RV Adventure gone very wrong

[Jack!]

Originally Posted by DK in AK

Jack! What make/model handheld HAM do you use ? Would you recommend it or maybe another ?

If you asked for a CB recommendation I would tell you we like the President products. We have a McKinley in the truck. However, HAM is an entirely different story. There are three major names in ham radio handhelds – Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood. However, there are many choices that depend heavily upon your experience. There is no way around doing your own homework, deciding how much effort you want to put into learning what handheld option works best for you. I wouldn't be helping you giving a recommendation without knowing anything about you. I can say HAM can be fascinating as a learning project & hobby. My recommendation is to do it & look into it more to find out which HAM handheld suits you best. Good way to start is reading about what it takes to get licensed. It's not hard and is the best place to begin.

[DK in AK]

Originally Posted by Jack!

If you asked for a CB recommendation I would tell you we like the President products. We have a McKinley in the truck. However, HAM is an entirely different story. There are three major names in ham radio handhelds – Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood. However, there are many choices that depend heavily upon your experience. There is no way around doing your own homework, deciding how much effort you want to put into learning what handheld option works best for you. I wouldn't be helping you giving a recommendation without knowing anything about you. I can say HAM can be fascinating as a learning project & hobby. My recommendation is to do it & look into it more to find out which HAM handheld suits you best. Good way to start is reading about what it takes to get licensed. It's not hard and is the best place to begin.

Thank you Jack!, your explanation makes a lot of sense. I've looked into HAM and SSB in the past, I also have a sailboat with plans for some long distance cruising. Good advice, thanks again.

[Mike Lewis]

As an amateur radio operator myself (callsign KB3SHN) I think you shouldn't rely on ham radio for emergency communications when traveling. It's okay to have it along, but your primary means of communicating when you're in a jam should be something else. The reason is that the VHF/UHF ham bands that are used by handheld radios are short range and largely rely upon repeaters to retransmit your signal. Repeaters can be few and far between in sparsely populated areas.

The HF bands can cover longer distances, but HF is unreliable and dependent upon weather conditions, the sunspot cycle, etc. You also need a higher grade license in order to access them.


Ham radio is more reliable for emergency communications when you are not traveling away from home (i.e., the hurricane comes to *me*). This is why I became a more active ham when I moved back down to Florida.

[DK in AK]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

As an amateur radio operator myself (callsign KB3SHN) I think you shouldn't rely on ham radio for emergency communications when traveling. It's okay to have it along, but your primary means of communicating when you're in a jam should be something else. The reason is that the VHF/UHF ham bands that are used by handheld radios are short range and largely rely upon repeaters to retransmit your signal. Repeaters can be few and far between in sparsely populated areas.

The HF bands can cover longer distances, but HF is unreliable and dependent upon weather conditions, the sunspot cycle, etc. You also need a higher grade license in order to access them.


Ham radio is more reliable for emergency communications when you are not traveling away from home (i.e., the hurricane comes to *me*). This is why I became a more active ham when I moved back down to Florida.

Hi Mike, thanks for your input. I'm looking into this more as a new hobby that I can do at home and when I'm on the road with my E21C, which I hope to pick up in early September. I was thinking a handheld might be a cheaper way to go, to see if it's something I really want to do before investing in a base unit. If I decide to pursue this further I may reach out to you and Jack! for some advice and/or opinions on the best direction I should go for a newbie wanting to get into HAM. I already have an In-Reach for emergencies when I'm traveling.

Are there any books or websites you'd recommend for someone wanting to learn more about HAM ?

[Fox hunt]

I'm ordering the Garmin inreach . i like the satellite connection to use in an emergency. I'm often out of cell phone range and it seems a small price for some piece of mind - of course nothing is perfect but i intend to do everything i can to avoid being a part of one of those scary stories.

[Mucram]

Family has strongly encouraged me to purchase the Garmin Have procrastinated for several years. Am now looking & went to rei to get more education. The new in reach 2 is now available for a mere $400. May purchase the new model vs old. A few more bells & whistles. Will purchase thru rei so I get those dividends.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by DK in AK

Are there any books or websites you'd recommend for someone wanting to learn more about HAM ?

Start with the American Radio Relay League's website: ARRL - Home. The ARRL is the "lobby" for U.S. hams and its website has a wealth of information.

Currently there are three levels of ham radio licenses in the U.S.: Technician, General, and Extra. When studying for the Extra exam I used the ARRL's ebook version of its Extra study guide. I found it to be one of the best textbooks on any subject that I've ever studied, and I've had a lot of schoolin' (not that it took). I was really impressed with that study guide.

To use a handheld ham radio you need a Technician's license. Cheap Chinese radios such as Baofeng cost about $40. That's all you really need to start. Hams make fun of Baofengs, but we all have one. The joke is: "I left my Baofeng on my car's passenger seat. Someone broke out the window and left three more." But like I said, we all have one.

[Mike G]

FWIW, a year ago I wrote this post to relate my thought processes as I compared several such devices, and why I settled on the Bivy Stick. Maybe it will save some shoppers a bit of legwork.

[Jack!]

Many parts of the world, particularly rural and mountainous areas, have better coverage through ham radio repeaters than the mobile (cell) phone network. Colorado/Alaska are good examples. We spend a lot of time in CO. Many of the ski patrols & forest services in Colrado are using HT and have repeaters in place to support their commication needs.There are several reasons for this:

A cell phone tower must have coverage that is limited to a reasonable number of subscribers, or the service will be poor. The trend for cellular phone companies is to build more towers with smaller coverage areas. Newer technologies such as 5G are accelerating this trend. Ham repeaters on the other hand are placed as high as possible, on high mountains and tall broadcast antenna towers, to have as much coverage as possible.

Cell phone towers are enormously expensive. Ham radio repeaters are relatively cheap.

Ham repeaters can be powered by solar panels and wind turbines, allowing them to go places where the electrical grid doesn't reach. Mobile phone towers require a lot of power, and are almost always connected to the electrical grid.

In extended emergencies such as long-term electrical grid failures, mobile phone towers tend to go down. Mobile phone towers often have emergency generators, but typically only a few days' fuel. If the grid is down for more than a few days, as can happen in very rural areas, there will be no mobile phone network. Some ham repeaters are solar-powered and can continue to work for months or years without power from the grid.

Here in the US, there are many repeaters, but often not many people are listening.

Some repeaters are linked to networks of other repeaters, temporarily through technologies such as IRLP or Echolink, or permanently. A distress call to such a repeater could be heard by many more hams, increasing the odds of a timely response.

Some areas are served by many repeaters. Some are more popular than others. It helps to find out in advance which ones are popular. The ham club closest to the area should know which repeaters are the most popular.
For example,
https://www.levinecentral.com/repeat...g.php?State=CO
If a mayday call is not answered at first, its best keep trying powering off between tries to conserve battery power. Often emergency services in rural areas, which depend more on radio, monitor radio channels more often. Prime time on repeaters is usually the hours when rural workers are commuting to and from work, and in the early evening when nets are typically scheduled.

Making a contract is only part of the problem. Then be prepared to tell them your location. Often, that's the hardest part, so an advance plan is important. We use our heldhands more locally, sometimes CB, sometimes HT, depending which is working better in a particular location. We often can hike a 3-8 mile circle and be able call camp if a problem surfaces, and sometimes up to 12 miles or a little more. We typically will program local repeaters if one or more is active in the area, just in case, and if we can hit the repeaters. In the mountains, often a 5 mile hike means we are done for that day...laff. That's the biggest peril of getting older, over-doing and no way to call camp or get other help if you over-do things. A radio may not help everytime, but a way to call camp is way better than a signal fire and shouting....;-)

[DK in AK]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

Start with the American Radio Relay League's website: ARRL - Home. The ARRL is the "lobby" for U.S. hams and its website has a wealth of information.

Currently there are three levels of ham radio licenses in the U.S.: Technician, General, and Extra. When studying for the Extra exam I used the ARRL's ebook version of its Extra study guide. I found it to be one of the best textbooks on any subject that I've ever studied, and I've had a lot of schoolin' (not that it took). I was really impressed with that study guide.

To use a handheld ham radio you need a Technician's license. Cheap Chinese radios such as Baofeng cost about $40. That's all you really need to start. Hams make fun of Baofengs, but we all have one. The joke is: "I left my Baofeng on my car's passenger seat. Someone broke out the window and left three more." But like I said, we all have one.

Mike, thanks for this additional information. I've read a few reviews on the Baofend radios, a lot of different views, but your joke seems to fit. I gave a quick look at the ARRL website, a lot of good info there. Looks like I have some reading to do.

[advenas]

Common sense and good judgement go a long ways. But accidents happen. Having a communication device on a back two lane paved road in Nevada might not be a bad idea. A deer strike or worse could be a long wait. I favor the out of the way places. An InReach will be my next purchase.

[DK in AK]

Originally Posted by Jack!

Some areas are served by many repeaters. Some are more popular than others. It helps to find out in advance which ones are popular. The ham club closest to the area should know which repeaters are the most popular.
For example,

If a mayday call is not answered at first, its best keep trying powering off between tries to conserve battery power. Often emergency services in rural areas, which depend more on radio, monitor radio channels more often. Prime time on repeaters is usually the hours when rural workers are commuting to and from work, and in the early evening when nets are typically scheduled.

Making a contract is only part of the problem. Then be prepared to tell them your location. Often, that's the hardest part, so an advance plan is important. We use our heldhands more locally, sometimes CB, sometimes HT, depending which is working better in a particular location. We often can hike a 3-8 mile circle and be able call camp if a problem surfaces, and sometimes up to 12 miles or a little more. We typically will program local repeaters if one or more is active in the area, just in case, and if we can hit the repeaters. In the mountains, often a 5 mile hike means we are done for that day...laff. That's the biggest peril of getting older, over-doing and no way to call camp or get other help if you over-do things. A radio may not help everytime, but a way to call camp is way better than a signal fire and shouting....;-)

Thanks Jack!, many things here I wasn't aware of. I can definitely relate to "peril of getting older". That is another reason for carrying more than one type of communication device. I think there is still a local HAM club here in Fairbanks which I plan on contacting, once I learn more to be able to ask good questions. I can see I have a lot of reading to do.

[DK in AK]

Originally Posted by Mike G

FWIW, a year ago I wrote this post to relate my thought processes as I compared several such devices, and why I settled on the Bivy Stick. Maybe it will save some shoppers a bit of legwork.

Thanks for linking your earlier post on the various handheld satellite communication devices. It will help many decide on what is best for them. It's nice having so many options these days. I still remember how to use a compass and a topo map from my Boy Scout days but todays tech is amazing.

[Marty]

we purchased a Garmin InReach Mini last year. We were traveling into Capitol Reef National Park and were going to be doing backcountry hiking and were going to be there during a period of low usage of the park. We did not have to use it for any emergencies, but were so glad we had it. On one slot canyon hike we didn't see a single other human being. We did use the text feature to communicate with our son to advise him of our locations and well being. We liked it so much we bought one for him so we all have peace of mind. He lives in Colorado and is quite the avid outdoors person doing all the things (hiking, back packing, mountain biking, back country skiing, hunting) and had intended to get something, but we hurried that along so that we all feel so much better.

[Roger C H]

Remeniscent of The Death Valley Germans.


People don't realize how remote and deadly deserts can be.


https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/...alley-germans/

[HABBERDABBER]

Originally Posted by Roger C H

Remeniscent of The Death Valley Germans.


People don't realize how remote and deadly deserts can be.


https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/...alley-germans/

Fascinating tale you provided the link to. Sad story, certainly, but impressive work by the author.

[Mike Lewis]

I remember reading that foreign tourists out west are particularly prone to getting lost and not being rescued. One reason is that they are not used to the scale of the landscape. For instance, the mountain range that looks five miles away is really fifty miles away.

Another reason is that they assume that someone in authority will come looking for them if they do not return to their hotel. I guess this would happen in Germany, but not here.

I remember a French family getting lost in the White Sands Desert and dying. It was in 2017, and I had been there a few months earlier. White Sands is a scary place after sundown because everything looks the same.