HT for emergancy contact use

[spawn50]

Hello all. I've searched the forum and have not found anything that answers my question I hope that you all can help.

I'm very interested in getting my license. My main purpose is to learn something new. My secondary purpose is for communication in an emergency outside of cell range. I ride a motorcycle and hike in remote areas in the tri-state area of Utah, Nevada and Arizona. My question is how viable a solution is a quad band ht or dual band ht for contacting someone in a break down or emergency situation. I'd be looking at a radio that works on the 2m/6m/440/220 range. Would it be dependent on what repeaters are in the area or if someone is monitoring a frequency? What are your thoughts?

 

[scout943]

A good quality radio that is repeater capable , not (BUBBLE PACK junk good for around the house communications) more costly but well worth it if your BUTT is on the line!!

 

[rfoverlord]

last i knew you had the ZIA net in that area, i could get into cheyenne wy. from along the arizona/new mexico borders. I don't remember the the 2 mtr. freqs. but this was done with a 5 watt. ht. and was pretty reliable. I wouldn't put too much into the 1 1/4 mtr. anywhere for emergency contacts.

 

[Hutch]

It really depends how remote your planning on being. I suggest you get a repeater directory (about $10) and see what repeaters are in the area you plan to be in. If there are no repeaters in the area, I wouldn't rely too heavily on it for emergency comms.

 

[hookedon6]

i honestly would use a cell phone.
heck, a cb radio would proably be more reliable than a handy talkie.

 

[Beetle]

Would it be dependent on what repeaters are in the area or if someone is monitoring a frequency? What are your thoughts?

There are quite a few repeaters in the southern Nevada area. I'm less familiar with Utah and Arizona, but basically the answers to your first two questions are (1) Yes and (2) Yes.

If you're down in a canyon hiking and you get pinned by a rockslide, your multi-hundred dollar HT isn't going to be much help, and neither is your cell phone, unless you're extremely lucky. And just because you can hit a repeater with a full-quieting signal doesn't guarantee that anybody's monitoring that repeater 24/7.

Best thing to have is a satellite phone, but even it may not be able to see past the top of the canyon half a mile or more over your head.

Can a specific HT reach a specific repeater from a specific area out in the desert? Impossible to answer in a forum like this. Get your license and try it. Don't get yourself in trouble first :mellow:.

 

[Moleculo]

I think it's worth having the HT, but there are probably other products available (like the SPOT) that are better for pure emergency use. I would make a roll-up J pole or find a telescoping 1/2 wave dipole that you can attach to your HT. I found a telescoping dipole that had about 15' of small coax with the SMA connector online years ago for about $20. It breaks down and takes up almost no room in a backpack. I definately wouldn't rely on a rubby ducky antenna in an emergency.

 

[acer0001]

Mole-

Do you happen to know more info on the telescoping dipole and where you might have purchased it? It sounds like what I might need for wilderness comms.

Thanks.

 

[Moleculo]

I searched around when I posted earlier but I couldn't find it. Let me try again over the next few days and see what I come up with.

 

[Wire Weasel]

All info offered here looks pretty good. It all depends on where you are. Don't count on anyone monitoring simplex frequencies. You will be trying to reach a repeater. For sure pick up a higher gain accessory antenna. They're not expensive and all the ham stores have them on the shelf.

You can be even plan your trips many times to hike/camp in areas where you know in advance that you should have repeater coverage.

Also be aware that no radio is going to likely get out from down in a hole....a valley surrounded by big hills / mountains. You may have to hike to high ground to get a signal out to a repeater. There will always be exceptions but this can be taken as a general rule.

Don't forget visual signaling devices for wilderness spotting. The best thing going I know of is the neat little relatively high power GLP, (green laser pointers.) With GLP's, the whole beam is clearly visible...not just "painting a dot" like a red laser. I have a 200mw model and it has a range of 50 MILES !! Believe it. It's incredibly bright and strong. Once you're declared missing, hopefully they will send a search plane / helicopter to look for you at night with FLIR.....or look for a campfire ect....You hear or see a small plane, just point this laser in the planes general direction....in front of them so they can see it, and they WILL see this beam. The beam will lead them directly to you. NEVER point any laser devise directly onto any plane (felony in the U.S.) or at any vehicle - person's or animal's eyes ect.....just common sense stuff. Used properly, these lasers are incredible nighttime signaling lights. There are also these little personal strobe lights but they only show your ground position. A search plane will have to be much closer to your position to see it.

The law has changed and it is harder, but not impossible to get a higher power GLP. Ebay is silly covered up with low power ones and China- Hong Kong, where most of them are made, can't ship (legally) any unit greater than 5mw to the U.S., but I've seen and asked sellers in England recently if they are still shipping higher power models to the U.S. and was told it was no problem and they do it every day. There's a ton of info on GLP's on the net. Just google them. You can learn a lot by looking at ebay ads for them too. GLP's a big bonus for anywhere hiking - camping as they're small (handheld - cigar size) and lightweight. And batteries last forever. Hundreds of hours per set or charge.

When hiking in the wilderness, I would carry every safety and protection item I could stuff into my pack.

Good luck

 

[R290]

It's like any tool, once you learn to use it you don't know how you got by without it. I have one on order and the club is going to preprogram it for all the different repeaters. They will even open the channels so I can get outside of just Ham freq. It's not illegal to make the mod, just illegal to use the channels if its not a life threating emergency.

 

[KJ6AER]

It's like any tool, once you learn to use it you don't know how you got by without it. I have one on order and the club is going to preprogram it for all the different repeaters. They will even open the channels so I can get outside of just Ham freq. It's not illegal to make the mod, just illegal to use the channels if its not a life threating emergency.

It's not?

 

[Quiksilver]

If your driving to your remote area, then hiking & riding, then a Yaesu FT-8800 or 8900 (or similar brand) with "Cross band repeat" would be a good choice. You could hit your vehicle with your HT, then your vehicles higher power radio would get your out further to a contact or repeater.

Welcome to Yaesu.com

 

[Beetle]

It's not?

Not illegal at all to make the modification, since ham radio equipment, other than HF Amplifiers, doesn't require Part 97 certification. We're allowed to build our own equipment from scratch; we just have to ensure our bandwidth, spectral purity, etc. is within the limits specified in Part 97 and its references.

Problem is, a late pizza delivery might constitute a "life-threatening emergency" in somebody's mind.

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

You can make any mod you want to a radio..

It is only illegal when you transmit with it...
Unless there is a active Emergency and in that case you are allowed to use ANY frequency possibly needed to get help..

Of course most who mod equipment use those frequency's they are not licensed for regardless that there is no active emergency..

Getting licensed brings a lot more equipment you can use legally not just for active true emergency but also lessor problems as well as for just plain talking and fun..

Often in times of emergency's cel phones also lose ability to work and often (Not always...but usually) ham radio is a back up and reliable means of keeping in contact