So you asked a question and decided to go the opposite of what everyone said?
Seems to me like you didn’t actually want anyones opinion.
Seems to me like you didn’t actually want anyones opinion.
two way radios updated to cb radios
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i will quote my post after much intensive research, for viable options for my needs
i do respect that folk needs are different and that is ok and nothing wrong with having different needs at all
all the knowledge within this thread will help folk make a formed choice to suit their needs
my needs are not to be reliant on mobile phone masts and-suck that with minimal cost and best portability
during my research i discovered that radios that rely on mobile phone masts are going to be useless next year onwards thereby non justifiable costs thereof
cb radio has been proven time and time again although it had its hiccups due to the government and ofcom sticking theit beaks in for licensing which have now been remedied and now back to license free
as an olde cb operator back in the day cb radio makes the most sense to me, since i had the light-bulb moment to check the licensing laws after finding nothing else seems suitable for my needs thereof
it was mentioned by @Decacraft
which i replied i will go the licensed route to cover all angles thereby in the meantime 11m handheld cb radio will suffice and will compliment 2m band when i have the time to do the courses
also other members have mentioned 2m band thereby i have not as how did you put it...??
everyone opinions comments and experiences are more valuable than some can fathom and have all had a valued bearing on my decision
i hope this clears any and all confusion some may have
i am looking at the possibility of the claimed to be tried and tested T2lt as it can be easy chucked in a backpack for carrying
options for elevation are
- portable flag-pole
- walking-poles [could tie them both together if need be]
- carbon-fibre fishing rod [collapsible]
- use a drone [would have to experiment if drone will cause interference aka noise]
- tree branch [would test my grappling hook style throws]
EdS
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I take it you live somewhere relatively flat and not very remote /rural.
No MR team has ever been called via CB - and very unlikely to. If you did manage to get a 3rd hand message to them via handheld radio they'll try and contact you via phone definitely not radio (nor will a POLSAR)
Mobile phone on the other hand - I've been to 6 call outs in the last week alone, initiated via casualty's mobile phone. CB wouldn't of been any use to any of them.
And obviously a 5w VHF /UHF pumps out a lot more non ionising radiation than a phone... Especially when used briefly to text
No MR team has ever been called via CB - and very unlikely to. If you did manage to get a 3rd hand message to them via handheld radio they'll try and contact you via phone definitely not radio (nor will a POLSAR)
Mobile phone on the other hand - I've been to 6 call outs in the last week alone, initiated via casualty's mobile phone. CB wouldn't of been any use to any of them.
And obviously a 5w VHF /UHF pumps out a lot more non ionising radiation than a phone... Especially when used briefly to text
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I’m not familiar with that antenna, but I have a Slim Jim ladder-line antenna that I made for use on the 2 m band. Together with the coax cable, it rolls up into a nice little coil that’s easy to bring and not particularly delicate. A flower pot antenna would posibly be even more sturdy and for CB frequencies I thing the flower pot antenna might be a good choice.
I’ve got 5 m of coax cable attached to mine in order to hoist it up on a 6 m telescopic antenna, but it could equally be hung from a branch using a throw line, or at the end of a walking pole held by yourself or a friend. The important thing is to make sure there’s no metal touching the antenna itself, as it’s quite sensitive to that. For similar reasons, people advice you to avoid carbon-fibre poles (although others use them without issue - maybe different types of antennas?).
You obivously don’t need to hang it up really high, and if you’re not out to specifically make contacts, then why carry a telescopic pole ”just in case”. A thin throw line and a bag to put a stone or something in as the weight might be more realistic.
thank you
i have not heard of flower pot antennas until now [learn something new everyday]
very interesting and looks quite easy to make and still half-wave https://vk2zoi.com/articles/half-wave-flower-pot/
will need to dig deeper as a quick search shows for 2m band as opposed for cb radio thus far [yet i will not be perturbed though]
i like your idea for a bag and a throw rope rather than something telescopic due to weight factors
@SaraR
a thought i would like to run by you if i may
i have around 21ft of tent-poles rescued from an a small tent they weigh a mere 400g with no elastic as elastic is well worn and taken out for putting all poles together in a straight line with sections being at
1 x 480mm
12 x 350mm
1 x 380mm
1 x 318 mm [had to cut a portion that was split from a 380mm section]
if i fabricate a round disc with four [4] holes to use one [1] in the middle to slip over the poles and three [3] guy lines and make a removable spike for the end to push into the ground that should work [in theory]
meaning that adding or removing sections to get various heights of up to 21ft and a single man or [wo]man could potentially erect in mere seconds to a minute or so
or am i missing something...??
a thought i would like to run by you if i may
i have around 21ft of tent-poles rescued from an a small tent they weigh a mere 400g with no elastic as elastic is well worn and taken out for putting all poles together in a straight line with sections being at
1 x 480mm
12 x 350mm
1 x 380mm
1 x 318 mm [had to cut a portion that was split from a 380mm section]
if i fabricate a round disc with four [4] holes to use one [1] in the middle to slip over the poles and three [3] guy lines and make a removable spike for the end to push into the ground that should work [in theory]
meaning that adding or removing sections to get various heights of up to 21ft and a single man or [wo]man could potentially erect in mere seconds to a minute or so
or am i missing something...??
There are sooo many antenna designs, you wouldn't believe it! Check out ones used for SOTA (summits on the air) or other portable activities if you want ideas for quirky designs.thank you
i have not heard of flower pot antennas until now [learn something new everyday]
very interesting and looks quite easy to make and still half-wave https://vk2zoi.com/articles/half-wave-flower-pot/
will need to dig deeper as a quick search shows for 2m band as opposed for cb radio thus far [yet i will not be perturbed though]
i like your idea for a bag and a throw rope rather than something telescopic due to weight factors
It's hard to see on my phone, but I think this is the one I was looking for by a guy who's done a lot of 4, 6 & 10 m antennas including flower pot ones: https://g6ohm.webs.com/antennadesigns.htm
You don't need the whole pvc pipe housing, just the bit for the coil.
I don't really think it would hold up to the weights involved (all that coax) especially in windy conditions. But by all means try it out! Perhaps if you made three larger holes in two different sized discs and put 3 lengths in as a narrow tripod tower of sorts. Also metal is a no-no, or at least will affect the antenna.
I've got a SotaBeams Tactical Mini, but a lot of people use thinner campsite flag/kite poles or roach fishing poles etc. As you can see from photos, even that type of pole often struggle on the hills.
I think you should get one method that works at home and off the hills/near the car for testing your antenna, chat to people and familiarise yourself with your new radio etc. Then have a more lightweight/packable option for incidental use when out hiking etc.
You need to really know your radio if it's going to be any use at all in an emergency and you only get that by using it before hand.
I don't really know enough about the CB radio scene, but you might also want to get a group of regulars who listen out for you when you're out on the hills. That way you won't be a random one-off person on the radio but that bloke who was up X hill with his radio last weekend and is up Y hill this Saturday and lets see if we can get a contact from here etc
I met a guy in a carpark in the Preselis (hills in Pembrokeshire) once who was running a European CB net from his car with an antenna up a 10 m pole strapped to a fence post. He obviously had more power than you'll have with your handheld, but it looked like fun.
Can we not call reading various webpages as research please. It’s not.
thank you
you are not jesting when it comes to the many plethora of designs which are mind-blowing to say the least
a great website with a plethora of knowledge by someone who knows a tibg or two [2] shall we say
some reminded me for back in the day when cb radios were the be all and end all long before mobiles phones as we have these days
cb radios were the predecessor or precursor for the modern mobile phones in many ways and still in use as we communicate
i did not come back to you sooner as i waited til i spoke with folk at my local radio club for their knowledge and recommendations thereof
after communicating with the founder and other members of the local radio club and explaining my prerequisites and likely hiking backpacking areas to them
several of them who are on and or associated with search-and-rescue with over thirty [30] years of radio and search-and-rescue experience and have said many have been caught out with the pmr466's and other types of walkie-talkies for their lack of range as they are only short-range and best when in pairs or groups that will not be far from each other
they dismiss the pmr466 for a few reasons mainly due to the what is called "private channels" and least likely be heard or replied to if heard and a fixed antenna on 0.5w and least likely to be picked up due to many factors that can cause noise and-such as well as being short range
as for standard off the shelf walkie-talkies they also have short range and work best in pairs or groups that will not be far from each other and also typically have fixed antennas on low wattage
i explained my research to them and the handheld i have now got with my thought process for a T2lt antenna setup for portability and they said it should work fine and when i get the coax and connectors they will help me to swr the T2lt to my handheld for best swr possible as i do not have a swr meter atm
we tested out my handheld and it works as good as the day it was bought off the shelf and reasonable expectations are for stock antenna in good to great conditions around five [5] to six [6] miles on T2lt antenna likely a couple of hundred miles
they also said cb radio is steadily growing in numbers, not as quick as back in the day yet it is getting there
oh and btw the founder is the same one that knew my late dad and he does recognise me
they also echoed what @SaraR said about getting to know your radio and setup and getting to know folk on the cb air waves and other things too
conclusion
for a suitable radio for backup to mobile phone and for emergency use for a solo hiker backpacker is to use 11m band aka cb radio which needs no-license and best overall for coverage
bona-fides
my word you have much common sense and knowledge and i thank you for sharing in this thread
you could be correct in the high winds and for prolonged time, well not much holds in the high winds anyway
on the basis of double tether a triple tether or strategic placement of tethers would be worth experimenting with and adds to the fun
i will be mainly on foot or public transport as i do not currently and cannot afford a vehicle thus limiting my options for portable antenna for stuffing in a backpack
i spoke to the founder and members of the local radio club who have echoed what you have said and are willing to help me too
what was he running at 100w plus...??
yes their is much fun in experimenting see what does and does not work
that is like saying
"Can we not call reading various books from libraries as research please. It's not."
or
"Can we not call reading various books as research please. It's not."
or
"Can we not call past experiences as research please. It's not."
or
"Can we not call communicating with various others as research please. It's not."
or
"Can we not call any various research as research please. It's not."
it is all about learning knowledge whether it be good bad or other and making sense as what will work for some may not work for others
what works in the open may not work in the dips or urban areas and vice versa
it is about finding the right balance that works in the res-specific situation one [1] requires it too
res-pond[ing] to this post has call for mind a poem by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Reading online pages, articles, data does not count as research if the articles are not peer reviewed before publication and if those papers are slanted to prop up a specific viewpoint I would question their validity rather than seek more to back up a belief.
Your original query was to ask advice, you got it in spades from people of varied experience yet you decided to ignore that. You then focused on a specific aspect of radio comms and went quite tangential at that point.
Here’s the thing I’ve a fair bit of experience in the SAR world and a fair bit in comms. What do you want? A radio that you can talk to people if the ****? You have one with a very limited range that you’re unlikely to ‘catch’ many people using unless you have an established complan with your gang. If you want a comms system to use if you get stuck out in the boonies in the UK, mobile phone or VHF are likely to be your best bet. Don’t trust mobile phones, don’t use it then, good for you for taking the hard route you must be a man. VHF, very limited range on land, high points help. Dont forget to be properly licensed or OFCOM will be keen to fine you. Especially if you are operating it and disrupting other users such as SAR assets or other licensed users on specific limited channels.
In the words of a more recent wordsmith “enjoy your night”. 73’s AR+
Your original query was to ask advice, you got it in spades from people of varied experience yet you decided to ignore that. You then focused on a specific aspect of radio comms and went quite tangential at that point.
Here’s the thing I’ve a fair bit of experience in the SAR world and a fair bit in comms. What do you want? A radio that you can talk to people if the ****? You have one with a very limited range that you’re unlikely to ‘catch’ many people using unless you have an established complan with your gang. If you want a comms system to use if you get stuck out in the boonies in the UK, mobile phone or VHF are likely to be your best bet. Don’t trust mobile phones, don’t use it then, good for you for taking the hard route you must be a man. VHF, very limited range on land, high points help. Dont forget to be properly licensed or OFCOM will be keen to fine you. Especially if you are operating it and disrupting other users such as SAR assets or other licensed users on specific limited channels.
In the words of a more recent wordsmith “enjoy your night”. 73’s AR+
thank you for such a great
moment i almost wet myselfwhere have i ignore members comments please show me with concrete proof for claim
in fact and again i value all members comments as explained above [please scroll up and or thru the pages for verification]
each bit of knowledge help me gain the knowledge to base my overall decision on and i explained as much as witnessed by viewers of this thread
that proves you either have not read or ignored knowledge in this thread as the area of limited range with handhelds whether it be pmr446 walkie-talkies cb radio or other have been covered with portable solutions such as t2lt that can not be done with handheld walkie-talkies or pmr446 due to restrictions as mentioned previously
t2lt can also be a solution for 2m and other bands that need a license and as cb radio is license free thereby cb radio seem the best choice for my situation based on the probabilities of all reasonableness for the areas i need covered to compliment as a backup when mobile phone or masts go down or visiting areas with little to no mobile phone signal backed up by a map by thunderpole of cb operators in the [UK] and the rest of the world
really...?? come on man be honest with yourself if not with others
why are licence free cb radio operators needing a license in the [UK]...??
please show us genuine with a bona-fide beyond any reasonable doubt
for concrete proof for license free cb radio needing a license in the last forty [40] years for here in the [UK] whereby they will be fined by ofcom
bona-fides
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Not to go on about my telescopic mast too much
, but mine is 56 cm long and weighs 800 g, so it fits fine in the side pouch of my backpack (or inside the bag if needed). Having said that, it’s not something I would bring unless I intended to use it. For shorter bands than yours, there are some really lightweight and foldable antennas that just amaze me what you can do with bits of wire and some understanding of the physics behind. People even use retractable metal measuring tapes! (Although they are heavier than many other options out there.)I see a lot of mentions of people in the US buying a small handheld Baofeng ”for emergencies” but they never try to learn how to use it, don’t want to learn anything about propagation etc and they would have to be very lucky to get any help when stuck at the bottom of a ravine or wherever they might end up when they have one of those emergencies. I think the only way radios would be useful in that kind of scenario is if you know your equipment and how to get the most out if, you have a community of people within that hobby that you can contact and conditions are favourable.
I don’t count on mobile phones to work when I’m out in the countryside (or indeed at home!) as coverage here seems to be patchy at best. Best thing you can do is to have a few different options depending of what you think you’ll have success with and then hope for the best. I wouldn’t bring my VHF radio with me on hikes ”in case of emergencies”, but if I had it with me I most certainly would try that route too if I found myself in one!
Since you’ve got yourself a CB radio, I think it’s great that you want to learn more about all things ’radio’ and that you’ve got in contact with locals who share your interest, even if it’s a different flavour so to speak. Radio is much more fun out on the hills and I find it a good motivation to spend time in places you would otherwise drive on by, so why not enjoy your new hobby and the combination between that and just being outside?
I know a lot of people enjoy the solitude when they are out in the great outdoors, but I listened to a talk by a SOTA activator in the Canadian Rockies recently and he said that he often found the voice of another human very comforting during his long, hard solo trips into the Rockies. The great thing about a radio is that you can turn it off when you want to be alone and (if you’re lucky) have a nice conversation with some random person when you are feeling lonely.
you can talk about your portable mast as much as you like, it is fine by meNot to go on about my telescopic mast too much
I see a lot of mentions of people in the US buying a small handheld Baofeng ”for emergencies” but they never try to learn how to use it, don’t want to learn anything about propagation etc and they would have to be very lucky to get any help when stuck at the bottom of a ravine or wherever they might end up when they have one of those emergencies. I think the only way radios would be useful in that kind of scenario is if you know your equipment and how to get the most out if, you have a community of people within that hobby that you can contact and conditions are favourable.
I don’t count on mobile phones to work when I’m out in the countryside (or indeed at home!) as coverage here seems to be patchy at best. Best thing you can do is to have a few different options depending of what you think you’ll have success with and then hope for the best. I wouldn’t bring my VHF radio with me on hikes ”in case of emergencies”, but if I had it with me I most certainly would try that route too if I found myself in one!
Since you’ve got yourself a CB radio, I think it’s great that you want to learn more about all things ’radio’ and that you’ve got in contact with locals who share your interest, even if it’s a different flavour so to speak. Radio is much more fun out on the hills and I find it a good motivation to spend time in places you would otherwise drive on by, so why not enjoy your new hobby and the combination between that and just being outside?
I know a lot of people enjoy the solitude when they are out in the great outdoors, but I listened to a talk by a SOTA activator in the Canadian Rockies recently and he said that he often found the voice of another human very comforting during his long, hard solo trips into the Rockies. The great thing about a radio is that you can turn it off when you want to be alone and (if you’re lucky) have a nice conversation with some random person when you are feeling lonely.
things i have seen are things some folk would never believe
three [3] tier painters extended pole
tent-poles
portable flag-poles
extending washing line posts
to name but a few
all this talk have given me a buzz just like the olde days for cb radio again since i discovered the reverse decision for licensing so much nostalgia with fresh passion and all the fun seeing how much we could and can tweak for how far we could and can reach
i know channel nineteen [19] can be sketchy by those with no respect for the airwaves it was happening in the 80's and still happens in the now times i.e. playing music or just being a pain in the sphincter muscle
yes the hills are where cb radio excels from recollection and get folk out in the good olde fresh air to meet all kinds of folk over the airwaves and ninety-eight [98]percent are really nice folk, we just do not want or need the idiots flooding channels with music and other such nonsense
as well as the good olde 2m licensed band non licensed 11m band seems to still be the best due to restrictions on all other would be non licensed potential candidates such-as the short range pmr446 walkie-talkies and-such proving 11m and 2m stand the test of time
without doubt one [1] needs multiple options as no-one can rely on just one [1] or two [2] we must learn what is reasonable backups for reasonable backups and so-on
one [1] can enjoy much more than they would otherwise as stopping and enjoying the countryside the hills making new contacts and forming new fond memories to be cherished and treasured forever
i am one [1] who enjoy the solitude and yes sometimes it is nice to touch base with folk some we may know or contacts with and others who come new contacts
that reminds me i will have to add a pad specifically for log keeping when making contacts
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EdS
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Odd that MR members are often using mobile phones to speak to control - especially if in different valleys.
Some days more so than actual team radios. Certainly avoids the need for rebroadcasts.
And in certain situations mobile phone is the go to comms if possible - such as fatalities as its less open
That reminds me I need to swap radio batteries......
Some days more so than actual team radios. Certainly avoids the need for rebroadcasts.
And in certain situations mobile phone is the go to comms if possible - such as fatalities as its less open
That reminds me I need to swap radio batteries......
It is one heck of a long time ago that I used to use CB and I suspect that the frequencies have changed since then. I started when FM was legalised but most users were formerly on AM illegally before that. I confess I never bought a licence for FM, it was a rule largely honoured in the breech. Used to use PMR too, as part of the React later Revcom team, but that was licensed.
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