Basic Prepper Comms for Newbie

[illini40]

Hello

As we review our preparedness situation, I’m realizing that comms is a gap for us. If cell phones were to go down, we are a fish out of water. I’ve tried to research, but honestly I’ve managed to confuse myself more than anything.

From what I can gather, my main options are GSMR or CB, along with a police scanner.

Situation/context:
- Not licensed for HAM, nor do I intend to get licensed in the near future
- Two objectives/needs:
1) basic communication with local family. Primary point of contact is almost 3 miles away (per Google measuring straight line), with trees, crops, and some hills in between us.
2) be able to hear what is going on, assuming no cell/internet. Would even like to access police/fire chatter.
- Would like to keep this budget friendly, as my main prepping budget is shoring up loose ends on food and other necessities.
- Have a two story home
- No interest in a large antenna left outside of our home permanently
- Bugging in

What guidance can you provide? Where to even start?

Im sure more questions will come up, so thanks in advance for your patience.

 

[teddy12b]

1.) Baofeng UV5R. Buy as many as you can afford and can use, plus 1 spare. Learn how to use it, including scanning for traffic.

2.) Search for local repeaters in your area, write them down/print them off. There's books that are nothing but public frequencies.

3.) In my area the police scanners don't work because they are on an encrypted net. Not really sure what you'd get out of listening to it anyway.

4.) Get a battery powered radio with world band radio, maybe you can listen to the BBC.

As far as a 3 mile range, you won't know until you try it. That's a relatively short distance, and in a perfect world you should be able to make that happen without much effort. It's line of sight with radios and since you can't see the person you want to talk with, you may or may not get lucky on this with Baofengs. I had an inlaw 4 miles away via Google maps distance and it barely worked, but it did.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

1.) Baofeng UV5R. Buy as many as you can afford and can use, plus 1 spare. Learn how to use it, including scanning for traffic.

2.) Search for local repeaters in your area, write them down/print them off. There's books that are nothing but public frequencies.

3.) In my area the police scanners don't work because they are on an encrypted net. Not really sure what you'd get out of listening to it anyway.

4.) Get a battery powered radio with world band radio, maybe you can listen to the BBC.

As far as a 3 mile range, you won't know until you try it. That's a relatively short distance, and in a perfect world you should be able to make that happen without much effort. It's line of sight with radios and since you can't see the person you want to talk with, you may or may not get lucky on this with Baofengs. I had an inlaw 4 miles away via Google maps distance and it barely worked, but it did.

All great advice but also illegal to transmit unless you are licensed. So you won't be able to legally test your equipment and learn how to use it effectively.

You said no to getting your lic. But I can assure you it's quite easy to get the first level of lic which is all you would need for this


Info on how to get licensed and local repeater freqs. Can be found in the link in my sig .

If you have questions about ham I'm happy to help.

 

[teddy12b]

All great advice but also illegal to transmit unless you are licensed. So you won't be able to legally test your equipment and learn how to use it effectively.

It's illegal to transmit based on the particular frequency. Listening in is perfectly fine. Transmitting on a MURS freq is perfectly fine. I should have expanded on that in my initial comment.

 

[PistolBob]

If you trust your life and safety to a $29 radio from China, then buy a Baofeng. If you think the ham repeaters will still be up when the cells are down, good luck. If the cells are down it's because of a power outage, cell towers are usually backed up with sophisticated backup power generation good for as long as the fuel holds out....amateur repeaters not so much.

 

[jsx1043]

Hello

As we review our preparedness situation, I’m realizing that comms is a gap for us. If cell phones were to go down, we are a fish out of water. I’ve tried to research, but honestly I’ve managed to confuse myself more than anything.

From what I can gather, my main options are GSMR or CB, along with a police scanner.

Situation/context:
- Not licensed for HAM, nor do I intend to get licensed in the near future
- Two objectives/needs:
1) basic communication with local family. Primary point of contact is almost 3 miles away (per Google measuring straight line), with trees, crops, and some hills in between us.
2) be able to hear what is going on, assuming no cell/internet. Would even like to access police/fire chatter.
- Would like to keep this budget friendly, as my main prepping budget is shoring up loose ends on food and other necessities.
- Have a two story home
- No interest in a large antenna left outside of our home permanently
- Bugging in

What guidance can you provide? Where to even start?

Im sure more questions will come up, so thanks in advance for your patience.

What’s your AO? And the top end of your budget?

 

[Route 45]

If you don't want to mess with taking a test to get your amateur radio license, then I'd go with GMRS. You still have to buy a license, but there's no test involved, and your whole family can use the radios. You can set up a base unit in your house with an attic antenna and easily communicate with portable handheld units to 3 miles, depending on terrain and obstructions. A GMRS license allows greater power radios than no-license FRS radio, up to 50 watts on dedicated channels. A 50 watt base to 50 watt mobile will have quite a bit more range than that, if you want to install mobile units in each vehicle. (Handheld radios are typically 2 - 10 watts.) Just like anything else, your budget will be the deciding factor.

Forget the $29 Baofengs. Their interface is not intuitive like a simple GMRS/FRS radio, and if you are dedicated enough to learn the necessary radio concepts and ins and outs of programming and using a Baofeng, you might as well study a little more and get your amateur radio license. I don't know what your objection is to ham radio, but I can do more with ham radio than anyone can do with GMRS/FRS. I can talk base radio to base radio a little more than 34 miles straight line distance on 50 watts, and I've done 75+ miles on a repeater from mobile to mobile. I routinely hit a repeater 20 miles a way with a 5 watt handheld UHF radio and can talk Indianapolis to almost Centerville without issue. Some amateur radio repeaters DO have battery backup, so they will be available for a while if the power/cell towers go down.

Of course, you could just buy some CB radios. I don't know anything about the current state of CB radio, it's been almost 30 years since I've used one. You're probably not going to be talking far on a handheld, though. An attic or outside antenna may still be required to meet your range requirements.

Police/fire scanners depend on your location. Most departments in Indiana are on a trunked system, so you'll need an expensive ($450+) scanner to listen, and some of the departments are encrypted, making your scanner worthless for those departments. If the cell towers are up, a police scanner app for your cell phone works just fine.

Here's some info on GMRS:

https://midlandusa.com/why-do-i-need-a-gmrs-license-how-do-i-get-it/

https://www.buytwowayradios.com/blog/2016/12/gmrs_radio_range_chart.html

 

[maxwelhse]

If the cells are down it's because of a power outage, cell towers are usually backed up with sophisticated backup power generation good for as long as the fuel holds out...

Threadjacking a little bit here...

Is that a recent thing? Back in 2012(?) when we had a drecho come through NE IN it instantly took down all cell service for my entire commute home, which would have been from Woodburn, to New Haven, to just north of Fort Wayne. I was carrying phones on 2 networks at the time and neither had any signal. Not "no network", but no bars at all.

It didn't come back up until the following day, along with the power.

 

[PistolBob]

Threadjacking a little bit here...

Is that a recent thing? Back in 2012(?) when we had a drecho come through NE IN it instantly took down all cell service for my entire commute home, which would have been from Woodburn, to New Haven, to just north of Fort Wayne. I was carrying phones on 2 networks at the time and neither had any signal. Not "no network", but no bars at all.

It didn't come back up until the following day, along with the power.

See the word USUALLY <grin>

Not every single cell tower has power backup for any length of time. Most have a UPS that provides enough power for the system to shut down clean in the event of power loss from mains. Once mains power comes back on, the system usually but not always automatically restarts/reboots.

 

[maxwelhse]

See the word USUALLY <grin>

Not every single cell tower has power backup for any length of time. Most have a UPS that provides enough power for the system to shut down clean in the event of power loss from mains. Once mains power comes back on, the system usually but not always automatically restarts/reboots.

I caught that, but I had to have driven past at least 10 towers on the way home and got no service on either phone from any of them. This sticks in my mind because I was planning to stop in AutoZone on the way home to pick up a part and was trying to call them to see if it was in. Little did I know there was no power for like 20 counties.

I had always assumed that incident implied with no power there is a guarantee of 0 cell service. If the odds are now better than 0 some 8 years later, that's cool.

 

[illini40]

Appreciate all of the replies so far.

Just to confirm, a license is needed to broadcast on a GSMR radio?

Does the family license cover parents?

To clarify, a GSMR radio will only communicate/hear from GSMR radios, correct?

Regarding budget, would $50 get me started?

 

[Gaffer]

Yes, a license is required, but there is no test, you just pay and talk :>)

The first step to get your license is to sign up the FCC and get an FRN. There is no charge for that. Once you get your FRN (almost immediately), you can then proceed to get your GMRS license.

FRN:
https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/regEntityType.do

Once you have your FRN get your GMRS license

GMRS License:
https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp


Yes, it covers parents.. Here is a snippet from part 95 from the FCC:

§ 95.179 Individuals who may be station operators.
(a) An individual GMRS system licensee may permit immediate family members to be station operators in his or her GMRS system. Immediate family members are the:
(1) Licensee;
(2) Licensee's spouse;
(3) Licensee's children, grandchildren, stepchildren;
(4) Licensee's parents, grandparents, stepparents;
(5) Licensee's brothers, sisters;
(6) Licensee's aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews; and
(7) Licensee's in-laws.


Yes, and GMRS radio will communicate with any other GMRS radio. They all use the same frequencies. A "real" GMRS radio can not transmit on any frequencies other then what is allowed in GMRS.

I know you will get many different ideas on which radio to buy, but I have had very good luck with these. They are FCC approved, and they have a removable antenna so you can add longer ones if desired. They can also be programmed (it is really not that hard), using a computer and free software. You will need to purchase a cable for about $20. Once you program one, you can copy that and make the next hundred all the same. You don't need to program them and they work right out of the box. They sound good, and the voice is much better then the ones I purchased in pairs, know as blister pack radios.

Here is a link to the radio:

https://baofengtech.com/gmrs-v1

Ron

EDIT, oh and what Route45 said below about FRS.

 

[Route 45]

Appreciate all of the replies so far.

Just to confirm, a license is needed to broadcast on a GSMR radio?

Does the family license cover parents?

To clarify, a GSMR radio will only communicate/hear from GSMR radios, correct?

Regarding budget, would $50 get me started?

GMRS shares some channels with FRS, which are the cheap blister-pack radios you can get anywhere. So someone with those basic "walkie-talkies" will be able to hear you and communicate on the shared channels. But there are GMRS-only channels which will only communicate with other GMRS radios.

Anyone with an amateur radio can hear your communications, as most ham radios cover FRS and GMRS frequencies. Technically, you aren't supposed to use a ham radio to talk on FRS/GMRS.

Technically, anyway.

And sorry, no, $50 won't get you started. A GMRS license is $70. The cheapest portable radios are a little more than $50 each. Figure on about $200 to get started.

 

[teddy12b]

Regarding budget, would $50 get me started?

This budget is exactly what sells Baofeng UV5R radios and exactly why they are being used by so many people in so many places. Yeah they're cheap and they sure aren't a yeasu, but they work. You can listen in, you can have something in your hand right now that you can start to scan and listen in on frequencies to get started. Most of what you hear will be crusty old guys talking about blood pressure medicine or their aunt edna's tow fungus, but you can start to play around with that and learn. If you were wanting to get into race cars, you wouldn't go drop a million bucks on one, you'd start with some cheap(er) go cart kind of thing. There's a learning curve to all things ham radio and emergency comms in general. Find a local guru also. Guys who geek out on comms love nothing more than to find other little nerd seeds they can grow into bigger nerds. I mean that in the most loving way possible, I'm a nerd now too.

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Following thread for information. Good stuff guys, as I am less than radio proficient to say the very least.

 

[Cameramonkey]

And any license that doesnt require any testing or training is a BS money grab.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Following thread for information. Good stuff guys, as I am less than radio proficient to say the very least.

Feel free to throw out questions we are happy to help

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Feel free to throw out questions we are happy to help

Appreciated. Brain is full, this will give me some research to do during winter when I have less to do. Trust, the Q's will come. Thanks for the support.

 

[worddoer]

Yes, a license is required, but there is no test, you just pay and talk :>)

The first step to get your license is to sign up the FCC and get an FRN. There is no charge for that. Once you get your FRN (almost immediately), you can then proceed to get your GMRS license.

FRN:
https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/regEntityType.do

Once you have your FRN get your GMRS license

GMRS License:
https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/licManager/login.jsp


Yes, it covers parents.. Here is a snippet from part 95 from the FCC:

§ 95.179 Individuals who may be station operators.
(a) An individual GMRS system licensee may permit immediate family members to be station operators in his or her GMRS system. Immediate family members are the:
(1) Licensee;
(2) Licensee's spouse;
(3) Licensee's children, grandchildren, stepchildren;
(4) Licensee's parents, grandparents, stepparents;
(5) Licensee's brothers, sisters;
(6) Licensee's aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews; and
(7) Licensee's in-laws.


Yes, and GMRS radio will communicate with any other GMRS radio. They all use the same frequencies. A "real" GMRS radio can not transmit on any frequencies other then what is allowed in GMRS.

I know you will get many different ideas on which radio to buy, but I have had very good luck with these. They are FCC approved, and they have a removable antenna so you can add longer ones if desired. They can also be programmed (it is really not that hard), using a computer and free software. You will need to purchase a cable for about $20. Once you program one, you can copy that and make the next hundred all the same. You don't need to program them and they work right out of the box. They sound good, and the voice is much better then the ones I purchased in pairs, know as blister pack radios.

Here is a link to the radio:

https://baofengtech.com/gmrs-v1

Ron

EDIT, oh and what Route45 said below about FRS.

This is what I did. I even bought from the same website. I purchased a slightly different model of radio, but it seemed to me to be the simplest solution.

I also purchased an upgraded antenna and added a counterpoise. We use them when we are camping as most parks in Indiana have horrible cell phone coverage. Most of the state parks are small enough that we have never had any issues reaching someone from one side of the park to another.

 

[PistolBob]

Appreciate all of the replies so far. Just to confirm, a license is needed to broadcast on a GSMR radio? Does the family license cover parents?
To clarify, a GSMR radio will only communicate/hear from GSMR radios, correct? Regarding budget, would $50 get me started?

A GMRS license is $70 and good for 10 years.

Part 95 Subpart E of the rules does not state a family license is available. In fact it says this license is for an individual. However, it does state "Any individual who holds an individual license may allow his or her immediate family members to operate his or her GMRS station or stations. Immediate family members are the licensee's spouse, children, grandchildren, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and in-laws.

GMRS has 30 channels. A typical GMRS transceiver will only operate on those frequencies.