ham or cb radio

A hand held radio like the FRS and GMRS are prohibited from having a detachable antenna by the federal government. So the antenna is broadcasting the RF inches from the user's head.

Check the FCC regs if you actually want information and not the opinions of people to lazy to check the facts. The output Watts is also restricted by the FCC for these hand held radios.

The only way to get more power from a GMRS or VHF radio is to get a mobile unit that has a separate antenna. Then you can put the antenna higher and improve the range and at the same time have it further from people's heads.

Fortunately people put antennas higher to get more range without having to be bright enough to realize that there is a hazard in having RF output at head level, though this still happens from time to time with radar installations on private boats.

By the way the website is at www.fcc.gov for those who want to download the regs.

I installed a CB.

The wife could not see why.
After a detour last year that closed
part of the Alabama interstate for 24 hours
and being able to find fuel and other needs,
thanks to the CB, she is a believer.

I would think few hams are on the road.
Mainly due to licensing requirements and
equipment costs.

Jfet wrote:

SCVJeff wrote:

As far as cell sites being above the horizon, the opposite is true which is why they ALL are on low towers, poles or buildings. You cannot build an efficient cellular network these days from high sites, there are way too many users. While there may be high sites out in the middle of nowhere, they are the exception. Ham repeaters, and any reasonable base station can easily out perform any cellular node distance wise due to frequency and power.

Jeff nailed it. Also, some Ham frequencies can bounce off of the various layers in the earth's atmosphere allowing contact hundreds or thousands of miles away (almost like a fiber optic cable where the light is contained by total internal reflection).

We just took (and passed!) our Ham technician and general license tests. Now just a short wait to get a call sign and an entry in the FCC database.

As well as the tail of a comet, Skylab and talking with astronauts, and satellites. Heck, with the right band width and enough watts, you can bounce signal off the moon also.

wintersun wrote:
The limitation of Ham, CB, FRS, GMRS is that the hand held units have their output limited to avoid damage to the user's brain. Need a mobile unit connected to the vehicle's 12v DC for power and an external antenna to get much range. Even then it is line of sight so OK for wide open spaces but not for wooded, rocky, or hilly areas.

I think handheld power is limited more by battery life for a portable radio than concern about RF exposure. If a ham or CB handheld were to put out more than 5w, the battery life would be cut back to mere minutes of transmit time. As it is, my 5w handheld will only transmit 20 - 30 min on a fully charged lithium. So, I usually have the power dialed back to 500mw if that will work.

FRS/GMRS radios are power limited *and* antenna limited to reduce range of operation. That way, a lot of users can share the limited number of FRS channels. If only people would stop using illegal power amps on CB, then CB would also be a lot more useful.

Just my humble opinions.

Jfet wrote:

SCVJeff wrote:

As far as cell sites being above the horizon, the opposite is true which is why they ALL are on low towers, poles or buildings. You cannot build an efficient cellular network these days from high sites, there are way too many users. While there may be high sites out in the middle of nowhere, they are the exception. Ham repeaters, and any reasonable base station can easily out perform any cellular node distance wise due to frequency and power.

Jeff nailed it. Also, some Ham frequencies can bounce off of the various layers in the earth's atmosphere allowing contact hundreds or thousands of miles away (almost like a fiber optic cable where the light is contained by total internal reflection).

We just took (and passed!) our Ham technician and general license tests. Now just a short wait to get a call sign and an entry in the FCC database.

Congrats! I've been licensed since 1984 and while I don't emit RF very often these days it's nice to have.

SCVJeff wrote:

As far as cell sites being above the horizon, the opposite is true which is why they ALL are on low towers, poles or buildings. You cannot build an efficient cellular network these days from high sites, there are way too many users. While there may be high sites out in the middle of nowhere, they are the exception. Ham repeaters, and any reasonable base station can easily out perform any cellular node distance wise due to frequency and power.

Jeff nailed it. Also, some Ham frequencies can bounce off of the various layers in the earth's atmosphere allowing contact hundreds or thousands of miles away (almost like a fiber optic cable where the light is contained by total internal reflection).

We just took (and passed!) our Ham technician and general license tests. Now just a short wait to get a call sign and an entry in the FCC database.

wintersun wrote:
The limitation of Ham, CB, FRS, GMRS is that the hand held units have their output limited to avoid damage to the user's brain. Need a mobile unit connected to the vehicle's 12v DC for power and an external antenna to get much range. Even then it is line of sight so OK for wide open spaces but not for wooded, rocky, or hilly areas.

With a cell phone the tower is well above the horizon and it is putting out a much stronger signal then even a Ham transmitter station. In the USA the best geographic coverage is with Verizon.

VHF is not legal for use on land unless you are a marine business operator. It has the same power limitations of Ham and GMRS. FRS is so limited in terms of range as to be nearly useless most of the time. Unlike a cell phone conversation where only a couple million NSA employees and contractors can listen in, with FRS/GMRS/Ham/VHF anyone can listen in with ease.

the limitation of any handheld is purely battery on permitted bands.

As far as cell sites being above the horizon, the opposite is true which is why they ALL are on low towers, poles or buildings. You cannot build an efficient cellular network these days from high sites, there are way too many users. While there may be high sites out in the middle of nowhere, they are the exception. Ham repeaters, and any reasonable base station can easily out perform any cellular node distance wise due to frequency and power.

wintersun wrote:
The limitation of Ham, CB, FRS, GMRS is that the hand held units have their output limited to avoid damage to the user's brain. Need a mobile unit connected to the vehicle's 12v DC for power and an external antenna to get much range. Even then it is line of sight so OK for wide open spaces but not for wooded, rocky, or hilly areas.

With a cell phone the tower is well above the horizon and it is putting out a much stronger signal then even a Ham transmitter station. In the USA the best geographic coverage is with Verizon.

VHF is not legal for use on land unless you are a marine business operator. It has the same power limitations of Ham and GMRS. FRS is so limited in terms of range as to be nearly useless most of the time. Unlike a cell phone conversation where only a couple million NSA employees and contractors can listen in, with FRS/GMRS/Ham/VHF anyone can listen in with ease.

Amount of watts necessary for DMR, once fully implemented, might change that a bit, compared to analog.

The limitation of Ham, CB, FRS, GMRS is that the hand held units have their output limited to avoid damage to the user's brain. Need a mobile unit connected to the vehicle's 12v DC for power and an external antenna to get much range. Even then it is line of sight so OK for wide open spaces but not for wooded, rocky, or hilly areas.

With a cell phone the tower is well above the horizon and it is putting out a much stronger signal then even a Ham transmitter station. In the USA the best geographic coverage is with Verizon.

VHF is not legal for use on land unless you are a marine business operator. It has the same power limitations of Ham and GMRS. FRS is so limited in terms of range as to be nearly useless most of the time. Unlike a cell phone conversation where only a couple million NSA employees and contractors can listen in, with FRS/GMRS/Ham/VHF anyone can listen in with ease.

One of the original Posters ask where they could learn about the HAM Radio Exam. Very simple test...Go QRZ.com on the opening page look for HAM Radio Exams. There is really simple program that lets you see questions and you guess at or apply a little effort on Multiple Choice Questions...when you are done you'll see how many you got right or wrong and most folks can pass this sample test easily. Then you can surf to find a Ham Club in your area or you can surf to ARRL.com and they can help you find a volunteer examiner.....Don't knock it till you've tried it. Every HAM club is ready and willing to help you find a radio, hand held or mobile to fit your needs.
Ham Radio is great for emergency communications and its perfect for communications between RV's.

73,
GARY
W7FSI
Stanley, IDAHO