Distance for a radio

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Papa-Bill

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Ok my Bro, who has been my best friend for over 30 years lives around 150 miles away from me in Central calif, I was wondering, would a basic ham radio make it that far?
He wants to get his lic and me do the same, I guess hes gonna be like me and say piss off to social media and use the old fashioned way of HAM.
But I wasnt sure if 150 is a close enough distance, or do I need to go with a powerful setup and extreme tall antenna.
Thanx guys.
 

riccom

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Ok are there hills and any obstructions in the way, second and what band are you planning on using

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jim202

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If you get a general ham license, you can get on the HF ham frequencies. Not sure what time of the day your looking to communicate with your friend. The time of day will effect what frequency band would be the best choice.

I would probably look at trying 80 meters or 40 meters as a start. But remember the time of day will be the big determining factor. If there is a good high repeater, there is a possibility that you could even be able to use a 2 meter repeater if it just happened to be about mid way between the both of you.

You would have to do some home work before coming up with the ideal band to pick. There is even a possibility that 6 meters SSB could work for you. You both probably would have to use a beam and point them at each other.

The only real way to see, is to try a band and see what your results are. Each region of the country may have different results. Don't forget that the terrain between both of you will play a major factor in how it will pan out.

Good luck on your efforts.
 

bill4long

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Ok my Bro, who has been my best friend for over 30 years lives around 150 miles away from me in Central calif, I was wondering, would a basic ham radio make it that far?
He wants to get his lic and me do the same, I guess hes gonna be like me and say piss off to social media and use the old fashioned way of HAM.
But I wasnt sure if 150 is a close enough distance, or do I need to go with a powerful setup and extreme tall antenna.Thanx guys.

You could both get Technician class licenses (easy), find local 2 meter/440 mhz repeaters that are a part of the WIN System and then you can talk via that system. Similar capability with Allstar, DMR, IRPL, Echolink, and Fusion. If you are wanting to go direct, then nighttime on 75 meters is generally very good at 150 mile distance. You will both need enough property to put up dipoles, which are 130ft long. 100 watts is usually decent at your desired distance, but a 500 watt amplifier is usually desirable. 40 meters can be excellent during the day at your desired distance. Dipole length is approximately 70ft. You would probably want to use at least a 500 watt amplifier.

There are lots of possibilities.
 
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jaspence

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Distant communication

Once you get your tech license, your best bet is a DMR hotspot such as the DVMega. Using that with an inexpensive DMR HT such as the new BTech DMR 6X2 and a computer, you can talk almost anywhere in the world even if you do not have a dmr repeater near you.
 

vagrant

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- There are plenty of VHF/UHF repeaters in the Sierra Nevada that both of you should be able to access. A Technician license will do the job. They often sit unused.

- I had to lookup Oakdale. Plotting out 150 miles puts him south of Visalia and definitely south of Fresno. Still, if some omnidirectional antennas do not do it, vertically polarized Yagi's will get you both to one or more repeaters. Knowing the city his is in will help me figure out things a little better. I am also here in the valley near Fresno. If you both wish to talk with others as well as each other, this is probably the way to go. A 20 foot tall mast and a dual band mobile radio in your house and or vehicle will work. There is also cost for antenna and coaxial cable.

- HF is plenty of fun when you have your General license. As previously noted, 40 and 80 meters would be the best chance. You could each setup a NVIS antenna configuration. 100 watt radios would be fine.

- Another option would be to setup a hotspot at each of your locations. Basically, the devices are a go between with your radios that send your communication over the Internet. Each of you would need one. They can range from $100 to $200 for a SharkRF openspot. Basically, the money you would spend on coaxial cable, a mast and antenna would instead be spent on the hotspots. You could use a handheld around your home property and talk with each other. You still need to follow the 10 minute rule on giving your callsign. While this method is not totally private, you should at least have little to no interference.

Much depends on what you both want to do. Tell us more and you will find many are happy to help. You will also find people providing advice that is not quite prudent for your needs. You both should consider how you plan to use the equipment. Each of your needs may differ, which is fine.
 

bill4long

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Once you get your tech license, your best bet is a DMR hotspot such as the DVMega. Using that with an inexpensive DMR HT such as the new BTech DMR 6X2 and a computer, you can talk almost anywhere in the world even if you do not have a dmr repeater near you.

Very good advice. I mentioned DMR in my previous. Some people think it isn't "real ham radio." But I have decent HF shack, and a UHF repeater, talk a lot of simplex, and most of my time these days has been on DMR on the Brandmeister network using a hot spot. Fun! And reasonably cheap!
 

RodStrong

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Yep, go DMR. Distance, short or far, is not an issue. You can talk from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world, as long as you have internet, or a DMR connected repeater nearby. Good luck.
 

mmckenna

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Ok my Bro, who has been my best friend for over 30 years lives around 150 miles away from me in Central calif, I was wondering, would a basic ham radio make it that far?
He wants to get his lic and me do the same, I guess hes gonna be like me and say piss off to social media and use the old fashioned way of HAM.
But I wasnt sure if 150 is a close enough distance, or do I need to go with a powerful setup and extreme tall antenna.
Thanx guys.

OK, you are in Oakdale, we've got that, but where is your brother located? 150 miles can put him in a lot of locations that won't work, some that will.

And by "basic ham radio", you need to clarify. A basic HF radio will allow you to talk 150 miles, but you'll need an appropriate antenna.
If you are looking for a portable or mobile VHF, UHF or VHF and UHF radio, then you'll need a repeater to talk that far. Knowing where your brother is would help us point you in the right direction.
There are linked repeaters that will likely work, but without the missing info, it's hard to say for sure.
 

Papa-Bill

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It is Oakdale Ca. which is east of Modesto and Colusa Ca which is north past Sac.
No mountains from what I can tell, but Colusa is going up in Altitude, its just north of Sacramento.
Don't know anything about the freq yet, If it is viable then I am gonna start studying for my test.
 

Papa-Bill

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Thanx for all the replies, He said he reads this site, so gonna have him check this link and follow up any details he might have.
 

mmckenna

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It is Oakdale Ca. which is east of Modesto and Colusa Ca which is north past Sac.
No mountains from what I can tell, but Colusa is going up in Altitude, its just north of Sacramento.
Don't know anything about the freq yet, If it is viable then I am gonna start studying for my test.

117 miles straight shot.

Reliable communications would require a repeater on VHF or UHF, or HF radio.

The good news is that there are a lot of repeaters and linked repeaters that would allow you to do this. Take a look at the CARLA network. Carrying on long conversations on there would probably not be ideal, as it covers a bit chunk of Northern California, Nevada and parts of Oregon.
You could probably, with a bit of work, hit repeaters in the Sierras north of you can talk into Colusa no problem.

HF would do it, but you'd need bigger antennas, have to deal with atmospheric issues, etc.

With directional antennas, you might be able to talk directly using VHF or UHF, too.
 

TheSpaceMann

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I heard of a ham who chats with his cousin 200 miles away every day via EchoLink! They don't even use radios, just smartphones!!
 

jwt873

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I've got nothing against Echolink et al, (I use the D-Star system myself now and then), but Skype works well too.. and you don't have to study and pass any exams to use it :) If the OP is just interested in simple communication with a friend, then Skype or a similar system might be all they need.

If it's for the love of ham radio, then they should write the exams and get their licenses. They can start with the repeater system and work up to HF.
 

RiverCity45

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Once you get your tech license, your best bet is a DMR hotspot such as the DVMega. Using that with an inexpensive DMR HT such as the new BTech DMR 6X2 and a computer, you can talk almost anywhere in the world even if you do not have a dmr repeater near you.
A hotspot is certainly the most reliable means to achieve the OP's goal.

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k4fx

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Apr 24, 2012
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There are many ways to communicate 150 miles on ham radio. As mentioned in previous posts, there are several variables which come into play. Time of day and radio frequency behind the most important. You could spend anywhere from a few hundred bucks to many thousands of dollars. Ham Radio is probably overkill for someone with your needs. I tend to agree that Skype may be the best and most cost effective solution.


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