Ham / Short Wave radios + antennas

[jeff00seattle]

Hello SMB Forum

I have just received the most basic Ham Radio Technician License. My primary goal for getting this license was for emergency communication when SMB tripping and out of cell tower range, primarily traveling down forest service roads and on BLM.

Does anyone have recommendations for compact, yet powerful, Ham Short-Wave radio communication units + antennas that would be compatible with a Ford E250 SMB?

Thank you

[arctictraveller]

Pretty much any mobile radio is compatible with your SMB, with size being a consideration. I run an old Kenwood duel band mounted in the void under the cup holders with the antenna mounted to a home made bracket bolted to a front fender mounting bolt and coming up in the gap between the fender and the hood. The size of the radio will have a big impact on where you can mount it, and if space is at a premium you can also find removable face, remote mount models. Hooking it all up is easy, the hardest part being running the coax and power wires through the firewall. Make sure to connect the power wires directly to your battery, (preferably the house battery) using fuses of course. An easier solution though is one of the Baofeng hand helds. They are dirt cheap and actually work really well, although they won't talk nearly as far as a 50W mobile radio.

You also mentioned short wave (or HF). That's a whole different ball game requiring much larger (longer) antennas and bigger more expensive, power hungry radios requiring a license upgrade, but with the ability to talk around the world.
That's a different conversation..................

[joefromsf]

A better emergency communication device to the outside world would be one of the Garmin inReach devices. No voice communication, but has two way texting capabilities via satellite and also has an SOS button.

[deserteagle56]

Originally Posted by jeff00seattle

Hello SMB Forum

I have just received the most basic Ham Radio Technician License. My primary goal for getting this license was for emergency communication when SMB tripping and out of cell tower range, primarily traveling down forest service roads and on BLM.

Does anyone have recommendations for compact, yet powerful, Ham Short-Wave radio communication units + antennas that would be compatible with a Ford E250 SMB?

Thank you

Just a cautionary note from a HAM radio user...depending on the area you are in, that HAM radio is as useless as a cell phone with no cell signal. Unless you can hit a repeater or luck out and have someone near you who is on your exact frequency, no one will hear you. Heavy tree cover, canyons...many things can prevent even the 50 watts a good HAM radio puts out through a good antenna from getting out.

I'm a member of a SAR unit that uses HAM radios. When we go out on a search in a remote area, one of our members takes a portable repeater unit up onto the highest peak in the area just so we can talk to each other. Most times that still will not allow us to communicate back to anyone in civilisation. I also have my personal HAM radio that I use for car-to-car communications when out exploring in a group with other vehicles. For that it works great - but still seems to be mainly line-of-sight.

Only thing that provides reliable communication in remote areas is satellites. Which is why we (SAR) also carry a satellite radio. I have my own personal one for my exploring trips. A cheaper alternative is the Garmin InReach system which will allow texting via satellite.

Of course, if your travel is in an area with extensive HAM repeaters none of the above applies.

[marret]

I have an Inreach as well. Text or email, plus SOS as mentioned. Still need someone to contact for help unless you really need rescue with the SOS function.

[arctictraveller]

I agree that unless you are running an HF rig, chances of contacting someone for help in remote areas can be pretty limited. Still, the wilderness protocall is in place for just such a reason. There are not a lot of folks doing this, but I have made contact before. Here's some info: https://harriscountyares.org/training/EME/EME-112.pdf

In addition, another option in an emergency is to carry a PLB (personal locator beacon) These work the same way as the 406mhz EPIRB's used on boats and ships. They are very limited unlike the Inreach and other sat products, in that they only transmit an emergency notification to a satellite, with no two way communication,or a description of your problem, only a message to rescue centers that someone has pushed the panic button. They do send your GPS position though. The real big upside to these is that there inexpensive and there is no monthly or yearly fee. You simply register the unit to your address, and include a couple emergency contacts so that the rescue coordination center can contact them for further information in helping to determine the nature of you emergency, or to help determine if your 3 year old accidentally pushed the button. More info here: https://hikingguy.com/hiking-gear/ac...armin-inreach/

Finally, a 2m radio will be far superior to most other forms of communication when out on the trail, I find when out in the woods, I can routinely reach out several miles while radios like CB and FRS are mostly line of sight.