How to get a license and radio quickly

[McCarthy84]

With Trump being banned from his communication channels and Amazon / Google / Apple cutting off Parler, the conservative social media platform, it became VERY clear how "fragile" our communication channels are. When politicians and big tech companies can shut up the president of the USA within a couple days, it is obvious that we the people can face the same with the push of a button. Considering how much conservative opinion is being banned, shadow banned, censored, demonetized, delisted and deranked, its is time - at least for me - to get my ham license and a proper setup.

If things really go belly up one day, I want to be able to get into contact with a few people that now have similar concerns.

So far I only have a Uniden scanner in my truck.

How can I get my ham license and a mobile radio relatively quickly? What would be a good QUALITY radio / antenna setup that I can use at home and in my vehicles?

 

[cmjonesinc]

Study and take the test. Testing availability completly depends on your local vec's. Your communication needs are going to determine what license class you'll need to get to. Need to talk around the world, you'll need to do some studying. Need to talk to the neighbors, you won't need to do much. What are your goals? Also, just having a radio and a license is half the battle. I see people all the time with all the equipment they think they need but have zero idea how to effectively set it up. Then they don't even know how to operate it. Figure out your goals first then go from there with licensing and equipment.

 

[mmckenna]

Have you fully considered CB radio?

 

[Binger511]

As much as I agree with your political positions, I hate to say it but this isn't the place for politics. Don't get me wrong I love Trump, but this ain't r/Politics.

As for your question. Just get it like anyone else would online or in person. Some testing sessions require you to register ahead of time. Maybe also give GMRS a try as there is no test, and soon they will be priced very similar.

 

[K4EET]

What have you found in your Internet searches so far? There are quite a few good Technician Class (entry level ham radio license). Have you bought the Technician Class study guide from the ARRL or at Amazon? As for Technician Class radios, you will mostly be on local VHF/UHF (146 MHz/440 MHz) repeaters. Go to Repeater Book and see what repeaters are in your area. You may want to invest with D-STAR (Kenwood and Icom) or FUSION (Yaesu) which are digital modes. You really need to get connected with a local ham club and find out what the members talk on. The ARRL has a search engine to find ham clubs by clicking HERE. Feel free to ask a million questions. I am all ears... 73 (best wishes in ham lingo), Dave K4EET

 

[K4EET]

The other suggestions about CB, GMRS, etc. are good options as well. It all boils down to who do you want to talk to?

 

[mmckenna]

If things really go belly up one day, I want to be able to get into contact with a few people that now have similar concerns.

Amateur radio is only going to be useful if everyone else you want to talk to is willing to get their amateur radio licenses.
If you are just looking for this to be a replacement for social media, then you may want to keep looking. There's more to ham radio than just talking politics.

CB radio and GMRS may be a better option if you are just looking for a replacement to parler.

 

[McCarthy84]

Study and take the test. Testing availability completly depends on your local vec's. Your communication needs are going to determine what license class you'll need to get to. Need to talk around the world, you'll need to do some studying. Need to talk to the neighbors, you won't need to do much. What are your goals? Also, just having a radio and a license is half the battle. I see people all the time with all the equipment they think they need but have zero idea how to effectively set it up. Then they don't even know how to operate it. Figure out your goals first then go from there with licensing and equipment.

I'm in Manatee County Florida. Is current testing affected by lockdowns? Where can I find the matching local website? I googled it but only found ham clubs in the area.

A few friends are interested as well, some are local but 3 are several states up North and out West, so a system (or 2 systems) that work "nation wide" would be good. Is nation-wide even possible from a mobile system in a vehicle?

I searched for "the best" handheld radio and a few websites came back with the Kenwood THD74A. While this looks very much like quality, what would be the maximum range for a handheld like this? Will it go beyond state-lines?

It also looks like that the Kenwood THD74A is out of production due to a fire in a chip plant. Any chance to still get one new?

I know, these are a bunch of beginner questions, so I take every well meant advice. I was looking into a ham license some 3 years ago and was overwhelmed my the information available, so I put it off. But with everything politically going on these days, this will happen now! I'm no prepper or anything like that, but if common communication systems may fail one day or get turned off, I'd like an alternative in form of a ham license and radio. And if nothing is ever going to happen, I'm still looking forward to dive into this new passion.

While I do understand that I will have to do a bunch of studying, I at least want to buy quality gear right away. I'm no fan of having to upgrade.

And I'd like to get into this hobby quickly. I don't want to lose interest again and find myself at the same spot another 3 years down the road.

 

[McCarthy84]

As much as I agree with your political positions, I hate to say it but this isn't the place for politics. Don't get me wrong I love Trump, but this ain't r/Politics.

As for your question. Just get it like anyone else would online or in person. Some testing sessions require you to register ahead of time. Maybe also give GMRS a try as there is no test, and soon they will be priced very similar.

My post isn't about politics, it was just the context why I want to get into ham radios, and everything I stated in my post is facts. It's on the news left and right for a couple days now. How many people like you and me rely on social media for personal or even business related communication? It's the vast majority these days. If any person can get banned (for whatever reason), it only makes sense that people start looking for alternatives or backups. And that's what I'm doing.

 

[cmjonesinc]

Another commonly misunderstood thing about amateur radio is it's use in a true emergency situation. With the networking and internet technology used in radio networks today (especially wide area ones) they will be almost as useless as a cell phone during a disaster. Internet linking is great but a wide area internet outage will likely cripple some amateur networks. A good rule of thumb is to not rely on a repeater or someone else's equipment in an emergency. A repeater is only as good as it's contingency plan and backup power when a disaster happens. Then that opens a whole other topic of what do you need to effectively communicate in your desired area? I see the prepping crowd that always has a cheap Chinese radio in their 'go bag' incase 'shtf' and I always think 'who are you trying to talk to?'. Realistically I would guess cb, frs, gmrs, or murs would probably be the most used thing in some sort of cell blackout as it's local and readily available and requires little to no training. I know when my area had the massive Verizon outage last year I quickly found my friends on our gmrs mobiles and we were able to 'relay' messages well enough as we were simplex and by chance spaced usably apart.

 

[McCarthy84]

Amateur radio is only going to be useful if everyone else you want to talk to is willing to get their amateur radio licenses.
If you are just looking for this to be a replacement for social media, then you may want to keep looking. There's more to ham radio than just talking politics.

CB radio and GMRS may be a better option if you are just looking for a replacement to parler.

They are all willing to learn for the test and get fully involved. 3 are out of state as well.

I was never on Parler. What makes me look into HAM is the fact that Amazon is going to shut down the web servers of Parler tonight in order to remove even more options for conservatives to communicate. By the way: this issue isn't even party relevant. Anything that limits free speech on both isles is a high risk to freedom and liberty.

 

[McCarthy84]

Just pulled up GMRS... 10 - 16 miles. Ain't gonna cut it, at all.

 

[cmjonesinc]

Well if you're trying to not use repeaters and communicate simplex long distance (semi reliably) I would start studying up for at least a General class license. I can talk a bit further than that simplex on vhf but I'm running 75 watts with an antenna at 50' and talking to someone with an antenna at 65' with not much obstruction. Flat ground may be more forgiving though. What kind of range are you trying to accomplish?

 

[K4EET]

Well if you're trying to not use repeaters and communicate simplex long distance (semi reliably) <snip> What kind of range are you trying to accomplish?

@McCarthy84, is the first statement accurate and could you please answer the question too. Thanks!

 

[McCarthy84]

The friend being most interested in this, is in Illinois, roughly 1,000 miles from me. The one out West is on the coast North of SF. As a minimum I would like to cover 2 areas with HAM frequencies / no repeaters:

1. Local, about 60 miles, with a hand held like the Kenwood THD74A. Is this still for sale anywhere? What is the typical range in flat central Florida?

2. Long range (1,000 miles) to at least Illinois, with either a home based station or something I can mount in / on my truck.

 

[McCarthy84]

What have you found in your Internet searches so far? There are quite a few good Technician Class (entry level ham radio license). Have you bought the Technician Class study guide from the ARRL or at Amazon? As for Technician Class radios, you will mostly be on local VHF/UHF (146 MHz/440 MHz) repeaters. Go to Repeater Book and see what repeaters are in your area. You may want to invest with D-STAR (Kenwood and Icom) or FUSION (Yaesu) which are digital modes. You really need to get connected with a local ham club and find out what the members talk on. The ARRL has a search engine to find ham clubs by clicking HERE. Feel free to ask a million questions. I am all ears... 73 (best wishes in ham lingo), Dave K4EET

Thank you Dave for your post. Somehow I didn't see this one until now. The forum acts funny when reloading the page.

I collected a bunch of online bookmarks 3 years ago, but just ordered the book The ARRL General Class License Manual Spiral Bound on eBay (I'm done with Amazon). This will keep me busy for a few nights.

Looks like we can take the test now online: Find an Online Exam

Even better!

 

[Remington12G]

but just ordered the book The ARRL General Class License Manual Spiral Bound on eBay (I'm done with Amazon). This will keep me busy for a few nights.

Looks like we can take the test now online: Find an Online Exam

Even better!

Just to let you know (if don't already), you do need to take your Technician class test first to take the general.

 

[McCarthy84]

Just to let you know (if don't already), you do need to take your Technician class test first to take the general.

Now that you mentioned it, I recall that piece from 3 years ago when I first looked into this.

Just placed another order for "ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 4th Edition (Spiral Bound)".

Thanks!

 

[mmckenna]

Anything that limits free speech on both isles is a high risk to freedom and liberty.

"Free speech" on someone else's system isn't a reality. Never was, never will be. When someone else owns the infrastructure, they control it. When you sign up for accounts on websites (even this one) you agree to their rules. Doesn't matter what political lean you take.
But, yes, communications infrastructure can be damaged by natural disasters and stupid individuals that believe in lizard people.

Trying to do amateur radio 'fast and quick' isn't going to be easy. For what you want, the entry level "Technician" license isn't going to give you what you want. You'll want at least a General class license.
For long distance communications that doesn't rely on someone else's network, HF is your only option. Technician class license only gives you voice on 10 meters, which isn't going to reach the West Coast reliably. A General license will give you access to what you need. That's two license exams you'll need to do. You can do them back to back, but unless you've been studying, it's not going to happen quickly. My recommendation would be to start studying for your technician license and take the test. Then start studying for your General license, then take that.
HF will require some large antennas, so make sure you have room for that. At minimum you'll want a dipole antenna, and while you can cram them into small postage stamp home lots, you'll need to think it through. If mobile is your plan for HF, then you really need to slow down and consider your options. HF antennas on vehicles are large and take some planning.

Don't start buying equipment in a rush to get on the air. Rookie mistake. There are a lot of complex facets to amateur radio, and a lot of mistakes to be made. If you start investing money in radios in a rush to get on the air, you're going to find you won't have a system you like. You've got some learning to do, and you probably should make sure the others you want to talk to are actually going to successfully follow through on this before blowing a bunch of money on radios.


Take your time, don't be in a rush. There are a lot of communications tools that will hold you over until then.

 

[McCarthy84]

"Free speech" on someone else's system isn't a reality. Never was, never will be. When someone else owns the infrastructure, they control it. When you sign up for accounts on websites (even this one) you agree to their rules. Doesn't matter what political lean you take.
But, yes, communications infrastructure can be damaged by natural disasters and stupid individuals that believe in lizard people.

Trying to do amateur radio 'fast and quick' isn't going to be easy. For what you want, the entry level "Technician" license isn't going to give you what you want. You'll want at least a General class license.
For long distance communications that doesn't rely on someone else's network, HF is your only option. Technician class license only gives you voice on 10 meters, which isn't going to reach the West Coast reliably. A General license will give you access to what you need. That's two license exams you'll need to do. You can do them back to back, but unless you've been studying, it's not going to happen quickly. My recommendation would be to start studying for your technician license and take the test. Then start studying for your General license, then take that.
HF will require some large antennas, so make sure you have room for that. At minimum you'll want a dipole antenna, and while you can cram them into small postage stamp home lots, you'll need to think it through. If mobile is your plan for HF, then you really need to slow down and consider your options. HF antennas on vehicles are large and take some planning.

Don't start buying equipment in a rush to get on the air. Rookie mistake. There are a lot of complex facets to amateur radio, and a lot of mistakes to be made. If you start investing money in radios in a rush to get on the air, you're going to find you won't have a system you like. You've got some learning to do, and you probably should make sure the others you want to talk to are actually going to successfully follow through on this before blowing a bunch of money on radios.


Take your time, don't be in a rush. There are a lot of communications tools that will hold you over until then.

The big tech companies now act as monopolies, they spread news like mainstream media outlets, but discriminate with a pollical agenda and narrative, without being held liable like regular news outlets. This is a new constellation. If we keep ignoring this new setup, we will be one step closer to 1984. Nobody with a clear mind - no matter what party affiliation - should be in support of limiting free speech or arguing against it, no matter how we define this. Limiting free speech was the first milestone in Hitler's Nazi regime, and those that started objecting his agenda, got removed from the gene pool. Same can be seen in Venezuela or China. If we repeat our mistakes, we can't expect a different outcome.

If I limit my goal to my friend in Illinois (1k miles), will that make things easier on the requirements for the antenna? What size are we talking in this case? I'm on a small 1/4 acre lot in a HOA regulated community. Will call a board member tomorrow and ask if there are any limitations. I do have a pretty big attic, will that work at all?

What is the average range of the Kenwood THD74A? Trying to figure out if this will work for my local goals.