Is there a Clear distinction between mobile and base units?

[Hawkman]

I am about 50% through the lessons for Technician. I think I am going to try a shot at getting my General license while I am at it. We will see how well the old brain picks up and retains information. I am using HamRadioprep.com.

I am starting to think about what type of transceiver(s) I would like to start with (base, mobile, handheld). Just glancing, it looks like base units cost up to ten times what mobile units cost and that mobile units are only marginally more than handheld units.
What are your general thoughts? I might first lean toward a mobile since I am not likely to hike around talking on a low watt output handheld, so why not get a mobile but I have mixed "feelings". I don't know enough yet to have mixed "thoughts" The local club only meets every other month. Maybe I can track down a couple of guys who can show me their setups. Who knows, maybe they even have some decent used equipment I should look at.

Any thoughts are welcome.

 

[AK9R]

There aren't many base radios for VHF/UHF. The Icom IC-9700 is a base radio for 2m, 70cm, and 23cm. It is also an "all mode" radio in that it can operate on FM, SSB, and CW. It also has the D-STAR digital voice mode. In my opinion, it's overkill for someone who just wants to operate FM simplex or through repeaters.

Most mobile radios are FM-only. They are sized for mounting in a vehicle (which is more and more difficult in modern interiors). They generally have larger displays than handheld radios which makes them easier to use. They generally are rated for around 50 watts of RF output. They may use much of the same circuitry as a handheld radio, but the power amplifiers and resulting heat sinks or fans for cooling make the overall size of the radio larger than a handheld. Mobile radios are generally intended to be powered from the vehicle's electrical system, so they are rated for 12-14 volts DC. You can get a power supply to convert from 120 volts AC to 12-14 volts DC if you want to run your mobile radio as a "base radio".

There are some HF radios intended for mobile use. But, until you get your General license, there's not much a Technician can do on the HF bands other than 10 meters.

Handheld radios are designed to fit in your hand. They generally have power outputs rated at 5-8 watts. They generally are battery-powered, though some have provisions for being powered from an external 12 volt DC source. They generally have small displays and small keypads which can be problem for some folks. They generally do not have the RF filtering on receive or transmit that a mobile or base radio would have, so they can be more susceptible to strong RF signals on receive and they may produce spurious emissions on transmit.

 

[jwt873]

As AK9R points out, base radios like the IC-9700 are expensive. You can take a 9700 along in the car, but the size makes it difficult to mount.

It's very common for hams to use mobile radios in the house for FM (and perhaps a digital mode if the radio supports it). So a mobile can be used as a base. Plus, it's not uncommon for hams to swap mobiles back and forth between the house and the car so they can be serve two roles.

Handheld performance is limited. They can be fairly effective from the house if connected to a high outside antenna, or to an external antenna on your car when you're mobile. But mostly they'll only be good if you have nearby repeaters.

 

[ladn]

It's pretty common to use a mobile radio as a base with an appropriate power supply. There are brackets or mounting options available that allow the radio and power supply to be connected together as one unit OR you could take advantage of the "split mount" capabilities of many radios which allow the control panel and microphone (and usually the speaker) to be placed in one location and the larger radio box and power supply to be placed in another.

One choice you will be faced with when choosing a VHF/UHF mobile radio is capabilities. While all the radios have FM, many newer models also bundle a digital mode (usually D-Star on Icom and YSF/C4FM on Yaesu and DMR on the Anytone). None of the digital modes are cross compatible and making the right choice can be confusing. Personally, I'd choose a quality FM only rig for a first radio.

I see that you are hoping to get your General, which is a good idea. The General question pool isn't much different than the Technician and it's fairly common for folks to pass the Technician test, the immediately take and pass the General test. Your VE's should offer this option at no additional charge, and you have nothing to loose in trying.

When shopping for equipment, consider purchasing a power supply that will have sufficient capacity to operate both a VHF/UHF and whatever radio you eventually want for your General license--probably an HF rig. That means something in the neighborhood of 20-30 A @13.5 v. In reality, you won't likely be transmitting on both radios simultaneously, so just look at the maximum current requirement for transmit.

There are several threads here on RR dealing with power supplies that will help you make an informed purchase decision.

Your post also mentions your local club. That will be an excellent resource and you should avail yourself of every opportunity to see and learn what equipment others are using.

 

[Hawkman]

Thanks to everyone for the GREAT input.
I spend a few months a year in Central GA in the woods, well out of town, but I am spending most of my time in Central PA in our 2-story house. It sits almost at the bottom of a 1200 ft hill/mountain that is to my south. My north overlooks a large town in a flat river valley.
If I were to get a mobile unit, is there an effective yet simplistic antenna system I could mount on my house/chimney? I would like to be able to get decent range. I am sure there are Ham repeaters on the mountain because there are GMRS repeaters for sure. I don't want to bite off a tower or $1000.00+ antenna system at this point.

 

[K7MEM]

I am about 50% through the lessons for Technician. I think I am going to try a shot at getting my General license while I am at it. We will see how well the old brain picks up and retains information. I am using HamRadioprep.com.

I wish you luck on your tests. A good way to see if your ready are the sample tests on QRZ.com. These sample tests are created from actual test questions. If you continually score around 90%, you are ready for the real thing. I used the sample tests on QRZ when I upgraded to Extra in 1999,

And, as long as your testing, I recommend that you go for the General. If you feel really pumped up, and pass the General, you might even give the Extra a try. There are many new hams that pass all three tests in one sitting. While it was a long time ago for me (Jan. 1999), I took the Tech and General in a single VE session and then went back about 2 months later and took the Advanced and Extra, in a single VE session. My upgrade included Morse testing, but you don't have to worry about that.

While I have a couple of 2 Meter radios that are meant for using mobile, I only use them on my radio desk (shack). The only radio that I ran in my car was my HTX-100 10 Meter radio. I had a short (3') mag mount on the trunk lid. It worked great. I don't remember what solar cycle it was, but propagation was very good and I was able to talk cross country (Goodyear, Arizona to Maryland) while driving home from work, with 5 watts. However, that wasn't very common.

Ham operators are very resourceful and can put almost any radio in a car. I recall going to a radio show in New York (late 60's) with a ham that had a Collins transceiver stuffed under the dashboard. What a monster. I don't recall what kind of antenna he had. Even for myself, I have a Heathkit SB-101. It's pretty sizable and all tubes, but I also have HP-13A Transistorized Power supply that will supply all of the necessary high voltages from a 12 Volt battery. I would probably never put it in my car, but I might try to run it off of batteries with the HP-13A.

An older HF radio that does well in the shack, as well as mobile, would be the IC-735. My IC-735 is my main radio. It's very compact and runs directly off of 13.5 Volts. It puts out a solid 100 Watts on all bands from 160-10 Meters. But there are a lot of much newer radios that will work as well.

Just be very careful using a mobile rig while driving. Personally, I found it to be very clumsy and distracting. I didn't do it for very long before I stopped doing it. Part of that was because I drove a car with a 4-speed manual transmission. These days, with all the distractions on the road, I don't even listen to music while driving. When I was young, my car radio was always playing. And very loudly at that. Maybe that just comes with age.

Good luck on your tests.

 

[MTS2000des]

Thanks to everyone for the GREAT input.
I spend a few months a year in Central GA in the woods, well out of town, but I am spending most of my time in Central PA in our 2-story house. It sits almost at the bottom of a 1200 ft hill/mountain that is to my south. My north overlooks a large town in a flat river valley.
If I were to get a mobile unit, is there an effective yet simplistic antenna system I could mount on my house/chimney? I would like to be able to get decent range. I am sure there are Ham repeaters on the mountain because there are GMRS repeaters for sure. I don't want to bite off a tower or $1000.00+ antenna system at this point.

You'd be surprised what a modest vertical will do when mounted on a roof or chimney. Such an antenna like a Diamond X-50 or better step up would be an X-200/X-300. Both won't kill your wallet. The key is good quality feedline. The shorter the better, but for anything over 25 feet, LMR400 is the minimum and if you've got longer runs, LMR600 or better is recommended especially if you're wanting to use UHF.

Don't forget surge suppression and proper grounding. You will likely spend as much or more on good quality feedline as you do the antenna, but even so, shouldn't be more than $500 max- and this is everything name brand and factory new from a dealer.

Best wishes on your exam!

 

[devicelab]

Definitely start with a dual-band mobile, power supply and an external antenna. Don't worry about digital -- yet. Focus on the basics first. Once you get your feet wet then you can try other modes, etc.

The ICOM 2730 is a good first mobile rig. Plenty of power and nice display. Wow, it looks like HRO is only selling the 2730 that isn't digital. Well the Yaesu dual band mobiles are all digital so if you want to invest in C4FM then you may want to consider that but it'll cost more. You can always use analog on the digital radio but if you don't need it then why pay extra for it.

You can save some money and go with only a single band; however, I'd check repeaterbook.com for the repeaters in your area. That will give you a sense of what you'll be using, etc.

For the money, this mobile may not be a bad starter radio: TYT TH-9800 Plus | Quad Band | 50W | Remote Head | Cross Band Repeater

It'll get you 4 bands that you can transmit on with your Technician license. Just remember that you'll need to have different antennas -- on an antenna switch. So at least 3 antennas to use all of the bands: a VHF/UHF, a 10m and 6m antennas. You could always go with a discone antenna and then you'll be able to transmit on 3 bands at least: Diamond® Antenna ~ D130J Super Discone Antenna

Just note that the discone antenna is a compromise antenna and its performance will be limited. A tuned vertical antenna is going to get you better performance. (In some cases, you may not be able to tell the difference.)

The 10m and 6m bands are just FM only so be aware of that. Given your location though, you should get some good propagation when conditions are right.

 

[ladn]

Good advice from @MTS2000des. I'll add, buy from a known, quality, retailer who specializes in ham (or commercial) radio. Vendors like HRO, DX Engineering, GigaParts. Ideally, visit a brick and mortar store if there's one reasonably close. If not, peruse the offerings online, but call and speak to a sales person.

Avoid (at least for now) Amazon or e-bay when purchasing your radios or antenna.

When buying cable, buy genuine Times LMR (200, 400, or 600 depending on length) feedline. You can get it pre-assembled with the proper connectors which is usually a better option for new hams rather than learning how to properly install the RF connectors. And don't forget proper weatherproofing of all outside connectors (there's several threads on RR about how to do this--it's not terribly difficult). You'll also need appropriate cable clamps/strain relief to secure the cable run.

If you end up using heavier cable like LMR 400 or 600, you may want to use a short jumper of LMR 200 ir LMR 200 ultraflex to connect to your radio. The heavier cables are fairly stiff. The short jumper of smaller, more flexible, cable will make the install easier and the signal loss will be negligible.

 

[AK9R]

For the money, this mobile may not be a bad starter radio: TYT TH-9800 Plus | Quad Band | 50W | Remote Head | Cross Band Repeater

It'll get you 4 bands that you can transmit on with your Technician license...

While Technicians have some voice, aka "phone", privileges on 10m, it's restricted to SSB phone on 28.3 to 28.5 MHz. The referenced TYT radio can transmit in FM only, so it's not suitable for a Technician to use on 10m.

 

[ladn]

For the money, this mobile may not be a bad starter radio: TYT TH-9800 Plus | Quad Band | 50W | Remote Head | Cross Band Repeater

I have both the Icom 2730A as a mobile in one of my vehicles and the TYT TH-9800 as my transportable/field day/whatever radio.

The ICOM is a better radio as far as build quality and RX specs, but I like the way the TYT (manually) programs as it's basically a clone of the Yaesu FT-8900 and the TYT includes 800 MHz RX. I've never used either the 6M or 10M functions. TYT should have included a separate antenna connector for these.

I use RT Systems software and cables for programming both radios. CHIRP is also an option.

 

[Hawkman]

This is a great place, and I appreciate all of you taking the time to type out your detailed replies. The input has been great. I know all of you can relate, even if you have to think back a lot of years, but I am at the point where everything I learn makes me scratch my head and results in 10 additional questions. I simplistically assumed that a good Ham radio would receive and transmit on all of the frequencies open for amateur radio operators, but apparently, I have to pick and choose or have a crate full of radios. Apparently an ALL-BAND radio would be too large, expensive, and overheating?
I found radio frequencies, wavelengths, meters, and bands very confusing, so I turned from the hamradioprep.com course to watch about 6 YouTube videos on the topic. I also looked at several electro-magnetic spectrum charts and Ham frequency charts and even drew mine own so I could get it fixed in my mind. I just needed to understand where CB, GMRS, FM, AM, Radar, etc, all fit on the spectrum. It was news to me when I realized that amateur radio bands are scattered all over the radio spectrum from LF to UHF. So much for the catch-all phrase "shortwave."

This HamRadioPrep course also gives tests at the end of each lesson and practice tests with the updated actual questions.

 

[ladn]

I simplistically assumed that a good Ham radio would receive and transmit on all of the frequencies open for amateur radio operators, but apparently, I have to pick and choose or have a crate full of radios.

There are (were) a few "DC to daylight" amateur radios. The ICOM 705 and the Yaesu 857D are examples. They are complex and costly.
I think you are better off learning on simpler radios.

 

[AK9R]

HF radios these days commonly cover the 160 meter through 6 meter bands and will operate all modes (CW, SSB, AM, FM, etc.).

The Icom IC-7100 is one such HF radio that also covers the 2m and 70cm bands. It's a bit of a hybrid between base radio and mobile radio. The Icom IC-705 is another radio that covers HF plus 2m and 70cm, but it is intended as a battery-powered portable radio that only puts out 10 watts maximum.

The Yaesu FT-991A is another HF radio that also covers the 2m and 70cm bands.

Bob...

 

[devicelab]

While Technicians have some voice, aka "phone", privileges on 10m, it's restricted to SSB phone on 28.3 to 28.5 MHz. The referenced TYT radio can transmit in FM only, so it's not suitable for a Technician to use on 10m.

Ah sorry about that. When I got my Tech I swore it was allowed but perhaps not. I don't recall.

 

[devicelab]

Apparently an ALL-BAND radio would be too large, expensive, and overheating?

Expen$ive is right. ICOM does make the ICOM-7100 which has HF/VHF/UHF bands. It's not a bad rig but it's pushing 15 yrs old now, I think.

I'd love to have one but the ICOM-9100 was ICOM last true all-mode. It's a large, base station transceiver that does HF/VHF/UHF/SHF bands. It's great for satellite work too. It'd be a fun radio to play around with. Again, its age is a limiting factor.

It went for about $6000 with all of the options but you can find them on auction sites for about half that depending on condition, etc. They are sought after so finding them can be a challenge too.

The ICOM 705 is a nice rig but it's biggest limit is the power output is pretty low. You'd probably need to spend $2500 with all of the options, etc. The one nice thing is that it's portable and runs off a battery.

I'd stick to an analog mobile for your first radio.

 

[AK9R]

It went for about $6000 with all of the options

All MSRP as reported in the ARRL Product Review, April 2012:
IC-9100: $3600
UX-9100 23cm module: $700
UT-121 D-STAR module: $230
FL-430 6kHz roofing filter: $125
FL-431 3kHz roofing filter: $125
Total: $4780

I bought one used for about $2000 six years ago or so that only had the UT-121 and one of the roofing filters. I've since added the UX-9100 and the other roofing filter. Lots of these radios from Japanese sellers are showing up on Ebay. Occasionally, there's one for sale from a U.S. seller. IMHO, it's way overkill for someone just starting out. The radio is a big, heavy brute that demands attention on your desktop.

By comparison, the IC-7100, which I also have, is svelte. Since the control head is remote from the RF deck and since you can plug the microphone and external speaker into the head, you can put the RF deck in some out of the way place and just have the control head on your desk. I use mine for VHF/UHF repeaters and Winlink on HF.

 

[ladn]

By comparison, the IC-7100, which I also have, is svelte.

The all mode radio I'd like to own is an ICOM 706 MKII -G. I still regret not getting one when they were in production. Now, they command unreasonably high prices on the used market and I'm not going to get suckered in to overpaying for an old radio.

 

[devicelab]

All MSRP as reported in the ARRL Product Review, April 2012:
IC-9100: $3600
UX-9100 23cm module: $700
UT-121 D-STAR module: $230
FL-430 6kHz roofing filter: $125
FL-431 3kHz roofing filter: $125
Total: $4780

I bought one used for about $2000 six years ago or so that only had the UT-121 and one of the roofing filters. I've since added the UX-9100 and the other roofing filter. Lots of these radios from Japanese sellers are showing up on Ebay. Occasionally, there's one for sale from a U.S. seller. IMHO, it's way overkill for someone just starting out. The radio is a big, heavy brute that demands attention on your desktop.

By comparison, the IC-7100, which I also have, is svelte. Since the control head is remote from the RF deck and since you can plug the microphone and external speaker into the head, you can put the RF deck in some out of the way place and just have the control head on your desk. I use mine for VHF/UHF repeaters and Winlink on HF.

Don't forget tax.

I wasn't recommending the 9100 I was just pointing out that all-band radios are not cheap.

I prefer the 7000 over the 7100. I didn't care for their design style there. The 706MKIIG is the predecessor to the 7000 but IMHO the 7000 is hard to beat.

 

[jwt873]

I prefer the 7000 over the 7100. I didn't care for their design style there. The 706MKIIG is the predecessor to the 7000 but IMHO the 7000 is hard to beat.

I like the removable face that the 706MKII and 7000 had, Don't know why they went away from that with the 7100.

I considered upgrading my 7000 to the 7100 when it came out for the D-STAR capability, but there was nowhere I could conveniently mount it in my Jeep.