Coms Advice

[WillBrink]

One thing I have not looked into and purchased for basic SHTF type prep is coms. It makes sense to have a way to communicate if cell phones go down due to extreme weather, etc. I see a wide range of prices and ridiculous claims of 30 miles ranges knowing that's under best case scenarios and rel ranges far less, etc. What would you all recommend for decent quality two way back up coms for brands, etc? What's the realistic ranges? I'd think being able to communicate within 3-5 miles with a handheld device is realistic, but have not researched that one. I know Motorola has been in the game a long time, but they also have a big product line ranging from cheap to big $$.

[tb-av]

It's pretty much all in this thread. You can probably start at the end(most recent)

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...t-s-talk-Comms

eta: you are correct, 3-5 is realistic.

[WillBrink]

It's pretty much all in this thread. You can probably start at the end(most recent)

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread...t-s-talk-Comms

eta: you are correct, 3-5 is realistic.

Thanx. I read the first few pages and the last few and it was all French to me. Maybe somewhere in that 40+ page thread is a rec for decent quality hand held comes that would work 3-5 miles to have two communication with someone in an emergency when cell towers are down and such? I'm not going to get a license....

[Det-Sog]

Thanx. I read the first few pages and the last few and it was all French to me. Maybe somewhere in that 40+ page thread is a rec for decent quality hand held comes that would work 3-5 miles to have two communication with someone in an emergency when cell towers are down and such? I'm not going to get a license....

I broke down and got the license, but IMHO, if it were a true SHTF scenario, I don't think the FCC will be checking for licenses. I have not bought anything new for a few years. Use that thread to find a nice pair of tri-band handhelds and be done with it. These things are like computers, every couple of years, the technology doubles. My older ones are "technically" obsolete, but still work fine.

[firefighter37]

Yaesu makes great radios, as does Icom. The handhelds usually make the most power with their rechargable batteries, but some do offer Alkaline packs for emergencies. The rubber duckie antennas that come with most handhelds suck. I have Yaesu VX8Rs with Diamond antennas and they are great. With radios it is dependant on terrain. In densely populated areas, 3-5 miles is hard unless you are above all structures.

[officerX]

Kenwood
Tait
Motorola
Icom
Yaesu

[WillBrink]

I purchased a pair of Baofeng BF-888S via amazon.

[Leuthas]

Here are some ultra-basics. This is where I started.

http://www.itstactical.com/digicom/c...d-transceiver/

[taliv]

the antenna is the most important part. get a decent one.

if you're not going to get a license, you are stuck with CB / unlicensed "walkie talkies" at a fairly low wattage.

if a $30 license and a test any 8 year old could pass after downloading the questions from the internet for free and a few hours of study is too much trouble, my advice is to plan on just not having any coms in the future. as with guns and any other topic, skillset > hardware

but IMHO, if it were a true SHTF scenario, I don't think the FCC will be checking for licenses.

that's true but it's because in an 'emergency' it is not illegal to for an unlicensed person to transmit on a ham band. however, you don't want to wait for an emergency to test your gear and practice. I think the fine is only $10k if you get caught.

[tb-av]

I was just going to tell you to get a couple of the Baofeng UV5R models...

Anyway... this site will be useful... http://www.miklor.com/BF888/

That guy keeps all the software up to date.