Starting to look at Radios

[StackJ]

I've read quite a few posts and am still confused on what to get. Here is my use case:

Disaster strikes Southern California (we're going to be first, right?).

F150 to HMMWV: I want to be able to radio my wife in her car (50 miles away possibly) from my HMMWV or vice versa - she's in the HMMWV and I'm in the stuck.

HMMWV to other military enthusiasts: Birds of a feather still together.

What base unit should I get? What would cover that range?

 

[Flyingvan911]

You guys might look into getting ham radio licenses. The ham bands would cover your needs. Radios, amplifiers and good antennas are plentiful in ham radio. You'll also have the advantage of being able to network with other hams.

 

[Farmitall]

Ham licenses for both of you to use existing repeaters or a GMRS license to set up a repeater of your own in between both of you. You'd have to find a spot to locate it.

Fifty miles is a difficult distance on most bands so a repeater is the logical choice. Hams have lots of repeaters already in service...why reinvent the wheel?

Get the technician class license(both of you) and use what's out there for free.

 

[SCSG-G4]

2 meter or 70 cm bands would take care of most HAM repeaters. In vehicle radios should be able to put out 30-50 watts on those frequencies. If you go DMR and there are enough repeaters in your area, you could talk at much greater distances, albeit with some slight delay as each repeater sends the message to the next. If you want connection without repeaters, then you are talking HF, and would probably have to use NVIS, AND understand which frequencies will be best at each time of the day (it changes all throughout the day). NVIS antennas on vehicles are not for the faint of heart. They are more for fixed and semi-fixed locations (IE., Stop, put out the antenna, tune it for the best frequency, transmit, pack up, and drive on).

 

[MarkM]

The Clansman PRC 320 is a great rig and used all over Europe. It's an AM unit some with SSB. They run from 2Mhz to 30Mhz so it works really well with the Ham bands. You can also use the "MANPACK" backpack setup for this rig. My buddy has one we are going to setup in his Pinzgauer and I am going to to get one and put it in my HMMWV.

Mark

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

The Clansman PRC 320 is a great rig and used all over Europe. It's an AM unit some with SSB. They run from 2Mhz to 30Mhz so it works really well with the Ham bands. You can also use the "MANPACK" backpack setup for this rig. My buddy has one we are going to setup in his Pinzgauer and I am going to to get one and put it in my HMMWV.

Mark

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I didn't know there were some AM-only ones out there...I thought they were all SSB.

Everyone I've come across with a working example of the 320 loves the thing, and say to a one that it's a solid piece of kit well worth picking up. The only problem at the moment is that a lot of the Ebay vendors of Clansman overseas are getting a bad report card from North American purchasers. It comes up frequently.

 

[patracy]

I really want a clansman 320 to do the SSB mod on it and add a few other features for digital work. Unfortunately many of the US radios don't work inside the ham bands.

 

[SCSG-G4]

The dealer I've had the best luck with is > https://armyradio.com/Clansman-Radios/ They have been around quite a while. I got my -319 from them about five years ago, and a whole bunch of accessories since then. For HF the 320 is probably the best way to go.