Walkie Talkies

[Rearfang]

Just ordered 5 baofen handies off eBay for £132 quid again not legal on pmr as 4w but post shtf
Also the antenna is removable and a external one could be used to increase the range

[DavePR]

I have ordered 2 Binatone Action 1000's for a bit of fun with my eldest son but will be hoping to use for short range comm in a SHTF.

Have been looking at getting a licence from Ofcom but not sure yet.

[happyhacker]

PMR446 is PMR446, there is no point dropping the money on a name brand radio for some better plastics, maybe a scan feature for the channels. Just buy a cheap pair or a few cheap pairs. If you want a radio with more power get a BaoFeng UV-5R for £30 of Amazon which is 5 watts and needs no mods, just type in the PMR446 frequencies and save them off, you can limit the power too, by putting it on low power setting. If you want to go smaller the Baofeng UV-3R is about the same money but only puts out 2 Watts.

I was thinking less of a radio but a two way comms device for local use. Does the PMRxxx do two way comms between a pair of them?

And I am not sure when a license is required. Anyone advise?

[gary5wift]

Hi happyhacker

PMR446 radios are short range two way UHF radios, the number of channels you get depends on which model you get but conversations are not private, they can be heard and indeed joined by anyone with a PMR446 who is in range. Cheep and cheerful non-secure local comms, range depends on model and terrain, eg built up areas not far, open flat land reasonable distance with line of sight.

[happyhacker]

Ah, thanks. So if I want one for "preper" use in an emergency I need better range than that so what is the next step up in power/capability?

[metatron]

Ah, thanks. So if I want one for "preper" use in an emergency I need better range than that so what is the next step up in power/capability?

baofen handies paired with a directional antenna http://www.g6lvb.com/homebrewarrow.htm and you can be talking to people via satilites. That or HF which is not cheap

[happyhacker]

baofen handies paired with a directional antenna http://www.g6lvb.com/homebrewarrow.htm and you can be talking to people via satilites. That or HF which is not cheap

Thanks, but in worse case scenarios satellites will be OOA or comandered for gov. use. Looks as if I will have to go for the usual comms. devices.

[gary5wift]

You could go from a handie to a higher power mobile rig, but you'll need Ham Licence to operate it legally, depending upon conditions, terrain, antenna etc you can get quite long distance with these, certainly up to 100m if the conditions and set up is right. After that you'll need to go up to a HF rig. As Metatron says, each step up the ladder will cost you more.

If you only want a cheap system to cover say 15-20 miles you could consider going down the CB route, no licence needed and cheaper than Ham radios but quality varies and like all comms, range depends on conditions, terrain, set-up etc.

It's worth doing the Ham Foundation even if you don't progress to intermediate or advanced; it gets you on the air legally and you'll learn quite a bit about comms and what is/isn't possible.

[metatron]

baofen handies paired with a directional antenna http://www.g6lvb.com/homebrewarrow.htm and you can be talking to people via satilites. That or HF which is not cheap

Thanks, but in worse case scenarios satellites will be OOA or comandered for gov. use. Looks as if I will have to go for the usual comms. devices.

You can use them as reflector, short of removing the satellite from space there is not much people or the sun can do.

[happyhacker]

Where would the best place to investigate the Ham Foundation be? Perhaps there is an Amazon book for this. Maybe also the bst Ham UK forums to connect to? Thanks.

So it looks as if I buy a pair of Baofeng but which models are best?