Wildgoose 4,200 Posted June 3, 2015 I have ordered a radio (couple weeks out) and am wondering if anyone has one similar. I don't have an FCC license so I'll have to be careful how I use this but am adding it to my emergency provisions. I have a good friend who is into HAM and he talked me into it. They are surprisingly affordable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 3, 2015 Some friends have them and love them, I went for the fb-f8hp 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearlyRich 167 Posted June 4, 2015 As a licensed ameteur, all I can say is do not transmit with it! That can be set by programming with the Chirp software. I have 3 and love them. First one finally broke after almost 3 years of pretty good abuse. I prefer to use BNC connectors for the antenna and the adapters are cheap and easy to come by. If you have a friend that is a Ham, buy the book, spend a couple months studying it and then get your Tech license. It's worth it and a lot of fun! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wildgoose 4,200 Posted June 4, 2015 As a licensed ameteur, all I can say is do not transmit with it! That can be set by programming with the Chirp software. I have 3 and love them. First one finally broke after almost 3 years of pretty good abuse. I prefer to use BNC connectors for the antenna and the adapters are cheap and easy to come by. If you have a friend that is a Ham, buy the book, spend a couple months studying it and then get your Tech license. It's worth it and a lot of fun! That's the plan. I bought the bigger antenna he suggested although not the cable connection at this point. I plan to listen in while I work on my license. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted June 4, 2015 new licence test is pretty easy if you do some of the online practice test. I bought that along with the adapter and one of dr fongs antenna kits to try at my house - aluminum siding with aluminum foil insulation - picture a big Faraday cage and trying to get radio signals thru it. I also second that the chirp software is much better than that from the radio mfgr 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BearlyRich 167 Posted June 5, 2015 That's the plan. I bought the bigger antenna he suggested although not the cable connection at this point. I plan to listen in while I work on my license. After going through it, I would suggest studying for both the Tech and General tests. The General really isn't much harder than the tech and if you pass that, you can get on HF and talk all over the world. Well worth the investment, except I doubt you'd find a $30 HF radio Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
