BAOFENG UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio (Black), 144-148MHz & 420-450MHz

Speaking of cheap 2m/70cm HTs, I got into ham radio recently due to the Baofeng UV-5r being $32 on Amazon; got tech/general last week (KG7EPM). http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Ban...

I'm not really into morse/CW, but I'd strongly encourage people to try out ham radio. You can buy an adequate radio for $31 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-136-174-400-480-Dual-Ban...) and can get licensed in about 2-4 hours for $0-30.

There was a period of maybe the 1980s-2000 where radio was dying (it was all old people who were defending their turf), but in the past 13 years it seems to have really turned around -- more activity on the 2m/440 HT scene, disaster stuff, etc. You can do crazy things like run 1500W wifi. Operate RC. Work space stations (satellites, the ISS, etc.) Weird propagation stuff (sunspot related, meteors, the moon...).

The only lingering problem I have with amateur radio is the ban on crypto, but you can get around that by developing encrypted protocols but publishing the keys in routine use, or moving the equipment to non-ham bands with secret keys later.

They make a great radio: http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV5R-Dual-Band-Two-Way-Radio/d... (cheap way to get into Ham).

If you think to you might enjoy messing around with satellites, ham radio is pretty easy to get into these days. This is especially true for VHF/UHF, which is what amateur satellites use, and only requires the Technician license.

For equipment you just need a handheld VHF/UHF radio (as cheap as $25 for a Baofeng http://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007... but I'd recommend a Yaesu, Kenwood, or Icom if you can afford it) and a simple yagi antenna (Google "tape measure yagi", or something like this if you don't want to DIY: http://www.arrowantennas.com/arrowii/146-437.html)

http://www.amsat.org/

http://www.heavens-above.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0CWz4Emyro

https://hamstudy.org/

Cheapest? A Chinese radio off Amazon, e.g., https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B00.... This will allow you to tune in to local repeaters and listen. N.B., you cannot legally transmit without a license which is easy and cheap to obtain http://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed.

After getting licensed, you'll probably get frustrated with the UV-5R and look into a more capable hand held unit, or a mobile radio. These start at around $150 and go up from there (plus antennas, power supplies, etc).

Sure! To talk to a satellite you need an antenna, a receiver, a transmitter, and maybe a computer—not for voice, but for text modes.

Arrow will sell you a great antenna: http://www.arrowantennas.com/arrowii/146-437.html , or you can google "tape measure yagi" and build an okay antenna.

Then you can get the transmitter and receiver together, in a package like the regrettable BaoFeng UV-5R: https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B00... . This is a terrible radio. Their quality control is so bad that you sometimes commit a federal offense by pressing the transmit button—and for $100, you can't afford the test equipment to tell! So maybe use it as the receiver in a two-radio setup, and transmit with something like a Wouxun KG-UV9D.

A Kenwood TH-D72A is an excellent choice to do the transmitter and receiver jobs, but hundreds of dollars. A Yaesu FT-60 is a great choice too, but it won't have full duplex—so you can't be sure your signal is getting out without help.

To listen to a satellite you need even less: a crappy antenna and an RTL2832 USB software-designed radio: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1497

For all of these, you'll end up wanting miscellaneous coaxial cable and a bunch of ends. Hams tend to build up a library of crimpers and spare ends and such, so look to borrow from a friend or a club as you get started. The 75 Ω cable that's ubiquitous for television signals will totally work, but you'll have much less loss and much much less stress on components if you buy 50 Ω cable.

Why not try the tutorial at https://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-tutorial-receiving-noaa-weat... ? If that works, you can expand from there: the tutorial teaches you a huge amount about aiming at satellites and the physical work necessary to capture signals from space.

If you're reading this and you're thinking about getting into radio, you can get a Baofeng UV-5R handheld radio which works on the 2m and 70cm bands for $25. It has never been cheaper or easier to get into radio than it is now. These radios are completely portable and will let you "work" the repeaters local to you and can be received 10-15 miles away even without a repeater at 5W power https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B00...

Do I need a license, you ask. Yes, you'll need to get a technician's license to transmit, though you can receive on the radio without it. The test has no morse code requirement, and it's entirely multiple choice. The entire question pool is freely available and it only takes a couple weekends to prep for and pass. It'd be an easy task for anyone here. Most of the questions pertain to FCC policy as well as radio safety, just enough to make sure you don't injure yourself or interfere with other radio users.

73s :)

Back before widespread adoption of the internet espionage was a real concern for radio. In fact, amateur radio across the board was suspended during WWII. But this is not really the case now. These days it's more about preventing interference with aviation, maritime, and other bands.

Realistically, people buy Baofengs [1] and transmit on GMRS frequencies while paintballing or airsoft all the time and nobody gives a crap. When they do it on amateur frequencies, hams will demand their callsign complain. I swear, there's at least a half dozen people staring at their spectrum analyzers all day.

1. A popular, cheap VHF/UHF radio: https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B00...