Ham radios and this hobby, any military radios work for that?

[Blythewoodjoe]

Happy Thanksgiving.

I have been encouraged to become a ham radio operator and know nothing about them. I assume some of these radios I see at shows in trucks and stuff broadcast on amature radio frequencies. I will one day need a radio and was wondering if any of you guys are experts on the subject? I can get a radio that will work locally with a repeater tower for about $150 but I suspect one that will transmit across country will cost a lot more. If I have to get something, it might as well be former military.

Thanks, Joe.

 

[oifvet]

Read through this thread:

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?t=19200&highlight=ham+radio

If you do a search using "ham radio," you'll see some good related topics. There are a few of use here! Some or most was under military ellectronics (old site topics).

 

[offroaddiesel]

this sounds like fun thing to get into,i too have been encourage to get into it,always something pops up to do, a great winter hobby, maybe this winter,steve from western maine

 

[kc8sfq]

Hi there:
First, i need to ad the obligatory reference to previous threads. There was quite a discussion a while back about ham radio. Several of the member's avatars have a little signal corps flag in the corner. Those are some of the hams on the site.

First, a little about repeaters: Repeaters use a system called duplex. That means that the receive on one frequency and transmit on another This is often called the offset. I don't know of any Mil radios that are capable of that except the PRC-127, which is really just a Bendix King cop-radio with a green wrapper. The PRC-127 operates in the 2 meter band (144-148Mc) The tactical radios such as the PRC-6 PRC-77 GRC 8-10 and the rest don't do the offset. That having been said, The FM tactical Mil radios are mostly all capable of simplex in the 6 meter ham band (50-54Mc). There are several hams in our local club who use these.

You need to check out the licensing requirements for the "Technician Class" license. It is a 35 question test and with a bit of study it is not difficult to pass. The Mil radios are fun to play with and they are RUGGED. The drawback is that there aren't a lot of people (at least around here) to talk with, on the Mil stuff.

Check out the search function here and also have a look at the American Radio Relay League web site (ARRL.org). There are several guys here who'll be happy to answer your questions as well. I hope this gets you started, Ham radio is a lot of fun and combines well with Mil vehicles.

73 (that's a ham radio thing...short hand for "best wishes")

 

[Blythewoodjoe]

Thanks for the info guys. Just for the record, our church (LDS or "mormons") has asked us to get a couple of people in each of our units to become certified with the ham radios. Locally a member that is an expert on emergency prepardness is teaching a class on the techincal class. After the 9 hours of class we will take the test.

This is not a hobby interest but more of a community service project. Of course most of the interested people plan to become involved in the hobby of ham radio, but as for me I'm not a real "social" person so it's pretty much just emergency preparedness interest.

I will search the forum for more info. Thanks Joe.

 

[offroaddiesel]

sorry .i did not mean it only as a hobby, it could become a neccity, steve from western maine

 

[Lex_Ordo]

I've been on the air since july 2007. I find it to be amazing at what radio can do. I use hadheld radios only. Yaesu VX-7 is a 5 watt hadheld radio that has capability in transmitting on 4 different bands of frequencies.

There is an organization called the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) which governs ham radio, and will give you all the info you could ever need to get started , find an exam location, and give you the practice tests to score well.

Then you get your FCC License issued directly to you. Not a location, or a vessel.

As far as comunication goes it is the catalyst that started cell phones and everything else that we use wirelessly today.

K2DWH

 

[atankersdad]

Another SS member here who wants to get into Ham radio. Looking to get a base and a handheld. There is an abundance of help here on this site. I grew up listening to an old hellicrafter receiver. Dad wanted to get a license but morse code kept him from going forward, that and working. We spent plenty of nights listening to conversations and then getting foreign radio. Well now I am my dad. But can get a technical license without knowing code. I just have to talk my kids into buying me a radio or two. Go to the one of the web sites that offer practice questions and take the test to see where you are weak. Get a Ham for Dumbbies book afrom the library and study on what you are weak at. That is my plan. Have a great thanksgiving.

 

[sgtrisk]

You will find that Ham Radio (aka Amateur Radio) is an extremely fascinating and diverse "hobby." Depending on your interests, talents, time and pocketbook it can be SO much more than a hobby! I've been licensed since 1976 8s, and have dabbled in all sorts of areas of the hobby.

Joe, I'm in the same "club" you are (LDS), and am one of the "older" Hams in the stake. We've tried to get some things going over the years, but they never seem to really catch fire. But those of us who are licensed and at least moderately active can, and will, step up to the plate to provide emergency whenever necessary.

As for combining Amateur Radio with MVs, it seems a natural fit to me! I'll be configuring my M109 to function as a mobile communications center, as well as rigging up a VHF/UHF rig in the cab for commo when on the road (through the cab intercom I'm working on).

I also use my Amateur Radio skills with the VA Defense Force, and am the resident 'guru' in my Battalion.

Feel free to contact me directly with questions!

 

[Cdub]

I started off with a Military Vehicle and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, I was talked into getting a military radio. I've always liked radios and found them to be very enjoyable. Having a MV I like sticking to the military radios but not so much into the ham side of the hobby. Many of us in our MV club (MTA of NJ) have our ham licenses. I didn't think much of getting my license since I was only using it for parades and convoys. I'm very glad that I did and it is something to be proude of having. While taking the Ham class and the test after, I have gained more respect for using the radios then just for fun in a convoy or parade.

If you are interested in getting a radio for your MV. Here are steel soldiers most of the topics will be talking about the military side of the ham radios.

There are a lot of threads here about military radios. Some good search words would be PRC, RT-246, RT-524, SINCGARS.

Cheers,

C'dub
KC2UCZ

 

[Firefighter294]

Hi Joe,
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.
You will find that there are so may aspects to ham radio you will find a nitch.

In the years that I have been involved I have participated in such things as a net out of Annapolis Md to keep sailors in contact with their family from the Bahamas. I worked with a group to line up a communication session from elementary schools to talk to the space shuttle. There are all kinds of support needed for walk athons, bike athons, and my current interest is as a net control station for Skywarn www.centralcarolinaskywarn.net

The thing about working the "athons" is you get practice passing traffic (messages) working them, when an emergency comes along then you have experience.

I could go on and on, about the fun as well as the emergency preparedness, seems like there is always an opportunity here in the Carolinas with some kind of storm.

I recommend these three sources / web pages.

1) I highly reccomend that you join the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) www.arrl.org
2) Marks' Green Pages http://www.nf6x.net/index.html Mark does a great job in tying together our trucks and radios
3) Bunker of Doom http://www.bunkerofdoom.com/ Patrick also does a great job on both, he is also in the Texas State Guard and on Steel Soldiers as OPCOM

Not to slight anyone, I am sure there are a lot of others, these are just a few that I have personally found to be interesting.

Anyway, I am a rookie here just learning about the green machines, but amateur radio, I might be able to help.

Best Regards (73),

Rick KA3PSK

 

[BillIdaho]

I started out with a couple of MV'S, one with an RT524 and a R442. I aqquired a few more rigs, then I happened across my Gama Goat. I restored it to its original configuration, a NON-S250 shelter communications model (about 6 transmitters, 3 receivers, teletype, field phone, etc) . It has taken me about 2-3 years, but I finally have everything back in it, working and accurate. (The hardest part has been the cables--I'm still lacking a few)
Anyway, early into the Goat project, I realized I should get a HAM license so I could actually use the radios I installed.
I studied online for a few weeks and passed my Tech license. I bought a Yeasu VX-7. Since I got a HAM license, the agency I work for put a mobile unit in my cop car. They figure its a good backup if things go Zombie-bad.
One thing I have learned, is that the green radio tangent of the MV hobby is actually an entire hobby in and of itself. I have become much more learned in radio stuff, while not devoting as much into the vehicles themselves.
THAT'S NOT A BAD THING.

 

[SCSG-G4]

Joe, A discussion group/forum not mentioned so far is "Boatanchors", which was named for the alternative use of old military radios. About the only military radios I still have are the Candian CPRC-26's. In my emergency kit I have an ICOM W2A. The repeater directory is 11 years old, guess I should replace it. You might mark labor day weekend down as a time to drive over the Shelby, NC for the hamfest, it's one of the largest on the east coast - lots and lots of good stuff there, some of it OD green. Mike

 

[ONTOS66]

Joe,

By the previous posts you have a pretty good basic introduction. One point that wasn't really addressed is the very limited number of frequencies on the military radios (VRC-12 family) that can be used by hams. For point to point on a convoy the radios are fine, fitting and fun.

For better communications you will need to look into vhf radios that can utilize local repeaters. A Technician class license is fine for that.

For long distance you will need high frequency (HF) priviliages and that requires at least a General class license. Neither the Technician or General class license require knowing morse code. They are just written tests and the test question pool is available from several sources on line.

Jump right in - it can be a lot of fun - as well as very helpful during emergencies.

 

[OPCOM]

Thanks for the info guys. Just for the record, our church (LDS or "mormons") has asked us to get a couple of people in each of our units to become certified with the ham radios.

That is interesting. Several technically-minded mormons I know are interested in preparedness on advice of the Church. It's a good thing.

Anyway, if you are going to put the radio in the truck, I'd recommend the RT-524 or RT-246. Both have 8 or 35 watts by switch selection.

Someone had in the past made up for sale a bracket that could mount this typr of radio face-up on the transmission hump IF the passenger seat was removed (replace with a spare driver seat)

The 246 has 10 presettable channels and an available remote control and takes a remote speaker. Since many people mount the radio under the passenger seat, this makes it a good choice.

Either one can be used with a VIC-1 compatible headset, as can the PRC-77 and PRC-25. This is not authorized but it works well.

Since the antenna for these low band VHF radios is tall, it can be mounted on the bumper which is what I did. That's not authorized either.

Speaking of antennas, there are 2 basic kinds. One has a built-in electromechanical tuning system and takes a control cable from the radio to the antenna base. Be sure to open this and check for corrosion inside on the moving parts. The other kind is designed for SINCGARS and has a wide bandwidth network in the base so that antenna switchgear is not necessary. I use that kind, but either is fine.

In any case the final amplifier tube in the RT524 or RT246 is a 7843, a 115W conduction cooled triode and does not give a darn if the antenna is a coat hanger if you set the radio to 8 watts, and even at 35W it is only mildly annoyed but why stress the rest of the output circuit..

Please get yer license, let's all be more prepared and have even more fun!

KD5OEI

 

[ARMYMAN30YearsPlus]

Is a HF boat radio also a HAM?

Sorry I know these are like 3-30 Mhz and have 150 watts of power. I think they are also somtimes known as Single Side Band but I know we had HF radio in the Coast Guard that could go thousands of miles in our radio room cause the Squirrels were always DXing with someone when I would come in to the radio room to send out a message.

I am hoping to get my licence soon and try to get going in this area

 

[ONTOS66]

David,

In answer to your question, yes. A radio operating between 3-30 MHZ would be High Frequency aka HF. These frequencies were used in RATT rigs, Navy ship, special operations, etc. for long distance communication.
The tactical FM radios that you normally find in the green machines (wheeled or tracked) operate between (approx. ) 30 - 76 MHZ that is part of the Very High Frequency range. More line of sight and shorter distances, depending on antenna, terrain, etc.

It is very easy to get a Technician license now, just a written test, no code required. That will get you on VHF so you can talk on repeaters, point to point, etc.
The General class is the next step and also very easy written test. The gets you on HF.

The test question data base is available on line:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/pools.html

There are also practice tests available on line, etc. Just Google till you find what you want.

Also, this link will show you the US Amateur Radio Frequency Allocations and band plans, and what class of license can use them, and for what mode: CW (morse code), phone, etc.

Contact myself or any other ham on Steel Soldiers for assistance.

 

[ONTOS66]

hmmm ...

how about this link ... since I left it off the other message:

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/allocate.html

 

[sgtrisk]

Hey! I like the idea of getting rid of the passenger seat and putting another "driver's" seat there instead! That would also make room for the cooler, as well as the radio equipment!

 

[drjconley]

the technician license is very easy. arrl has all the questions available on their website. i printed all the questions and highlighted the answers. my uncle, brother in law and i reviewed the questions and answers for about one hour each and we all passed, but understanding all the functions on our radios is another story. if i was to do it again i would buy a simple radio as my first handheld.

jim