properly and will display name or freq, but a display line is arbitrarily stuck on saved freq # 5 for some reason.

is it possible to have the name and freq displayed concurrently, if so how?

2. as i get more advanced into this i would also like to be able to monitor CHP and San Francisco Fire/PD. i know my radio cannot do this, which is fine, but wondering if there is another portable that would allow for this in the future.

3. i also plan to join both the ARES/RACES communication teams going forward, so next radios per item 2 above need to be able to support those needs as well

i have a bunch of other questions about post license usage, but will save those for after i pass my test and am allowed to talk.

TIA for any / all info
D

 

[drick]

bump - can anyone provide me with input on my questions or did i not ask correctly?

 

[Ed_Seedhouse]

Baufeng radios don't make suitable scanners. They are transceivers but you must have a license to transmit with them. I have a Baoufeng UV-5R and it's a nice little transceiver which I use on the VHF Ham bands locally. I also have a scanner and the scanner runs rings around the Baoufeng for scanning.

Baufeng radios won't handle trunking systems and they can't decipher P25 digital transmissions, which public safety agencies are generally moving to.

Check out the database here for your location to get an idea of the kind of radio you need.

Unfortunately a good scanner costs a lot more than a Baufeng transceiver.

Unless you have a Ham license or are licensed to use a commercial frequency the cheap Chinese transceivers are basically a waste of money.

 

[joeuser]

hi,

I'm brand new to HAM, and decided to jump into the pool for 2015. My 1st pair of radio's are the Baofeng UV-82's based on a recommendation from family member who uses the UV5r for paragliding and likes it.

I plan to attend the next "HAM-cram" that is offered locally in the Silicon Valley, but am not certified yet. I've already purchased HAM for dummies and The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual to try and learn more about the hobby.

So far, I've spent quite a bit of time here and on youtube trying to determine what i can do with the setup i have and how everything works.

I have the two radios mentioned, the BF factory programming cable, and the NA701 & NA771 antennas. Also have CHIRP installed and running, and have a basic police scanner set up for my area.

So, on to my questions.

1. with my radio's, i have display mode set a to name, and b to freq thinking that this would show me the name and freq at the same time of radio traffic. this however is not what it appears is happening. the b mode is scanning properly and will display name or freq, but a display line is arbitrarily stuck on saved freq # 5 for some reason.

is it possible to have the name and freq displayed concurrently, if so how?

2. as i get more advanced into this i would also like to be able to monitor CHP and San Francisco Fire/PD. i know my radio cannot do this, which is fine, but wondering if there is another portable that would allow for this in the future.

3. i also plan to join both the ARES/RACES communication teams going forward, so next radios per item 2 above need to be able to support those needs as well

i have a bunch of other questions about post license usage, but will save those for after i pass my test and am allowed to talk.

TIA for any / all info
D

All of the above replies are worth noting... To answer your questions...

1. Its one or the other, not both.
1a. You can change the default channel #5 ( in your case ) in the settings.
2. I would suggest a BCD436HP, BCD396XT, or GRE PSR 800. You need to check & see if they are P25 or some other TRS, some cannot be monitored by a regular scanner.
3. ARES/RACES can help you out more but I don't think you'll get that in one radio!