ham radio

[countryboy879]

which ham radio is a good one? i want a radio that can do repeaters like some how program the rx and tx in the same channel?
or do i have to flip channels all the time
let me know...thank you for ur help in advanced

 

[kb2vxa]

You're asking for opinions that won't do you nearly as much good as looking at the on line catalogs as you would go shopping for anything. All VHF/UHF FM rigs are made for repeater and simplex operation, so it all boils down to choosing one that suits your individual needs within your price range and only you can make the ultimate decision. The bottom line is every situation is different and one size does not fit all.

Come back once you have narrowed things down a bit and ask more specific questions like "How easy is this one to program and operate?" The field is WAY too broad at this point to give you any meaningful answers.

 

[N0IU]

Almost every VHF/UHF radio made today has what is called automatic repeater offset. What this means is that you program in the repeater output frequency (the frequency it transmits on) and your radio will automatically switch to the appropriate input frequency for that repeater when you transmit. When you are done talking, your radio will then automatically switch back to the repeater's output frequency. There may be other programming involved depending on the brand and model radio you choose.

As KB2VXA said, you need to decide what kind of radio you want, a handheld (or "HT") or a mobile unit that you can use in your car or at home and what kind of money you are willing to spend.

Let us know a little more about what you intend to do with your radio and then we can give you some better advice.

 

[texasemt13]

As ScottASchultz said, most will do the simple single band repeater operation.

One bell (or whistle) that I personally do not have (but, also a feature that I don't need right now) is cross band repeat. This is for rare instances (at least they're rare around here) when a repeater's output is in a separate band than the input. For example, the input might be a VHF 2m input (146MHz) and the output might be a UHF 70cm output (445MHz). Some models will not cross-band but you might not need it. One good way to see what you need is to search a repeater directory for your area to see what is available for your license class (I'm guessing Tech, maybe).

 

[hockeyshrink]

As ScottASchultz said, most will do the simple single band repeater operation.

One bell (or whistle) that I personally do not have (but, also a feature that I don't need right now) is cross band repeat. ...

I'm not sure why you brought up cross-band repeat when the OP is just wrapping his head around the concept of repeaters, BUT I just set up the feature on my mobile Yaesu FT-8800 and it is indeed very sweet.

My home repeater is on 2m and while it is an excellent system, I sometimes find myself too far away for a 2m HT to hit it. Now I can be away from the truck with a 2 watt UHF HT and access the 2m repeater through the mobile set on x-band repeat. Vehicle repeaters are common in public safety systems (VA State Police used the same UHF HT -> VHF mobile for many years), but its cool to have the capability on ham.

Sorry, I am a little giddy today, my toy worked

 

[N8IAA]

which ham radio is a good one? i want a radio that can do repeaters like some how program the rx and tx in the same channel?
or do i have to flip channels all the time
let me know...thank you for ur help in advanced

When you took your test to be licensed, was it through a local ham radio club? If you have the contacts, call someone to assist you in how a handheld, or, mobile radio works. It is going to be a better learning tool than asking a question here in the forum. You won't get so many different and confusing answers. All ham radios that do 50Mhz and higher have an automatic repeater offset built into them. The radios are smart enough to know the difference on whether or not you are programming a simplex frequency, or, a repeater pair. This is where taking classes before getting licensed is important. Not only are you taught the basic electronics, but, operating proceedures, rules and regulations, and how to setup a radio and use it. At least it was when I taught classes.
HTH,
Larry

 

[kb2vxa]

Yeah, I think we're getting WAY ahead of this guy and will probably scare him off if we continue. The best suggestion so far was the club angle and face to face discussion, experienced hams make the best teachers and the best place to teach is the "classroom".

Just to address one point before I go:
"The radios are smart enough to know the difference on whether or not you are programming a simplex frequency, or, a repeater pair."
And therein lies a problem. They're only smart enough to recognize the 600KHz offset being - below 147MHz and + above but not smart enough to know whether a repeater ON 147 uses + or - offset. Then in congested areas there are repeaters on former simplex frequencies using 1MHz offset so these must be manually programmed accordingly. The 70cM band is a whole 'nuther ball of wax and then there are PL tones but like I said we're getting too far ahead of the game.

 

[gewecke]

I think the op needs to do a lot of reading first before he attempts any kind of purchase.
n9zas