theconrodkid
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| posted on 11/1/12 at 10:22 PM |
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2 way radio,s
i just got a walkie talkie for car to car etc,i did a bit of reading first and came up with PMR frequencies on a ham radio,tho not strictly legal,you
get deserted (legal) chanels and 4/5 watts (most sets can de tuned to 500 mw to make them legal) ,i have spoken car to car 5 miles and walkie talkies
can be got from flea bay for £30 odd,plug in a speaker-mic and off you go .
ideal for convoys or getting lost on mountains,anyone else gone this route?.
got mine from this outfit http://www.409shop.com/shop.php if anyone is interested
who cares who wins
pass the pork pies
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steve m
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| posted on 11/1/12 at 10:46 PM |
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I bought two pmr for lemans last year
Chrisw, knows all about them
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blakep82
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| posted on 11/1/12 at 11:20 PM |
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been looking at them myself, both for car to car, but also, maybe to passenger too.
trying to find some good makes (motorola, kenwood etc) that can also do earpiece and mic in a helmet
i thought i saw somewhere you don't need a license for these any more? like within the last 2 or 3 years it was changed?
________________________
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don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
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rgrs
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 07:36 AM |
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Why not look at CB radios on the cept band, you no longer need a licence and they are legal.
There's no many people using it these days and if your in convoy it wouldn't be an issue.
Having tried PMR in the cars we found that range was a major issue on the motorways.
Roger
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theconrodkid
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 08:14 AM |
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CB,s are normally big and fixed to the car whilst PMR is a walkie talkie therefore less likley to be stolen,you can get in-helmet sets for these.
you dont need to pay kenwood prices,have a look at the link i posted.
you dont need a licence if you use the PMR frequencies and use low power (500mw)
who cares who wins
pass the pork pies
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robocog
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 10:02 AM |
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CB = HF so big "twig" required
PMR446 = UHF dinky little twiglet in comparison
It's a bit dodgy using those for PMR as 'the man' could well remove them from you and chuck you in jail if caught
(see the laughing policemans wireless society for examples of how arsey they can get over seemingly trivial stuff)
I personally know people who had their doors kicked in at rude o clock and had pretty much all equipment siezed (including non transmitting
gear)...though was a while ago
Keep to the PMR446 channels and dont lark about out of band and who's to get crabby/rat/know?
(the military used to "own" chunks of UHF and think they still do I know that on the amateur radio UHF allocations we are secondary
users)
I know if I were ever to venture out of the UK with any of my ham gear I'd be taking a copy of my license with me - but then it is quite
expensive kit that would not be easy to replace at low cost
Regards
Rob
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 10:11 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by steve m
I bought two pmr for lemans last year
Chrisw, knows all about them
I bought a set of PMR talkies when I went to Le Mans, gave one to a friend who put it on top of his dash whilst he was driving for easy access. Part
way through the journey I couldn't raise him on the talkie, and when we stopped for fuel he looked a bit sheepish.
It was hot and with no air-con he had a window open. Apparently he went around a fairly sharp bend that followed onto a bridge over a small river.
Talkie slid across the dash, out of the open window and over the bridge into the river 
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ChrisW
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 11:41 AM |
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I've got one of these...
http://www.rocketradio.co.uk/intek-mt-5050-77-channel-uhf-fm-multi-standard-pmr446--lpd433-handheld-transceiver-1503-p.asp
Out of the box it's 0.5W and PMR only, however you can 'unlock' it in <1 minute for 5w output, LPD (now UK legal apparently) and
a bunch of other HAM UHF channels. It was spot on at Le Mans the last two years.
I can even key up two local repeaters with it and talk to a mate the other side of the Chilterns. It's a bit crap at that, but if you
understand the limitations it's perfectly usable.
It sparked my interest so much I'm now half way through my RSGB Foundation License.
Chris
My gaff my rules
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splitrivet
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 12:04 PM |
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I can get PMR, marine or ham radio's at much cheapness dont know how they would be compared to direct from China.
Cheers,
Bob
[Edited on 12/1/12 by splitrivet]
I used to be a Werewolf but I'm alright nowwoooooooooooooo
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ChrisW
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 12:05 PM |
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Interesting! Can you get me a price on a Yaesu VX-8DR?
Cheers, Chris
My gaff my rules
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robocog
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 12:05 PM |
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ChrisW....if you want the study books I still have mine from doing the RAE a few years back (10?)
Foundation will be a breeze for you...and I guess a good stepping stone
Let me know your call when you get it :-)
Regards
Rob
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ChrisW
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 12:09 PM |
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Thanks Rob. I've got the 'Foundation Now' book which apparently is sufficient for now. I might ask again when I move on to
intermediate though, if that's ok?
Cheers, Chris
My gaff my rules
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robocog
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 12:45 PM |
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Yup, if you want to/need to know morse (think it may have been dropped now?) I also have some good MP3 tutorials that definately helped me a lot
(though very American and slightly cheesy)
Will try and get anything related and remotely interesting to the next Newlands meet I get to and see if they can work their way to you from there
Larking about with RF can be fun and pretty interesting- the novelty did wear off for me quite quickly once licensed and replaced the borrowed very
crusty manual gear (FT101 and manual tuner) with 'do it all' singing & dancing automated black boxes - I do occasionally flick about
the bands just listening
I think its one of those "hobbies" that will never really leave me, but will never be a major part of my life - so pretty thankful when it
went away from having to renew annually to a license for life (otherwise I'm sure I'd have let it lapse)
Looking at my logbook- last time I TX'd from home was 2004!
(I have used the radios portable/mobile a handfull of times since though)
blown the dust off and got the FT817 and VX5 on charge now in prep for you getting your ticket...LOL
Regards
Rob
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ChrisW
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 01:44 PM |
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There's no morse requirement any more. Well, I say not, but I believe we have to do an appreciation test where it's sent very slowly, we
write it down, translate from a sheet, write a reply, translate, transmit. There's no need to 'know' it, just understand what it is
and how to do it.
I think I'm with you on the fact that it won't be a major part of my life. Personally, I think internet comms has taken over the mystery
of talking to people in far away places. It's just one of those things that I'd 'like to have' so I can play a little more
freely, especially with the data modes. I'm never going to be sitting up all night talking to people in far away places on a noisey SSB!
Chris
My gaff my rules
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splitrivet
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 02:07 PM |
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Unfortunately Yaesu will only supply their own dealers Chris loads of price fixing going on there.
Back in the day we used to supply Ham and other Radio via our shop that was till Phones and Phone systems took over. Have a look on this trade site
http://www.sharman-multicom.co.uk see if theres owt you need and I'll get a price on it.
Got my ham license 30 years ago but it was a bit flat compared with CB, do you still have to sit City and Guilds to get your ticket.
Cheers,
Bob
Edit, thinking about it I should have a few 2 metre rigs kicking about in the warehouse if I can find em you can have one.
[Edited on 12/1/12 by splitrivet]
I used to be a Werewolf but I'm alright nowwoooooooooooooo
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ChrisW
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 05:36 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by splitrivet
Unfortunately Yaesu will only supply their own dealers Chris loads of price fixing going on there.
That's annoying! You can get them on eBay from the far east, but I'd rather buy here if the price was a bit more attractive.
quote:
Originally posted by splitrivet
Got my ham license 30 years ago but it was a bit flat compared with CB, do you still have to sit City and Guilds to get your ticket.
No. Just 12 hours instruction, a practical test and morse appreciation. It's all pretty basic stuff to me - I've got A-level electronics
and did my apprenticeship at the BBC where they taught some more advanced stuff. Been playing with RF kit for years, including a mis-spent youth in
*cough* let's call it 3m band....
quote:
Originally posted by splitrivet
Edit, thinking about it I should have a few 2 metre rigs kicking about in the warehouse if I can find em you can have one.
That'd be great if they're going spare! My little UHF handheld does 'enough' to keep me going and can talk on my local
repeater, but I'd have a lot better luck hitting the not-so-local-but-far-more-popular repeater (Amersham) if I were on VHF. As it is, I can
just about get it on UHF but I have to go down the bottom of the garden.
Chris
My gaff my rules
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splitrivet
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 06:56 PM |
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I'll take a look for you over the next few days, trouble is as soon as I walk in the place I lose the will to live, its where old Phone systems
go to die and is wall to wall junk.
Cheers,
Bob
I used to be a Werewolf but I'm alright nowwoooooooooooooo
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mad-butcher
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| posted on 12/1/12 at 09:21 PM |
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Family still take the wee out of me G0P??, one of the biggest antisocial hobbies in the world, a grown man locking himself in a room calling CQ CQ
DX, must admit still have my FT757 somewhere in the house,Thank god I discovered kitcars and scuba diving
[Edited on 12/1/12 by mad-butcher]
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