New member with questions

[KK4JUG]

My property is located in a very rural and sparely populated county, so I was also thinking in the event of a true emergency, if I could broadcast on the county sheriff's department frequency and county ambulance service frequency, that would be fine to. Please understand, I don't have any interest in becoming a licensed operator. And if I'm in a true emergency situation, even if I got in trouble for broadcasting on a law enforcement or EMS frequency, I would gladly take the punishment if it meant getting someone to help me. I'd just be saying my name, my injury, my location, etc.

Great idea! Let's get one for everyone in the county, just in case. Or not.

 

[LuckyPennyGS]

Yes me too but I think there is a reasonable chance that these radios would work for your use.
What approximate shape is your 100 acres? If it is close to square the distances needed for coverage are not all the great.

It’s actually more of a right triangle shape.

 

[ko6jw_2]

This is purely why I'm not interested in becoming licensed. From what I've seen, a lot of people are quick to point out they know more than you, that you don't know what you're talking about, and they come across rather condescending. Especially to someone who already admitted they are trying to soak up as much knowledge as possible. I've been reading lots of various threads on various forums and I see the same attitudes elsewhere.

And yes, if you see a lot of threads about emergency communications from people on this forum, it's certainly understandable that it's all about ME. If you're hurt and need help, absolutely you're going to be selfish and at that time only care about yourself. In a true emergency, YES it is all about you. Maybe a better response would be "Yes, emergency communication contacts are possible, but let me tell you about all the other great things that come along with being a licensed operator. Let me be a mentor and show you how awesome being a part of this group is." I'm a licensed gun dealer, I've been in the business of buying, selling, and shooting guns for my entire life. I certainly know more about guns than a vast majority of people. But when someone comes to me with some questions and I can clearly see that they're new and looking for information, I don't puff up my chest and tell them their ideas are wrong or selfish or talk condescendingly toward them. Those are the gun shops that new people don't want to go to. Those are the shops where only the old timers go so they don't have to interact with the new gun owners or the "interested in gun" owners go. If you want your area, business, or hobby to grow and thrive, the new people are who should be welcomed the most.

You asked for advice on emergency communications. People, including me, gave you advice. You didn't like some of the advice. I'm sorry but some of the issues you raised are pretty clear cut like not trying to talk on public safety channels. You don't want to get a ham license. That's fine, but it is a possible solution to your concerns. GMRS is another solution. There are GMRS repeaters around and you can run up to 50 watts thus increasing your range. There are a number of GMRS repeaters in your state and that would be worth exploring if there is one near you. I don't know the area or the propagation conditions near you, but you can check mygmrs.com for more information.

I will admit that some ham radio operators can be pretty elitist. New operators try to get on the air and no one will answer them. On my repeater nobody goes unanswered. I have just spent a couple of afternoons at a new ham's home helping him set up his radios. On the other hand, even though I've been involved with radio for nearly 50 years, I still get condescending answers from operators as I explore digital modes. That's human nature unfortunately.

 

[scanmanmi]

Here's my perspective being in a similar situation. You're not talking to ANYONE on 2 watts. Much less with bubble packs. The minimum I would even try is 5 watts. Around here I get NO repeaters on 5 watts. I got my ham ticket and an 8 watt Baofeng and on a good day I can hit one. 5 watts-never. You need a license and power. If you're talking about contacting your own base camp on property that has an external antenna you may do ok. Best bet is to have a high power mobile on your vehicle. I hear hunters around here illegally on 2 meter simplex. Is it hurting anyone? Of course not. If someone was hurt of course I would help. If there's a ham that wouldn't help because someone wasn't licensed he shoud have his antenna shoved. Don't scoff at CB; it's still a viable alternative and redundancy; you may have better luck contacting some truck on 19 than a vacant ham repeater. I don't know why you're so averse to a ham ticket but honestly...... Study a little and just get your license. Then you can do radio checks and find out how your equipment is working, check different locations on diffent powers, frequencies, etc. Have a plan and do dry runs on the repeater. Just do it.

 

[jonwienke]

Test any equipment you expect to use in an emergency on a regular basis. Preferably the way you would use it in an emergency.

 

[LuckyPennyGS]

Here's my perspective being in a similar situation. You're not talking to ANYONE on 2 watts. Much less with bubble packs. The minimum I would even try is 5 watts. Around here I get NO repeaters on 5 watts. I got my ham ticket and an 8 watt Baofeng and on a good day I can hit one. 5 watts-never. You need a license and power. If you're talking about contacting your own base camp on property that has an external antenna you may do ok. Best bet is to have a high power mobile on your vehicle. I hear hunters around here illegally on 2 meter simplex. Is it hurting anyone? Of course not. If someone was hurt of course I would help. If there's a ham that wouldn't help because someone wasn't licensed he shoud have his antenna shoved. Don't scoff at CB; it's still a viable alternative and redundancy; you may have better luck contacting some truck on 19 than a vacant ham repeater. I don't know why you're so averse to a ham ticket but honestly...... Study a little and just get your license. Then you can do radio checks and find out how your equipment is working, check different locations on diffent powers, frequencies, etc. Have a plan and do dry runs on the repeater. Just do it.

Now see, that seems like a perfectly reasonable response right there! Thank you so much! My property does not have a "base camp" so I wouldn't have a need for a "base station" setup or external antenna setup. It's just me hunting by myself right now. Maybe down the road, that could be an option. And thank you for acknowledging that you would help someone if you were able to.

I don't mean to scoff at CB, but handheld was what I've been looking at initially so what I've seen online are that the handheld units just don't have the power to get any further than the FRS radios. My property is not anywhere near a major highway, so I wouldn't think I could get out to a trucker, but again, I have zero experience here so my assumptions are just going off what I've read and seen online.

And the ham license is just something maybe I'm mixing up with or thinking one goes along with the other in terms of amateur radio clubs and guys like some that have posted here. I guess I could get my ham license and just not have any part of the "club" stuff and I certainly don't want to be talking to other hams just for fun. At least not from the welcome I've received here. But I suppose I could get the license just to be able to use better equipment with more range. But then again, if I go get a ham license, that means everyone in my group or family needs to get a license too if I want to be talking with them, which is really what I want to do in the first place. And that probably isn't going to happen. So I'd be getting the license just to have? I'm not sure what else I would realistically do with it.

 

[TailGator911]

Don't let anybody here discourage you from the ham radio route or any other radio service that you think would work for you out there in your situation. The attitudes here do not necessarily reflect on the character of amateur radio, as people are people no matter the format, and you will meet good and bad throughout the radio bands as you will face to face. Some people just like to be obnoxious, others are friendly and helpful. I hope you were helped with your decision. That's what this place is supposed to be about.

 

[krokus]

Is this different than getting an amateur radio technician license? Excuse my ignorance here. Also, how would this be better or different then getting several sets of dedicated MURS radios and using the MURS frequencies?

I have borrowed a cheap handheld radio from a friend to monitor frequencies to see how much, if any, traffic there is in my area.

It does cost less to get into ham radio, than to set up a decent LMR radio. (LMR is Land Mobile Radio, and is the term applied to professional radio uses, both business and public safety.) By decent, I mean using an established brand, and not one of the cheap Chinese radios. One advantage of an LMR license, is the holder can allow anyone to use a (legal) radio on your system. (Which is why I mentioned getting a license, for your on property comms. A few used, high quality, radios can be found for under $200 each.)

As a ham, there are a lot of things we can do/try, that LMR license holders cannot. An LMR license holder is (legally) limited to the modes & frequencies listed. Hams can use anything that is within the regulations for their license class. But the license only applies to one person.

In fairness, do people use radios in ways that are not authorized? Do they get away with it? Yes, to both, in many cases. Very few people in these forums will endorse the illegal use, for a number of reasons.

 

[krokus]

When you say find a frequency to get licensed on, what do you mean?

It sounds like your are is sparsely populated enough that you would not need to pay for a coordinator. A quick check of the FCC database, for anyone licensed on a VHF business frequency in your county, and surrounding counties, should be easy. If you find a frequency with no one licensed, then fill out the application, and pay the fee.

If you go this route, make sure you list enough portable, and mobile, radios to cover how many you might use. (To avoid having to amend your license at a later date.)

 

[bill4long]

Thank you! Those MURS-V1 units are what someone has told me about before. I was hoping someone here would own something like them and could tell me their experience with them. I hate to “sample” so to speak and then send them back if they don’t work for my needs.

I've got some and they work just fine.

 

[LuckyPennyGS]

I've got some and they work just fine.

Thanks. What kind of range can you get with him outdoors?

 

[pb_lonny]

Somebody did that down here, it didn't end well.

 

[FKimble]

Find a local radio shop and inquire about renting time and radios. Explain to them what you need them for and the particular area of coverage. They probably have or know of another shop with a repeater covering your property. Not sure of what cost would be. Also you will need to make sure someone is listening for your call. Simply having a radio that will reach a repeater is only half the solution. There is no one dedicated to listening for your call unless you arraign for it in advance.

Frank KK4YTM