I can't use ham to replace cb

[C2]

In my area, there is only 1 simplex frequency on 70cm. The rest are all allocated to repeaters, and many of them are closed!

If only I had enough money, I could get an entire band coordinated for my own personal repeaters (minus the 1 simplex freq), and then not let anyone else use or "interfere" with them.

I can hear it now, you two take the high road and we will take the low road, and because all that dead air is allocated, we will have to share the 1 simplex frequency between us the rest of the entire ham community.

We got about 10 channels on 2m simplex though. After we move to 6.25 spacing, we should have a few more "unassigned" spots to wreak our havoc.

I agree beetle, the repeater should not be required as available for one and all to use, just the frequency! If you don't want to use or share the repeater, turn it off. Perhaps closed repeaters should be required to publish a use schedule so others would know when the freq is open or closed. Maybe a new approach to narrower channel spacing is time share...

 

[Moleculo]

You guys are forgetting something about these repeater allocations.

Where are the repeaters when you're in the middle of nowhere off-roading? Maybe if you're lucky there will be one?

You don't have to worry about repeater allocations when there aren't any repeaters around.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

In my area, there is only 1 simplex frequency on 70cm. The rest are all allocated to repeaters, and many of them are closed!....................

We got about 10 channels on 2m simplex though....

May I ask where in God's name you live such that you have so little simplex freqs. available on either of those bands?? I find that unbelievable.

 

[kane375]

Mole understands what I am looking for I have been out wheeling where there is no cell service (surprised when I have it) often times cant even get a gps signal and alot of the times I cant pick up comercial radio stations.

 

[W5LZ]

And all of this is beside the point. I don't see any sense in 'replacing' CB with ham radio, or 'replacing' ham radio with CB, they aren't the same things at all, or are limited to the same abilities. Nothing says you can't have both. The only limits are the ones you put on yourself. The two have different 'styles' of operating. If you can't adapt to different 'styles', then don't. Want a radio system that's only for 'off roading'? No sweat, get a commercial license, your own frequency, oodles and gobs of additional mobile/portable station licenses and assign them to all your friends. Then you only have to worry about how your friends behave, not those CB'ers or hams. Several bands you can do that on, take your pick. Just depends on what you want to do, doesn't it?
Remember the old saying about, "When in Rome..."? What's stopping you?
- 'Doc

 

[C2]

May I ask where in God's name you live such that you have so little simplex freqs. available on either of those bands?? I find that unbelievable.

I'm up high in the silly cone valley and can reach quite a few repeaters, never mind driving around...this is what happens with dense metropolitan areas are forced into narrower channel spacing...

 

[C2]

Oh yeah, and even though I could probably key 40 repeaters, I really hear no more activity than what could be accomodated with 2 or 3 well regulated repeaters.

 

[dudmuck]

In my area, there is only 1 simplex frequency on 70cm. The rest are all allocated to repeaters, and many of them are closed!

Its true, around here SCRBBA has consumed every pair, all 300 of them between 440 and 450MHz, except the few like 446.0 for simplex and a few token open pairs. Only around 50 of those repeaters are open.

But dont forget that 70cm extends down to 420MHz.
There are open areas for simplex, such as 433 to 435MHz. But stay away from 433.92 since its for unlicensed low power. And other areas down there are for weak signal and satellite work.

 

[hotrod]

You guys that aren't licensed (Marconi, hotrod) are giving bad information and are not helping this guy out at all. Try actually studying a little bit about what the ticket can be used for before pitching in your uneducated 2 cents. Also try actually being out in an offroad survival situation before recommending what will work there. I'm sorry...I'm usually the peace maker and am the last person here to stir it up, but you guys are talking out of your ass, and I'm calling you on it this time.

I am a seasoned off roader...and I'm not talking about taking a drive out into the mud patch outside of town where you can walk back to town if you get stuck. I'm talking about 8000 feet, up in the mountains, on a back trail where the only person that is going to help you if your axle breaks is your other buddies and God. Or how about out in the Mojave Desert or Death Valley where it's 115-120 degrees, the land has 3000 foot elevation changes and the terrain is made up of volcanic rock that even the lizards don't want to sun bathe on. Pack your food, water, clothes, gas, everything in and out because you can't rely on anything except yourself and what you bring.

CB/FRS/GMRS is a WASTE OF TIME when off road, unless you live in Kansas or some other flat land, and even then it's questionable. CB, FRS, or GMRS won't be able to get through the canyons, hills, mountains, valley, even through 2 bends around the next hill and through the next gulley on the trail. When the vehicles get spread out, you need something that will be able to bounce around the hills, peaks, and valleys. FRS/GMRS won't do it (too high in frequency) and CB won't do it (not enough power that low in frequency). 144Mhz or 220 Mhz is what you need. If all you've got is a CB and an FRS radio, in an emergency situation where you need to call help, you might as well just shout your lungs out, because it end up in the same result. There is more to having an effective off road radio solution that standing 10 feet away as a spotter. You need to be able to do that, plus communicate on the trail in various terrains and be able to contact someone in the State you're in when an emergency happens

Only ham radio satisfies these requirements. There are no "stuffy hams" that are going to discourage you from doing this. Don't listen to those who have no knowledge of what you're up against in this application; listen to those with the experience. Tell anyone that wants to quote the FCC regs to come here and talk to me. I'll be happy to set them straight.

Marconi...maybe you should try listening into some Ham frequencies for a while. You might be surprised out how similar to CB radio it really is.

this was just my opion here
i dont know bout you but if im going 4wheeling i dont want no hight priced ham radio bouncing around.best radioi found for vibration and bouncing have been cbs like the 66,76,25,29.now the decription i gave was keeping the price down for the extreame
situation it would have to endure.as far as getting out could use the 102 whip and cobra 29 and a texas star 667v can ya hear me now.ONLY ham gear id even consider is a ht
2 meter.again cause of price of ham gear i surely wouldnt use a i com 706.a 700.00
dollar radio just to go 4wheeling.any trails ive been on a cobra29 with good antenna and
just a small amp could hear me ANYWERE on trails and into the next town 15 miles away.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

any trails ive been on a cobra29 with good antenna and
just a small amp could hear me ANYWERE on trails and into the next town 15 miles away.

Just wait another couple years when the sunspots start popping up. You will be hard pressed to cover much more than one tenth of that distance when the skip is rolling in at 20 over 9.

 

[Moleculo]

any trails ive been on a cobra29 with good antenna and
just a small amp could hear me ANYWERE on trails and into the next town 15 miles away.

2 things:

1. There are no towns 15 miles away where I go. A lot of times there are no towns 100 miles away. And you're certainly not going to be heard through all the mountain peaks, canyons, etc.

2. I know it seems scary to some bouncing around an expensive radio, but they're just built a lot better than CBs in most cases. I've used several differnet rigs (right now an Icom 706mkiig) and have never had one fail as a result of wheeling. It's not something you can explain well on the internet...you need to get your hands on one and see for yourself.

 

[Moleculo]

One other thing...I also have a CB in my Jeep. It's used while on the highway to chat with the other drivers & truckers. It works great. Sometimes I do use it while offroad, especially when we're with someone who doesn't have the ticket. They quickly feel like their radio isn't so effective, though when we get to the situations I've already described.

 

[Happy_Hamer]

When I was wheeling on Big Bear in California we had been following each other and we were in the last Jeep, the last three vehicles got stuck behind one in the group who broke down. There was 27 of us on the trail. We had a Cobra 29 with a Palomar 250. By the time we tried to contact the other people in the group they were out of range, we were on the west side of the mountain, the others must have been on the east side of the mountain? We could not get a hold of them.

Finally they sent someone back from the lead group to find us. I was right, they were on the direct opposite side of the mountain.

From that point on we installed a 2 meter radio, I had a Yaesu FT-2200

It worked quite well, but it was not flawless. That damn mountain can block alot of signal, no matter what type radio you use. Mountains are funny that way :tongue:

It is to bad that it is illegal to use the ham radio like the 706 and 857 style radios on cb as well, you could get the best of both worlds with only 1 radio.

 

[hotrod]

2 things:

1. There are no towns 15 miles away where I go. A lot of times there are no towns 100 miles away. And you're certainly not going to be heard through all the mountain peaks, canyons, etc.

2. I know it seems scary to some bouncing around an expensive radio, but they're just built a lot better than CBs in most cases. I've used several differnet rigs (right now an Icom 706mkiig) and have never had one fail as a result of wheeling. It's not something you can explain well on the internet...you need to get your hands on one and see for yourself.

well most of us dont have 700-800 dollars to shell out for a radio
just for 4 wheeling.the only ham gear id use in that particlar situation is a ht with the wilson 2 meter mag mount.hooked to it.but then ya run ito repeater problems unless ya have one of ya own.im sorry to disagree with ya but i cant justify putting a very expensive
hf radio in a 4 wheeling vehicle.maybe a cb with a 16 pill amp behind it....maybe

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

well most of us dont have 700-800 dollars to shell out for a radio
just for 4 wheeling.the only ham gear id use in that particlar situation is a ht with the wilson 2 meter mag mount.hooked to it.but then ya run ito repeater problems unless ya have one of ya own.im sorry to disagree with ya but i cant justify putting a very expensive
hf radio in a 4 wheeling vehicle.maybe a cb with a 16 pill amp behind it....maybe

What's the CB and a 16 pill going to cost you? A lot more than $700-800 I'll bet and you still have only one band to use.