First time poster, still studying for my technician license but wanted to start looking for my first pair of radios, yes pair keep reading.
I've been a long time listener and done some custom programming on my Pro-96 scanner and have a fair amount of experience with CB/FRS/GMRS radios but ready for the next level. I would consider myself an experienced novice in the world of radio, capable of learning quickly.
My goals include participating in volunteer events, ARES, learning about digital signals, data transmissions and communicating with with a couple organizations I regularly interact with (they are on VHF or UHF business bands FM simplex and FM repeater) who have already allowed others to bring their own radio.
Mobile Cross-band repeaters are of particular interest to me as I am in Colorado and regularly go camping/hiking in a area where there is a business VHF GM repeater available, we have taken one of their radios with on almost all our trips, we can hear the repeater but cannot transmit to it from the HT (yes it foes work when we get closer so its a tx power limitation). I'd like to investigate a solution where I can use a HT to tx on a band (amateur UHF I think based on what I've read would be appropriate) to a mobile cross-band repeater at my car that can re-transmit on the VHF business band using high power (hopefully reaching the input on their repeater). I would then like my HT to be able to RX on the output of the business VHF Band repeater (i.e. not allowing the cross-band repeater to reverse though as it would the send business band over amateur frequencies as unidentified signals) since we know we can hear the repeater output direct already. Not sure what the tx in one band, rx in another feature-wise would be called or the cross-band repeater feature name that would cause it to work in a "single" direction only.
Not sure if this is even possible (or legal) but something I would like to investigate or even consider going purely within amateur frequencies for other things like events as I would likely be away from my car with a low power HT. Being in Colorado many of the mountain based events I can imagine would need higher power to be effective, as such I would assume I could use a similar configuration.
In any case I am looking for recommendations on 2 radios:
- Mobile (car mounted) radio cross-band repeater combination functionality
- HT with as much tx power as I can get (its still hiking in Colorado so it seems prudent to have as much power as I can, I've seen some HTs with variable output as high as 25watts but typically 8-12 seems common)
- Antenna/amplified/etc as needed/recommended for both
Features I would like (but could live without, unless you tell me otherwise):
- tri/quad band seems prudent to give me options (dual is required as best I can tell for cross-band repeating)
- some packet data features
- some trunking features (I read trunking is starting to come to some amateur frequencies but not sure if this really something I should purse or not)
- Bluetooth is a define plus
- GPS is also a plus
- Anything else I should add to my wish list?
I've seen some that appear to be budget model HTs under $100 but that seems too cheap for something decent, however being my first that could also be a great solution for me
Thanks in advance and apologizes if this has already been covered elsewhere or if this post is not appropriate for this forum, I can't wait to get on the air and start making new friends.
I've been a long time listener and done some custom programming on my Pro-96 scanner and have a fair amount of experience with CB/FRS/GMRS radios but ready for the next level. I would consider myself an experienced novice in the world of radio, capable of learning quickly.
My goals include participating in volunteer events, ARES, learning about digital signals, data transmissions and communicating with with a couple organizations I regularly interact with (they are on VHF or UHF business bands FM simplex and FM repeater) who have already allowed others to bring their own radio.
Mobile Cross-band repeaters are of particular interest to me as I am in Colorado and regularly go camping/hiking in a area where there is a business VHF GM repeater available, we have taken one of their radios with on almost all our trips, we can hear the repeater but cannot transmit to it from the HT (yes it foes work when we get closer so its a tx power limitation). I'd like to investigate a solution where I can use a HT to tx on a band (amateur UHF I think based on what I've read would be appropriate) to a mobile cross-band repeater at my car that can re-transmit on the VHF business band using high power (hopefully reaching the input on their repeater). I would then like my HT to be able to RX on the output of the business VHF Band repeater (i.e. not allowing the cross-band repeater to reverse though as it would the send business band over amateur frequencies as unidentified signals) since we know we can hear the repeater output direct already. Not sure what the tx in one band, rx in another feature-wise would be called or the cross-band repeater feature name that would cause it to work in a "single" direction only.
Not sure if this is even possible (or legal) but something I would like to investigate or even consider going purely within amateur frequencies for other things like events as I would likely be away from my car with a low power HT. Being in Colorado many of the mountain based events I can imagine would need higher power to be effective, as such I would assume I could use a similar configuration.
In any case I am looking for recommendations on 2 radios:
- Mobile (car mounted) radio cross-band repeater combination functionality
- HT with as much tx power as I can get (its still hiking in Colorado so it seems prudent to have as much power as I can, I've seen some HTs with variable output as high as 25watts but typically 8-12 seems common)
- Antenna/amplified/etc as needed/recommended for both
Features I would like (but could live without, unless you tell me otherwise):
- tri/quad band seems prudent to give me options (dual is required as best I can tell for cross-band repeating)
- some packet data features
- some trunking features (I read trunking is starting to come to some amateur frequencies but not sure if this really something I should purse or not)
- Bluetooth is a define plus
- GPS is also a plus
- Anything else I should add to my wish list?
I've seen some that appear to be budget model HTs under $100 but that seems too cheap for something decent, however being my first that could also be a great solution for me
Thanks in advance and apologizes if this has already been covered elsewhere or if this post is not appropriate for this forum, I can't wait to get on the air and start making new friends.