Best portable frs two-way radios according to redditors

We found 883 Reddit comments discussing the best portable frs two-way radios. We ranked the 210 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

Next page

Top Reddit comments about Portable FRS Two-Way Radios:

u/04AspenWhite · 83 pointsr/bayarea

I work part time as a FEMA/ NRT response unit.

The reports cites this as: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/wg02/losses.php

it would be devasastating for the first 48-72 hours on grounds that most folks wouldn't know how to get home.

EMS/ first response will NOT be available for the first 24/48.

Expectation realistically is ~a week out. during that time traige centers will be needed. folks have to get to the centers.

i could really go on doom and gloom all day long but instead lets focus on getting your self prepared.

The basic NERT/ earthquake prep is good but add a tarp and staple guns for the blown out windows. add noise canceling headphones/ or just ear muffs for kids cause there will be alarms and noises. debris filter like painters mask for particulates are crucial as well.

As far mission; to survive for a week.

My estimates as i am responsible for the Southern portion of San Francisco is only as good as the advisor that lets me know how many can really commit to the team.

as far as the 101/280 most portions will be rendered useless via obstruction and or destroyed. Both bridges stand well but a 6.5+ will give it the final exam.

older buildings if up to code should be alright (brick/ tougher foundation) the worrysome for me is the rent-lease/ apartments subletting situations that just added an extra water or tapped into the gas line.

tldr; infrastructure will be there just clogged. will need repairs and a band aid will take ~5 weeks for temp, ~4months perm.

i am on ambien right now and feel sleepy but when im awake i'd more than love to recommend yall some resources and classes and things to get in preparation.

for instance teach you how to shut off water/gas/elec then you teach it back to me. mayve go over non running water sanitations.

anyway dont worry, we are resilent and there exists hundreds of me to make best of what we have to this city.

edit:

Hey all, this is a expanded post in response to earthquakes that have been happening all over the place in the world. Some concerns have been raised and I feel like sometimes we take this for granted, or at least its in the back of our heads.

firstly, here are some official responses and resources from the State/ County/ Feds
http://sfdem.org/resources is also a great resource!


Here is the basic NERT or http://sf-fire.org/neighborhood-emergency-response-team-NERT

Schedule of training: http://sf-fire.org/training-schedule-registration

Red Cross recommended items to have and also basic check list: http://www.redcross.org/images/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m4240216_Earthquake.pdf PRINT THIS OUT, YOU MAY NOT HAVE INTERNET!

Here is the FEMA https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/15092?id=3538 this is what they train reserve FEMA response teams about. The Cd-rom is available but I learned via the booklet.

secondly, instead of bombarding and regurgitating ill get to the point on what things I think are nice additions and why:

  • I have no idea how your family or living situation is but of course food (I have some MREs) and water on hand but also a filitration pump.

  • Water bladder that fits in a tub is also good https://www.amazon.com/Reservoir-Emergency-Storage-System-Gallons/dp/B00DOMOCCI like that

  • A heater that runs off of available fuels like a butane hot-pot hot plate. Or a jetfuel systems https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-2000020951-Butane-Stove/dp/B00FGPXVSM/ref=sr_1_6?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1480011136&sr=1-6&keywords=camp+stove is what I have

  • Fire extinguisher that actually works! So many people don’t have one. Also be wary of the cheap ones that spray everywhere and you may have to live by it for some time.

  • (~$18) Ear muffs/ noise canceling for the kids AND you. Alarms will be going off and its really jarring. Tell them it’s a secret mission and you are all on an adventure. Re-assure them things are ok. Trauma through a natural disaster is horrible.

  • (~$15) Particulate filter – I like the 3m brand, and they are sold in packs. You never know what building material will be opened up when things get shaken. In addition to the fires.

  • (~$X) tarps cut to numerous shapes, sand bags, staple gun, duct tape, weather tape, sealant of some kind. It’ll be a barrier between your home and outside and it’s a +1 to making you feel a little more secure.

  • Safety goggles / good set of working gloves – there will be debris you have to navigate through seeing and using hands is very important

  • (`$20) Headlamp – I like the triple AAA kind for obvious sustainability. Having a light makes things must more easy when navigating and in doors. I also have a light lamp like a lantern.

  • Glow sticks/ chem lights. I use red to mark off bad areas or dangerous areas of the home. White/ purple chem lights for trails in home, and green for rooms occupied

  • A survival radio to get news and updates

  • CASH – there may be gouging or not but we don’t know if the Point of sales will be readily available

  • Medications – have a solid plan on how you will get your prescriptions if necessary, maybe talk to your doctor about an extra script. Or pharmacy personnel. I have an extra for my parents blood pressure medication and it was easy as asking for an extra that we rotate.

  • Two-way cheapo walkie talkies in case my family/ part needs to move around and still communicate to each other (baofeng is the rip off of the motorolla but still works) https://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-Warranty-Dual-Band-Radio-Improved/dp/B00HX03AMA/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1480011051&sr=1-5&keywords=baofeng like this

  • Kitty litter/ sawdust/ wood shavings – good for sucking up any spilled liquids that may be dangerous

  • Water pump. In case you have a floor level/ basement (I know you east coasters don’t think we have basements) but in case it floods and you shut things off you still need to be able to move that water out somewhere else.

  • Wheel barrow/ or mobile hand-stand dolly. You may need to move things like sand bags or debris

  • Learn where the emergency and main shut off for electricity, gas, water. Maybe do some maintenance and make sure its not stuck!

    o Water heater – learn if it’s a gas or electric and if you need to turn it off
    o Home heating – maybe learn about the oil reserve and how to clean and sanction off

  • LASTLY BUT EQUALLY IMPORTANT WHERE WILL YOU PUT THESE ITEMS? Do not place them in a danger zone and are in-accessible.

    realistic time tables:

  • 1st responders in EMS/ paramedics will be in short supply, the hospitals and clinics will be slammed.

  • Transport will be difficult as most roads in the Bay Area will be congested and people generally will be shocked and confused and attempting to get home..

  • The estimates from FEMA and State of California (http://sfdem.org/sites/default/files/FileCenter/Documents/67-EQ%20Plan%202008.pdf ) is an older copy and has been updated but I can’t find the 2015

  • Realistically, my supplies and plan is to survive in the increments of 48 for life threatening, 2 weeks sustainment, a month before my domicile is secured.

    problem #1 – theres a really high chance YOU WILL NOT BE at your domicile/ home as most people commute. I highly recommend you think about a plan to either meet up with family OR some type of emergency plan as a rally-point.

    problem #2 – exposure to the elements, your walls might come down, your windows may shatter, your roof may open up, please see the items I recommended on tarps/ staple guns

    problem #3 – you are prepared and have all this stuff? Now what? Well be wary – cause what if theres a fire from your neighbors? What if theres a tsunami and flooding? Or some other after effect that can really mess with the plan? I highly recommend a “go-bag/ or bug out bag and a rally point for your family” maybe your community center/ school auditorium, look ahead for designated shelters.

    *problem #4 – firearms. This is something to consider. I won’t get into political/ moral/ safety arguments but consider where they are stored and the most safe but useful way you can use this.

    re-assurances – last muster from the FEMA, Coast Guard, National Guard, SF/ County resources we mustered in under 24 hours to respond. (please please keep in mind, responders take care of their situation first, that’s a reason to the high response time)**

    There are hundreds of us (first responders and personnel dedicated to helping and rebuilding)
    The operation tempo or ideas will be “recovery> stability > rebuilding”
    So I’ve included a lot of information, if anyone wants to question it feel free to open for discussion. Or additional information.


u/uski · 78 pointsr/preppers

A few more ideas :

I would suggest having a battery-powered FM radio (and extra batteries if it's battery powered, or get one which charges via USB like the one I linked) to listen to the news and get vital information.

Also (if not too late), order a sawyer mini (best) or lifestraw (not as good). If you don't have access to clean water it can help you stay healthy (beware of chemical contamination which cannot be removed by these).

If you have the money, get a Garmin inReach satellite communicator (requires a (relatively cheap) subscription, down to $15ish a month). You can request SOS (much like 911), and send/receive SMS and e-mails, even without cell coverage. Excellent to keep in touch with relatives and in case of emergency. Can be used year-round when hiking, snow-mobile, skiing, ... Don't tell anyone you have this...

Download the offline map of your area on Google Maps on your phone beforehand. Can be priceless to navigate around and doesn't require internet access. Also get the Maps.Me app and download the map of your area too. Google Maps offline maps will expire and disappear from your phone after 30 days (I believe), Maps.Me maps will not.

If the cell service in your area is out of order, use your phone in airplane mode so that it doesn't continuously and desperately looks for a cell to connect to, which will drain the battery VERY quickly. Also use it on the lowest practical brightness setting to save battery power.

If not too late, get big USB power banks (>=10000mAh such as this one) and fully charge them beforehand. It's good as barter items and it can be nice to recharge your things when you have no access to a generator (on the go, or if you don't want to run the generator to avoid attracting attention). You can also get USB lights (this one for instance) and your powerbank doubles as a flashlight with a very long battery life.

Get a first aid kit, and not just one with bandaids... Get a CAT tourniquet, trauma dressing, Celox (preferred) or QuikClot bandage, triangular bandage, SAM splint, ... and know how to use them. Also get the basic medecines (stomach/diarrhea relief, basic painkillers, anti-allergy, and any prescription medecine if you require any). Remember 911 service may be unavailable for some time and you need to be able to take care of injuries. Tourniquets save lives, everyone should have one readily available.

​

I am a radio amateur and in these situations I like to have one or two portable radio for two-way communication but I realize it is not for everybody. Still, a pair of FRS/GMRS radio can be helpful. Please note that GMRS requires a (cheap) license in the USA. I would recommend this model which also allows to be used as a scanner and to program the NOAA weather frequencies (do it beforehand) and some local police/EMS/fire frequencies (if allowed in your juridiction).

Please DO NOT use a radio made for amateur radio use, where you can transmit on any frequency, such as the UV-5R; you may interfere with emergency communications, even if you can't hear them, miles away. Please stick to the FRS/GMRS frequencies. The radio above guarantees safe operation and still allows to be used as a scanner.

​

Take pictures of all your important documents (ID, properties, ...) and store them in a waterproof plastic bag. Try to keep at least your passport and driver license with you during the storm...

If you have a sump pump, try to arrange so that it can be battery powered and/or connected to your generator. If using battery power, get a battery charger and/or a generator connection, if the outage lasts and the battery runs down. Sometimes homes are not affected by the main storm but are flooded due to the lack of power around the storm and are still ruined, and that's totally preventable.

Also, beforehand, depending of the situation you might want to BLOCK your main sewage pipe. This way you might avoid sewage backflow into your home. There are normally valves already installed but in case of serious flooding (high backpressure) they sometimes are not up to the task.

​

Download a few offline movies on the Netflix app (if you have Netflix). I never lived though a hurricane but I assume after a few days/weeks, you might want some entertainment. You can also download e-books. Bonus if it's survival-related e-books.

​

Hope this helps... good luck to those affected


PS: oooo, thank you stranger for the gold, I think I never had one before ! Happy prepping :)

u/nsgiad · 45 pointsr/myfriendwantstoknow

Your options depend on how much you're willing to spend, and how much you're willing to trust other people.

Sure you could pay someone, how much? No clue, but let's try some napkin math. It's roughly 1500 miles or about 42 hours (normal driving, uhauls are slow as shit so it'll likely be way longer than that) according to google. An hourly driver makes on average 20 bucks an hour, or 840 bucks, plus food, plus lodging plus flight back to texas (you don't expect them to drive through the night right?

But hourly for a job like this doesn't really work, per mile makes more sense. Truck drivers make .28-.40/mile (or there abouts) so you're looking at 420 to 600, plus lodging and meals and a flight back to texas.

Regardless of pay, you're trusting someone with all of your personal belongings and a car, over 1500 miles, and multiple days to not just take off with you stuff or some how bamboozle you. Hiring someone for something like this that isn't a close friend is something I could completely avoid

Shipping a car cost 750-1500ish (it really, really depends) and that price includes all the drivers costs. This also allows you and your SO to then drive the uhaul and towed car together while your other car makes it way too the east coast on a rig.

I haven't moved across the country in a long time, but renting a uhaul and a tow trailer for a trip like that is not cheap, which I'm sure you've already seen the quotes for, so hiring someone or shipping your car might put you out of your budget.

If you don't have a friend that will help for just airfare home, meals, and lodging (no pay for driving) then your most cost effective (and lowest risk) option to it to just suck it up and drive separately. Get a pair of two way radios These tend to have pretty good range as long as you mostly stay line of sight, plus you'll have your phones incase you get too far apart.

Set a route with checkpoints that if you're not in contact with each other, you stop until the other one arrives. Use some type of phone app to also monitor each other's location, this give redundancy incase you're out of cell service or a checkpoint gets missed. Have your nightly stops planned as well.

I might have some suggestions, but a lot of it comes down to why you don't want to drive apart, some reasons you can work around (like I did above) but others (medical issues, etc) might mean you need to plan more or up your moving budget.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

u/carnstar · 40 pointsr/BuyItForLife

I second getting a license.

But I think your best bet would be getting a satellite or leasing some orbital bandwidth. Companies like United Launch Alliance and Golden Spike can offer you launch space. Satellites tech is good enough that building one is purely a DIY effort.

Just kidding. In fact I am only making fun of the HAM suggestion.

My setup isn't BIFL, and they are strictly consumer grade, but they are pretty sturdy. They were the suggestion of my 1SGT.

http://www.amazon.com/Midland-GXT1000VP4-36-Mile-50-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001WMFYH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376766043&sr=8-1&keywords=frs+radio

If on the trail with your radios you get some blisters, consider getting a medical degree. It'll open up access to all sorts of medicines that just aren't available over the counter.

u/funbob · 34 pointsr/amateurradio

Cheapest

u/notcaffeinefree · 21 pointsr/AskReddit

I don't know about laws in other counties, but in the USA you need to take (and pass) an exam. More info here: http://www.arrl.org/licensing-education-training. The entry-level license isn't all that difficult (and there's practice stuff online to get a sense of what kind of questions are asked). It's 35 questions and you must get 26 of those correct to pass.

As for the radio, I believe you can buy one and still use it to listen without a license. But do not transmit without a license. There's some pretty cheap ones on Amazon that get good reviews like this one. As a beginner, there's probably not much more you'll need out of a radio (and at ~$35 you're not making a huge investment into a hobby that you may not be sure about).

u/MoyB · 20 pointsr/FSAE

The most giantest muffler you can find for when you fail sound, comfortable shoes, and four seasons worth of clothing.

Edit: Some more junk I thought of: A bunch of those shitty camping folding chairs for when everyone is just sitting around waiting for tech and such, a USB battery bank thing for when your phone dies, a projector for business presentation, and, if you guys can swing it, get some shitty two-way radios like these (super useful for when you forget something back in the paddock and your phone is dead): https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493949638&sr=1-3&keywords=baofeng+uv-5r

u/fidelitypdx · 19 pointsr/preppers

Hmm, might be time to stock up on Baofengs for those who have not yet.

I've bought about 20 different Baofeng radios.

For those who don't know, the UV-5R is the least expensive (see note below), around $30, and is a common radio used on the battlefields of Ukraine and Syria by militia forces. It has a practical broadcast range of about 0.5 miles in urban areas, and about a 1-2 mile range with line of sight. I know a lot of people claim their devices broadcast further, but this is just my actual practical testing.

A slightly more expensive (but much better) option is the UV-82HP. It effectively has double the range.

Both radios can be modified with software to operate outside of normal radio spectrum. I think a lot of us knew that eventually the government would catch up and do something. Conspiracy theorists have claimed that the Chinese government installs backdoor software on these, or that there's other nefarious components of these cheap radios.

It's rumored that these devices are substantially less expensive than US, Korean, or Japanese options because the Chinese government was subsidizing the price of each unit. Basically trying to flood the market with a cheaper version and unseat Motorola as the standard business radio. You do really get good capabilities for the price - but it's no where near what a $200+ HAM radio setup is capable of.

Personally, I think you should have a UV-5R plus extra batteries in every vehicle. If you ever run a convoy it becomes critical to have radio communications.

*There's older UV-5R models for $25, and they can be bought in bulk on Amazon. Or, this 5-pack for $111.

u/zxj4k3xz · 17 pointsr/airsoft

It's not exactly a walkie-talkie, but the Baofeng UV-5R is what I, and a lot of other airsofters, use.

u/Banzertank · 16 pointsr/EDC
u/ybitz · 14 pointsr/flying

I don’t get why aviation handheld radios are so expensive. There are Chinese manufactured radios for like $35 or whatever, but unfortunately they don’t make them in the aviation band (and AM)

BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_aB9XzbAJV22XB

u/vhfpower · 14 pointsr/preppers

Baofeng UV-5R

Remember it's got a flashlight, FM broadcast receiver, VHF/UHF analog FM scanning capability (where useful), picks up NOAA broadcasts, plus it's a great excuse to pursue an amateur radio license.

u/ryanpetris · 12 pointsr/HamRadio

The normal price for a 5 watt UV-5R on Amazon is $3 cheaper with free shipping.

u/Tacos2night · 12 pointsr/preppers

Get a Baofung UV5R or similar from Amazon for about $30. It comes with a charger and if you set it up right it holds a charge for a good while. You will need a technician class licence from the FCC to transmit on it but it works great for hitting local repeaters on 2 meter and 70cm bands. I wouldn't bother with cb personally, the ham bands have further reach and repeater networks expand that across the state and even nationwide.


Edit to add:
BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_B0svzb4DRCC35

Also, get the programming cable and download chirp software to set up the radio with your local channels. There's plenty of tutorials on YouTube etc.

u/DaProf · 12 pointsr/amateurradio

I'll probably get downvoted, but if you just want to talk to your neighbor like that, nothing wrong with a CB radio.

Then there is the obligatory answer, get your tech license and a couple of Baofengs

u/ryan112ryan · 11 pointsr/Survival

I'd take two approaches on this: high tech and low tech. Low tech I'd pick up a signal mirror. High tech I'd suggest this radio that I know a lot of preppers use. It's a good price and feature packed: http://amzn.com/B00C83AU9S

u/LegoGuy23 · 10 pointsr/amateurradio

I'd take the money you'd spend on an 8w HT and go with a 4 or 5w HT and a better antenna.
It'll get much better results.
Something like a roll up slim jim J pole is a great antenna for portable and even base use.
A simple Baofeng like this one is decent.
Jus know that more than half of Baofengs don't meet FCC spurious emissions regulations compliance. Buy at your own risk.

u/Cavemahn · 10 pointsr/preppers

What you're describing is HAM radio.

$15 covers the license. You'll learn a lot to pass the test too.

Get a few of these. Watch Slick deals for the best price.
https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

One of these would be a good idea.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004WKH00M/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1479097005&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ham+radio&dpPl=1&dpID=51MrErlT3tL&ref=plSrch


As far as I understand you can communicate within two miles or around the world. Depends on the frequencies you use and the antenna setup.

u/snigwich · 10 pointsr/Survival

> Getting your ham license is easy-peasy. Study for the technician level exam took about four hours. The test costs $15 and that gets you a call sign and a ten year license.

Pro-tip: You don't need a license for emergency use and HAM operators will always be glad to help in an emergency situation.

Get something like the BaoFeng UV5R and learn how to use it. If you don't mind the extra weight (1.1 pounds) it can save your life.

u/tmwrnj · 9 pointsr/amateurradio

Amateur radio equipment used to be expensive and only available from specialist suppliers. Unlicensed users did occasionally use equipment illegally, but with the exception of CB burners, it was a relatively minor problem.

The availability of dirt-cheap HTs on Amazon is a completely new problem in terms of scale. If you look at the Amazon reviews for Baofeng transceivers, it's clear that a huge proportion of buyers have absolutely no idea that they need a license.

I don't think we need to go as far as verifying licenses at the point of purchase. I do think that sellers should be required to prominently state that the equipment is for licensed users only, and that use of this equipment without a license is a criminal offence. At the very least, unlicensed buyers of these radios have the right to know that they're breaking the law.

u/ancientwarriorman · 9 pointsr/ChapoTrapHouse

Get a community assembly/neighborhood action coalition going. We'll need those dual power structures to be ready.

Get your mutual aid game up. First aid trainings, tool libraries, dry canneries (yes this is from the LDS church, but they know their shit).

Get a ham radio and license, and get a comms network going with your comrades. Figure out how to get water if the power goes out (your water might too) - this might mean a generator for your well pump, or a huge bottle of iodine tablets for drinking rain barrel water from the roof of your building for a while.

Get a shotgun. $200 gets you a good one, you can hunt small game up to deer with it and a pump action is easy to maintain and not likely to be outlawed anytime soon.

Start today.

u/Making_stuff · 9 pointsr/shutupandtakemymoney

I purchased a UV-5Ra recently for approx $30. I don't understand what makes this UV-82 a deal per se vs. picking up one of these guys. In the link you provided, the UV-82 is described as having a louder speaker. I mean, that's cool and all, but the rest of the specs look like the 5Ra.

I'm recent to HAM - I got my technicians license in the fall. So I'm keeping my eyes open for cheap entry-level stuff. If there's a reason this one is boon over the cheaper Baofengs, please let me know. I'm all up for HAM stuff that's below the $50 price point. 'Cuz I ain't got money fo dat.

u/lirakis · 8 pointsr/Baofeng

Programming cable and CHIRP will save you tons of time and headache. You can program UV5's manually, but it is so much easier to do with software.

u/cdwilliams1 · 8 pointsr/amateurradio

I have some of the Baofeng's for MURS. They aren't bad.

u/fightingsioux · 8 pointsr/legaladvice

What your family member is looking at buying is a Baofeng UV-5R. It is actually not designed to be a scanner but is a ham radio that can transmit/receive public safety bands. It is perfectly legal to own these radios and they are extremely common. Unlike most other radios however, they will do nothing to prevent you from transmitting on bands that you're not allowed to transmit on. So while it would be perfectly fine for them to get that radio, they just have to be very careful not to hit the transmit button.

If they are dead set on purchasing one, I would encourage them to get their amateur radio license so they can learn how to properly operate their radio, learn all about the relevant laws, and communicate on the the amateur bands that the UV-5R can transceive on.

u/rodmacpherson · 8 pointsr/HamRadio

This is a good idea. Get your own license. Also, if he doesn't have a handheld yet, buy yourself and him each a cheap HT like a Baofeng. They are not the greatest radios, so you will probably want to upgrade at some point, but it's a great way for you to get into the hobby and you both having little handhelds means you will more likely be able to find a chance to use them.

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

u/[deleted] · 8 pointsr/amateurradio

If you're just looking into radio to see if it's right for you, which it seems like you are, your first port of call should be finding a radio club. It's easy, just go to this page from the ARRL. They'll help you get your license (seriously, wives of hams often have licenses they never thought they'd get), they're some of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, you can go over to their house and they'll let you try their radios out (you can operate a radio even if you're unlicensed, there just has to be a licensed operator with you), and in my experience, they're really generous and will let you borrow radios or just straight up give old ones to you that they don't use anymore. If you find out that radio isn't really for you, they're usually great friends overall and you'll probably be glad to have met them. They're also really great question-answerers.

___

Now, if you're already licensed and are looking into getting on 2 meters with a Baofeng, here's what I'd buy:

  • This Baofeng UV-5R.

  • This programming cable (Baofengs are notoriously hard to program from the keypad).

  • This improved rubber duck antenna, since the stock one is a piece-o-shite.

  • And finally, this cable that will allow you to connect the uncommon (in the ham radio world) SMA connector on the top of the baofeng to the infinitely more common PL-259 connector.

    All in all, you're looking at spending about a Benjamin or less on a proper Baofeng setup.

    Hope this helps!
u/Cool_Bastard · 7 pointsr/preppers

Excellent list. I didn't see some things though, like:

  • 10 liters of water isn't enough. Think of one gallon a day per person for 30 days. So, 30 gallons per person to last you a month. Throw in an extra 20 gallons to clean clothes and bathe. For three people, that's 150 gallons.
  • flashlights
  • survival knife
  • extra set of clothing, socks, etc.
  • soap, towels, wash cloths, kitchen scrub pad
  • dishes to eat, pots/pans to cook
  • buckets to wash clothes in or wash dishes
  • solar shower
  • maybe high power sling shot to keep feral dogs at bay or predators
  • firearms sound mandatory, along with plenty of ammo, in a case of course, with cleaning kit
  • laptop & charger (you never know when you might get electricity back or even wifi)
  • USB charger for phones, extra battery packs for phones
  • tourniquets in first aid kit
  • multiple first aid kits, one for each person,
  • individual backpacks
  • duct tape
  • more duct tape
  • carabiners, parachute cord, lots of it,
  • steel toe boots
  • hammocks
  • 25 mile walkie talkies
  • 10,000 watt dual fuel generator along with a two or three 40 pound propane tanks.
  • Zippo lighter
  • sunscreen, chapstick, sewing kit, sunglasses, sleeping bags, sheets, more rope, cord & duct tape.

    I often wonder if I'm too paranoid, but my mind always keeps going back to climate change. I posted this the other day and have been talking about this being a reality in a couple of years to the point that now my wife (who is much smarter than I) is now seeing news reports all over the place stating exactly what I've been saying. She just sent me an article yesterday that says look at places 500 miles South of where you live...that's what life is going to be like in a couple dozen years.

    The shit is real, it's happening, and people refuse to prepare. They didn't prepare in New Orleans, or Paradise or any other place where there are natural disasters. If your family & friends live in the Pacific Northwest, then show them this article about the Cascadia Subduction Zone. If that doesn't scare them, then maybe do some quick Googles on Bing for Coronal Mass Ejections and how they'll frag any transformer in their path, setting us back 100 years. If people aren't prepared, they're screwed.

    And no, I'm not even prepared. All I have is 30 gallons of water in the garage I have to clear out every 6-9 months, along with some freeze dried food. I prepped our daughter, but not ourselves.
u/Nenotriple · 7 pointsr/pcgaming

I live in a forest, so finding wood to use isn't an issue at all.

I just walk around looking for cherry/apple/maple etc. I try to collect as many branches that I might be able to use. Then I split them down the center. Most of the time, you can make a spoon from each half. I try to use branches that are bigger than 4" inches or so.

I like to draw a rough shape of the spoon on the wood. I use a hook knife to carve out the bowl, It takes some getting used to, but it works very nice. It's a little difficult to sharpen though.

Then with a hand saw, I cut out as much wood as possible. I also make a couple relief cuts to make carving around the neck easier. Next I use a draw knife to shape the handle. I also use a good sharp knife. The handle is probably the easiest part to carve, but it's easy to make it off center from the bowl.

The key is keeping the tools razor sharp at all times. After the initial sharpen, you should constantly hone the edge. This is most commonly done on a leather strip that's been loaded with a waxy honing compound. Honing is considerably easier/faster than sharpening, and keeps a wicked edge, but you still need to hit the stone every so often. All you need to do is wipe each face of the edge across the leather, wiping away from the edge of the blade.

Instead of using expensive sharpening stones, you can also just tape some sandpaper to some glass/granite. But I totally recommend the DMT diamond steel blocks. A coarse, and fine, will coast you about $100, but they work great.

It generally takes me about 4-6 hours to carve a spoon. I try to always finish in a single day, otherwise the wood will become dry, and harder to carve. I'll put the spoon in a plastic bag with some of the wood shavings to sit overnight so it doesn't lose much moisture.

I also like to make things on a wood lathe. Like whistles, spinning tops, mushrooms, containers, bowls, trays, baseball bats, mallets, wands, etc.
It's a lot of fun, and there's little stress in getting it right. There's no "right" shape of a mushroom, just go wild.

u/zildjian · 7 pointsr/overlanding

Investigate getting your ham license (seriously, the tech license is simple, sub $15, and you might learn something new). That'll allow you to use much more powerful equipment. Talkies are limited to 500mw and often have trouble getting out of the vehicle. With ham, you can pick up something even as low as ~$25 that'll do 4w, and it only gets better from there.

u/Tahns · 7 pointsr/amateurradio

I somewhat impulsively decided I really wanted to become licensed so I bought a $25 [BaoFeng UV-5R] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8NbsDbZT2KJ8T) radio and just reviewed questions in my spare time using HamStudy for a few weeks.

I just passed my exam on Saturday and am waiting for my name to show up online, so that method has been working for me so far.

u/nightslayer78 · 7 pointsr/SocialistRA
u/diachi_revived · 7 pointsr/amateurradio

VHF stands for Very High Frequency, it consists of radio frequencies between 30MHz and 300Mhz. Learn more about the different frequency bands here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_frequency

Note: Hams break up the bands listed there even further, naming them by wavelength. For example, at VHF there's 6m (~50-50.1MHz),4m(~70-70.5Mhz),2m(~144-148Mhz) and 1.25m(~220-225Mhz). At HF we've got 80m, 75m, 60m, 40m, 30m, 20m and 10m (plus some more bands I left out). These are the bands used to communicate around the world without satellites or repeaters.

$30 VHF Handheld - Keep in mind that if you buy it you must have a license in order to transmit with it, you can listen just fine though. https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A


As for getting started with your license, what country are you in?

u/ckvoss77 · 7 pointsr/bugout

This is a pretty good start. I've put together a couple of notes.

  • The duct tape you listed is a rip off. What I did for my bug out bag was buy a roll of duct tape, then wrap it neatly around a pencil.

  • Instead of a SOG fixed blade knife, you might consider spending $20-$30 more and getting a ka-bar. I've personally had bad experiences with SOG and love the ka-bars I have. If you go this route, be sure to find a true ka-bar... there are a bunch of fakes out there.

  • For radios, I would get something more versatile. The downside to the one you listed is they don't support many bands. Also, I may be wrong, but I'm very suspicious of the 35 mile range that is listed. The BaoFeng UV-5R is a hidden gem that does everything the motorola you've listed does and a whole lot more. the only downside is you need a HAM license to operate one legally (assuming you are in the US) https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

  • The carabiners you've listed don't appear to be CE or UIAA certified for climbing. Here is a link to a set I recently bough that are both CE and UIAA rated and are more than strong enough for climbing with equipment. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N6DD42Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc

  • 550 paracord would do the same job as the speciality shoe laces you've listed for cheaper.

  • You can make your own snare kits, fishing kits, and first aid kits for much, much cheaper that what is in your list.

  • I personally would skip the bit kit unless you have a very specific need.

  • The "Maxpedition Single Sheath" is very expensive for what it is. You can find something equivalent for about 1/4 the price.

  • The bag you've listed may not be big enough for all of your gear. This is difficult to gauge, but your choice of bag is important.

    All that being said, I think you've done a good job of planning and selecting products that will be useful. I've been waiting on my wife to put together a sewing kit, but your post has spurred me to buy one instead (I don't think she's ever going to get around to it)....(this is the one I ended up buying: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015L46N96/ref=pd_luc_rh_sbs_02_01_t_img_lh?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1).

    Thanks and best of luck with your prepping!
u/eclipse75 · 7 pointsr/amateurradio

My ideas:

u/TrouserPudding · 7 pointsr/amateurradio

>I dont know Im only 14 and I just dont feel like I would fit in with a group of adults.

I'm 38 and I still don't feel like I fit in with the ancient guys at most of the clubs. The good thing is that a lot of them are really smart and passionate about the hobby and really willing to help you out. With having something in common (radio) you just may find you do fit in.

But, you can also go another way and learn on your own (or get started on your own so they know you're serious).

Here is a bunch of different resources for reading up on the things you'll need to know to get that license. And a great place to go through the multiple choice questions you'll have to answer is http://www.hamstudy.org/. All of those are free, and actually taking the test will cost you $15.00.

With a technician license and a $50 radio you could be on the air talking on local repeaters or doing even more interesting stuff like making an antenna for that radio so you can talk to the ISS.

u/Hawk810 · 7 pointsr/preppers

Get a portable 2 meter ham radio. The 7 NOAA weather radio frequencies are between 162.400MHz and 162.550MHz, which is FM in the 2 meter band. Anyone can listen to ham broadcasts and you only need a license to broadcast. There are radios that fit your requirements out there. Also, you can listen to your local county repeater (if there is one, depending on your location) which may have a SkyWarn net up when the weather gets bad, or there is a local emergency. Also gives you the capability of communication if the cell towers or power goes out (*with license).

Extra bonus points for taking a few days to study and get your Technician license, which is pretty easy, and you can broadcast on 2 meter, as well as a select few other bands.

the radio I carry with me daily is here:

http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Band-Improved-Stronger/dp/B0097252UK

It may not be the best, but the price is right. This will also pick up your local FM radio broadcasts if you switch modes, which can be very helpful.

u/mwilliams · 7 pointsr/amateurradio


$20 - RTL-SDR - see /r/RTLSDR, ability to listen to a wide range of frequencies, including the VHF/UHF ham bands, but also scanner activity and everything else in between.

$52 - HF upconverter for the RTLSDR - Add HF listening to the RTLSDR - this is where all the good stuff is (in my opinion), the shortwave, DX, data modes, CW, weather fax, etc etc.

$36 - Baofeng UV-5R - transmit/receive on 2m/440, might not be as nice as the B5 model, but it's $20 cheaper. And quite frankly, I think once you get a taste of HF, your HT is going to collect dust. These keep on getting cheaper and cheaper, they're almost disposable at this point. So if you really dig having an HT and want a B5 or a newer model down the road, it won't break the bank. I've got a hand mic for mine and it's hooked up to an outdoor antenna - talks to all my local repeaters quite easily. Get the USB programming cable and maybe an after market antenna.


u/fakehalo · 7 pointsr/Bitcoin

You really like the straw man argument approach, you should be a pundit somewhere.

Here is a radio similar to the one I have. $60 and goes miles, depending on your location (on a mountain/minimal interference), 10s of miles. There are tutorials on souping these up to go further.

I suspect you'll respond to this by changing my words around again into some other scenario I didn't say, so I'll limit it to "$60 = miles in range".

u/sandwichsaregood · 7 pointsr/Baofeng

If I understand it correctly, in Canada GMRS does not require a license. You cannot use the F8HP because it is not type-accepted for
GMRS, but Baofeng does make a GMRS type-accepted radio that I believe is legal for use in Canada: the GMRS-V1. You'll need to double check Canadian regulations on GMRS, but that is probably the safer legal option. It's 2W to be compliant with limits on GMRS outputs, but that will still get you pretty good range.

Edit: fines for business caught doing illegal stuff are usually harsher, so I'd make sure you double and triple check Canadian law to make sure you are in the clear for anything you decide on, not just rely on what people tell you.

u/thenackdotcom · 6 pointsr/amateurradio

Did you have that specific stock antenna on it or the older one that didn't have the tapered base? I've seen multiple measurements backing up the newer tapered base (as in OP's image) has NO difference to something like a Nagoya NA-701. The older Baofeng antenna, that looks like this, was definitely shit.

Of course if you put a longer antenna on with more gain you can do better.

u/DiabloKing · 6 pointsr/amateurradio

Sure why not! There is a little of everything in this hobby for everyone and if you find it fascinating then its already for you. Unfortunately you need a little time to learn the material to get licensed. It takes roughly 10 hours of studying to pass your technician license. As for money you can dump loads of cash or spend 50$ and get on air. What would your price range be? You can pick up a 30$ Baofeng UV-5R or a little more expensive $170 Yaesu FT-60R which from what I've heard is a tank and a very good starter radio.

u/mirathi · 6 pointsr/HuntsvilleAlabama

Amateur/ham radio operators monitor and participate in the SKYWARN Network of North Alabama/Southern Middle Tennessee. Here are two Huntsville frequencies I monitor during bad weather:

KB4CRG: 147.240

KB4CRG: 442.775

Here's a $24 ham radio on Amazon.

Learn more about getting your Technician Class license here.

u/kylej135 · 6 pointsr/HamRadio

You can get into this without having to spend a lot of money, just look through here. http://hamexam.org/ this is a free easy way to test for your license. But I would start out with http://www.kb6nu.com/tech-manual/ this will help you to understand what is going on and how things work. Then there is another manual there for general class. This is a copy/past that I typed for someone else, some of the stuff may not be useful as you may already know it from your own research. Intro video; for people that what to get into it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHd3dZW1SBc This is what I tell them. It can seem a bit overwhelming depending on how far you want to go with this. First I would recommend watch some videos. I will post some that I think are helpful but could be boring. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Qgg_upU_5s This is an old video but, its simple and the military explains things well. Part2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS8xlwyc6G4 I hope that this gives you an understanding of whats going on with radios. This guy kind of gives an overview about ham radio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFLxeASa05k If you buy one of these Baofeng radios, this guy has some videos on programming with your pc using the chirp program as well as videos on hand programming. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LXkkaJkVUM I really recommend using chirp over the factory software if you have trouble using it. I bought the UV-82 with all the accessories from amazon, http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-82-Two-Way-Radio/dp/B00E4KLY34/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389311738&sr=8-1&keywords=UV-82 and added the programming cable and mic, most up to date radio that I know of.

Repeaters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJFeY0jZymA basic explanation, there are plenty of videos that show how to get connected to a repeater. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB4R1pgLG84 website that show you where repeaters are located, you have to do a search from the menu, find the magnifying glass .

Now as far as licenses go. There are three classes of operators, Technician class, General class, and Extra class. Technician class is what most people starting out get, and puts you in the operating range of what these hand held radios can do. http://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010_Tech_Study_Guide.pdf

General class gets you more frequencies to operate on but, you would have to buy or build more radio equipment that is more capable than these smaller radios. http://kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/2011-No-Nonsense-General-Class-License-Study-Guide.pdf

Extra class, well this is for the ham radio junkies, lol. People with this class get a few more frequencies to operate on and have a very in-depth knowledge of diverse technical fields from electronics, radio theories and most likely computers and electrical engineering.

Testing: You have to take a test for each license approved by the FCC, that you would like to get, like I said though a lot just get the Technician Class license. http://www.arrl.org/licensing-education-training search through here to find out where, when, to take test(s) or take classes. There are also websites to practice taking a test. http://www.eham.net/exams/

There are so many things that you can get into, I think this is some of the basics of it, lol. If you just read or watch a little bit at a time the more you will absorb what's going on and it may start to become fun but if it's not something that you would enjoy as a hobby, at least get the tech license and understand how to use a repeater and learn it like putting on pants.

Other notes: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulatory/Band%20Chart/Hambands_color.pdf

http://www.sm0vpo.com/antennas/anten.htm

u/sad-king-billy · 6 pointsr/Baofeng

This is what I just got for my first HT:

u/-me-official- · 6 pointsr/preppers

What is the difference between this version and this version with respect to capability (that a regular person might use)? Getting 5 for the price of roughly 2 seems pretty nice if they have roughly the same capability.

u/timbojimbob · 6 pointsr/Baofeng

This bad boy right here
BTECH QHM22 Platinum Series IP54 Rainproof Shoulder Speaker Mic for BaoFeng, BTECH, Kenwood Radios https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z4X3MM6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zYMXCbV4MABYS

u/rpellicciotti · 6 pointsr/Baofeng

I use one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019YJMRZS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_F3gBybGGPVN1C

​

You can plug in a set of iPhone earbuds with mic and it allows you to hear and transmit.

u/iHelix150 · 6 pointsr/LifeProTips

The most important things to carry are things that will keep you alive. WATER is the most important. You can live without food for weeks, you can't live without water for more than a few days. Don't eat anything you aren't sure of (being sick is worse than being hungry) and don't eat if you don't have lots of water (digestion uses up water). Next is clothing- carry a spare jacket or snowpants in your car and a good set of gloves. You may be dressed comfortably for inside or in a heated car, but that will be a problem if you lose your engine in the middle of nowhere at night. From there you might consider a sleeping bag to keep you warm at night.
After that- LIGHT. If you are stuck somewhere at night, you will need as much light as you can get. Carry multiple flashlights, ideally one of which is a headlamp and one of which is indestructible, and carry spare batteries for each one. Chem-lights (Cyalume sticks) are also good to have but should be a backup to a real flashlight.

From there you might consider survival supplies- high calorie foodpacks, flares, signaling supplies, reflectors, fire starting equipment, knives, tools, etc. A simple Leatherman or Swiss Army Knife can be a big help in such a situation.

Carry some jumper cables and a pad of steel wool. Jumper cables have an obvious use (starting the car) and a few non-obvious uses (as rope or tools), but if you need to start a fire, use the jumper cables on the steel wool (few seconds at a time at most) and it will glow red hot.

Also, one of the simplest, stupidest things to carry is a cell phone charger. If you get stuck somewhere your cell phone could be out of juice even though your car battery has plenty of power. Don't get stuck by such a stupid problem.


If you're in backcountry places or go there during the winter (skiing etc) have at least one means to call for help that isn't a cell phone.

I heard about an accident that happened a few years back, a guy goes off the road during a snowstorm and his car disappears into the woods. Snowplow plows over the tracks so nobody can see where he went off the road, and he's pinned inside his car and can't move much. He sat there for almost 2 days before a passing trucker heard about the missing vehicle and happened to catch a glint of twilight off his side view mirror. If not for that, nobody'd have found him until spring, but he got lucky and was rescued.

The cell phone wasn't usable for this guy (either it was damaged in the crash or it had no service), if he'd had some other way of calling for help he'd have been rescued much sooner.

Your best bet is a 406MHz PLB, which is a satellite homing beacon (many models exist, some float and/or have a display). These cost a few hundred bucks, but have no subscription fees. (ACR offers an optional subscription service, but you don't need it). The battery is sealed in the unit and has to be serviced every few years, but you know it'll work because it has no useful function other than to call for help.

The cheap version of that is the Spot Satellite Messenger, which does much the same thing just with a less powerful radio and a commercial satellite phone network. Not quite as reliable as a real PLB, and needs a yearly subscription fee, but has other functions (you can have it check in every 15min and show your course on a map, or a newer one can be used to update your Facebook status, ugh). Spot takes AAA or AA batteries, so carry spares. Spot makes a few versions of this, and there's now a variant from DeLorme that works with Android phones.

You should also consider a good set of two way radios. Ignore the '50 mile range' type crap, its all bullshit (the ones linked above have better range than most with a full 5watt transmitter, but it's no 50 miles). Leave these in the charger, and leave the charger plugged into your car's trunk outlet. If you are doing a multi-car trip, put one in each car- that way if there's a problem you can easily signal the other car (if there's no cell service, you might run into a situation where one car has a problem and the other car doesn't see them stop for a while). They're also a lot of fun on road trips and great for skiing. The units linked above can also run on AA batteries instead of the rechargeable pack, so keep spare batteries around.

You might also look into CB Radios (many models available). A CB is usually mobile, not portable (ie it plugs into lighter socket with antenna on the roof) but CBs have the advantage that all the truckers use CB radios. Truckers will tell you about road hazards like accidents, dangerous conditions, and speed traps; and will often have different routes to suggest. Be warned that truckers have their own CB lingo so it takes some practice to figure them out.


u/kawfey · 6 pointsr/amateurradio

So, is your mission is to deliver...video, telemetry, etc from a drone? If you want to send video, this changes things and you're muuuuch better off buying off-the-shelf FPV kits. Telemetry and command/control is a lot easier.

This thing is one hackish way to get what you want but as is, all it does is send position and telemetry at predefined time or position intervals for use on the APRS network.

An even more hackish way is building an audio interface between a Cheap radio with an arduino (using Trackuino software) that lets it transmit AX.25 packet data. It's only going to be 1.2kbps, i.e. very, very, very slow.

Upgrading to a faster amateur radio data system that can send digital video and fast telemetry is basically going to be an DIY approach, either brewing circuits yourself or putting COTS parts that aren't designed to be put together, together, because more-or-less, ham radio has been left in the dust when it comes to high-speed data radio tech. Either way requires a fair bit of EE and/or programming skill. Just check out FaradayRF. Those guys have been working on that data radio for 3 years before selling product. That's why I'd recommend an FPV setup for video, and data radios built for your purpose.

Disclaimer: Before you do any of those things above, you do need a technicians amateur radio license. Start here (lmao i took that photo), then skim through this, and take practice tests here, and use this to find a license exam in your area. It costs $15. the real point of needing a license is to educate users that there are regulations on radio emissions, such as transmitting things willy-nilly is a bad idea (because it interferes with other users of radio spectrum); to help cultivate a common interest in radio technology, and also that ham radio is pretty fuckin cool.

If you don't get a license, you're stuck to super-low power off-the-shelf things (of sometimes questionable legality) and stuff that operates in the same band as Wifi (aka ISM bands).

u/WayneRooneysHairPlug · 6 pointsr/Dallas

My advice is to pick up a cheap radio like this where you can hear the Skywarn spotters in Collin County.

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-65-108-Dual-Band-Radio/dp/B008IYCQSO/ref=asc_df_B008IYCQSO/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312099670269&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=496248250251016657&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9026814&hvtargid=pla-524694335935&psc=1

147.18 is the frequency they use there. if you are in Dallas County the frequency is 146.88

EDIT: Keep in mind listening is legal but you need a license to broadcast on these frequencies unless a life is in danger.

u/KK6HYF · 6 pointsr/amateurradio

Since you mentioned talking with local hams while riding a bike:

Baofeng UV-5r

External mic

This antenna mounted to a metal plate on a rear bike rack, or this antenna and you can just strap the radio to a back pack or your belt.

And you'll need a programming cable.
Use Chirp to program in all of the local repeaters as well as the 2m calling frequency and any other freqs you might want to use.

I didn't do the math, but that's well under $100 (probably around $50 in fact). You can also use the mag mount antenna on your car for mobile ops, I've been doing this for a while, and it works great, but I am finally upgrading to a real mobile with a more proper mobile whip.

u/VE6XVK · 5 pointsr/amateurradio

You could build your own Raspberry Pi Mumble server over WiFi and have everyone in the group run a Mumble client on their smartphones...a couple issues though might be range (probably no more than 50-100 metres unless you get a good wifi antenna setup and having your smartphone associated to an access point that isn't internet connected might screw with your phone's data connection at the same time. You could however, build everyone a Raspberry Pi client too or have them dig up an old no-longer used smart phone just for that task....

.

Edit: Have you considered simple GMRS/FRS radios with a headset and VOX (voice operated transmit)....they'd fit the bill too. For example: $60 for a pair with everything you need

u/Paulx589 · 5 pointsr/preppers

These bad boys?

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

​

Why are they banned?

u/MyriadRook · 5 pointsr/SocialistRA

A Baofeng UV-5R is what I have ($25 on Amazon currently). It's enough to dip your toe. You need at least a Technician license with the FCC to be able to transmit with it, though. I'm currently studying for that license.

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/

u/huckstah · 5 pointsr/vagabond

Scanner apps are kinda hit or miss. As a last resort, I always have one downloaded on my phone in case my real scanner has a dead battery.

In all honesty, just get Baofeng UV-5r digital scanner, they are less than 30 bucks:
https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

I also recommend getting a high gain antenna so that you can extend your range:
https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-NA-771-15-6-Inch-SMA-Female-BTECH/dp/B00KC4PWQQ

I usually sit about a half mile outside of the yard, turn my scanner on, set it to scan only the railroad freqs, pop open a beer, and listen to the workers as they build the trains and discuss when its ready to depart.

u/vegasmacguy · 5 pointsr/HamRadio

Those radios only have 16 channels and I believe only operate on the 70cm band. You will need to download CHIRP from here. You will then need to find what frequencies HAM operators are talking on in 70cm in your area and program those in using CHIRP.

[edit] If you want a decent dual band radio that's more flexible and powerfull, get a Baofeng UV-82. The sell for under $30 on Amazon - Link.

u/MechaCarlSagan · 5 pointsr/INDYCAR

I went with the very affordable Baofeng option that was brought up in a thread a couple weeks ago. You can manually program it or program it from a computer using free software (/u/theman00 has been posting .csv files for all drivers/broadcast channels that you can upload directly, all at once). This radio IS a transceiver, but you can disable the transmission capabilities. 127 programmable channels that you can assign the driver or broadcaster names to. I used mine at the Indy 500 and it was great.

CHIRP is freeware that works really well for programming this and many other radios.

Amazon links below:

radio

headphone adapter

USB Cable

Note: Programming it with the USB can be finicky because Windows will continually try to update the driver to a newer version that isn't compatible with the chip. Its an easy fix, but you'll have to go into the device manager and roll back the driver to the older one. Instructions Here

Edit: added link to CHIRP software

u/KN7DNA · 5 pointsr/Baofeng

Generally, UHF is better suited to urban environments. The shorter wave length of the frequencies has an easier time of being reflected and bouncing around off glass windows and other metal surfaces to reach the repeater or other intended station.

Almost all the Baofeng HT's (handheld transmitters) are dual band and will work on VHF & UHF. Personally, I would recommend the Baofeng BF-F8HP 8-watt model. It can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174MHz-400-520MHz/dp/B00MAULSOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501540520&sr=8-1&keywords=BAOFENG+f8

If the 1.25m band (220 MHz) is popular, you can look at the the UV-5x3 tri-band model. It can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-UV-5X3-Watt-Tri-Band-Radio/dp/B01J2W4JUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501540679&sr=8-1&keywords=UV+5x3

u/gramps2726 · 5 pointsr/amateurradio

I have been using this cable from B-Tech and APRSDroid for a couple of months now with no problems. Hopefully this helps.

BTECH APRS-K2 Cable (K2 to TRRS Connector) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LMIBAZW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_WjIRTJxEtdeXI

u/ThisGoesWithoutSayin · 5 pointsr/amateurradio

I think the first question you have to answer here is: do you and your wife have tech licenses? If not, then it's illegal to transmit on a UV-5R. Now, having said that, there are unlicensed two watt radios available for about $50.
https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-MURS-V1-Manufacturing-Personal-Business/dp/B075VBP9YG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1536072575&sr=8-3&keywords=murs+radio&dpID=51OLUMHUYpL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
They also allow external antennas like the UV-5R. Two watts might be able to get out 30 miles if you are, as you say, transmitting from an elevated position. At any rate, it's hard to imagine 3 more watts getting you there if it doesn't.

u/kc2syk · 5 pointsr/amateurradio

https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/wiki/comparison

What country are you in? If in the US and want license-free use, you've got three choices: CB, MURS or FRS.

MURS might be best for forest use. You can also use it mobile with a magnet-mounted antenna on a vehicle. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-MURS-V1-Manufacturing-Personal-Business/dp/B075VBP9YG

u/J808 · 4 pointsr/edmproduction

He uses a piece of cool kit called the RC-505.

Here's another dope video of him jamming and describing his setup (skip to 5:45 for the RC-505 part). Bonus Jazzy Jeff appearance.

u/Nosyeye · 4 pointsr/videos
u/kmc_v3 · 4 pointsr/HamRadio

Some ideas here:

A better whip antenna (others had some suggestions).

Magnetic mount antenna for the vehicle. MFJ-1721 or 1729 are cheap options. Diamond or Comet for higher quality. The Baofeng uses a SMA-male antenna connector so you'll need a SMA-female to BNC-female or SMA-female to SO-239 "pigtail" adapter cable. I don't recommend using a rigid adapter because the antenna cable can put mechanical stress on the radio's connector.

DBJ-2 antenna, a nice portable option for stationary use. Throw that in a tree and you'll get much improved range.

A speaker mic, then he can mount the radio at a fixed position in the vehicle. Makes it easier to use while driving.

Programming cable — makes it much easier to manage the list of stored frequencies and repeaters.

Extended battery — in addition to the increased runtime, this makes the radio fit my large hands better

Battery eliminator — powers the radio from a vehicle.

AA battery holder — replaces the rechargeable battery pack.

Some kind of bag or case to hold everything.

u/wolfcry0 · 4 pointsr/Baofeng

UV-5R V2+.

The high power 8W versions are pointless IMO, 3 extra watts isn't gonna do much.

If you want a more heavy 'industrial' looking one then the UV-82 would be an option.

u/cheeseburgerhandy · 4 pointsr/CampingGear

just bought 2 of these baofeng ham radios recently. you can program in all the FRS, GMRS, MURS, weather frequencies etc. they can use 2 meter and 70 meter bands. you're supposed to have a license though except on like FRS (but then you're technically not supposed to use them on those frequencies but i seriously doubt anyone gives a shit). and if you're lost in the woods and trying to find some on 2 meter for help i certainly wouldn't be worried about getting a fine :p

you can also put in fire department frequencies etc. in smaller towns.

u/Mainwar · 4 pointsr/amateurradio

May I suggest this one instead? http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-TRI-POWER-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B00MAULSOK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414885522&sr=8-2&keywords=baofeng+bf

I have two of these and I ordered them from baofeng tech on amazon. They have been solid when I order from them.

When I ordered from other people in the US, the gear was NOT consistent, no support and the cables they sold me were crap.

The cables I ordered from baofeng tech worked the first time on my Mac's. No drivers to load. Instantly connected to the radios.

My 2 cp .


Edit: you have to get the good cable and the daily version of Chirp. Do not use the stable release or the software the ship.

u/bites · 4 pointsr/Baofeng

I like this because you can use any headphones with a built in mic and you don't look like a weirdo.

https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-Connector-Adapter-Compatible-Headsets/dp/B019YJMRZS

u/ghosthacked · 4 pointsr/amateurradio

I've tried with several android phones w/ aprsdroid. I used this audio interface cable with the baofeng. Various setups in aprsdroid. I can hear aprs traffic but can never get it to decode anything.

u/traveler19395 · 4 pointsr/amateurradio

In my experience 15 mile line of sight (LOS) communications in remote (low interference) locations is easy and consistent with a cheap chinese 8w radio with stock rubber ducky antenna on both VHF and UHF bands. LOS is the key.

If your trips have you staying in the same area for several days, you could easily setup a repeater (probably crossband) at a basecamp or nearby peak and greatly extend your range.

​

Of course licensing is a big question with all these things. With HAM bands every user must be licensed. If that's going to be a barrier, GMRS license has no test and licenses families. The radio options for GMRS are more limited that HAM, but there are many options like Midland and this Baofeng.

u/MrElectroman3 · 4 pointsr/gmrs

Baofeng (ok, wait, hear me out) GMRSV1 is part 95 certified and with the nagoya whip antenna, i have hit a repeater (while sitting on my roof) 7 miles away on the high power setting. it is programmable with CHIRP and supports tons of CTCSS tones. Plus its cheap.

u/IKanSpl · 4 pointsr/amateurradio

Gecko45 is that you?

You'll be the guy/girl at work that is "too good" for the standard equipment and your coworkers/boss might react badly. Do you really want to be "that guy"?

FRS frequencies are 0.5 watts from a handheld, not 2 watts. You'd be using 10 times the legal power. It also means the battery will go dead 10 times faster while transmitting.

MURS would go through walls better then FRS. CB would go through walls better then MURS, but CB needs an 8 foot tall antenna to be efficient so it isn't practical.

My suggestion, get this: https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-MURS-V1-Manufacturing-Personal-Business/dp/B075VBP9YG/

It is the only Baofeng that is type accepted by the FCC for MURS. It's also cheap.

You won't need the programming cable as these are set correctly for MURS out of the box.

Amazon has trouble keeping them in stock because they are powerful for a handheld and US-legal without a liscense.

It will only work to other MURS radios, so you'll want 2 of them.

u/Jenkins26 · 4 pointsr/amateurradio

One big thing that no one else has mentioned is that even if all of the staff did get amateur licenses, you cannot use amateur bands for commercial purposes. I would strongly consider a MURS radio in your case if a commercial license won't be considered by your employer. I use MURS radios frequently and I've had a lot of luck with them. Check out this handheld: https://smile.amazon.com/BTECH-MURS-V1-Manufacturing-Personal-Business/dp/B075VBP9YG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1524595798&sr=8-3&keywords=MURS+radio

You may also have luck dealing with a local company that can sell you better radios. We use commericial Kenwoods that have been locked to MURS Blue Dot.

u/exfalsoquodlibet · 4 pointsr/preppers

Comms gear prep needs to start, not with radios, power levels or ranges, but with where who you want to talk to is. Where you want to send a signal to is what is going to determine antenna shape and size and frequency and, therefore, which radio - or radios - you might need. I'd suggest making a chart with such information then working from this to the radio you will want, rather than just asking about a radio and a 'decent range'. This is, I think, the best way to be sure that you get gear that will meet your needs and avoid wasting money on gear that won't meet your needs or leave you underprepared.

If, say, you want to talk to your uncle in the next town, 25 miles away, on the other side of the mountain, that's a very different beast than wanting to talk to your wife at home when you are at work across town. Plus, your budget needs to be incorporated into this decision too. I think, in order to help, we'd need more specific information about who you want to talk to and their relative location. Range is important yes; but, so is topology (and this latter is massively important if you want to only use the cheap, popular FM radios for GMRS/FRS; such might work for talking to your wife across town, but most certainly will not go to your uncle).

My preps are based around being out in the deep woods, alone, out of cell phone range, off grid, and wanting to send signals back out to civilization, especially to people I know back in my home town.

I have ham radios: 2m/70cm for short range and an HF for all ranges. Why did I go ham?

Because all the other options - cb, gmrs, etc., we're not good for any practical range; I wanted to send signals from my camp in the woods to people back home.

Indeed, once I got into ham, I got a 2m radio - and even this was out of range more often than not, even to the local repeaters that are often in very high places. Once I'd be 30 or 40km back in the bush, I could talk to no one save for those in my own party, and, given the terrain, even local comms via handheld radios was quite limited - a few km - using handhelds in the bush. Such radios could never send a signal back home.

It is a good idea to have some hand held radios for talking with your immediate partners in your group who are within, at most, a few miles, depending on terrain. There are tonnes of easily found options for this. But, easily powered, portable, off the shelf radios are quite limited vis a vis their transmit power and range. The ranges you see on the packages are, to be blunt, total BS "Up to 36-Mile range communication in open areas with little or no obstruction." Notice the 'up to'. This is the sort of radio to avoid; the range claims are BS and the antenna cannot be removed. I have something similar I bought to play with my young niece - they barely go a mile in town here. Between two people in valleys with a hill between - not good for that either.

For cheap, portable, easy to use for very short ranges, a baofeng, will suffice. I have one for sharing with others; but, I myself use a VX-8. Baofeng are pretty good value for money given what they can do; but, they are not going to work miracles; but, then again, neither will an expensive and fancy handheld; nor will a CB handheld either; none of these would meet my requirements for where I wanted to send a signal.

For my preps, given where I was and where who I wanted to talk to was, I gravitated to HF ham radio, especially what is called NVIS - near vertical incident sky wave - propagation, because this will allow for distances up to 400 to 500 km. To get a 'decent range' on a CB, using the frequencies CB uses (11 metres), would require a lot of power and a high antenna. Whereas NVIS signals on 40m and 80m will bounce way further with less power using a rather low antenna. For my preps, I think 80m NVIS is probably the most important given that this will let me speak to people within my own province on very low power levels pretty much all the time, day or night, from ranges as low as 10 km and going up to 300 to 400km, but, especially within the 100 to 200km range.

I am using an ft817; this radio is easily powered, small, robust; but, not cheap. It is not the best for walking around with; but, then again, antenna's for HF frequencies are a bit too large for carrying around in the woods and talking while walking, though not impossible. I can attach an antenna to this radio and I am able to go intercontinental - more than 10000km is not uncommon.

Of course, there is a bit more of an investment for this route; but, at least you won't be wasting money on gear that will not do what you want it to do. I think it is worth the time to at least get your ham ticket; then using 2 metres and external antennas on your radios, you could get much better range than anything CB, MURS, or gms has to offer.

Whoever you want to talk to and wherever they happen to be, if you want a decent range - don't get any radio that does not have a removable antenna. This is extremely important (and one of the advantages of using ham radio handhelds - even the cheap baofengs have removable antennas). The ability to remove the antenna and attach a cable that leads to an antenna strung up 20 or 30' in the air, is massively important! No removable antenna: don't buy. On my handheld, with the tiny antenna it came with, a few km at best; with the better and slightly longer antenna I bought afterwards, maybe 10km; with the homemade yagi antenna I made for a few dollars then strung up high in a tree, I can get more than 35. Hence here is a rule I suggest you follow in your quest to find what you need (and this is probably the most important thing I will say in my post):

No removable antenna: don't buy.

There are many camps I go to where my handheld cannot send a signal to the repeater with the antenna attached at the radio. I remove it, attach some coax; pull the antenna up the tree 20' and, voila, I can get the repeater. No matter who or where you want to talk to or send a signal, the antenna is always critical; so, never get anything that does not have a removable antenna! Antennas are critical!

Anyway, I found that handhelds, though useful, are too limited in range to be of much use (though a bit more range may be had with a second antenna strung up high); but, with an ft-817 I can talk anyway from 1-15000 km away. Perhaps the best thing I can say is that there are no magic solutions or miracle radios that are going to be cheap, long range, easily powered, usable without a license, etc..

Comms gear prep needs to start, not with radios, power levels or ranges, but with where who you want to talk to is; I think it would be best to get this clearly defined, then work out what radio (or radios) you will need to accomplish this.



u/Hazmat616 · 4 pointsr/airsoft

Get a radio that isn’t cheap. I have 2 that have 3 power levels and a range at high of 35 miles in the open. So at the distances you play airsoft at it has no problems in urban areas let alone a forest. It only cost $30 a radio.

Edit: here is the Radio

u/greenrangertp · 4 pointsr/nashville

The one downtown in 1998 and Gallatin in 2006 and Murfreesboro in 2009 are the strongest in recent memory. We get them, however they are usually weak and short lived. Rarely do we have strong long track Tornadoes. I wouldn't worry too much about it, doesn't hurt to prepare but it's not going to be life altering every year. We do get heavy downpours and strong straight line winds often, but as long as you have everything covered and secured, you should be OK.

Video 1998 Tornado: https://youtu.be/2fk0-LvNFB4

Video 2006 Tornado: https://youtu.be/XyZbkyBt2yw

Video 2009 Tornado: https://youtu.be/2QP-DOSUc4c

Get yourself one of these so you can listen to NOAA Weather Radio on 162.550 MHZ and The Middle Tennessee Emergency Amateur Radio System http://www.mtears.org https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A and optionally get licensed so you can participate in MTEARS http://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed

u/neilenzukit · 4 pointsr/amateurradio

I started with a Baofeng UV5R, programming cable and a Nagoya 771 antenna upgrade. http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A?ie=UTF8&keywords=baofeng%20uv-5r&qid=1465418044&ref_=sr_1_4&s=electronics&sr=1-4
Scroll down a little and you'll see all offered for $49.58.
Where do you live? We can help you find a local club, the folks there will be more than happy to welcome you.

u/eapplonie · 4 pointsr/HamRadio

Look up the next time your area is doing licensing, take a bunch of practice tests online (when I did it in 2008, they were exactly the same as the real one. Save up the $15, pass the test, get your call sign, buy on of these if you don't have much money. http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band/dp/B007H4VT7A. Find a repeater and listen to old men talk about doctors appointments and bad traffic! Of course if your friends do it you can talk about whatever you want, just follow the rules and standards. Good luck!

u/asspirate420 · 4 pointsr/Showerthoughts

I was looking for this response! We still do, because, what else would I call it? We do use HT an handheld, and some old fucks still say “handie talkie”.

Also if anyone is interested getting a ham radio license and callsign is super easy, the hardest part is that you actually have to go somewhere to take a test, but studying for it is a matter of playing around with the flash cards on hamstudy.org and reading up on some basics on how radio works.

Getting a radio is easy, Amazon has the Baofeng UV5R dirt cheap radio, the greatest innovation in ham radio in the past few years. Lets you listen and talk locally, and isn’t too hard to program from watching a few YouTube videos and guides. Bunch of options for getting better antennas too that will let you get some better range and do some fun things with satellites.

Hit up /r/AmateurRadio and see what you can do with ham radio!

u/tdicola · 4 pointsr/Ultralight

I'm with you--the most ultralight weather/emergency radio is none at all. It's definitely the kind of item that you're packing based on fears and not necessity.

Think of it this way, if you're actually able to get weather radio reception from a cheap handheld radio then you're not that far from civilization (30-40 miles max, i.e. a couple days of hiking) and have an escape if weather unexpectedly goes south for good. Otherwise without reception you're carrying a half pound brick.

If you do run into trip-ending weather that could have been prevented with a weather radio then IMHO that's almost certainly a failure in planning, not gear selection. Be smart and aware of the sky and weather you see throughout the day. Don't plan trips that might run into severe weather without a plan for dealing with it in the field--i.e. don't go out to spend an afternoon at the top of a lightning-prone Colorado 14er, or go hiking through a river canyon during the rainy flood season.

For disasters and emergencies I'd much rather be carrying a satellite beacon like an InReach, again a radio is useless once you're away from civilization. If you really need it most sat beacons can get weather reports for an extra cost/fee too.

For non-hiking emergency preparedness I'd go batteries too. Those hand cranks are gimmicks and you'll waste important and precious food calories keeping it running.

If you really must carry a radio, go get an amateur radio tech license and carry a little Baofeng HT: https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A They can receive everything (including weather radio) and transmit so you can reach out to the local park rangers, SAR, etc. Spend a couple days studying the flash cards and tests at https://hamexam.org/ and find a local tester from https://www.laurelvec.com/ The basic tech license is easy and just requires learning the basic law/policy for using radios (i.e. you don't have to be an electrical engineer).

u/angrydroid · 4 pointsr/militant

I've had my eye on this. BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/

u/Tyrren · 4 pointsr/darknetplan

I was going to suggest getting amateur radio licensure, as it can be cheap and a fun hobby to get into anyway. Ham radios allow higher transmission power (better range) than non-licensed radios, and the frequency bands are probably less busy than the non-licensed (FRS and GMRS) ones would be on a cruise ship.

As it turns out, though, the rules for operating a ham rig in international waters are complicated, to say the least. So, uh, never mind.

u/ErrorAcquired · 4 pointsr/preppers

Finally bought a Ham Radio, portable

Baofeng UV-5R


https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

According to the FCC, these radios will be illegal to sell soon so time is limited.

Full kit for $24 dollars and change

u/bmth225 · 4 pointsr/MilSim

http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band/dp/B007H4VT7A
not sure if it would be compatible with the peltor as i don't use one, but i've used this one in multiple OP's and it hasn't failed me yet.

u/UnderSampled · 4 pointsr/Ulyssesbucketlist

Get an Amateur Radio license and start talking with other hams.

Here's how:

  • Go here, Find a convenient exam time (it's a pretty easy exam), and put it on your calendar
  • Take some practice tests on Hamstudy.org, and study with their flashcards.
  • Take the test and get a callsign
  • get a Baofeng UV-5R
  • Find a repeater in your area, and start talking with some people!
  • Subscribe to /r/amateurradio

    Oh, and

  • have fun!
u/Mr_Brightside_ · 4 pointsr/amateurradio

I would agree, but for about $50 you can also get the UV-5R (what was shown in the video was a UV-3R, I believe)

http://www.amazon.com/BAOFENG-Professional-Transceiver-Frequency-Protable/dp/B008IYCQSO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1344027574&sr=8-4&keywords=uv-5r

u/sweet_story_bro · 4 pointsr/Baofeng

Isn't that just the UV-5R plus?

u/NeedmoarCCs · 3 pointsr/Dirtbikes

We use these and just hang them from the chest straps of our hydration packs. It's nice for the "hey you guys alright back there?" When you get a little bit ahead of the group. Or for helping set up photo ops. Obviously, you have to stop and use your hands as is, but they do have headsets that work with them. Mostly just a nice thing to have when you're in the middle of nowhere. Just in case.

u/DonOblivious · 3 pointsr/bicycling

You want a pair of FRS radios and headsets. Any range listed is a lie, so ignore that stat. Boom mics with foam wind blockers will work better on a bike than a mic hanging on a cord so skip the "headsets" that look like they belong attached to a phone.

"Privacy codes" are also BS: everything you say over these radios is broadcast to the public. The codes block your radios from hearing other people who happen to be on the same channel, which isn't something you're going to run into anyway.

A charging base is handy.

Don't be tempted to buy a BaoFeng: they're not made for what you're trying to do, they're complicated to program, and most of them are illegal to use without a license. Pay the extra $20 for Motorola radios.

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MD200R-FRS-Two-Way-Radio/dp/B0072LB10S/ref=sr_1_20?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1458697013&sr=1-20&refinements=p_89%3AMotorola

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MH230R-23-Mile-22-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001UE6MIO/ref=sr_1_70?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1458697560&sr=1-70&refinements=p_89%3AMotorola

etc

u/Trogdor796 · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

Thanks for the help everyone, we ended up going with these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001WMFYH4/ref=twister_B06XKM77TP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

u/chordsNcode · 3 pointsr/airsoft

My squad uses Midlands and I've never seen a problem with them.

u/misterschmoo · 3 pointsr/turning

You need a quarter round bit for a router to round the sides and then a hook knife to carve the bowls.

https://www.amazon.com/Mora-Frost-164-Woodcarving-Knife/dp/B00343VCCK

u/sourdoughbred · 3 pointsr/woodworking

If you want to make spoons then that set isn't really want you need.

What you need is a hook knife for carving the bowl and a straight knife for all the other cuts.

It would be great to have a hatchet to rough out the shape of the spoon so it doesn't take you all year. I've seen lots of people do the roughing with a band saw though. You could use a coping saw if you don't have one.

I don't love the hook knife I have. If the wood is a little dry it kinda hurts my hand. It's this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00343VCCK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487362012&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mora+hook+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=31qGjXQoECL&ref=plSrch

I wound up grinding the bevel off mine to make a smooth curve and it worked a little better than new. But it works ok as is.

I've also got this straight knife https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005IW5YN8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487362243&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mora+carving+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=31CuaoTEJGL&ref=plSrch

They have a shorter version that would probably have given more control, but I'm ok with it.

You'll also want to make a strop to maintain the cutting edge. You'll need a block of wood, a piece of leather and stropping compound. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000DD35C/ref=pd_aw_fbt_469_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YGCVJKF34JWCTN2MNFPV

Can't say about this compound. I got mine from lee valley.

All in all, if I did it over again I would have bought higher quality knives, but the ones I wanted (from a guy named Nic Westerman) were out of stock. And since you're on a budget they would fit in your price range.

u/Whoknew72 · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

Here's how I started:

Boafeng radio

Better antenna

Local repeaters, you're gonna have to search your area.

Find your local club and get involved. Find an Elmer. Join the local nets (radio jargon for organized, over-the-airwave, get together)

Once yo've done that, assuming you have your tech license, you want to upgrade to the General. Then find a decent HF rig, a wire antenna, some trees to hang it in, and party on. Obviously the more you spend the better you'll be but you don't have to break the bank. I got a Yaesu 857d which does all bands, plus the accompanying tuner, a G5RV antenna and some feed line for about $1100 and I can do everything my club's shack can do. I've worked Antarctica and South Africa on that gear plus some 60+ other countries so I'm pleased.

The misconception is that you need a 1000' tower to get out but really a simple wire antenna can do you wonders. Though if you gotta choose where to spend the money go for better antennas as they can really make the difference.

Best money spent though will likely be the club membership. You'll meet people, get good deals on stuff people are selling, advice, even free stuff periodically.

u/absolut646 · 3 pointsr/privacy

I have a few of these BaoFeng radios. Less than $40 and can Xmit on all the useful frequencies for protest-sized area communications.

u/VA7EEX · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

Welcome to the sub! Congrats on passing your Tech.

First up pick up an RTLSDR, these are great little receivers that will cover 30MHz-1700MHz which covers a tremendous swathe of spectrum. Definitely check out the different types of antennas you can make over on Antenna-Theory, the RTL-SDR blog and /r/rtlsdr

Then if you want to transmit on the post popular amateur bands for techs (which are local to your area) pick up a VHF/UHF Baofeng radio like a UV-B5, UV-82 or UV-5R. Not a whole lot of difference between any of them; I think the UV-B5 is the better one, since it has a better antenna and a rotary encoder. But it's very much up to you as to what you get (style > substance after all :) ).

Now from there its a question of what where you are. City? Rural? Nearby airport? Ports or ocean?

Edit: I should start linking to the wiki more often: Baofeng radios and Your First Radio are good places to start.

u/CPTMULLER · 3 pointsr/battlewagon

I used an app to do flash cards, read a few chapters of a book, and listened to some of a 'podclass' about it all

I passed with a 33/35 on the test. There's a lot of impractical stuff in there that really doesn't apply to the rally side of things. TBQH I got mine done and went to Ham Radio Outlet in Tigard and had them tell me what to buy. All in all it takes some work, and I could have passed the test with the flash card application alone

Also worth having a cheapo hand held to listen into the stage frequency at events. They cost like $30:

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475208307&sr=8-1&keywords=baofeng

u/Jelsol · 3 pointsr/whatisthisthing

I concur with your assessment, digital voice recorder and radio/walkie takie, respectively. Stumped on brands, though.

Edit: voice recorder might be a Sony https://goo.gl/images/ZfhUAt. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICD-UX200RED-Digital-Recorder-Built/dp/B00387E5C6.


Radio might be BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black)
https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=br_lf_m_mamqz8s9434j3wq_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&s=wireless

u/ldpreload · 3 pointsr/nyc

For an actual answer: radios tend to have a range of frequencies they can tune into (e.g., air traffic control is slightly above what your car radio will tune into, but you can totally build and buy a device that can reach both ranges).

Possession of a device that can be tuned to a police frequency is not, itself, illegal. It is easy and legal for you to get a radio that can tune into and transmit on police frequencies, because that's just a frequency. I have a Baofeng UV-5R, a common cheap / introductory ham radio, which I'm pretty sure can do it but I've never tried.

Possession of such a device with intent to use it in the process of committing certain crimes is illegal.

Transmitting is illegal; there's probably state law about emergency / police frequencies, but in general, transmitting on various frequencies is regulated by the FCC and using an unauthorized frequency is illegal. Otherwise TV and radio and wifi and cell phones would be useless because people would just use whatever channel you want. The fact that it's possible to regulate "spectrum" as essentially land/property is a little philosophically weird, but just about all countries do it and it more-or-less works.

u/thephotoman · 3 pointsr/raspberry_pi

Amazon has 'em for half of that price.

u/steve0suprem0 · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

i'm scanning local repeaters with one and using hamstudy.org right now

u/hell_0n_wheel · 3 pointsr/SanJose
u/davidfg4 · 3 pointsr/Montana

I'd recommend just getting a radio and listening to the frequency directly. (If you are in the area.) This cheap radio works fine, and you may want a car power source too. Note that this radio is very cheap, but works well enough. This radio can also transmit, but may require a license depending on the frequency, don't transmit unless you know what you are doing.

The police frequencies are listed over here, or you can use the FCC's ULS system to look up all frequency registrations in an area.

In order for you to listen on an app, someone in the area of laurel needs to have a radio received tuned to that frequency, and feeding the audio stream to the internet. Just cut out the middleman and listen directly.

u/touchmystuffIkillyou · 3 pointsr/preppers

No real leads on used equipment other than the usual ebay, CL, etc. but maybe the message boards related to the hobby. But I would start with a bao-feng UV-5R (or set of them) and then learn about external antennas. Cheap and great

u/CQ40CQ40 · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

The Retevis radios look like Baofengs with different branding. The one you mentioned looks a lot like the Baofeng UV-5R.

Side note - Looks like they spelled the word "Professional" wrong on this radio.

Edit: Just thought I'd mention that if the Baofeng radios pique your interest, there's a whole sub dedicated to them.

u/complacent1 · 3 pointsr/rva

I've wanted a HAM technicians license for years now as a secondary to my main hobby (FPV drone racing and freestyle) but I'm terrible at studying and terrible at tests. I would like some info as well. Book studying doesn't do it for me. YouTube videos have been the most helpful so far. I just don't know if I'll find the time to learn enough to pass the exam.




Edit: OP, I bought this handheld transceiver a year or two ago and for the price its really good. The brand came recommended from a friend that is a HAM.

BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_7XRYzbNXHTYE9

u/SoulShaker · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

If you're really on a tight budget, why not consider the Baofeng UV-5R? Great radio for the price and a wealth of online information to make up for the poor programming manual.

u/mustwarnothers · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

No problem! You can get a basic radio for pretty cheap, that way you can see if ham radio is for you. This can't do EME, but you can work a satellite with it when you pair it with a directional antenna. (also the lowest license class) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_satellite

u/WilliamKerman · 3 pointsr/phonelosers

Here is a list of frequencies for fast food restaurants. Edit: likely outdated. You don't need an actual headset to mess around with drive thrus. Just find a cheap hand held radio able to transmit at your desired frequencies like this one. To mess with the customer set it to the clerk frequency, to mess with the clerk set it to the customer frequency. Be careful not to not overdo it since it is very easy to track down radio frequencies.

u/Primis · 3 pointsr/UBreddit

Hello,

Previous UB'er here. RAMS was the renamed Amateur Radio Club, they changed the name in 2000. The Website was last updated somewhere around 2001.

The Amateur Radio Club has a tenuous history. It was disbanded last in 2006. But has existed in a semi-permanent state since the '70's. The equipment was discarded by SA back in 2008-2009. In the fall 2012 school year, Me and a few other people went and got our Licenses and set ourselves on the track to recreating the club. Mack (K2MGG) was the head of the operation while I (KD2DYC) Drafted up a constitution and set out to be the treasurer. We contacted SA and they gave us club forums and told us to collect membership signatures. We went around and convinced some other people to join the club. By summer time, we Had a Constitution and we had a member base with active licenses. I bought an HF rig, and everyone had FM handhelds to communicate on campus. We were going to set up an FM repeater with echo link on top of Furnas Hall. The Janitorial staff had given us the green light to go up as soon as we were an official club. After checking some records, we found that the Ham Shack circa 2000 was 305 Jarvis Hall. This makes sense since it was an engineering building. However, Furnas Hall is the ideal location since that's where the antenna would be located (it's the tallest building on campus after all) The Shack was located there at one point in the club history, but getting back there now would be exceedingly difficult.

To Cut a story short, Summer of 2013 came and went, and I was academically dismissed from the school. The club more or less disbanded as Mack focused more on his studies. I donated a Fully refurbished Yaesu FT101-E HF rig for the club and a slinky Dipole antenna. The last I heard Andrew (KD2ENR) Was in possession of it. It shouldn't be hard to track him down and get it for the club if you want to start it back up.

SA doesn't own Wings, so UBIT won't let you touch the site until SA approves you as a club. However, I would suggest becoming an engineering club rather than an SA Club. It'll give you better budgeting, and there is less regulations as opposed to an SA club. Also, you don't have to deal with being inside Student Union. The RF reception in there is terrible!

EDIT: UBIT owns Wings, not SA

u/Ender_Bro · 3 pointsr/MilSim

My opinion, this is all you really need. My team made speaker mics the standard because they are cheap, effective and simple. The guys on my team who have been in the Army/Marines said this is how they used comms and it worked for them. Also My Radio is a BaoFeng Uv-5r. It's cheap and has never failed me.

u/Gullex · 3 pointsr/Survival

That radio doesn't transmit. How is that going to be useful for communication?

You should study for a ham technician test, which is easy peasy and a 10 year license costs $15. Then, pick up something like a Baofeng dual band radio and a roll up antenna. You'll be able to get up to 60 miles range (or so) with that setup, and you'd be hard pressed not to be able to find a repeater station within 60 miles. Climb a big hill or mountain and you're virtually guaranteed a contact.

u/pleione · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

Have you checked RadioReference for your area to see what frequencies your local agencies use? If your area uses VHF/UHF, it'd be a decent radio to use, but a Baofeng would be pretty much the same, performance-wise, while costing about a quarter of the Wouxun.

Many cities and counties are moving to trunked radio, which require either software, or a trunk-tracking scanner to listen.

u/sseville · 3 pointsr/NASCAR

No problem. There appears to be a slightly newer, "improved" version here for $34. Or you can get the same version I have, here for $26.

Either way, basically the same radio, may as well just go with the cheaper of the two. Both are the same unit internally; but if things like a multi color backlight for the screen are important, the $34 dollar one is better.

With either, you'll also need a headphone adapter plug, 2.5mm to 3.5mm, here for around $5.

u/demasrv · 3 pointsr/INDYCAR

I posted in another thread but here's my setup. With it, I can listen to the broadcast AND flip to any of the driver's channels. Super cheap.
> You can buy a baofeng UV-5R on Amazon for $30, a programming cable for $8, a headphone adapter for $10 and just program it every year. This is my setup. It works well and I'll be posting the file you can import into this radio. I usually use over the ear protection over my headphones.
Baofeng UV5RA Ham Two Way Radio 136-174/400-480 MHz Dual-Band Transceiver (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_VtVhzbHQ6NMNG
BTECH 2 Pin to 3.5MM Adapter with Push-to-Talk Button (Adapts 2 Pin BaoFeng/Kenwood/BTECH Radios to 3.5mm Headsets with in-line Mics) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019YJMRZS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_bsYAluLHSuWOJ
Baofeng Programming Cable for BAOFENG UV-5R/5RA/5R Plus/5RE, UV3R Plus, BF-888S https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CP0I474/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tvVhzbM7VNDGE
I'm not sure my link for the actual radio is the cheapest on Amazon. Also the programming doesn't let you transmit so no worries there!

https://www.reddit.com/r/INDYCAR/comments/6bmhxv/scanner_rental_questions/dhrl7wl/

I'll also add at Indy you can listen to several channels including the radio broadcast, the track PA, track officials, etc.

u/bhosmer · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

A lot of us started out with a UV5R. Around $25

u/chandler404 · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

If you're in for a little challenge, you can get this UHF HT for $17, and this cable for $6, then install chirp and use it to hit UHF repeaters.

If you wanna really treat yourself, you could trade up to this $31 radio and throw in VHF as well as UHF repeaters.

u/lithiumsix · 3 pointsr/airsoft

CM048M $184.95

Lower Facemask $11.90

Smith Boogie Regulators $29.99

MAG AKM Box of 5 $34.99

M22 Vest 199,00 zł or $65.77

Baofeng UV-5RA $36.00

Battery Charger $4.49 - Use a power cord from an old linksys router or other device (12v-15v DC)

2x 7.4V Lipo $10.05 x 2 = $20.10

BBs $9.99

Use any clothing under your vest, hat is optional.

Total: $398.18 for a Syrian Rebel kit, includes spare Lipo to play all day and a radio to praise Allah over the airwaves.

u/mrpeenut24 · 3 pointsr/Baofeng
u/k3n_low · 3 pointsr/beatbox
u/adx · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

It's a Baofeng UV-82. Which is only $50.

However, it's really just a UV-B6 is a different case. Which is only $38.

So in the end you're paying $26 for a case and the fake Kenwood stickers and box.

u/stratoscope · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

I'm glad to see people speaking up for the Baofengs! (Gently thumbing my nose at the remark in the sidebar that Baofeng discussion is not welcome here.)

I have both the models you mentioned, the UV-5X3 and BF-F8HP.

Between the two, I suggest the UV-5X3 for one simple reason: it has newer firmware that gives you the option of displaying both the callsign and the frequency for the current repeater. The BF-F8HP is like the other Baofengs - it can use the two lines of the display for two different channels/frequencies, but it doesn't have the option of using both lines for the current repeater to show both its callsign and frequency.

For either one, I recommend the genuine FTDI programming cable that BTECH sells, not one of the cheaper cables with counterfeit chips in them. The genuine FTDI cable works in Windows 10 with no extra drivers; the counterfeit cables require you to install third-party drivers.

u/XPCTECH · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

>I live in Washington so bringing a nice radio for calling when out hiking on the various ridge's and mountains

You want a VHF or UHF Radio, this type of communication is line of sight, which complement those activities. I would get a Btech UV-5X3, would get you on 3 bands, 2m-1.25m-70cm, a better antenna, and programming cable.

https://www.amazon.com/d/Two-Way-Radios/BTECH-UV-5X3-Tri-Band-Amateur-Earpiece/B01J2W4JUI

https://www.amazon.com/Nagoya-NA-320A-2M-1-25M-70CM-144-220-440Mhz-BTECH/dp/B01K10B9XK/

https://www.amazon.com/PC03-Genuine-Programming-Cable-BaoFeng/dp/B00HUB0ONK/

u/10MeV · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

Many folks have a radio scanning several local repeaters. It may not be set to stop when one has a signal. A few times I've heard a call I didn't quite catch, and by the time I look at the radio display it's already scanning again. No way to know which repeater the call came from!

I've had more success when I call, "K8xxx, monitoring the Whatever repeater". That way, at least someone can know which repeater to go to when responding.

I started with a Baofeng and had good luck with it. They're quite hard to program from the front panel, and you'll likely become quite frustrated. I suggest downloading Chirp, a free app that will let you easily program your radio. You need a programming cable, about $20, you can get from Amazon. Get the legit BTech version, not the $10 knock-offs. It's not just a cable, it has a chipset inside. The knock-offs have old chipsets.

u/aatteber · 3 pointsr/INDYCAR

I got this Baofeng radio on Amazon for $35 last year for the Indy 500. It worked well and was programmable through my computer.

u/largepanda · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

I would say 1.25m or 70cm. If one or both of you can put an antenna up in the air a bit (just TV antenna height, nothing fancy) you should be able to talk to each other easily.

For maximum communications you could go for directional antennas pointed at each other.

VHF, UHF, and above only requires a Technician level license (lowest tier) in the US, which is very easy to study for and get. Hamstudy.org is bloody great for getting you to memorize all the answers and pass the test.

----

as for the economic side of things, a Baofeng UV-5R V2+ should be more than good enough, and you can pick one up for $34 off Amazon. The UV-5R does 2m and 70cm,

u/codewolf · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

> Disappointing to hear that I won't be able to join the hobby for a while, since it won't be worthwhile.

That's not quite what u/xradionut said. Look into your local clubs. An inexpensive Baofeng will work very well to get you into the hobby if you can hit a local repeater and chat with people (like on a weekly net meeting with a local club). Look into your local clubs and ask them, do some research on the location of the repeaters in your area, and if you do get a Baofeng, at least get a better antenna (like the one listed on Amazon under frequently bought together).

u/LifeMedic · 3 pointsr/preppers

Sat phones are nice but have ongoing cost. You can get them used for a couple hundred each, and a service plan will run you approx $75-$100 a year for a prepaid card (maybe a little more if you have activation fees) - the prepaid cards expire if you don't use them in time. I would recommend the BaoFeng (get an 8 watt min.), you can get a full kit for under $65 Amazon. It would also be a fun 2 day class with you and your spouse. Class Ham classes are free, and the license is $15 for the exam.

u/the_prepared · 3 pointsr/preppers

We like the Baofeng 8 watt radio https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174MHz-400-520MHz/dp/B00MAULSOK/

It's not actually 8 watts but still has more power than other options and is a great price for what you get. If you want to use it in normal daily life you need a technician radio license (which is relatively cheap and painless), but you don't need anything extra to listen to it anytime or transmit in an emergency.

u/dub_moto · 3 pointsr/Dirtbikes

We use the Baofeng BF-F9 V2+ with Nagoya 701c antenna and QHM22 waterproof speaker/mic.

While inexpensive, these are full fledged HAM radio transceivers, not toys. You can't just take them out of the box and turn them on like walkie-talkies you buy at Walmart. They have to be properly programmed to talk to each other on the right frequency, including any tone coded squelch you wish to use.

Not that I'm a HAM radio expert or anything, but you do have to kind of know what you are doing to use these. They are capable of transmitting on frequencies you absolutely should not be using, like police, fire, ems, s&r, government, commercial, etc. It's also worth noting that unless you have an FCC license, you can't actually use these radios legally. However if you are just using them for occasionally dirt bike chit chat, using them responsibly, on the correct frequencies, and not pissing off other users, the chances of being caught are basically zero.

Bottom line is that these cheap Chinese HAM radios work great for dirt biking I have had great success, they have much better range and performance than cheap 'bubble-pack' FRS radios. But they do take a little research and effort to learn how to use them.

u/retronewb · 3 pointsr/space

Yeah I know, it's far from ideal. Unfortunately the headphone out also requires the mic jack to be plugged in as well and I think they need to share a common ground (not quite sure).


Basically I need this cable but I can't find anywhere to buy it in the UK and Amazon.com won't ship to the UK.


Might have to try and build my own.

u/km6nuk · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

Do you have a favorite pair of earphones or headphones with a mic? I’ll follow up based on your answer.

EDIT: Wasn’t trying to be cryptic. Just having a hard time locating the item I bought: BTECH 2 Pin (K1 Connector)

The cabling is a bit... delicate? But I only use it for events. I just like that I can use my own headphones + mic with it.

u/cedarboy · 3 pointsr/paramotor

The Baofeng isnt type certified/capable of airband use or type certified for FRS/MURS frequencies. You first need to decide what freqencies and modes you are looking to use. If you are not a ham, you are limited to FRS, MURS and the airbands ( Part 87 Subpart B of Title 47 )

I would suggest something like what ICOM has to offer with bluetooth in the airbands, the IC-A25C or, snag a GMRS license for $70 and program your baofeng for those frequencies and get a speakermic with an earpiece port.

EDIT: If you are looking to use your Baofeng, I think i found a 3.5mm ptt adapter that will work. Snag a GMRS license and get this thing from Amazon.

u/icanseeuseeingme · 3 pointsr/amateurradio

I recently purchased a btech cable that I can directly connect to an android using aprsdroid into a spare baofeng I have. It works but not as full featured as my D74. It sure is cost efficient, though. And I have two baofengs that are just sitting here. I was able to put one into service again.

BTECH APRS-K1 Cable (Audio Interface Cable) for BaoFeng, BTECH BF-F8HP, UV-82HP, UV-5X3 (APRSpro, APRSDroid, Compatible - Android, iOS) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LMIBAZW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qJ-KBbH87CRHS

u/deusnefum · 3 pointsr/Baofeng

That's what the FAQ already says, but it fails to acknowledge that there are baofeng radios certified for GMRS, which was my point.

u/Elfnet_Gaming · 3 pointsr/Baofeng

Depends on what country you are in and so on.
I have worked professionally in radio for 20 years, I am an RF Engineer and I have government communications contracts in the US.

Assuming you are in the USA, technically the 888 are not legal to use on GMRS but they dd recently pass part 90 certification and new versions should have an FCC ID on them. GMRS is part 95 but may many people have and are using part 90 radios on GMRS because there is a massive shortage in real GMRS radios, The FCC has acknowledged this and seems to not really car much about it as long as the radios are not creating issues in other band like harmonics, etc.

Hams get triggered when people mention baofengs for other use outside of ham bands because they are cheap and originally part 97 ham radios, some hams feel they have been violated by the FCC because the FCC has started granting part 90 and 95 certification on some of these radios. So most of the banter is just hurt feefee's speaking and that typically results in fear porn stories about how the FCC will track you and your kids down and give you all a huge fine for using a non certified radio here and there unscheduled.
I have my ham license and I do not care what people use for a radio, I assume we are all adult enough to be responsible while using a radio, like not talking over someone else, or interfering with service comms like police and fire services. I;m not going to say "He just get your ham license" because I know what its like to have friends and family, some of them may not want a license or they cannot grasp the concept to pass a test, nothing wrong with that not everyone is tech savvy, so you need an easy way out.

GMRS is your best option but you need a license for it, no test, $80 USD and you and your whole family can use it. I reccomend this over a ham license unless you think EVERYONE that will be using a radio can study and pass a ham radio test and remember to follow the ham radio rules..

MURS is 2 watts and you have to use MURS radios but you run a HUGE risk of being on a channel like what Wal-mart uses and if they catch you they can trespass you from their property... They actually think the own MURS channels..

Ok so here is what I suggest, Get a GMRS license, you can goto your local 2-way radio shop (where the police go to have their stuff serviced, not radio shack XD) and ask them to help you apply for a license. they should have no problem with this. Also you can subscribe to the GMRS subreddit.

Now you will need to get some GMRS part 95 radios, Baofeng makes one - https://www.amazon.com/GMRS-V1-Repeater-Scanning-136-174-99mhz-400-520-99mhz/dp/B01LWOLZ8L

This is good because this one will do repeaters where your blister pack cobras and stuff will not. Also this radio will receive VHF and that means it will receive NOAA weather broadcasts.

There are some surplus part 90 radios that have part 95 certification out there but I cannot list them all off, you will have to do that homework on your own.

I would use CB radio for car to car on the road communications and use GMRS HT's for on the ground activity. CB has its perks on the road, you can get traffic reports, speed trap info or just chat with a trucker if you get bored driving XD. CB channel 19 is the main use road channel BTW

You can get your ham license but that is only as powerful as to the fact if you have anyone to contact and you know repeater info for areas you will be travelling in, as mentioned above Would everyone in your family and group be willing, have time and be able to study and pass a ham radio test?

Seriously guys think before you start spewing crap, the OP may have young kids or friends who may or may not be able to understand radio theory well, not everyone is tech savvy in the world, for $80 a GMRS license will allow everyone in your family and group to communicate wit some simple common sense rules..

u/RRuruurrr · 3 pointsr/buildapc

What is the difference between all the different versions of the 1080? I look at this and there are ten different options with different clock speeds. How do you pick the best one?

u/wizardnamehere · 3 pointsr/bapcsalesaustralia
u/TommyyyGunsss · 2 pointsr/cbradio

Could you by any chance recommend a set? I'm trying to search but most seem to be little more than kids toys.

So, how do you feel about these?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009MAKWC0?qid=1384292328&sr=8-2

u/prodbychefboy · 2 pointsr/FortNiteBR

sorry. i meant [loop station](Boss RC-505 Loop Station https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C6YAX6E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.9Z-BbKJY1Y4G). you use foot pedals to operated it

u/Citadel_97E · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

Yeah. I'll admit. I did my research about the Baofeng radios. I was going to get a couple of these. But I read somewhere that the UV-B5s were improved and much better.

I initially thought to myself, "So I'm getting an improvement on something that was a piece of junk. So I'm getting a piece of junk that is slightly better than the other piece of junk."

I was completely wrong. Sure, I use my Yeasu FT-7900 when I'm in my Jeep. But when I'm at home I use the UV-B5 exclusively to hit the repeaters nearby. I'm in Charleston, I can hit the USS Yorktown repeater, both MUSC repeaters, a 70cm repeater down the road a piece and another two meter repeater 'round the way a bit. These are great radios.

I've also used these radios helping out with hour annual bridge run, they did great.

u/pnewb · 2 pointsr/freeflight

Most free flight guys I know use the 2m ham band. You need to be licensed in the US to use these things.

Most frequently seen: http://www.amazon.com/Yaesu-FT-250R-Amateur-Transceiver-Desktop/dp/B004H5MSNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395337840&sr=8-1&keywords=yaesu+ft250

New champion due to price: http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-Dual-Band-Improved-Stronger-Enhanced/dp/B00C83AU9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395337899&sr=8-1&keywords=baofeng+uv-5r+plus

Most of the PPG folks use FRS radios. Something about the motor itself seems to cause interference on the 2m band.

u/manyamile · 2 pointsr/USMilitia

At under $50, the BaoFeng UV-82 is practically disposable and for the money and it does a fine job. Are there better handhelds on the market? Yes but BaoFeng's quality continues to improve and for the money, they're excellent entry points. They're also insanely common at this point so getting assistance on setup and use is easy to find.

There are plenty of YouTube vids available to walk you through setup and use. Just understand that the FCC doesn't take kindly to your broadcasting without a license. Take some time to get your technician license before you broadcast -- until then, you're more than welcome to listen.

u/socalchris · 2 pointsr/rocketry

This is also much easier and cheaper to do than most people realize.

  • Amateur Radio License. Fee is about $5-$15, depending on club administering the test, I got mine after about 5 hours of studying. There's a ton of free online resources, or fairly cheap online tools.
  • Transmitter. Big Red Bee is $60
  • Transceiver. Baofang sells one on Amazon for $28
  • Build a yagi antenna for around $20

    All in, you're looking at well under $150 for something that will work really well, last a long time, and will give you a license into another potential hobby.
u/MadMennonite · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

> PS the programming cable in that list takes A LOT of fiddling to get it to work properly, just warning you.

Buy the authentic cable, and all your problems go away.

u/RENEGADEPETIE · 2 pointsr/Survival

Make sure that you get THIS cable , don’t go with a cheaper one , you will have issues ......

BTECH PC03 FTDI Genuine USB Programming Cable for BTECH, BaoFeng, Kenwood, and AnyTone Radio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HUB0ONK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_sPRlDbZGRK8C4

u/bigcrab · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

if you look in this sub you will find most of what you need. i dont know how much of this will translate to the b5 but might help - http://radiodoc.github.io/index.html

and get this + data cable to program via pc - http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

there are a lot of "fake" data cables that can cause issues, cant go wrong with this one - http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-BaoFeng-Programming-Cable-BF-F8HP/dp/B00HUB0ONK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1411083423&sr=8-3&keywords=baofeng+cable

u/nuffced · 2 pointsr/Baofeng

I went with the cheaper cable at first, and it worked with the Chinese software. After contacting the manufacturer, they recommended a different cable which worked like a champ.

u/hamonwholehf · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

Let's see if I can help...

Two cables exist for USB to serial control to the radio. One has the FTDI Chipset and one has the Prolific Chipset. The difference between the two is that the FTDI is bullet-proof reliable and will be one less headache for you as a ham. The Prolific is hit or miss. Some people have luck with it, and some people don't. As a new ham, I wouldn't want someone to get too frustrated which is why I recommend the better cable. The bonus is it works with Kenwood and Wouxun radios as well.

Good luck!

u/1readdit1 · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

I'm not positive but I think the one you have selected will work.

Here's the one I bought about a year ago:

BTECH PC03 FTDI Genuine USB Programming Cable for BTECH, BaoFeng, Kenwood, and AnyTone Radio https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HUB0ONK/ref=cm_sw_r_other_taa_fcvRBbBR12SG1

u/GrepZen · 2 pointsr/HamRadio

Super-Elastic Signal Stick
& a HandMic
A programming cable would be a great add as well.

u/KI7CFO · 2 pointsr/HamRadio

I've got 2 UV5R v2+ and one BFF8HP. Dad just bought two UV5Rs, neighbor is probably going to buy some soon.

They are fantastic systems. Always get the 15" antenna. I have a NMO truck center mount also. I've used the radio while on my boat for marine VHF, I've used it in low power on the forbidden channels for my kids out hiking. I've used it for FM broadcast reception to listen to something interesting. I've even used the flashlight feature way more than I thought I would. They are fantastic systems.

get the more expensive FTDI programming cable and use Chirp. It worked the first try (once you figure out which COM port the thing wants to work on).

Throwing all the repeaters on there was a piece of cake. I'll admit to wanting a better UI and easier programming away from the computer, but for only $70 (UV5R + 15" whip + cable + shipping) it is really hard to beat. $70 gets you on the air, completely clear signal line of sight to repeaters and it provides a little insurance if you are backwoods hunting / boating on a small craft without a "real" marine VHF on a mast ($200+). If you get a few BNC adapters, then you can quickly change between a homemade Yagi and your 15" whip, or a vehicle NMO / similar antenna. The flexibility is pretty amazing.

once you care about longer bands, higher power, then you can start throwing money around on car or base station setups, putting up your own antenna, etc etc. Why not put <$100 into the hobby once you get your license and sit on that "investment" for a few months and see if you are in it for real.

For me, I'm probably going to stay a HAM for a while and with under $250 into the hobby for the next years. I do enough boating & back country hunting that HAM is very handy. I eventually will have dad and may be a brother that get licensed too (as well as many friends). Going on outings with other HAMs makes things much more fun obviously, rather than just sitting on the local repeater NET and checking in with nothing else to do.

u/psignosis · 2 pointsr/Baofeng

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HUB0ONK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 that's the one I bought. No driver needed. However, make sure that you really have the portion in the HT seated very well and snug. On my first few tries mine wasn't really plugged in well, though I thought it was impossible to be more so. Really make sure it's snapped in there. Though that Amazon page says no drivers needed, and it was true for my El Capitan Mac, you would need one for linux.

u/Joe503 · 2 pointsr/Portland

I bought these ones. Remember that they do require a license to broadcast, but it's well worth the time.

u/_bani_ · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

Welcome, fellow codeless extra!

Me and two of my friends did zero to extra in the same session. Can only imagine what the VEs thought.

youtube channels, david casler's is a good one to cover the basics of what you've already been tested on. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaBtYooQdmNzq63eID8RaLQ

Read the Gordon West books, they're a pretty light and simple introduction to the various concepts. Find an elmer to help guide you. And don't be afraid to make mistakes.

low cost beginner radio, the UV-5R V2+ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HX03AMA/ and /r/Baofeng to ask questions about your potato.

u/Brillinius · 2 pointsr/Baofeng

Model: UV-5R V2+
Freq: 136-174Mhz/400-479.995Mhz
FCC-ID:ZP5BF-5R
Firmware: BFB297 (used this method)
Antenna: ~4.5" FM/136-174/400-520MHz Female SMA

Vendor info:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HX03AMA/
$33.99
June 29, 2016
Sold by: CameraTec
USA -> USA shipping

Was gonna potato for scale but went with the standard.
UV-5R V2+

u/rfleason · 2 pointsr/Jeep

That's a bummer, I could tell you were really looking forward to that trip.

I'm just getting over two weeks of being terribly ill (102.8 temp!) and missed a week long trip cabin hopping through death valley/panamint mountains. That was planned for a couple of months and then it was just, gone. So I feel you.

I wish I could go, I would even enjoy being the spotter! I can't..

Also, nobody has any excuse to NOT have a ham radio any more..

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HX03AMA/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687442&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007H4VT7A&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1QPFEB6BF6M9PBA6G9C8

u/slick8086 · 2 pointsr/tech

I'm still pretty new, I just got my license in July. check out /r/amateurradio and /r/HamRadio.

Ham radio is a very wide topic, but for your emergency situations chack out http://www.arrl.org/ares and http://www.usraces.org/ and http://www.eastcoastdistrict.org/

You can start off with pretty cheap 2 meter band radios like this: http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-TRI-POWER-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B00MAULSOK/

u/Sedorox · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

BF-F8HP is upcoming. 'Tis the one I have and like it a lot better than a UV-5R

EDIT: It's live, and for $45.

Edit2: It's done.

u/galacticengine · 2 pointsr/preppers

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174Mhz-400-520Mhz/dp/B00MAULSOK

Damn next paycheck I wanna pick one up so please don't buy them all.

u/tendinosis · 2 pointsr/Jeep

Honest question, I have a CB and just have not heard anyone else transmitting when I've been out wheeling. The only time its been used it when I went with a jeep club, once Does anybody still use one?


Secondly, what are opinions on 2 way radios instead? Such as the BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio (136-174MHz VHF & 400-520MHz UHF) Includes Full Kit with Large Battery


or

Midland Micromobile?

I'm really curious to here everyone's thoughts. When I get out I'm usually out in the mountains in Colorado with little cell reception, and was wondering if either of those would be useful should an emergency present itself for contacting the forest service or other emergency services.

Thanks all & happy Jeeping!

u/ShakataGaNai · 2 pointsr/HamRadio

As of right now:

  • UV-5R on Amazon - $23.40 USD
  • BF-F8HP on Amazon - $62.89

    So if you want a reasonable no-frills HT: Go with the UV-5R because you can't beat that price.

    If you want an HT that has a bit more features & the option of more power: Go with the F8HP. Even at $60ish it's a good price for an HT.

    On BaoFeng's website you'll see the F8HP listed as the "UV-5R 3rd Gen", so it's newer.
u/remembertosmilebot · 2 pointsr/preppers

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174MHz-400-520MHz/dp/B00MAULSOK/

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

u/rizer_ · 2 pointsr/leftprep

Handheld radio $65 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAULSOK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

License exam is generally under $20, so assuming you pass the first time it's under $100 to get started.

u/syn- · 2 pointsr/flying

Sure thing!

I've got an Icaro Solar X helmet [1][2], which utilizes a Loescher LUH-X Peltor headset [3]. Loescher provides adapters from the headset that can plug into nearly anything you can think of. I've got one adapter for my 2m radio and one adapter for my aviation radio. Additionally, the adapters can be purchased with a secondary audio input cord (meant for plugging into a phone). I use that secondary connection to plug into my Sena 10S. Unfortunately that means I have 2 mics in front of my face when doing this.

That second mic for the Sena is also attached in the most stupid way possible (velcro on the ear cup with a boom from there) all because I can't find an extension cord for the plug it uses... if you've got any ideas there I'm all ears. With that extension, I could just attach it directly to the mic for the Loescher and would then just have 2 mics on the end of one boom.

For the aviation radio, I've got an Icom IC-A6 [4]. For 2m a BaoFeng BF-F8HP [5]. Both mounted in a dual radio chest mount for easy access. And then bluetooth connects through the Sena.

It is worth noting that the Loescher headset requires changing a jumper to switch between the 2m radio and the aviation radio... I wanted to be able to switch in the air, so I just added a small switch inside the ear cup to facilitate that. Forward for 2m, back for aviation. Then just unplug and plug back into the other radio. I rarely have to make this switch in the air, but sometimes it's necessary.

Hope this helps!


  1. https://www.icaro2000.com/Products/Helmets/Solar/Solar.htm
  2. https://shop.icaro2000.com/Catalog/xx/210/Solar%20X
  3. http://www.loescher.com/AEROSPORTS-paramotor-ultralight/PILOT-AVIATION-HEADSETS/LOESCHER-UNIVERSAL-HEADSETS/LOESCHER-helmet-headsets/LUH-X--LOESCHER-Universal-Headset-mit-PTT-und-Helmhalterung--43-5dB.html
  4. https://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/avionics/handheld/a6/default.aspx
  5. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAULSOK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
u/jelimoore · 2 pointsr/Baofeng

The Motorola RSMs only work with Motorola radios. The btech one can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-QHM22-Platinum-Rainproof-Shoulder/dp/B00Z4X3MM6

u/Seigetanker · 2 pointsr/airsoft

For my mic i use this.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00Z4X3MM6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468473927&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=BaoFeng+QHM22+Platinum+Series+IP54+Rainproof+Shoulder+Speaker+Mic

It has a 3.5mm jack for a headphone/earbud. I modified a set of headphones and fit them into the ears of my mask. I run a full paintball mask so a normal all in one headset won't work for me.
My teammates can hear me clearly.

Stay away from throat mics or bone conduction unless you get the real deal. Knockoffs don't cut it and your transmission will either be muted or garbled.

u/STiFTW · 2 pointsr/Baofeng

That app looks pretty good, would it be compatible with the Baofeng cable: https://www.amazon.com/APRS-K2-Connector-BaoFeng-APRSDroid-Compatible/dp/B01LMIBAZW

u/Gentle_Be · 2 pointsr/preppers
u/tomswartz07 · 2 pointsr/RTLSDR

This is pretty dope.

Have you had any issues with the speaker-mic connection?
I know my UV5R is a bit finicky when it comes to that kind of hookup.

I ended up going with an 'official' APRS cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LMIBAZW/
and a breakout mic/headphone splitter.

I've been able to capture a few amateur satellites, but I've never tried the NOAA sats.

Any caveats to this versus the raw digital data over the SDR?

u/Gaaraxdk · 2 pointsr/bapccanada

That's a really really expensive 1080, you can get a 1080TI (or, or) for that price. Or a liquid cooled for way less.

u/maeshughes32 · 2 pointsr/ft86

I used these for my recent trip to the dragon with friends. They worked well enough.

u/I_eat_satans_ass · 2 pointsr/Trucks

http://smile.amazon.com/Motorola-MH230R-23-Mile-22-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001UE6MIO

This is probably gonna end up being the cheaper option in the end. Yea, you could use your truck's antenna, but it isn't tuned for CB. You will overload the output transformer on the radio and kill it fast if its not tuned. So, on top of the radio, you need to also budget for the antenna, antenna mount, coax, and probably a SWR meter to tune the radio. Realistically, CB isn't useful unless you're doing offroading where its required, or are on the road like a trucker and can benefit from that side of it. But next time you're on the highway, take a look at the semi's, and note that about half of them don't even have a CB, then beyond that, a lot of those that do don't bother with it.

u/myjunksonfire · 2 pointsr/CampingGear

I have a set of the Motorolas that supposedly can cover over 20 miles. I've never tried a distance that extreme, but I can say they are pretty good. They come with a rechargeable battery pack or you can use AA's. The bad part is the plastic swivel clip it come with breaks easily. You can get replacements on Amazon, but it's a bit frustrating to have to put it in a pocket instead of clipping it to your pack. Other than that, solid radio for a decent price.

http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MH230R-23-Mile-22-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001UE6MIO/ref=zg_bs_912322_1

u/Wendyland78 · 2 pointsr/AdviceAnimals

We've used a couple brands over the years, but these Midlands have worked best. https://smile.amazon.com/Midland-GXT1000VP4-36-Mile-50-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001WMFYH4/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1484274173&sr=8-17&keywords=walkie+talkies

We bought ours from Dicks sporting goods with a coupon. We live in the burbs so we have to use a high channel like 32 to keep out interference.

Our daughter has rules like she has to tell me when she goes to a different friends or the park and she has to tell me when heading home so I can keep an eye out.

u/Rebornjester · 2 pointsr/airsoft

i was going to order this for my brother for his birthday. they seem good enough.

u/Fubs261 · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

I was reading some of the questions on the the Baofeng Amazon page. Some were saying that although they could broadcast on FRS, it is considered illegal to because they are higher power than FRS? So, I am under the impression that the Baofeng isn't exactly a simple handheld to handheld option. Having the ability to listen in to local police/fire/EMS and other information has piqued my interest.

 

Would it be possible to have legal handheld to handheld communication like during caravans/convoys/general use for around 1 mile with the Baofeng? The more that I'm trying to look into it, the more it seems that If I want to listen in to the above and/or find other things to listen to, get the Baofeng, but I won't ever be able to use it to transmit. I'm under the impression that I would never be able to transmit because of this thread from 2 months ago on this sub. I see several posts saying that all the frequencies are in use and should never be transmitted on. How and what do you guys transmit then, if all frequencies are in use?

To meet my physical needs, I'd need to purchased something like the Midland GXT1000VP4

u/Ticket2ride21 · 2 pointsr/BuyItForLife


I use these.

GXT1000VP4, 50 Channel GMRS Two-Way Radio - Up to 36 Mile Range Walkie Talkie, 142 Privacy Codes, Waterproof, NOAA Weather Scan + Alert (Pair Pack) (Black/Silver) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001WMFYH4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_uQOTCb3340AS3

I have 2 sets. Lithium ion batteries are amazing.

u/IamJacksComments · 2 pointsr/Motocross

Something like this runs anywhere from $40-$100 depending on quality. We used Push To Talk radios, so they wouldn't turn on from the bike noise. Some of the guys we ride with use these headsets

u/speakeasyboy · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

I originally thought it'd be fun to be able to talk with my friend who lives in a neighborhood about a mile away from me. After scratching the surface of two way radios, I soon found out that might not be so easy. I've looked at Midland, Uniden, Motorola, etc. And I just can't decide which would be a good option. So, my question to all you folks is, what two way radio should I be considering? I would love the option of NOAA access in the event of an emergency but it's not necessary. I'm also not looking to spend too much.

This keeps coming up as an option. Should I be reluctant or just go for it? Any better options?

Thanks in advance for at least reading.

u/Pbpro9988 · 2 pointsr/airsoft

Ive rolled with midland radios, something like a 20 mile range depending on where you are, and a pryme headset, very good combo in my opinion....

Edit for links


Midland radio


Pryme Headset

u/EchoedSilence · 2 pointsr/Karting

Midland radios do well. We refer to them as bubble packs because they tend to come in that really sharp plastic packaging that are rounded so they look like bubbles. Something like [these] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001WMFYH4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451406976&sr=1-1&refinements=p_4%3AMidland%2Cp_85%3A2470955011&pi=SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41XbIQv63VL&ref=plSrch)

u/SquirrelCantHelpIt · 2 pointsr/wildwhittlers

This is the hook knife that I use... there are lots of youtube videos about using and sharpening these knives. It is pretty fun to use once you get a good edge and learn how to wield it.

u/bushcraftcamper · 2 pointsr/Bushcraft

It was this guy: https://www.amazon.ca/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Carbon-Steel/dp/B00343VCCK?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 had two bevels, not sure why, maybe they changed their grind in new productions. When did you get yours? Mine was about two years ago when I just started carving. I got it to a useable state but the shape wasn't as good as the deep wood ventures one I got. I don't even use the mora anymore.

u/tigermaple · 2 pointsr/turning

Carving and turning go together pretty well- what you learn in one will help you with the other and vice versa. (Technically turning is a type of carving- the lathe is a rotary, reductive carving tool). Turners and carvers also share an affinity for using green wood that is relatively rare in the modern woodworking world as a whole. If you're not going to be able to get in to turning right away because of the cost, you could always get a couple knives (a hook knife and a straight knife) and go find some green wood & whittle some spoons.

u/brian5258 · 2 pointsr/Woodcarving

Morakniv Wood Carving 164 Hook Knife with Carbon Steel Blade https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00343VCCK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_avYFrR8BvNjYg

u/ShadoFlameX · 2 pointsr/DIY

I read some reviews online and decided on:

Morakniv Wood Carving 164 Hook Knife
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00343VCCK

Morakniv Wood Carving 106 Knife
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IW5YN8

u/frontsidebust · 2 pointsr/raspberry_pi

You should check to see if you have any repeaters nearby. Baofengs are cheap now, like $25.

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

u/Edonlin2004 · 2 pointsr/NASCAR

Buy this.
BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6ijlDb6C1FTJD

Then this.
Electop 2.5mm Male to 3.5mm(1/8 inch) Female Stereo Audio Jack Adapter Cable for Headphone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GC6LR84/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XjjlDbW1X24P6

Then this.
Mpow 035 Noise Reduction Safety Ear Muffs, Shooters Hearing Protection Ear Muffs, Adjustable Shooting Ear Muffs, NRR 28dB Ear Defenders for Shooting Hunting Season, with a Carrying Bag- Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L1U9L5W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tkjlDbTJP2Q4C

And use a pair of nice in ear headphones.


Budget and works great.

u/Theappunderground · 2 pointsr/climbing

I believe the device youre attempting to invent already exists, its called a “radio” or “walkie talkie”.


$25 for the best cheap handheld radio, theres no way you can beat this:


https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1510628962&sr=1-4&keywords=Baofeng

u/Son_Of_A_Diddley · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

https://hamstudy.org is basically the best website for studying to get the test.

There are 3 license levels- Technician, General, and Extra. Technician allows you to use VHF/UHF and higher frequencies on a radio like this. On VHF/UHF, you usually use a repeater to extend your range.

General lets you use the HF bands, which are propagated all over the world by the ionosphere. Extra just allows you a little bit more use of the HF bands.

Keep in mind that once you pass Tech, you can also take the General and Extra tests right afterwards.

u/amishjim · 2 pointsr/raspberry_pi

The Ham it Up is the one to go with. I don't know the funcube. For SW the BaoFeng for $40 has a huge following. I'm about to get one. You can listen on one, but you can't transmit unless you get your ham license. I'm going through the study guide now.

u/The_Real_Cats_Eye · 2 pointsr/geek

That's the whole thing.

For example, the Baofeng UV-3R is $32.92 (+free shipping) at amazon (http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-3R-136-174-400-470-Dual-Band/dp/B006J4G49C)

>The BaoFeng UV-3R dual band radio with FM transceiver, Mini size. Latest version with 18 menu items, S-meter and dual display and dual band antenna. It is a micro miniature multiband FM transceiver with extensive receive frequency coverage, providing local-area 2-way amateur communications along with unmatched monitoring capability. Functions and Features: LCD Menu Operations, Dual Band/Dual Display, Wide/Narrow Bandwidth, FM Radio Built-in (87.0MHz-108.0MHz), Emergency Alarm, Low Battery Alert, PC Programming, VOX (Off/1-9 Level), 99 Channels (1 Emergency Channel), CTCSS/CDCSS, Battery Saver, Power Capacity Display (ON), Backlight ON/OFF/Key, FM Radio Channel Storage, High illumination Flashlight.


Another version, the 5R is less than $36 http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band/dp/B007H4VT7A

u/NeuroG · 2 pointsr/geek

It would be impossible to understand/afford all of the aspects of ham radio simultaneously, but passing a "tech" license (or the equivalent in your country) and buying a Chinese handheld and a few accessories is commonly attained by high-school students with less than $100, and permits the use of regional repeaters and even satellites. Connect it to a smartphone or computer and you can use the APRS system -even use it to send an email with the international space station.

u/cwcoleman · 2 pointsr/preppers

It is a BaoFeng UV-5. I got it last week - I have no idea what I'm doing. A cable to plug it into my computer is in the mail. I plan to 'program' it as soon as that gets here and start listening to local chat. Then maybe get licensed one day if I feel really adventurous.

u/Unyielding_Cactus · 2 pointsr/airsoftmarket

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1474119781&sr=1-4&keywords=baofeng

These are really nice, got 5 of em for the guys and I. If you search around you can find package deals. Depends on how many you need.

u/nofreesteak · 2 pointsr/Baofeng

Welcome!

The link you posted doesn't work. It got truncated somehow. Try pasting that again in the comments.

I always recommend the Baofeng UV-5R to the budget-minded. It costs $27 and is pretty good in performance (from my use and from what I've heard from others). With the stock antenna on this radio, you should be able to get a few miles of range in open spaces. You can upgrade the antenna to a "quarter wave" antenna to better that range. The higher up your antenna is in the air, the farther out you will be able to reach with your radio -- UHF/VHF radios are all 'line of sight'.

You will also be able to use local ham radio repeaters in your area to talk to people around you. Repeaters will greatly enhance your range as they are typically built on tall towers or hill tops. You can look for repeaters in your area on RepeaterBook. Under "band", select 2m or 70cm (the UV-5R supports both bands)

However, you're going to need a ham radio license (at least a Technician class) to transmit. Also, your family is going to need ham radio licenses to transmit. If this does not work for you, I would recommend FRS/GMRS radios or CB radios which can be used without a license.

u/AshWilliamsBoomstick · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

No problem man, i get it. I didnt want to spend a whole bunch of money either. I ended up with these $25 dual band Beofeng and they will out perform ANY FRS or GMRS radio.

u/zachlinux28 · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

Yeah its pretty sick. I've not tried for the ISS, but have had middling luck with listening to ham radio satellites with a handheld. Your best (and easiest, cheapest) bet would be to purchase a new radio. While the Baofeng type radios are pretty decent for that, if you are into bang for your buck fun, try your hand at rtl-sdr type receivers. I have one I bought for 15 bucks and hacked it up and had a heck lot of fun! With the radio you have, you are best off getting a local ham that is into tech to hook it up to a signal generator and check the alignment and sensitivity of it for you. It's not super hard, but you sorta need a bit of experience.

u/Katepillar · 2 pointsr/Suomi

Itse suoritin perusluokan tutkinnon viime talvena. Oma paikallinen kerho on kyllä kovin aktiivisesti toiminnassa lähialueiden kerhojan kanssa jollain määrin. Kerhon vanhant ukot rakentelevat aika aktiivisesti mastoja ja kyllä niitä yhteyksiäkin pidetään aika paljon. Itse olen päässyt toistaiseksi vain kuuntelemaan tällä kiinalaisella käsiradiolla, mutta tarkoitus olisi kerholla rakentaa parempi antenni tuohon.

Jos harrastus kiinnostaa todella niin ole ihmeessä yhteydessä lähiompään radiokerhoosi. Isoissa kaupungeissa jokaisessa taitaa olla jokseenkin aktiivinen ryhmä. Myös pieniltä paikkakunnilta saattaa kerhoja löytyä. Kannattaa myös varautua siihen tosi asiaan, että tämä on suhteellisen hintava harrastus. Toki halvallakin tulee toimeen kyllä, mutta jos haluaa kotoa asti ottaa yhteyttä toiselle puolelle maailmaa vaivattomasti, hinta on korkea. Kuitenkin jos liityt siihen paikalliseen kerhoon heillä on pelit ja pensselit jossain tilassa josta pääset radioimaan lähelle ja kauas.

u/ToSeeOrNotToBe · 2 pointsr/preppers

>I don’t feel like a HAM radio is a viable option for both of us.

How come? You can get a radio capable of accessing repeaters for $25-30 (although I recommend the tri-band one for 60-ish), and 8 year olds sometimes pass the Tech exam. A 12 y/o passed it when I took my exams.

Not suggesting you don't have a good reason...just curious.

FWIW, I made a Comms Card so my unlicensed family members could use the radios in our EMCOMM kits in an emergency. The cards break it down simple enough that they can just follow the step-by-step instructions. And as long as it's a question of imminent danger to life or property, FCC regs say they can use it.

So if you just get licensed and set them up a kit, it might be a workable solution.

u/misterrF · 2 pointsr/trains

The Baofeng UV-5R blows everything else out of the water at its price point of $24: https://smile.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

You might want a different antenna, but otherwise it works great. Splurge for the programming cable if you don't want to manually dial in frequencies, but it's not totally necessary. Not sure if it would work for police scanning or not, but should be easy enough to check. I doubt it, though.

u/hok9 · 2 pointsr/NASCAR

I bought one of These last year for camping and used it recently at a race. It was better than the fanvision scanner we normaly use. Just have to set it to not transmit, which isn't that hard.

u/smudgepost · 2 pointsr/preppers
u/TheThinMan34 · 2 pointsr/preppers
u/BallsOutKrunked · 2 pointsr/preppers

I'm in California where our two largest concerns (mine, anyway) are earthquakes and fire.

For earthquakes it's standard preparation stuff because aspects of grid can shut down for short or long periods of time. There's also the "get out of the house now!" type situation which is really just shoes and a flashlight, or just your human body. If your bag is downstairs and you're upstairs you're not going to run to a bugout bag first. It's just get out (depending on the quake, the building, etc).

I do have a bugout bag primarily for fire evacuation, which has:

  • Important docs. Homeowners policy, our will, healthcare directives, passports, social security cards, etc.
  • A printed road map of the state (thin book).
  • A kickass little am/fm radio.
  • A handheld 2m radio programmed with area repeaters, I have a mag antenna in my truck.
  • Geiger counter. Way over the top for people to have but I bought one so where else would I put it.
  • 4 way water key.
  • Spare credit cards, some cash.
  • Medications we need.
  • USB chargers.

    I also have a google spreadsheet printed out that has the items we want to take. The evacuation orders can come at any time and you might be knee deep in some project or sick on the couch, you need to be able to mindlessly grab items that a smarter-you considered bringing. The bag is just the one that we're really screwed if we don't have. This is my list, it's taped under my desk at home.

    Edit: also, there's a column for different family members. My kids have stuff they're supposed to grab (a change of clothes, etc) while mine has the chainsaw and a shovel.

    It's possible you'll have less than 20 seconds to escape your home but chances are you'll have at least a few minutes, maybe even a few hours. Having a list of things to grab from the house thought out in advance seems reasonable to me. And some stuff that's super useful (like dumping everything from the medicine cabinet into a bag) is more of an instruction than an item, per say.

    Dolls (for kids)

    laptop

    EMT gear

    Backpacking food

    Flashlights

    Gasoline tanks

    Wet wipes

    Toilet Paper

    Firearms

    Ammunition

    Map (Marked)

    AA/AAA Batteries

    Chainsaw

    Shovel

    Solar Panel

    Tent

    Soap

    Medicine Cabinet

    Checkbook

    2m Radio

    10 gallons water

    2m base antenna

    2m pvc ant mast

    I also have a list of things I need to do if I leave the house, again this is tailored to fire evacuation. This is taped to the inside door of our utility closet. Easy to find but house guests aren't staring at it and we can keep our home more "homey" looking versus a forward operating base. These are taken from CalFire's suggestions and my own experience in and around fire.

    ​

  • Remove flammable window shades, curtains.
  • Remove flammable objects from walls, windows, doors.
  • Shut off gas (crescent wrench).
  • Turn on all lights.
  • Turn off HVAC.
  • Place flammable items in open area.
  • Connect garden hose, drag to driveway, charge hose, controlled by gun nozzle.
  • Place buckets of water in driveway.
  • Place ladder in driveway, visible.
u/chocolate_nault · 2 pointsr/INDYCAR

Unfortunately I don't know of any major race tracks that broadcast FM anymore. Even IMS used to until last year. And IndyCar radio doesn't seem to have FM affiliates in southern California.

http://indymotorspeedway.com/500broadcast.html

You can check if it updates by the end of the week.

http://indycarradio.com/index.php/fans/local-stations/

​

Your best bet is to rent a Racing Electronics scanner, or buy a UHF scanner and program yourself like a Uniden or Baofeng.

https://racingelectronics.com/collections/rentals/products/long-beach-indycar

https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BC75XLT-300-Channel-Handheld-Emergency/dp/B00A1VSO9M/

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

IMS Radio is usually 454.0000 most anywhere, Except Toronto which was 454.1000 last year.

u/Xyzpdq0121 · 2 pointsr/electricdaisycarnival

Yes... This is a huge problem... This is why we do not use standard radios with 22 channels for 122,000 people. Look into UHF/VHF radios. Something like this. Technically you need an FCC license for it but 🙄. Easy to find a free channel because there are thousands.

u/astute_stoat · 2 pointsr/skiing

On our last trip to France our crew hailing from three different countries didn't feel like paying outrageous roaming charges so we purchased these: http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band/dp/B007H4VT7A . They're cheap and reliable, and can be set up easily by plugging them into a laptop. The batteries will get you through the day with no fuss. You get dual watch (for monitoring an emergency channel for example) and digital channel selection. They work remarkably well as long as you remain more or less in line of sight, but if your buddies are on the other side of a ridge you won't be able to talk. Check local regulations and allowed transmitted power before use.

I don't like removing my gloves to pull out my expensive phone in an environment where it can be easily lost or damaged, so I found the radio+earpiece setup much more practical to use. It's especially great for guiding a group down a difficult area. Radioing taunts to my snowboarder friends while riding the chairlift got me some surprised looks though :)

u/mackmgg · 2 pointsr/UBreddit

If you want to go the Baofeng route, there's a $40 one that could work. It's not very fast for scanning random frequencies, but if you program it with the software it will scan the memory quite well. I've got the software with all the local frequencies saved and could program it for you if you wanted. It can also listen to the NOAA radio as well as broadcast FM.

u/yiersan · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

I went to a the Mike & Key Hamfest in Western Washington last weekend and have never seen so much old ham equipment in one place. It was 2 floors in a giant convention center, with rows and rows, as far as you could see of old ham stuff on its way to die. Lots of the people selling the stuff just aren't into ebay, etc. that much. So I'd look to see if you can find a local hamfest. They're epic.

But what you really should do is get on Amazon and buy a brand new $30 BaoFeng 2-bander (or the newer one for $50). They're actually pretty good!

u/di5ide · 2 pointsr/BurningMan

Pick up some UV5r's and use which ever channels you want : http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007H4VT7A?pc_redir=1405926598&robot_redir=1

u/ThatGuyNearHouston · 2 pointsr/houston

Ha!

In fact, I own a dual band 2-way radio but have not made time to study up and prepare for the test to get my license.

u/threeio · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

They are a pain to program, but they are -so- cheap it's hard not to recommend them for a new operator.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007H4VT7A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1416686714&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Edit: typos everywhere

u/radar231 · 2 pointsr/Baofeng

I ordered from amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007H4VT7A) and didn't have any problems shipping to Ottawa. Exchange, shipping and duty pretty much doubled the price in CAD though, but still pretty cheap.

u/ChIck3n115 · 2 pointsr/collapse

Well, how much have you looked in to amateur radio? This sounds about like what I was thinking before I started looking in to it. First off, amazon has very little to offer in the ways of ham radio, so just because the Yaesu VX-8DR is the fanciest one they have doesn't mean it is the best. It has a bunch of features, but when it comes down to it you can only transmit 5 watts on 4 bands, one of which isn't used much (1.25M), and one of which relies a ton on atmospheric conditions even with a good antenna. I have a 4 watt handheld that covers 2 meters and 440 (70cm), with an aftermarket antenna, and it only costs about $45 (UV-5R). It's a full ham type radio, but can (illegally) be set to transmit on FRS/GMRS frequencies if needed. It doesn't sound like you want to do anything fancy, so a $500 handheld is way overkill.

As far as I know, fire crews don't monitor any amateur radio band reliably, so your best bet if you can't call would be to find any other radio operator and have them call. Any handheld will usually only have a few miles of range (I've hit my local repeater from about 10 on a lucky day), so yo will need to keep track of repeaters in the area if you go that route. Repeaters are basically powerful relays that pick up your signal and, well, repeat it at a much higher power. Others call back, it gets repeated, and you can hear them that way.

HF radio would require a bit more of a setup (larger antenna, battery pack, and HF transceiver at minimum), but you can get much farther and access more populated bands. With a small 100 watt transmitter you can talk around the world, assuming you have a good antenna and favorable atmospheric conditions.

Best bet if to find a local radio club and talk to those guys. This is a very complex hobby, and you can get so much more out of it once you understand more about it. I'm still just learning, but getting your general license should be your first goal as it gives you access to a ton more HF bands than a tech license would. And you can take both exams at the same time for one price!

u/HouseWerks · 2 pointsr/UMF

These are the money we have taken

Technically, you need an FCC license to use all the features but fuck the government. Standard walkie-talkies you are on one of 22 Channels.. with mine you have a few thousand (as long as you don't go on a police channel).

Edit, and I have tested ours and they have worked for about 3 miles.

u/BadHumanGoodGnome · 2 pointsr/Survival
u/aaron42net · 2 pointsr/BurningMan

Interesting project!

I investigated similar options a few years ago. As a ham radio operator, I was passingly familiar with APRS, which is a 20-year old networked position reporting protocol with some available hardware. It turns out that the Black Rock Amateur Radio Association for years has been running a permanent solar-powered APRS repeater on top of Razorback Mountain, which overlooks BRC. It is linked to a similar station in Gerlach, which relays to the internet. If you zoom out a bit from http://aprs.fi/#!addr=black%20rock%20city%2C%20nv you can see the stations RAZOR and GERLCH along with whoever is running APRS in the area at the moment.

The last few years, we've been putting APRS trackers on some art cars, which is accessible to anyone with an APRS receiver or via any participant network connected smartphone via an on-playa live map server (currently down) accessible to anyone on the BRC participant network.

If you have or get a ham license, you can standalone trackers for ~$120 or so, or can combine a $30 Baofeng ham radio with an old android phone running APRSDroid to do two-way position reporting.

u/fuzzycuffs · 2 pointsr/japanlife

Thanks as always. You're always a wealth of information.

I was actually looking at these on eBay and found they are also some on Amazon. Number one best seller too!

Baofeng UV-5Rプラス トランシーバー デュアルバンド 5色選択可!無線機 アンテナ!イヤホンマイク付き!ブラック 並行輸入 https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0097252UK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_9jPlxbPGYHP1B

So I assume that HAM radios are OK? I wouldn't need a license to use something like this?

u/inFAM1S · 2 pointsr/tacticalgear

I have a baofeng ham radio with a remote speaker/mic that I plug into my ear pro. I also have the extended battery and antenna

edit: links

u/djscsi · 2 pointsr/BurningMan

FWIW I gotta recommend Duracell's Procell for bulk batteries. :)

Also if youre into radio stuff, have you checked out these VHF/UHF handsets? They are freaking amazing.

u/prizrak5 · 2 pointsr/amateurradio

Baofeng UV5RA Ham Two Way Radio 136-174/400-480 MHz Dual-Band Transceiver (Black) https://www.amazon.in/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wzUxDb0N038X9

This is $20

u/jimmythefrenchfry · 2 pointsr/HamRadio

I'm learning too; a great way to accelerate learning is to buy a baofeng 5 (link below) and try to find and listen to conversations on the 2m and 70cm bands. It greatly helped me understand concepts in the ARRL Technician book (studying for the test).

https://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1510632052&sr=8-4&keywords=ham+radio

going to move up later to better/stronger gear, but this little baofeng is pretty fun, plus there's a lot of vids on youtube (many made by preppers) on how to use it.

then after you're licensed, you can use the baofeng 5 to listen AND talk via 70m and 2m bands (e.g., via repeaters)

u/universal_klister · 1 pointr/climbing

Walkie talkies I really think.

They're super common. And if a stranger is trying to communicate to you that something is wrong on the ground either your belayer can relay the message or they'll see the walkie talkie on the belayer.

The folks suggesting earplugs and mics have good ideas, but those aren't visible. You want strangers to see you communicating with whatever device you choose.

https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MH230R-23-Mile-22-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001UE6MIO/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1465924413&sr=1-4&keywords=walkie+talkie


Something like that. Tape them to slings you toss over your shoulder. It keeps them in position close to your head and they dont get jumbled up with your other gear.

u/thagoodlife · 1 pointr/flyfishing

Hey, a little late to the party, and while this is not a comprehensive list, I can tell you that I always end up needing these things

u/Chilton82 · 1 pointr/LifeProTips

You can find a decent set for under $100 that will have miles of range.

Here's a good inexpensive pair.

u/Start_button · 1 pointr/cbradio

Those are great, however, with them being ham radios, a license is required by law to talk on them.

Having said that though, it's only illegal if the fcc catches you using them.

Considering your price range and use, you'd be better suited getting these.

You would still technically be required to purchase a gmrs radio license, however, since these are set up more like generic walkie talkies, they would be easier to use than the one you mentioned.

NOTE###


I am not recommending that you violate the law. I'm simply giving you facts. Do with those facts what you will.

u/Necro_infernus · 1 pointr/airsoft

The Baofeng UV-5R is the defacto go to but it is not striclly legal to use on FRS or GMRS channels due to the power and detachable antenna. That said, I have never heard of anyone getting in trouble with one when used at an airsoft event, and as long as you're not using them on frequencies other than FRS or GMRS ones I'd be incredibly surprised if anything ever happened to you because of using them.


That said, if you want to keep on the legal side of the fence it's hard to go wrong with pretty much any Motorolla or Midland brand FRS/GMRS radio. Most events will use the FRS or GMRS channels, so you should still be able to talk to everyone. I personally have a couple Motorolla Talkabouts from almost a decade ago that I now use as loaners. Never given us an issue as long as you're not using the 'privacy' setting. Range is good, as is the battery life. Think you can usually find them for around $30 a piece, sometimes cheaper when they are on sale. Mine are old, but I'm almost positive the updated version are these: https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MR350R-35-Mile-22-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001UE6MJ8/

Edit Just saw your edit, sorry for beating a dead horse :D

u/jesuslovestacos · 1 pointr/Cruise

I took some regular walkie talkies and they weren't very good. I've been eyeing these for my next cruise.

u/nixfu · 1 pointr/amateurradio

FRS is legal for business, its basically a 'citizens band' and can be used by anyone for anything as long as they obey the legal limits of frequency and power etc.

HOWEVER, if you use it then, you can't get mad when kids in their backyard are interrupting your radios and you hear them come out of your speakers when talking to customers. They have just as much right on that frequency as anyone else so keep that in mind.

But, if you want really cheap and for just in-building use then FRS or GMRS is probably fine. Lots of businesses use them ok. Make sure you get some that have PL/privacy codes, that can help quite a bit. FRS/GMRS radios would probably be much more likely to work if you were using them in an area where there is not much in the way of housing such as a business district or downtown etc.

The Motorola MS350R/MT350R's are pretty much the best radios available these days if you go the FRS/GMRS route.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PGM9PO
https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MT350R-FRS-Weatherproof-Two-Way/dp/B0072LAAA0
https://www.amazon.com/Motorola-MR350R-35-Mile-22-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001UE6MJ8

They also support hand-mics, ear mic's and other accessories which might be handy in a work environment like you describe.

u/dude_pirate_roberts · 1 pointr/bicycling

Thanks for this suggestion! After a lot of browsing around Amazon, this seems like the right Motorola model, with good VOX according to the answered questions, $64/pair.

u/some_kid6 · 1 pointr/arduino

Do you need these to be mobile? Do you care about delay? Do you care about voice quality?

Yes to any of the above?

Buy a walkie talkie and use that. Might be able to hook into it with the headphone jack and an ADC and process the signal yourself. You'd be making a modem essentially.

No?

433 MHz RF can get 1km at low baud rates with a clear line of sight. This can be improved with a directional antennae setup (parabolic, can, ect.). You could set up a bunch of repeaters with a car battery, solar panels, waterproofing, and the RadioHead library to handle the transmissions.

u/CityBarman · 1 pointr/bartenders

I've been using these Motorolas for seven years. They're rechargeable and have built-in flashlights too. You can plug in a small earpiece with mic for great sound or a hand-held mic/speaker like law enforcement uses. You must at least use an in-ear phone to be able to hear. I don't know any two-way radios that can be heard over 300 loud partiers. We currently use an ear bud and speak directly into the radio.

I believe these exact units have been discontinued. However, Motorola and Midland both make similar radios for simlar money. I mean, here are six rechargeable radios, with charging bases and earbuds for $65. They have good reviews and free shipping. Here's a pair of rechargeable Motorolas with earbuds for $80 and free shipping. Here is Amazons Two-way Radio Store.

~Good luck!

u/diddyandroid · 1 pointr/motorcycles

After using a Sena setup and talking back and forth with my brother on a 1500 miler a few weeks ago - I think we've come up with the perfect solution (and we considered apps as well.)

We were thinking the solution is to get a few of these radios and assuming you can get the squelch dialed in to limit background noise along with a voice activated microphone into the helmet and it should work out pretty well!

u/Vicious1704 · 1 pointr/airsoft
u/Ipodk9 · 1 pointr/airsoft

Quick question, do you think I could use an over shoulder speaker/mic with this kind of radio? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001WMFYH4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1K8GGN0TNB5LY&coliid=IFIHTVET24H0B&psc=1

If so, what kind of over the shoulder mic would you recommend? I want to be able to hear it and have good quality, but under 30 dollars would be nice as well.

u/TheSRTgreg · 1 pointr/cars

I made my own USB powered adapter for my Midland two way radios. The Midland's existing rechargeable battery is also pretty good on life, so when it IS charged, I include it but I can't count on myself always being so prepared. I never have to worry about batteries this way. Any device that uses 4 AA or AAA batteries will work on USB power, which is why I selected that radio (and the good reviews). Since AA/AAA batteries are 1.5V when new and 1V when dead, that means that USB's 5V is perfect (New batteries 4 = 6V, dead batteries 4 = 4V, USB 5V is perfectly in the middle). On the Midlands, its SUPER easy. I took a spare USB cable and crimped on some of these connectors. Those crimp 'spade' connectors slipped on perfectly to the existing battery friction tabs. Just look at the battery pack to determine where the USB (-) and (+) should go.

Anyways, my simple USB cord can be removed in seconds and swapped for batteries. I give friends a unit with batteries in case they don't have a USB slot in their car, and then I use the one with a USB so I don't have to worry about batteries!

u/pinguspecker · 1 pointr/amateurradio

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001WMFYH4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fYX6BbPE8DCT8

Something like these would probably work best for you. Or other GMRS/FRS radio

u/IntlJumper · 1 pointr/verizon

I have a VZ unlimited plan as well. I just turn off the data so I can get calls. Depending on where you go it may or may not work (CDMA vs GSM). I did take several calls before, I never saw the charge on my bill. If you are in a large city or a tourist area there is wifi just about everywhere, try viber which is free and works well. I once bought a long range handheld from amazon when there was no wifi available on a ski trip, worth every penny.

u/rageling · 1 pointr/audioengineering

https://www.amazon.com/Midland-GXT1000VP4-36-Mile-50-Channel-Two-Way/dp/B001WMFYH4/ref=pd_sbs_107_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VNKD4DTQMHCGWDTWC7QP

Just get any commercial radio pair that has a headset jack, get a small earbud/mic combo to use with it, or get one that comes with it if you like that style.

u/Oswia · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Shot answer.

Can you do what you want to do and probably won't bother anyone? Yes.

Is what you're talking about doing legal? No.

Would I risk breaking Federal law to use something just a little bit better than a similar Motorola walkie talkies set up. HELL NO!

Just get these.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001WMFYH4?pf_rd_p=731c2082-c3b6-4ec5-ba3b-337a0516607d&aaxitk=E24CSNvIV2OInYFVQ0O7sQ&hsa_cr_id=4053267310601
100% legal and will do everything you need.

u/r3dm0nk · 1 pointr/airsoft

Doesnt seem to have too positive reviews lol

u/Lucky137 · 1 pointr/Woodcarving

Not sure if OP used this, but I've heard of others using it for the same application (and have been meaning to get one myself):

Morakniv Wood Carving 164 Hook Knife with Carbon Steel Blade

u/Glasspirate · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

So depending on the type of carving you want to do. Like this is a good knife for spoons like wood spoons or salad tongs. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00343VCCK/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?qid=1420451007&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

some of these no matter what. I wish idid when I started. So many wasted bandages. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002IY0IS/ref=mp_s_a_1_17?qid=1420451150&sr=8-17&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

The exacto set. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004Z2UD/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1420451349&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70 is a good starting set. Eventually if you like carving you might upgrade to something like this. I have this kit. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0020LOY7C/ref=mp_s_a_1_28?qid=1420451227&sr=8-28&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

u/TheKillingVoid · 1 pointr/woodworking

Ahh, I saw the 'frequently bought together' under the 164 that also had the short knife and a book, and thought that would be a good start for $50.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00343VCCK/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

u/Nakedcrazyman · 1 pointr/preppers

Most of the prepper authors tout Baoefung like this: https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

I don't own enough beans and bullets and medical supplies to worry about it yet.

u/Firebird_Ignition · 1 pointr/freeflight

This is the best solution I have found. Both PTT's have a "helmet" mounted button that is easy to use while flying (without letting go of the brakes).

​

Baofeng UV-5r

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=baofeng+uv-5r&qid=1566220318&s=gateway&sr=8-4

​

UK Intech PTT (high quality German PTT)

https://www.uk-intech.de/index.php/produkte/helmset

​

Parasupply PTT (medium quality Chinese PTT)

http://www.parasupply.com/revamp/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/20/products_id/87

u/sillycyco · 1 pointr/electronic_cigarette

Well, it won't be illegal to order anything under the regulations, nor will it be illegal to have them shipped to you. I don't think this would be a customs issue at all. Customs doesn't know whether each item has received approval for sale, just as they don't know if the CE, UL , FCC, etc. markings are valid on devices.

The onus would be on the seller, they would be breaking the rules, but the item itself would not be illegal to possess.

There are already tons of items that have dodgy approval markings on them. Customs doesn't care. They are interested in finding contraband, not figuring out whether device A, with this certain chipset, was approved for sale, while device B, with this other chipset, was not.

For instance, this radio makes you a criminal the moment you hit the transmit button on certain bands. It is not part approved for communications on HAM frequencies, and you must possess a HAM license to use it if it was part approved. It is sold on Amazon and is hugely popular.

u/kjsgss06 · 1 pointr/vandwellers

They're cheap as far as HAM radios go. If I lose/damage/destroy or otherwise mangle my Baofeng radio I could really care less.

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1467650623&sr=1-4&keywords=baofeng+uv-5r

u/TheChemistAstronaut · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Good day everyone!

I just have a quick question about the "accuracy" of the Tx frequency shown on a radio display.I'm planning to purchase the Baofeng UV-5R (Link below) as my first handheld transceiver.

I was wondering, if I select 453.212 MHz as my transmission frequency on the display, what frequencies am I actually transmitting on? Would someone on 453.213, 453.222, or 453.312 be able to hear my transmission?

In other words, what is the accuracy of the transmitter?

Thanks!

Link to Amazon page for the UV-5R that I am planning to purchase. https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

u/bengals02 · 1 pointr/amateurradio

I need help choosing my first radio. I want to get it just after my exam in late December (after Christmas) so that I can order it right after I get my license (hopefully!). I've narrowed it down to 4 radios. I'm on a bit of a budget, so that's why I'm going really cheap.

  1. [Baofeng UV-5RA] (http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5RA-136-174-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408887006&sr=8-)

  2. [BaoFeng UV-5RE] (http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Band-Improved-Stronger-Enhanced-Features/dp/B00C83AU9S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1408887006&sr=8-5&keywords=ham+radio)

  3. [Baofeng UV5R] (http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1408887006&sr=8-3&keywords=ham+radio)

  4. [BaoFeng UV-5RB] (http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5RA-136-174-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408887006&sr=8-1&keywords=ham+radio)

    This list is in no particular order but I would prefer to get the UV-RE because I want the emergancy alerts and the flashlight (I'm not sure if any of the other ones have those).

    I have also found what seems to be a [good, cheap antenna] (http://www.amazon.com/NAGOYA-NA-771-Antenna-BAOFENG-KG-UVD1P/dp/B00BY3XN7E), an NA-771, but I would like to know if there are any better, cheaper ones out there that connect to the radios I stated above.

    My price range for everything is about $45, but I will go to $55 if I have to. I would also be open to any better radios out there that are within my price range. Thanks in advance for your help!

    Tl;dr - I need a $45 radio and I need you guys to help me decide on one, or lean me towards another one.
u/Minizman12 · 1 pointr/airsoft

Second this, most milsims ive gone to require a radio to enter the field. https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A this is the style of radio you'll encounter most in MILSIM.

u/Sky_Lobster · 1 pointr/amateurradio

I'm new to this subreddit, and I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. I live in a rural area in Virginia, and my in-laws live 10 miles away as the crow flies, with heavy woods inbetween. I'm wondering if there is a good entry-level radio that I could purchase via Amazon Prime one-day shipping to let us communicate if there is a power/internet outage. Specifically, I'm looking at these two radios:

BaoFeng Radio


Motorola radio pair



Would either of these accomplish what I'm trying to do? I'm happy to pay and get licensed after the storm, just looking for a last minute solution. 🤔

u/tube_radio · 1 pointr/pics

You could have bought THREE handheld transceivers with that money!

u/yelow13 · 1 pointr/thewalkingdead

Lol you can buy that radio for $27 on amazon. It's pretty much the cheapest programmable radio you can buy

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

u/UncleSam89 · 1 pointr/hab

Sorry to keep bothering you, but would this work?

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A?keywords=baofeng&qid=1539145631&sr=8-4&ref=sr_1_4

Includes receiving of 144Mhz. And is there somewhere that has a tutorial on how set it up to listen to my callsign?

u/wilk8940 · 1 pointr/ElectricForest

These Baofeng. Be careful though as they have access to the HAM frequencies which are illegal to talk on without an ARRL license. If you stick to the lower bands that standard walkies use its fine though. I can't remember off hand the range that walkies use but its easy enough to google them.

u/DJWalnut · 1 pointr/Anarchism

> Bring a burner phone.

I was just thinking, why not buy two war radios for communication needs at protests? unless you need to call for delivery pizza there's no need for a device vulnerable to a stingray.

u/lukepighetti · 1 pointr/VEDC

UV-5R, small axe, 3/8 socket set, random pipe, water bottles, tow strap, mosquito repellant, hi-lift jack with liftmate, moving blanket, tarp, paracord, aerokroil

if I had to pick three things it would be the UV5R, blanket, socket set, paracord. see what I did there?

u/johnnybgoode · 1 pointr/CCW

Yeah, this radio is probably the most popular starter radio. That works on the 2M band which has a range of a couple miles. There are a lot of repeaters in the 2M band, though, if you live near a big city in the US. Many are networked with other repeaters, too, so it's possible to talk with people all over the US via 2M.

In general, ham radio is for whatever you want it to be for. In terms of practical uses, it's used for communication while on the road (similar to CB), communication in disasters/emergencies, or communication while hunting/camping/hiking. It's also used for more casual purposes to talk to astronauts on the ISS or to chat with other random operators in other countries across the globe. Global communication requires use of a lower frequency than the 2M band, though, so that sort of thing isn't possible with a handheld. Many people also have fun building their own antennas and tinkering with radios and that sort of thing.

Most ham radios have a scan mode, but they are terribly slow. Mine is barely faster than one frequency hop per second. If you want to stay up on traffic/police events and that sort of thing, you're better off with a dedicated scanner or hitting the CB frequencies. Also, in my area the emergency services have switched to a digital trunked system, so there's no way to pick it up with an analog radio. It's still possible to listen to digital systems (as long as they aren't encrypted) but you need special equipment.

You can have a radio and listen/scan without a license. The only thing regulated by the FCC is the act of transmitting.

Be sure to check out /r/amateurradio

u/Haggis67 · 1 pointr/bugout
u/soawesomejohn · 1 pointr/HamRadio

Here you go. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HR1PYVK/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687702&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002U1L60K&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=07F0VM4AA0JHR2STB02C

But none of these toys are going to be "2 meter" or very far distance.

About the cheapest/most portable 2m text messaging once can setup is a combination of 3 devices:

  • UV-5R Radio
  • Mobilink BT TNC
  • APRS Droid

    With this, I can use an app on my phone to send APRS text messages through my 2M radio and it will get relayed all over. Someone with a similar setup or computer can receive and reply. No cell phone plan needed.
u/tacticaltaco · 1 pointr/RTLSDR

No problem with the info. Glad to help. /r/amateurradio is a pretty helpful sub if you want to try it out.

A good first radio to cut your teeth on is the Baofeng UV-5R. It's cheap and kinda sucks but at $30 price point nothing else comes close. You must get the USB programming cable. A better antenna is a good idea too. I've been using mine to try and hit the ISS lately.

u/millzner · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Using a Nagoya UT-72 Mobile Antenna) with a Baofeng UV5R

I bought this antenna to improve my reception for when transmitting inside my apartment. It is 19" high and has a 14' feed line. Basically, I mount this thing outside my window so that I can transmit and receive freely without the physical interference of being inside. It is, however, still on the side of a building. I have tested all of the repeaters stored in my radio(in or around Portland) and I can hit about 9 of them, all located either 1 or 2 miles east or west of me. My question is, is this expected given the mounting location(on the south side and second story of a 4 story building), or am I experience significant losses from the feed line. I have not tested transmitting with the stock antenna, but it almost seems that reception is better with it.

u/bunnygn · 1 pointr/Survival

You made a super-awesome and useful gift, but you know a Baofeng radio isn't that pricey . . . and look it will ship in time for Xmas!

u/jepensedoucjsuis · 1 pointr/GoRVing

I'm looking at one on Amazon and is it really only 25 bucks? Or am I looking at a clone/knockoff?

BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_E6aMAbQCAPHZB

u/RandyWe2 · 1 pointr/NASCAR
u/LunaticNik · 1 pointr/Karting

Awesome! Thanks for the input. I ended up going with a pair of these.

u/CarlCasper · 1 pointr/rva

Yeah but you don't have to spend much at all to just put your toe in the water. Study for and pass the entry level technician exam (which is super easy, it's a memorization effort) and get an inexpensive 5 watt handheld that can reach your nearest repeater and you are on your way for well under $50. It's fun.

u/piggybankcowboy · 1 pointr/casualiama

Random, I thought it was the same across the board. In my state it's $14 per test session, not test, so if you wanted to take all three tests in one go, you could.

Look into the Baofengs, especially the UV-5R which just dropped in price. Very easy to use, and easy to program, all you need is to know where your local repeaters are. If you want, toss a mag-mount antenna on to it, which you can pick up for like $17. Or, you can make one from a coffee can.

At the very least, this little radio will get you on the repeaters and chatting with other local hams. My advice to to start setting aside money for a better radio as soon as possible, though, wait around for a ham fest you can go to or keep an eye on Estate/Garage sales.

There are also a number of apps that will let you play radio more or less for free. EchoLink, HamSphere, stuff like that. But you need to have your callsign to use them.

u/Buss1000 · 1 pointr/amateurradio

This is definitely what ham radio is made for.

You didn't talk about the terrain or the area you need to cover, but for local stuff a simple VHF or UHF setups cover that.

If simplex can't cover it often repeaters go unused like in my area, and can be happily used like I do from my basement 10 miles away with a handheld radio. I've heard of people using it over 30 miles eaily with a mobile setup.

If that doesn't cover it I do know a few people that do HF mobile, but I don't have much experience with that. It has some challenges, but is similar to a mobile VHF/UHF setup.

Look for local clubs, and see where repeaters are. Get everyone licensed; general if you want to do HF stuff for fun later, but IMO just go as far as you can as the license is for life as long as you remember to renew it. HT Boafangs are pretty cheap to get started with, plus at least one programing cable to use with Chirp software, then some better antenna can help too.

A mobile setup is similar I'd say to a CB one. You have a unit that you put in your car and then have fun trying to mount the antenna (drilling vs magmount). Universal radio, DX Engineering, and Ham Radio Outlet are common places to buy equipment.

Anything else?

u/cmcguinness · 1 pointr/orlando

Let me toss this one in:

Get an amateur radio license and a radio like this:https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A

It's dirt cheap and you can reach miles away. In most counties there's a direct connection to the emergency operations center over ham radio. The radio also picks up weather radio (very handy) and a bunch of other stuff, so it's great for situational awareness even if you aren't talking to anyone.

If you're a bit technical the license test is easy to pass.

u/grendelt · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Does he have a handheld radio?
If not, Amazon has the Baofeng UV5R or Baofeng UV-5RA for less than $35 each (same radio, just different styling - I have the UV5R).
May we (I) also recommend getting this $7 programming cable so he can program it from his computer (easier than doing it by hand). And this $8 antenna will allow the radio to perform better than the one it comes with.

If he does not already have a radio like this, such a gift would surely surprise him and keep him busy all during Christmas.

u/Slightlyevolved · 1 pointr/MaliciousCompliance

I know this was a few days ago, but things have really changed in the cost area for HAM radio. Heck, I just picked up a new dual tuner, multi-band handheld for under $30 on Amazon. Quality Chinese radios from the likes of BaoFeng really changed the game.

I added $12 for the programming cable/software, and it already came with a LiPo battery. This thing can run for more than 24hrs on a single charge, to boot.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007H4VT7A/

Yeah, for critical work, competition, etc; you'd want Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu, etc; but for someone just getting in to HAM? No contest.

u/JU570 · 1 pointr/Survival

I looked into the UV5R series and I think I might go with the original. What do you think?

u/strange_puppy · 1 pointr/gadgets

I'm a bit late to the party but OP if you want something similar to a walkie talkie style communication you might want to check out HAM radio. Me and a few friends have these BaoFeng radios (link below). Pretty cheap $32 and very far range since it's using repeatedr stations (which are towers that you can use to communicate farther). Depending on certain types of setup you can reach people from different countries. You would need to get a HAM license but it's very easy to get.
Plus no monthly subscription fee :]

If your interested maybe check out r/hamradio or r/amateurradio

Link to BaoFeng radios.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007H4VT7A/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1527700526&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=baofeng&dpPl=1&dpID=41xV3DDhxBL&ref=plSrch

u/geekandwife · 1 pointr/airsoft

I use a baofeng https://amzn.com/B007H4VT7A and it is your pretty much best pick for a airsoft radio.

From there you have to decide what type of headset or mic you want. Top end is bone conduction headset or a throat mic, I myself just use a shoulder mic as I am not a stealth player.

http://www.coderedheadsets.com/product-p/battlezero-k.htm

u/stonedeng · 1 pointr/amateurradio

As others have said, do not buy from there.

If you do want that radio still after what others have said, get it here:

http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-65-108-Dual-Band-Radio/dp/B008IYCQSO/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1405266991&sr=1-2&keywords=uv-5r

u/alfalfasprouts · 1 pointr/techtheatre

Baofeng UV-5r+. They're about $40 per radio with shoulder mic.

These are 2m HT's, which can transmit into the amateur radio bands.

DON'T USE THE AMATEUR BANDS!

These radios can also tune to FRS, GMRS, and most importnatly, MURS bands. You can tune these radios to MURS without a license, lock them,and have a very good walkie system. Technically you need a license to transmit on the GMRS bands, but the FCC doesn't really enforce that. Still illegal, though.

u/5k1ttl3 · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Yeah, I really dont either. The Baofeng (pofung now) HTs are very inexpensive for what they are. You can get a pair, with mics and USB programming cables for well under $100. You'll then be able to hit local 2m and 70cm repeaters and do simplex between the two. This is my starting point. My next exam session is about 2 weeks from now. I hope to go 0 to general

edit
If you're not familiar, check here:
http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV5RA-136-174-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406179764&sr=8-1&keywords=baofeng

you'll want an aftermarket antenna and the USB programming cable as well

u/ItsBail · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Yes it will get you on the air. I am not sure about the external antenna they show but you can always build something.

I noticed it's not a buy it now auction. If the price gets any higher, I would head over to Amazon Instead and buy the radio and programming cable. You don't have to get a hand mic but it's up to you.

u/Schrockwell · 1 pointr/ECE

First things first, come check out /r/amateurradio. Good group of guys over there.

The books from the ARRL are generally used to study for the exams:

  • Ham Radio License Manual for Technician (most basic) class
  • General Class License Manual to upgrade your license to General - this is the really fun license to have, because you get access to the HF (shortwave) frequencies

    You can usually find older editions of these books at libraries or from other hams. The older editions are still relevant, but the specific questions in the question pool will be out of date.

    The big ham radio store is Ham Radio Outlet although that is certainly not the only avenue. For example, you can get cheap handheld radios on Amazon.
u/bluehiro · 1 pointr/overlanding

Yes, you absolutely need a license to trasmit (talk). You can buy the radio and listen without a license, which is still pretty handy.

I have this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-136-174-400-480-Dual-Band-Transceiver/dp/B009MAKWC0

and I'm pretty happy with it. Dirty cheap and seems to work very well. Thinking of buying another one actually.

u/_Heimdall_ · 1 pointr/amateurradio

I just purchased this radio and this antenna for my car.

Do I need anything else? I intend on ordering the cable, CD, and chirp soon.

Any people here in the SoCal/San Diego area?

u/ncrainbowgrrl · 1 pointr/raleigh

I have friends who use this basic one for security purposes

Baofeng UV5RA Ham Two Way Radio 136-174/400-480 MHz Dual-Band Transceiver (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009MAKWC0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UfbBDbEH2EKSB

u/chunk_le_funk · 1 pointr/preppers

I have a couple of these

Seemed to work well during the storm north of Atlanta.

u/thedubya22 · 1 pointr/INDYCAR

I used a Baofeng UV5RA. Cheap little radio I've had for a while, but it works beautifully. I just upgraded the antenna and have a decent headset.

Edit: Note that this is a transmitting radio, so you need to be ham licensed to operate it.

u/beanbaz · 1 pointr/videos

Hey /u/sknabcv2 I was able to ID the hardware, but what is running on the MacBook?

Novation Impulse 49 USB Midi Controller Keyboard

Boss RC-505 Loop Station

I noticed you replied to my latency question but can't seem to find it anywhere :/ what did you say about latency?

u/GuRuGriZZly · 1 pointr/beatbox

Thanks homie!

To anyone curious... Yes, it is expensive.

u/Schnitzelmann7 · 1 pointr/videos
u/Ozwaldo · 1 pointr/videos
u/Craig · 1 pointr/EDC
u/manifoldmandala · 1 pointr/amateurradio

It looks like this http://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV-82-Black-Two-Way-Radio/dp/B00E4KLY34 doesn't need a liscense. Do you think that's accurate?

u/ziggy88 · 1 pointr/LightningInABottle

you guys can buy MURS radios they use VHF instead of FRS UHF most people use.

http://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2008/09/murs_unlicensed_vhf.aspx

You can also set CTCSS or DCS know as tone guard you can set a tone that no can hear you or less they find it.


you can buy these cheap ham radios and program MURS yourself.

https://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV-82-Two-Way-Radio-Black/dp/B00E4KLY34/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1493743154&sr=8-9&keywords=murs+radio

u/Remingtonh · 1 pointr/amateurradio

UV-82 is a good one - and get the USB cable, you'll need it to program in the frequencies, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV-82-Two-Way-Radio-Black/dp/B00E4KLY34

u/bobtbuilder · 1 pointr/amateurradio

It could be true that the Baofeng brand ones use Prolific, but the cable you want is this one which uses FTDI.

u/whenredditagain · 1 pointr/Baofeng

Yea the problem is probably your cable; it was sold by Tenway, not by Baofeng. This is what you should get.

u/washerdreier · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Thanks a ton for the advise, I didn't even think about possible counterfeits on Amazon. Are the NA-771s from NAGOYA on Amazon also possible counterfeits or should they be fine? If there's a risk I can go with the BaoFeng but is almost twice as much (which also makes me wonder about a fake...).

I looked into the programming cables some more as well and will likely go with the more expensive one to avoid any hassle.

Thanks again!

u/caffeined · 1 pointr/amateurradio

I have a Macbook Pro and bought this cable recently. It was plug and play, as the Mac really likes the FTDI chipset in it. I've messed around with other cables with the Prolific chipset in the past and got them working, but this one worked out of the box with both my Mac and Windows devices.

u/hamradiobegin · 1 pointr/Baofeng

If you are going to transmit on simplex frequencies then you don't need the CHIRP software.

If you only plan to use a couple of repeater frequencies then you can learn how to program it manually. It is a very frustrating process compared to other handhelds like Yaesu and Kenwood.

I have a couple of Baofeng radios which I want to use on a number of repeaters and found it so frustrating to do the programming manually that I use CHIRP. I'm also a member of a RACES team so I have a number of repeaters programmed into my Baofeng radios and the best way to get it done correctly and in a timely manner was to use CHIRP.

One word of caution DON'T GET KNOCK OFF CABLE. Most of the time they don't work. Only get the GENUINE programming cable made by BTech. Here is the link to it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Programming-BaoFeng-Kenwood-AnyTone/dp/B00HUB0ONK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1527191826&sr=8-4&keywords=baofeng+programming+cable

Good Luck,

Scott - K7JSG

u/Virindi · 1 pointr/Baofeng

> I'm 99% sure the 888s requires one of the side buttons pressed while turning on to program.

Nope. I've configured ~ 10 of them. If you use a legitimate FTDI cable, you don't need any special tricks. Just plug it in, turn it on, and sync.

u/AlpineCoder · 1 pointr/Baofeng

I had good luck with this one. I plugged it into my windows 10 machine and Chirp worked without any driver download or install, just using the generic FTDI driver that bundles with windows.

ETA: This is with a BaoFeng BF-F8HP as the target.

u/drtwist · 1 pointr/amateurradio

I use this one with with my BF-F8HP. I've never had problems with it using CHIRP

u/jmstallard · 1 pointr/Baofeng

When I bought my cable, I was cautioned to only buy the cable from Baofeng themselves, and that knock-off cables wouldn't work. I don't know if that's a legit issue, but I didn't risk it and bought mine straight from Baofeng on Amazon. Maybe that's not your problem, but it could be.

u/honusqwerty · 1 pointr/Baofeng
u/Gus_TheAnt · 1 pointr/NASCAR

Scanner: Baofeng UV-5R v2, $33. I have the previous model of this one. The older model is now $25.

Antenna: Nagoya NA-810 2.5-Inch Mini-Whip VHF/UHF, $14. The stock antenna on that radio has a lot of bleed, I changed the antenna on both of my radio's and the next race we went to there was no bleed whatsoever.

I just use normal earbuds for audio and have noise cancelling ear muffs, but plan on getting a microphone headset in the future.

Noise cancelling headset here

So for a little more than the price of renting one of the scanners you can buy your own and have it ready to go every year. We go to multiple races a year, so after two races we were already saving money on scanners.

u/Dialatedanus · 1 pointr/preppers

So if i bought two of these and then we got licensed could we (my partner and I) make contact in a SHTF scenario without and help from a repeater? We would be within 20 miles of one another

u/ubiquitousrarity · 1 pointr/HamRadio

I have the 8-watt version of that radio, and a Tram magnet mount base with a comet dual-band antenna for my car. It's a fabulous setup!!! https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174MHz-400-520MHz/dp/B00MAULSOK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495209162&sr=8-1&keywords=bff8hp

u/jon_k · 1 pointr/lostgeneration

>I don’t know too much about encrypted chats but it seems like you might. If you ever want to chat more I’d love to learn more or ask you some more questions.

​

If we had a good following then I know how to setup a fully encrypted web/mobile/desktop chat client. The answer is run your own server in Mexico, encrypt the disks, and use SSL. For super paranoid you can setup a VPN that runs on the chat server, so it's transparently encrypted end-to-end from your laptop. (I'd probably use Rocketchat, it's just like slack but open source, and Pritunl for a VPN)

​

How we can start a community? I know the FBI has agents who are members of local state militias, just in case these people really start planning to restore freedom. Some states even require an FBI background check to join a militia, which just lets the FBI have a list of people to watch closely (I am not sure to what degree they tap people.)

​

Half the counter-measures developed by government agencies are from agents who "observe and record" what groups are doing. The FBI cellular wiretapping system that acts as a cellular tower (but stores and forwards all traffic) was designed so they could put this up in an area with armed riots, and isolate / locate "ring leaders" and take them down. The FBI has realized militant groups quickly disperse once all the leadership is arrested. The system they designed finds "hot phones" or basically phones that have lots of inbound calls or SMS, that's a sign you've found a leader giving directions to the large group. They block internet, and then review the network traffic to tear the group apart.

​

Of course, that's why you can use two-way VHF/UHF radios and I've actually got a cheap ($30) way to send encrypted communications via text over those two way chinese radios (FRS?GMRS). The way you would handle this in a skirmish would be sending encrypted VHF communications to "middle managers" who then coordinate with small squadrons with relayed instructions. The FBI might shut down middle managers, but the overall command & Conquer strategy could keep going.

​

Squadron leaders will have their radios compensated, and the FBI will bust your racket open, but you would have a "rolling frequency strategy" ... if you had a simple pnumonic to rotate frequencies (like based on a memorized pattern) then that would be hard to bust. These radios operate all over the air frequencies, and public safety frequencies.... so you could literally hide your communications one frequency below the airport tower frequency. It would definitely take a while for the FBI to infiltrate that network. Most of their agents are ex-marines who depend on $1,000,000 purchased turn-key surveillance solutions, they aren't radio engineers or computer scientists. Digital warfare is the future path to freedom. :)

u/Xanza · 1 pointr/oilandgasworkers

No one is going to want that functionality. For the most part 2-ways are highly typical.

This is the one I use. It works great, but not many operators know which channels they operate on. Which is stupid.

u/_untaken-username · 1 pointr/HamRadio

It's the Baofengs that I too started with. Got mine for around $30 on amazon. It's been a dependable radio and has stood the test of time. Great first radio, would recommend. I still use it from time to time while skiing and such when I don't want to put my Kenwood at risk. It still works great and have not had a problem yet.

But let me warn you before you start, you are about to go down a rabbit hole of Ham equipment. Now you get this, and you be happy with it, but next you'll be looking for a whip antenna to go with it. Soon you'll find yourself lusting for an even nicer higher quality handheld. Then a mobile radio for that extra power and reliable signal into the repeater. And with your General will come the HF radios, and with the HF radios you need an HF antenna, and so on and so fourth.

It happens to everyone, but I and many others have found it well worth it.

Good luck on your test. You've got a good community here to help you along the way.


Edit:
This is the radio I chose:
https://www.amazon.com/Baofeng-UV-5R-Plus-Range-Radio/dp/B07CMZ2QCF/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=XX0KH7YLS08A&keywords=baofeng+uv-5r+v2%2B&qid=1557289737&s=gateway&sprefix=baofeng+uv-5r+v2&sr=8-3

This one also come highly recommended:
https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174Mhz-400-520Mhz/dp/B00MAULSOK/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_2_sspa?keywords=b-tech+bf-f8hp&qid=1557289868&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmrnull-spons&psc=1

u/seuaniu · 1 pointr/freeflight
u/ReyRey5280 · 1 pointr/cbradio

OK if I get this Baofeng unit and stick to FRS channels, would I be in deep shit because it's over the wattage limit for? How would the FCC even know I was using as such?

Edit: Thanks for the advice, I was just looking into a CB radio for my truck, but there's a whole world of shit I had no knowledge about that's just piquing the hell out of my interest since I've been poking around.

u/throw0901a · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Are there particular models that this would apply to?

From a comment on Hacker News:

> The trouble is this thing: "BaoFeng BF-F8HP (UV-5R 3rd Gen) 8-Watt Dual Band Two-Way Radio (136-174Mhz VHF & 400-520Mhz UHF) Includes Full Kit"[1] This cheap radio is sold as a "ham radio", and requires a ham license. Large numbers of non-hams are using it in the GMRS service at higher power levels than allowed. It's popular with "preppers", even though it's not very rugged, is complicated to use, tends not to put out as much power as claimed, and the battery tends to come loose.[2] The FCC's concern is that it allows 8 watt blithering over a wide range of frequencies by people with no clue how to use it properly. There are GMRS radios made for hunters which are much more suitable for wilderness use - waterproof and easy to use.[3]
>
> [1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAULSOK
>
> [2] https://offgridsurvival.com/baofenguv5rv2review/
>
> [3] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PGM9PO/

u/lomlslomls · 1 pointr/Survival

I've been considering a tech license as well. I did purchase a Baofeng from Amazon since they were so inexpensive (note the price has gone up a bit since I bought mine). I found that just listening to the Ham radio traffic really helped me understand the concepts in the Ham license study book. Lots of technical chat and the Ham community is very willing to help noobies. Note that I have not transmitted since i don't yet have a license, just listen.

I would suggest getting one of these radios if you are thinking about the tech license; together with the study material you will learn a lot about the actual application, and Ham culture/protocol with using the radios.

u/justec1 · 1 pointr/oklahoma

I have one of those Baofeng amateur radios with the charger. I have the local NWS programmed into it and some of the area emergency management channels, but it's not very useful. Most of the emergency agencies now use encrypted digital radios.

Does anyone have suggestions on good frequencies to scan? I'll admit that I've been lazy and haven't really gone out looking for information.

u/Gijsja · 1 pointr/raspberry_pi

Dear Pi-people,

I want to make wall mounted phones and hang them throughout the city. You can leave voicemails or talk 1-0-1 if someone is on the other line. It will be a closed network of about 10 units.

Your advice on mic/telephone: i think the shoulder mics are really cool for this project. But i have no clue how to connect it to the pi. Will an usb soundcard be ok? I don’t know if these 2 pin connectors on the shoulder mics fit the standard usb cards.

Furthermore I don’t know if the PTT (push to talk) will still function or how to make that interact with the pi; recognising when mic is on or off (maybe sound levels?).

Second option would be to attach a “retro” phone. Anyone have any experience/ suggestions? Regarding software as well (Is Asterisk a solution or Mumble + voicerecord for voicemail?)

https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-QHM22-Platinum-Rainproof-Shoulder/dp/B00Z4X3MM6/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1518681063&sr=1-3&keywords=shoulder+mic

https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Adapter-Windows-AU-MMSA/dp/B00IRVQ0F8/ref=zg_bs_3015427011_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TEF3DD19MRMX3V5B2PSN

Thanks in advance!

u/khaytsus · 1 pointr/Baofeng

FYI there's also this one, I do not own it, but it's Baofeng's version of a "commercial" mic. Reviews are good, just again, FYI.

http://www.amazon.com/QHM22-Platinum-Rainproof-Shoulder-AnyTone/dp/B00Z4X3MM6

u/N6GWX · 1 pointr/amateurradio

> https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-QHM22-Platinum-Rainproof-Shoulder/dp/B00Z4X3MM6/

I'm pretty sure this is the one I have. Maybe my Mazda3 is noisy, but I can't hear anything on the road. It works great on my desk.

u/bryan2384 · 1 pointr/Baofeng

Is this the one you're talking about?

BTECH QHM22 Platinum Series IP54 Rainproof Shoulder Speaker Mic for BaoFeng, BTECH, Kenwood Radios https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z4X3MM6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wGB8Cb3D40FV0

I've seen them with number buttons, which this one doesn't have. Not a big deal?

As for the antenna, would that be for general use, or with your UV5R? Would an antenna like that be overkill for the 5W the UV5R spits out?

u/1CheeseBall1 · 1 pointr/airsoft

Have you tried something like this?

BTECH 2 Pin (K1 Connector) to 3.5MM Adapter with Push-to-Talk Button (Compatible with 2 Pin BaoFeng, Kenwood, BTECH Radios to 3.5mm Headsets with in-line Mics) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019YJMRZS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_znq3AbEBVW52N

u/Giric · 1 pointr/amateurradio

For the Baofeng, I have one of these adapters (probably bought on Amazon). It works well with any TRRS headset, and comes through as mono-in-both-ears. It works reasonably well with earbud headsets up to a gaming headset.

u/fiftytwofeet · 1 pointr/audiophile

I didn’t know where else to ask... My job has me wear a standard PTT Radio—something like this. Is there a way, through cable wizardry, I can connect audio from my phone to the headset so I can hear both the PTT radio and maybe a podcast or something? I was thinking of getting a Y splitter and one of these. Would this work?

u/getpoked · 1 pointr/amateurradio

Agreed BUT the whole reason I purchased the thing was to monitor APRS. This kind of goes to what original is saying, its a nice feature but its not done well for the price you pay.

If I have GPS off, beacon off, and APRS on. What does that use 3-4 times the battery of just listening to 144.390 on audio? Its absurd that the radio's power usage shoots up reading the few bytes of the aprs packet compared to driving a .75w speaker.

Throw that aside, just money wise.

TH-D74A was recently on sale for 479.99. Compare it to a kit to make the baofung comparable functionally. TriBand, wide recieve, aprs even assuming you have no phone.

Triband uv-5 https://www.amazon.com/Mirkit-Baofeng-Battery-Tri-Band-Operator/dp/B07MWCT2J1/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=baofeng+uv-5rx3&qid=1565973762&s=gateway&sr=8-4 $35

Audio Cable https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-APRS-K1-Interface-APRSDroid-Compatible/dp/B01LMIBAZW/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?keywords=baofeng+pc+audio+cable&qid=1565973835&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr1 $19 complete rip off but whatever

Amazing SSB/AirBand/AM/FM wide reciever to compliment it https://www.amazon.com/SSB-Shortwave-Scannable-Aviation-Operated/dp/B07HXKR479/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ssb+shortwave+receiver&qid=1565973865&s=gateway&sr=8-3 $170

Cheap android https://www.amazon.com/Total-Wireless-Rebel-Prepaid-Smartphone/dp/B07GBRB3SB/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=prepaid%2Bandroid%2Bphone&qid=1565973981&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1 $40

APRS Droid, Repeaterbook Proximity Search - Free

260 bucks gets you the same functionality, granted in pieces. Is 200 bucks really worth DStar it being bundled into one piece. You would arguably get better AM/FM/SSB reception with this setup and could load a dozen books onto the android phone to use as reference on the go.

u/stressHCLB · 1 pointr/Baofeng


"Multimode" by Black Cat Systems

BTECH APRS-K2 Cable

Edit: Sorry, I have SSTV on the brain and could have sworn that's what you asked. Not sure if Multimode does APRS.

u/caltrops_ · 1 pointr/HamRadio

>I’m gonna assume you forgot to pad the $4.95 price tag to that for APRSDroid. After all, everyone loves to support developers.

$18 dollars for the cable and $5 for the app. You can donate more if you find it useful, but I wouldn't ask anyone to do that right out or the gate. It would be great if you did though, especially if you get use out of it.

>Wait, what? HT to HT?

Maybe I worded that poorly. That podcast was great that you linked. But I guess I still have a question. You can still go directly from one radio to another with APRS, can't you? It doesn't actually need digipeated, does it? It was pretty clear in the podcast that APRS doesn't have close to the range if FM voice, so maybe the small range makes it a moot point, even if it is possible. I didn't mean to suggest APRS would be digipeating at all if you're going "HT to HT". Maybe I should have said if my APRS packet from my HT is heard directly by your HT.

>Apparently the Kenwood TH-D72A has built in digipeating capabilities. What the hell. That’s somewhat scary.

This little guys looks great for APRS, and I would love it for that. To OP's question though, the price tag might be prohibitive

u/92se-r · 1 pointr/amateurradio
u/NCommander · 1 pointr/amateurradio

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LMIBAZW

VOX to 1 on the radio.

Make sure phone volumes are all set to zip, make sure APRSdroid is set to use AFSK, VOX delay to 800ms-1s (some trial and error required), and it's using Call for the media source. Hit Start Tracking, then adjust handset volume (it should show as "In Call" on the volume screen).

A few phones sometimes won't work properly like this, and have to be set to use Ringtone mode, but the Galaxy S6 was happy as a clam in this configuration.

u/Motorsagen · 1 pointr/airsoft

Best bet on a GMRS portable right now is this, imho. Otherwise, "Walmart bubble-pack" radios work well too.

But ya GOTTA BUY THE LICENSE.

BTECH GMRS-V1 GMRS Two-Way Radio, GMRS Repeater Capable, with Dual Band Scanning Receiver (136-174.99mhz (VHF) 400-520.99mhz (UHF)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWOLZ8L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_H7TpDb2GF0WRX

u/K7MFC · 1 pointr/phoenix

Most likely not - many of the Motorola Talkabout walkie talkie are not capable of operating on repeaters. A repeater works by transmitting on one frequency (usually also transmitting a sub-audible analog or digital tone), and receiving on a different frequency (also using a sub-audible analog or digital tone, and often different than the transmit tone). This is known as "duplex" mode (or really, half-duplex because you cannot listen and talk at the same time like a telephone). With the exception of one or two models, I believe the Motorola Talkabout radios are for simplex use only. This radio is an example of a radio that is capable of operating on GMRS repeaters, using split tones (different transmit and receive tones), including the AZ GMRS Repeater Club's White Tanks repeater.

u/pbal94 · 1 pointr/VEDC

I havent browsed it much myself, but there is a sub (/r/gmrs) for GMRS stuff. The GMRS certified one is called the GMRS V-1 and is like 55 bucks on amazon with prime shipping. I just recently started getting into the GMRS stuff myself for camping/hunting stuff as I like the range and ease of getting a license vs ham radio. GMRS is just apply and pay the fee vs having to test for ham.

u/Dexinthecity · 1 pointr/amateurradio

I was thinking maybe


BTECH GMRS-V1 GMRS Two-Way Radio, GMRS Repeater Capable, with Dual Band Scanning Receiver (136-174.99mhz (VHF) 400-520.99mhz (UHF)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LWOLZ8L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nvyWDb9E8TN7H

Thoughts?

u/AutoModerator · 1 pointr/bapcsalescanada

Note: This was posted by a new user (/u/Stafamanos).
Submissions by new users require moderator approval (/u/Zren).
Do not delete your post or a mod won't be able to approve it.
Url (amazon.ca): https://www.amazon.ca/EVGA-Optimized-Baseplate-Backplate-08G-P4-6583-KR/dp/B01M4FMZYI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501447316&sr=8-1&keywords=gtx%2B1080&th=1

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

u/Arrhythmix · 1 pointr/pcmasterrace

Pros:

  1. Cooler GPU for overclocking, which equates to more headroom for overclocking.
  2. Lower noise emissons.
  3. The ability to redirect heat away from the inside of the case, preventing GPU/CPU heat contamination between the two, so it could potentially lower CPU temps.

    Cons:
  4. More expansive in terms of price to next GPU up. Eg. Aircooled GTX 1070 = $460
    Liquid cooled GTX 1070 = $580
    Aircooled GTX 1080 = $600
    So in short, you would want an AIO card, the amount you would spend on a AIO 1070, you're better off getting a 1080.
  5. Possibility of a leak.
  6. Pump noise can be obnxious to certain people.
u/pecopls · 1 pointr/bapccanada

If you're talking about this, it's a pretty good deal.

However, I would recommend this card instead. $670 is a good price for a 1080, and the cooling on this card should be more than sufficient!

u/see_sharp_dotnet · 1 pointr/gmrs

I have the GMRS version of this radio - it's a pretty good option for someone who wants an affordable, legal, and type-accepted MURS radio but doesn't want to mess with programming radios and all that:

https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-MURS-V1-Manufacturing-Personal-Business/dp/B075VBP9YG

https://baofengtech.com/murs-v1


u/Shrapnel3 · 1 pointr/QualityTacticalGear

If you are looking at those cheap radios its worth concidering and takeing a look at some murs radios instead. Will cost a bit more for 2 radios but have some pros over FRS walmart radios (in my opinion so many answers to whats the best radios/frequencies seem to be "it depends")

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Use_Radio_Service

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075VBP9YG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_jJ9zDbXD08PSN

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JCTH8FB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_GO9zDb5PXQQRM

My recommendation also is licence free.. if you dont care about being licensed or want to get required licenses then there are other options

u/nrobinson · 0 pointsr/HamRadio

I recently got a Baofeng BF-F8HP. Its my first ham radio and it is serving me very well.

I also got the Nagoya NA-771 Antenna, and this programming cable.

The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual is the book I bought to study.

I am using CHIRP to program my BF-F8HP.

I am new to ham radio and I would like to get my license too.

u/Supermoon26 · 0 pointsr/TropicalWeather

Any ham radio guys know if this is a good option ? It has 2000 good reviews, but I always wonder if there is something i'm missing.

u/slickfddi · 0 pointsr/RTLSDR

Just buy this: https://www.amazon.com/BTECH-APRS-K1-Interface-APRSDroid-Compatible/dp/B01LMIBAZW

Then you can pipe audio out to your PC and also do APRS on your phone (aprsdroid).

Also be aware that you need an audio in on your PC that is either the single jack for mic/headset or an adapter. Google a bit on the differences in audio jacks of that sort, you'll understand what I mean.

For the less than $20 it costs, it beats fkn around with half-assed cables that wear out really quick and might damage your radio / pc.

You could kind of use it like a SDR, in that you might be able to use it as bandscope, I don't really know, I use an RTL-SDR (same cost or less then what you paid for your radio and I recommend getting one because..) for things that require unfiltered audio (what would be called an IF Tap if you were using a hardware radio).

And people will jump on this and say you can tap your Baofeng too, which you can, but for as cheap as this stuff goes for, it makes more sense to buy it instead of tearing up your radio and making janky Frankenstein cables.

And the cable with the USB is just a serial to USB converter, it's only good for programming. There's no DAC/ADC for audio.

Keep it simple.

u/cdk_aegir · 0 pointsr/Woodcarving

Not sure about the specific knife linked to, but what you're looking for is a hook knife. Here's an amazon link: http://amzn.to/1gM5iIp or just do a google search for hook knife. Roy Underhill has a pretty good video of a spoon carver using one in episode S06e02. I tried to find a link to the episode, but the best I could do is a promo from youtube: http://bit.ly/1fKRppr. Your local PBS affiliate (presuming you're in the US) likely has the episode available to watch for free. Otherwise there are plenty of youtube videos detailing the use of a hook knife as well. I hope this helps.

u/JillyPolla · 0 pointsr/China

Baofeng Radio is pretty much THE brand for amateur and ham radio nowadays. (https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A)

There are also a few amplifier and audiophile part makers, like Topping, that are considered on-par with western brands.

Then there's also Xiaomi and One Plus.

Huawei is so good that they've pretty much killed off the company they copied from (Nortel).

WeChat is on-par if not better than WhatsApp and Line.

u/authentic010 · 0 pointsr/CampingGear

http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Can't go wrong for 26 dollars and the amount of accessories available is crazy. Also they work great and get good range up to 15 miles with an upgraded antenna.

u/Katana0 · 0 pointsr/lostgeneration

Why would semi-auto be a bad thing?... If we're talking about actually doing something anyways, semi is the way to go. Body armor and comms gear are easy and relatively cheap too. Hell, you can even get decent night vision for what I can afford working a minimum wadge job and being in school full time. Logistics is easy enough if you do a little planning ahead of time; say, about the time people are starting to talk about organizing a protest.

u/mreed911 · 0 pointsr/GunAccessoriesForSale

$27 on amazon with cables but only one battery.


BaoFeng UV-5R 65-108 MHz Dual-Band Ham Radio (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008IYCQSO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_us0yDbYABXKSJ

u/beano52 · -1 pointsr/whatisthisthing

It very closely resembles a Spoon Carving Knife

I am puzzled buy the length of the "blade" and serrations though.

u/arahag · -1 pointsr/Baofeng

If you use low power you are obeying all the rules for MURS

Buy a programming cable and get chirp, you'll be able to use your computer to program the frequencies in.

The radio isn't approved for MURS but realistically no one is gonna hunt you down unless you go grossly over the power limit.

Of course a getting a technician license is the best choice, however, it would be kind of hard to get everyone in your group licensed.