Highland AL and an experimental Baofeng UV5RC

[Highlander]

Funny how this has come up today, I plan to redo the radio calls Bracken and I made a month ago using the standard antenna, from the same spot at the same time of day using the new extendable antenna,... and had planned that for either this Saturday or Monday, the new extendable antennas are the Nagoya NA-774M... AL recommended those, because by using the extendable ones you can fine tune a station by reducing or extending the antenna

I will let you know how we get on

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(26 February 2013, 12:37)NorthernRaider Wrote: Guys TBH the people to pay the most attention to on this subject are AL, Tarrel and Highlander plus the excellent advice offered by Light Speed in his article.

I thank you for your confidence in me, but to be honest I am not worthy of it, I am no expert by any means

[Luci_ferson]

thanks for being persistant in your quest for a decent basic comms system.
youve saved me a whole lot of time,
Your efforts over however long it took you to get this far is greatly appreciated.
(ive seen some of your frustrations reflected in your comments in articles regarding coms.)
im assumning with a little basic electronical modification, I can modify its power supply and even connect it to larger or different ariels etc up its range.
and if not its still exactly what I want for a hand portables (close range).
I look forward to your update regarding a simplified article on getting the most out of the handset.

[Highlander]

Hand sets will always have a very limited range, the geography of your area will have a great effect on range, but as with all radios, its not just about the set itself, the worlds worst radio can get the furthest range with the best antenna

Some sets do have adjustable power, but not usually hand sets, so it will be down to your antenna, and the place you are transmitting from, clearly if you are on a hill transmitting over water, then your range will be far better than a guy in a Glen trying to transmit over Ben Nevis

[Luci_ferson]

(28 February 2013, 22:42)Highlander Wrote: Hand sets will always have a very limited range, the geography of your area will have a great effect on range, but as with all radios, its not just about the set itself, the worlds worst radio can get the furthest range with the best antenna

Some sets do have adjustable power, but not usually hand sets, so it will be down to your antenna, and the place you are transmitting from, clearly if you are on a hill transmitting over water, then your range will be far better than a guy in a Glen trying to transmit over Ben Nevis

my main concern was getting the correct equipment with the bands that the sensible people will be using, and not just the channels that you can get with a taxi cb.
i figured once i have the correct equipment(hand held) i can work on getting a base station that works with it but with a bigger areal and power source for attempting to comunicate further.
first i wanted to make sure i was on the right bands and frequencies that the smart people where.
if the handset can be modified in the way of ariel and power source all the better.
ive read it needs an adapter to use different ariel, so it be good to get many adapters now rather than try hunt them down afterwards when its next to impossible.

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I intend to learn a bit more about radio along the way too, how to trim ariel properly , swr meters etc. it beats watching tv.

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only thing i remember about radio is that its very complicated.
dabled with it in the 80s with my older brother and it was all about squelch and burners and other techno bable that went over my head , but I was only about 10.

[Highlander]

I think we all use our radios for different purposes,..or will do if an event happens. We have hand held radios, these will be used mainly to help get each other home, the chances are we will be away from home when something happens, so radios will help locate each other and aid getting us home.

I also have an Amateur radio in a faraday cage, together with a CB radio,.. dont knock the old CBs, they are very cheap to buy, and remember its the antenna that will give them range

Because I am planing to stay where I am, my primary use of radios will be to listen out with,.. I dont want to draw attention to myself, but I do want to know what is going on around me

[Luci_ferson]

i originally thought about just a plain cb radio, but then assumed those channels will be jammed with allsorts of people cos anyone can strip a taxi radio out and connect it back up again.
and loads of people will rush out and grab walkie talkies.
If i wanted to find real people that are not just panickers running around hungry and scared , i figured i needed to find others similar to myself.
and thats how i found here.

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I only found out about the faraday cage today. thats another project, but i havent got the radios yet so that can wait.

[Highlander]

SWR meters are very important if you intend to transmit as well as to listen out, you have to match the antenna to the set.

Basically in-coming signals create a wave,... and when you transmit you also create a wave, when the two come together, it creates a `Standing Wave`,.. a bit like throwing two stones into the water, they both cause waves, and when they meet the waves clash,.. the idea of the SWR meter, is to reduce the `standing Wave Ratio` to a minimum,.. if you dont get it right you can damage the radio

If you were just going to listen and not transmit, then it doesn't matter

[Luci_ferson]

sounds like your plan is pretty similar , stay undetected, and only comunicate with others when neccessary.
i mainly plan on just listening and using handheld between familly if we ever need to split up.
but id like to build something bigger at the allotment with a larger ariel and range for actually transmitting preferably only to other preppers.

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the allotment is on a hill, but sadly surrounded by trees so a larger ariel would be a must , and im going to have to gain a lot of know how regarding ariel tuning etc possibly even a multi ariel setup if neccessary. im still at the beggining of this journey. im just greatfull others are already further along it.

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if i could manage to reach 1 other prepper, id be happy, 2 or 3 would be great.
4 or 5 and id have hit the jackpot cos id hope all of them could also contact others and pass info along the line.

[Highlander]

Two things that your last post throws up,... remember that a large antenna will draw attention.,... you don't necessary need a large one, best is not necessarily the biggest,... and don't worry about the trees, you need to learn about frequencies to overcome that small problem

I suggest you buy the book ` foundation license now`, its written to get people through their first amateur license,..and its written as simple, and as easy to understand as possible,....and is cheap too

[Luci_ferson]

thanks very much for the book tip, greatly appreciated.
the plan with the large antennae was to use a portable that i could errect and dissassemble quickly if needed, or at the least hopefully disguise somehow, but im not that far along yet.
ive only just got as far as a handheld.
now comes learning about the techno babble which im assuming the book you suggested will help a lot
then il concentrate with the base station for allotment when i have more understanding of it all.
atleast now I have a good basic starting point, and im not just wasting money on garbage that would bring me more trouble than help.
you guys seem to understand enough about it (you have same requirements as myself)
so im in right place to get the info I need.