Ham info

Note: This web page represents by own personal opinions and research.

Buy an HT radio manufactured by one of the following:

My picks for multiband HTs:

My pick for low-cost (2-meter, single band):

Ham Radio Outlet
510 Lawrence Expressway #102
Sunnyvale CA 94085
408-736-9496
Map

Ham Radio Outlet
2210 Livingston St
Oakland CA 94606
510-534-5757
Map

You can search for more. These are the main ones I've found to be useful.

Other advice:

Pick an HT that can output 5 watts (or more)
You definitely want the 2-meter band (144-148MHz). Other popular bands that may be supported by your radio are 440MHz (aka "440" or 70cm), 6-meter, and 220MHz (aka "220" or 1.25-meter).
If you buy a used radio, make sure it has "PL tone" (aka tone, CTCSS, or private line) capability.
Consider getting a better antenna than the one included with your radio. Comet and Diamond are two major brands.
People submit opinions of radios and other products at http://www.eham.net/reviews
Look at the "Transceivers: VHF/UHF Hand Held" section.
www.eham.net also has a Classifieds (for sale) section.
I've found some website reviews by searching Google with the model number of the radio and "review" as the search terms.
Other reviews and opinions by searching Google's Usenet search engine http://groups.google.com
You can download user manuals from Kenwood's and ICOM's website. For Kenwood go to Jump to Manuals. For ICOM go to Support then Documents.

Basics of Repeaters

If you have a weak signal to/from the repeater (assuming you are using an HT):

Increase your power level (or verify you are transmitting at full power).
Outside is better than inside: Try transmitting outdoors instead of in the office, home, or car.
Stationary is better than being in-motion.
Higher is better than lower: Get your antenna to a higher location, safely of course..
Try moving to another location: Sometimes moving just a few feet (or inches) can make a big difference.
Try an after-market antenna to replace the one that came with your HT. You can also build or buy a "rollup J-pole" antenna (a useful antenna for portable operations, like emergency communication services). I've had good success hanging my rollup J-pole to a low branch of a tree. For indoor-use, I hang it in front of a 2nd-story window that is in the direction of the repeater.
Use a repeater that is closer to you or that has better coverage. The fun is experimenting and with experience, discovering which repeaters work well in your area.
Eventually, you may like the hobby enough to buy another radio. A "mobile" radio can be used in the car or at home. Mobile radios typically have more transmission power (like 50 watts instead of 5 watts) and better circuitry to filter unwanted noise/interference.

Some info on repeaters:

Donn Lee, W6FYI

1/17/2003