Communications ...***

[Themillz]

Also interested. What is a good entry radio that could speak across the state possibly? I’ll do some research but thought maybe someone had real life local experience to share.

 

[p238shooter]

Also interested. What is a good entry radio that could speak across the state possibly? I’ll do some research but thought maybe someone had real life local experience to share.

I would suggest you do some research on ham radio in general first, ARRL has a lot of info but can be a little hard to navigate if you are not familiar with the hobby but there are many sites out there for beginners. There are 3 progressive classes of licenses and several bands (groups of frequencies) each with their own characteristics you get access to as you progress. The Technician license will give you access to mostly line of sight frequencies (think laser beam) but there are a lot of repeaters around you might be able to hit which will typically give you a 50-70 mile radius from them as they retransmit your signal out. When you move up to the General Class license then the world opens up and you have a license to talk on other bands and frequencies that your signal can bounce off of charged layers in the ionosphere. (Think sound bouncing around a corner, down the hall and sometimes into another room) That can be state wide, nation wide, and world wide. The extra class gives you more frequencies in each band that you can use. Yep, there is a lot to learn about radio and signal propagation. There are many many different radios out on the market, new and used, each applicable to what you are needing to do, what bands you are looking to use, how much power output you need, along with various antenna configurations for different applications. Yes, ham guys are very protective of our hobby, but most of us also are very helpful if you would desire to join us. I am sure someone will join in here with Radio Clubs in the OKC area that would invite you to one of their monthly meetings and help you get started heading in the right direction. Good Luck to You.

 

[Jason Freeland]

I haven't read the entire thread, but are there unlicensed FRS frequencies that locals tend to use? I really need to get my technician license (I grew up with my dad being an extra) now that they don't require morse, but it's always an issue with time. I bought the obligatory Baofeng UV-5R that arrived today, mainly to talk with my father in emergencies (he's 5 miles away). With a good antenna and 8 watts, the Baofeng should make the distance with FRS. I'm in Warr Acres at the top of the hill, so it's the highest point in the city.

Edit: Looks like I need a GMRS license for 8 watts.

 

[Jason Freeland]

I haven't read the entire thread, but are there unlicensed FRS frequencies that locals tend to use? I really need to get my technician license (I grew up with my dad being an extra) now that they don't require morse, but it's always an issue with time. I bought the obligatory Baofeng UV-5R that arrived today, mainly to talk with my father in emergencies (he's 5 miles away). With a good antenna and 8 watts, the Baofeng should make the distance with FRS. I'm in Warr Acres at the top of the hill, so it's the highest point in the city.

Edit: Looks like I need a GMRS license for 8 watts.

Alright, got the GMRS license paid for (I swear the FCC website is worse than the ATF), so that is out of the way.

 

[p238shooter]

For any out here interested in ham radio, the Mayes County Amature Radio club will be having a "Tailgater" swap meet next Saturday January the 15th, 2022 at the Grahm Community Center in Pryor, OK. It will open at 8AM. There will be a bout 40 tables of new and used ham radio equipment for sale, swap, or trade. If any one needs a testing session for new licenses or upgrades we will be starting at 9AM and walk ins are welcome. If you are testing for a Technician license the FCC now requires you obtain a FRN number online before you can test. Anyone is welcome to PM me if you need additional Information.

 

[Jason Freeland]

Got my license, call sign WRPB480 although I just am good for GMRS bands at the moment.

 

[Chuckie]

It might matter to some Ham radio operators deciding if they wanted to talk back with you or not if you did not have a valid license. Especially locally since we are a pretty close knit group. We do welcome everyone in who wants to go through the easy procedure to get a license and we are willing to help out in any way we can, but we are also protective of our hobby. JMO

I would tend to believe that if it should ever become a SHTF situation HAM will cease being a "hobby", and I would hope that information exchange and calls for help will not be hindered by someones license status.

 

[p238shooter]

I would tend to believe that if it should ever become a SHTF situation HAM will cease being a "hobby", and I would hope that information exchange and calls for help will not be hindered by someones license status.

Well you are correct to a certain extent and it depends on what the SHTF situation is and many other factors. Yes most of us "ham radio hobby guys" are good seminarians on a day to day basis. Any call for "help" will most likely be monitored and acknowledged. But you have thrown in a variable, it depends on what the SHTF situation is. Immediate threat to you, threat to us at the time, or threat to ours? Small area or large area, which can switch us to prioritizing. Taking care of ourselves, our families, or our own friends we know and trust for primary survival will take priority.

If ham radio is involved with helping others, then that same ladder of prioritizing survival of us "family" who we know and trust applies and how much effort do we put to what your needs as an "outsider" of our ham radio friends are and how well you are able to communicate signal wise and functional communication skills wise will be a factor. "Breaker Breaker 19, Stinkysox needing to know how to talk out further here, I need to know how to put up a better antenna to talk further" or program in a different PL tone in my chikungfu radio is not exactly likely to be in our "family" protocol during a SHTF situation. Ya know? Throwing something like that out, you may be moved down the list of the priority of people we are going to talk with that we might be responding to initially to try to help.

Day to day our, "Hobby" is using our equipment, usually making friends on the radio, local and world wide, practicing procedures, developing our technique, learning to operate our radio equipment to the maximum capabilities, both stationary and mobile. Yes some of us do weather spotting and disaster communications training and practice execution of those skills but in between having fun just talking on the radio to new places and new people No different than a small airplane pilot in the background paying attention to the last small runway he flew over in case he broke a crankshaft or something and had to glide 10 miles back.

Example. Had a radio friend in Southern Chili South America I talked with on a weekly basis. In fun harassing me about grilling the big fish he had just caught and that it was too hot for him at 94' that day there. Here, we were trying to survive in the 2007 ice storm with me talking off my generator for power. 6' here with no commercial power for 7 days or faucet water for 4. At the end of the conversation, he wished me well. I do think he really meant it. He was an old guy, later he let me know his health was failing. Lost contact with him about 4 years ago. Yep, a real ham radio friend. Yep, had a dirt strip 2 miles from where he lived. Who knows if it might be needed or not to go fishing with him. Yep calculated the most reliable fuel stops to make that trip, Just in case I might "need" to make that flight some day.

If ham radio might be needed to help anyone who needs our abilities in a structured communication protocol, yep I talked on a weekly net last night, know how the system works 20 miles away to not jam it up but be able to convey what I have to say. I can do it again today, tomorrow, or next week, or next year. But instead of talking about the nice weather and I dammned near need to mow my weeds coming up in January, I can talk about xxxx that is a serious SHTF situation.

Gaining knowledge to talking direct or pass message traffic from one end of the globe around to the other if needed is common with ham radio. What kind of SHTF might happen? Local tornado? Larger area of a hurricane? Something different? We practice gaining knowledge of working around less than ideal communication situations or conditions locally or around the world with people who are doing the same on their end. So our "Hobby" is learning, practicing, and knowing how to communicate during easy or adverse situations while getting to know a lot about the fellow hams we are talking with, working, and making friends with, and in the background getting a good feel of who we can trust or not if needed. Someday that could be a factor. Ya know?

*** Let me state this in particular. Ham radio operators are different than most of the other "normal" people in the world hiding behind their keyboard with multiple throw away screen names, avatars, and email addresses. When we talk on the radio, we throw out our real ham radio call sign. Anyone with a Scanner or any other other device can listen to us. We do not encrypt anything. You or anyone listening within a 30 second google search will know who we are and what our registered home address is. Me, as I have posted on other threads on this site is WB5Y. The only one in the world. Well may be you don't like that for some reason, lots of ways to think about that. My self, I think about it as "here I am Mother F" Be sure you are ready for anything if you decide to not announce you are coming to visit me and just show up without a big package of toilet paper you are holding in both hands. Things could get exciting especially in the middle of the night with your staying longer than you planned if you might not convey to me you are a polite person when you get here.

If in the SHTF situation, someone on the radio decides to try to ask for help just starting to get their station up on the air or just starting to learn how to operate their radio at the last minute to fit in with what we might have going on and expects me or someone around them to stop what they are doing helping others to help them get started learning basic stuff, they might get moved down the list of prioritie people we respond to for a while. Or if they just get on the air to blast in with little structure or knowledge of emergency operations protocal or even standard operating practices, most likely they are not going to be the first people we acknowledge and try to respond to try to help out when our long term friends might be having the same issues or needs also.

Yep, you are in a life threating situation, we will prioritize you and any one else IF we can hear you and fit you in.

Just for example, I most likely can put more than one type of ham radio signal (spewing electrons) from my home antennas located just east of Tulsa into your back yard in less than 5min of deciding to do that if we had a reason or need to communicate during a friendly "hobby" conversation or more importantly, do the same in a SHTF situation. Have you looked into what you need to do and practiced telling what your local temp is or calling for help for you to receive that singnal and talk back to my antenna location if you needed? If I am not putting out my own fires, I will be listening and talking on my radios trying to help any of my fellow ham radio friends out there. And others if their signal can reach me. I doubt of yours can make the trip at the moment.

Yep, I have ran through a lot of stuff here. Most Importantly I would like to convey --- I have NOT been trying to bash you or anyone else who might be reading this post who might be interested in radio communications in a SHTF situation. What I am trying to convey is that some people do not know what they do not know about radio communications until they are exposed to knowing that they might not know and suggesting they learn about more if they are interested.

Me, I am very fortunate in a lot of aspects. My "bug out bag" is having extra logs handy to throw in the fireplace and having a clean set of sheets for my king bed handy. Everything else is in place as "normal life" for me including being able to communicate world wide if needed and having full tanks of fuel to make my first fuel stop anywhere within a 900+ air mile range from my present location, again, iffen needed.

Yep an old guy saying it is still true, when all other means of communication are down, Ham Radio will be still working.

 

[JeffT]

p238shooter,​

Is the license/permit I got back in 1974 or 1975, that was a license required to set up a “base” station and communicate on a 24 channel “cb” radio, the same license/credentials that is needed to communicate on or use a ham radio?
KAJB1674 is or was the identifier I was given.

 

[Chuckie]

Well you are correct to a certain extent and it depends on what the SHTF situation is and many other factors. Yes most of us "ham radio hobby guys" are good seminarians on a day to day basis. Any call for "help" will most likely be monitored and acknowledged. But you have thrown in a variable, it depends on what the SHTF situation is. Immediate threat to you, threat to us at the time, or threat to ours? Small area or large area, which can switch us to prioritizing. Taking care of ourselves, our families, or our own friends we know and trust for primary survival will take priority.

If ham radio is involved with helping others, then that same ladder of prioritizing survival of us "family" who we know and trust applies and how much effort do we put to what your needs as an "outsider" of our ham radio friends are and how well you are able to communicate signal wise and functional communication skills wise will be a factor. "Breaker Breaker 19, Stinkysox needing to know how to talk out further here, I need to know how to put up a better antenna to talk further" or program in a different PL tone in my chikungfu radio is not exactly likely to be in our "family" protocol during a SHTF situation. Ya know? Throwing something like that out, you may be moved down the list of the priority of people we are going to talk with that we might be responding to initially to try to help.

Day to day our, "Hobby" is using our equipment, usually making friends on the radio, local and world wide, practicing procedures, developing our technique, learning to operate our radio equipment to the maximum capabilities, both stationary and mobile. Yes some of us do weather spotting and disaster communications training and practice execution of those skills but in between having fun just talking on the radio to new places and new people No different than a small airplane pilot in the background paying attention to the last small runway he flew over in case he broke a crankshaft or something and had to glide 10 miles back.

Example. Had a radio friend in Southern Chili South America I talked with on a weekly basis. In fun harassing me about grilling the big fish he had just caught and that it was too hot for him at 94' that day there. Here, we were trying to survive in the 2007 ice storm with me talking off my generator for power. 6' here with no commercial power for 7 days or faucet water for 4. At the end of the conversation, he wished me well. I do think he really meant it. He was an old guy, later he let me know his health was failing. Lost contact with him about 4 years ago. Yep, a real ham radio friend. Yep, had a dirt strip 2 miles from where he lived. Who knows if it might be needed or not to go fishing with him. Yep calculated the most reliable fuel stops to make that trip, Just in case I might "need" to make that flight some day.

If ham radio might be needed to help anyone who needs our abilities in a structured communication protocol, yep I talked on a weekly net last night, know how the system works 20 miles away to not jam it up but be able to convey what I have to say. I can do it again today, tomorrow, or next week, or next year. But instead of talking about the nice weather and I dammned near need to mow my weeds coming up in January, I can talk about xxxx that is a serious SHTF situation.

Gaining knowledge to talking direct or pass message traffic from one end of the globe around to the other if needed is common with ham radio. What kind of SHTF might happen? Local tornado? Larger area of a hurricane? Something different? We practice gaining knowledge of working around less than ideal communication situations or conditions locally or around the world with people who are doing the same on their end. So our "Hobby" is learning, practicing, and knowing how to communicate during easy or adverse situations while getting to know a lot about the fellow hams we are talking with, working, and making friends with, and in the background getting a good feel of who we can trust or not if needed. Someday that could be a factor. Ya know?

*** Let me state this in particular. Ham radio operators are different than most of the other "normal" people in the world hiding behind their keyboard with multiple throw away screen names, avatars, and email addresses. When we talk on the radio, we throw out our real ham radio call sign. Anyone with a Scanner or any other other device can listen to us. We do not encrypt anything. You or anyone listening within a 30 second google search will know who we are and what our registered home address is. Me, as I have posted on other threads on this site is WB5Y. The only one in the world. Well may be you don't like that for some reason, lots of ways to think about that. My self, I think about it as "here I am Mother F" Be sure you are ready for anything if you decide to not announce you are coming to visit me and just show up without a big package of toilet paper you are holding in both hands. Things could get exciting especially in the middle of the night with your staying longer than you planned if you might not convey to me you are a polite person when you get here.

If in the SHTF situation, someone on the radio decides to try to ask for help just starting to get their station up on the air or just starting to learn how to operate their radio at the last minute to fit in with what we might have going on and expects me or someone around them to stop what they are doing helping others to help them get started learning basic stuff, they might get moved down the list of prioritie people we respond to for a while. Or if they just get on the air to blast in with little structure or knowledge of emergency operations protocal or even standard operating practices, most likely they are not going to be the first people we acknowledge and try to respond to try to help out when our long term friends might be having the same issues or needs also.

Yep, you are in a life threating situation, we will prioritize you and any one else IF we can hear you and fit you in.

Just for example, I most likely can put more than one type of ham radio signal (spewing electrons) from my home antennas located just east of Tulsa into your back yard in less than 5min of deciding to do that if we had a reason or need to communicate during a friendly "hobby" conversation or more importantly, do the same in a SHTF situation. Have you looked into what you need to do and practiced telling what your local temp is or calling for help for you to receive that singnal and talk back to my antenna location if you needed? If I am not putting out my own fires, I will be listening and talking on my radios trying to help any of my fellow ham radio friends out there. And others if their signal can reach me. I doubt of yours can make the trip at the moment.

Yep, I have ran through a lot of stuff here. Most Importantly I would like to convey --- I have NOT been trying to bash you or anyone else who might be reading this post who might be interested in radio communications in a SHTF situation. What I am trying to convey is that some people do not know what they do not know about radio communications until they are exposed to knowing that they might not know and suggesting they learn about more if they are interested.

Me, I am very fortunate in a lot of aspects. My "bug out bag" is having extra logs handy to throw in the fireplace and having a clean set of sheets for my king bed handy. Everything else is in place as "normal life" for me including being able to communicate world wide if needed and having full tanks of fuel to make my first fuel stop anywhere within a 900+ air mile range from my present location, again, iffen needed.

Yep an old guy saying it is still true, when all other means of communication are down, Ham Radio will be still working.

Thank you 'p238shooter' for your well thought out and all-inclusive reply to my comment which clarifies a few of the thoughts I owned that were based recently on incorrect assumptions. I have always had respect for those in the HAM Community because of my having used the old MARS system while serving with the Army in [what was then] West Germany. My interest in HAM was further extended when I was granted a required GRT License while working for a commercial FM radio station (KSIT 104.5FM) out of Rock Springs, WY. At the time I thought having that license was something special, but of course now that I'm older, I realize that it was nothing more than just a requirement to satisfy the FCC paper pushers.

I've always been a 'go big or go home' sort of guy which means that for me, being a licensed HAM operator would require at least NATIONWIDE, if not WORLDWIDE, access. But now that I live in an apartment I'm pretty sure that I would be limited to a relatively short range hand-held. I no longer drive, so even a potentially more powerful 'mobile' base would not be in the cards. Maybe I just need to lower my sights a bit. Again, thanks for your civil input, my friend.