Cheap Handheld HAM Radio as a Base Station? How I do it...

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Attention Los Angeles Ham Operators! Would you like to help me make videos? Sometimes I need to make a radio contact with another ham, as part of a video. I'm looking for a person or people who are okay with their voice being heard (and maybe you could even collaborate on some videos?) If you're interested, click on my channel name (Heavy Metal Horizons) and then go to the "more" or "about" section and you can find my email there!

[@mannyfragoza9652]

Hey Max I had no idea you were a Ham Radio enthusiast. Being a prepper I was thinking of buying one of the BAOFENG HT in case of an emergency. I think it's a must for emergencies. BTW Max do you have a solar generator just in case you lose power or some kind of aux power to keep things running in case of a grid-down scenario?

[@tchambers807]

I follow your guitar gear work and had no idea you did ham radio stuff. I'm not sure how collaborative he is, but I think Josh from HRCC is in the LA area. That would be a fun collab if my vote counts for anything

[@TheAngryChimp]

Max, thank you! This is exactly the configuration I wanted to do for my 1st set-up to maximize use out of 1 HT and negate the cost of an additional mobile or base station. Great info, really good job explaining it all, and I appreciate you always keeping it real.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad it helped!

[@VA3JPX]

Hey Max, I hope you are safe with all those fires.

[@mostlypostie1]

I was like, hang on, isn't that the guy who does the cool Guitar reviews and stuff!? It is! haha awesome you are into radio too man! My only addition here would be to say that some handhelds are not very spectrally clean, and you don't want a dirty signal heading out into a big antenna, especially not good with an amplifier! I don't know what these particular radios are like for this, but it's worth mentioning. A TinySA Ultra and a 30-40dB in-line attenuator would allow you to test them out! 73

[@greyshadow9498]

Right? A while back a video on this channel appeared in my Recommended and I was like "Max does radio too?!" so I subbed. Aviation is cool too, always wanted to get into that even did the ground school and got my medical, unfortunately life got in the way... Might return to it now I am older.

[@timmyflew]

It's crazy. I just stumbled upon this video. I watched you years ago for your guitar videos. Never knew you messed around with amateur radio.

[@ericblair3009]

I had a UV5R as an EDC radio for over 15 years.... Then I decided to turn it into a base unit.... I eliminated the battery with a 12 vdc plug and put the base station antenna and a hand held mic...... works great! I took the other uv5r and now carry it EDC..... When I am in myy vehicle, I have a mag mount antenna on the roof so I can use the HT as a mobile unit....

[@raymondmartin6737]

Very interesting I see a Heathkit Tower I started with in 1963, at 19, on 2 meters AM after getting my Technician, as WA2ZPD, a year after my Novice license as WV2ZPD. 73 de W2CH Ray Peekskill NY 😊

[@BernhardSchwarz-xs8kp]

Great content - presented like everything surrounding you there - streamlined, to the point, not more not less - just what it takes to perfection. Camera angle and lighting add the final punch to this "less is more" strategy. Thank you and best 73 de N7SBR May God protect you all these days. You need some special attention.

[@Farenheit451NY]

Thanks for this- exactly what I've been searching for. I'm located in New York City and have a Yaesu VX-6. It functions great as a scanner, but I don't hear anything on any of the local repeaters and I can't seem to make contact. Your video was very useful.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

I'm glad it was useful! By the way, are you sure you have the repeater offset and PL tone setup correctly when trying to make contacts on the repeater? If that's not set right, you could be right next to it and it still won't work.

[@sogent56]

Repeaters are GREAT!!!

[@greyshadow9498]

Max, this channel really needs more views I'll tell you! Recently my VV898 I use at home gave up so I have been using a TD-H8 with my mast. I was considering ripping the KT8900D out of my truck and using that, but I like this idea if I can find a cheap used amp. Both BTECH and Retevis make amps but they are both north of $100 and I may as well buy a mobile for that. Hope all is well out there brother stay safe!

[@tchambers807]

I use my Kenwood D75 mobile and sometimes at home as a base station(primarily for d-star) as well. The thing I had to learn the hard way is you need to be mindful of how long your coax run is. UHF/VHF deteriorates much faster than HF the longer the cable. So at a certain point, your losses will mitigate your gains using the amp. Theres something to be said for height and location of antenna though. Someone whos better at math could explain it better but start with your coax rf loss per 100' and dive in from there. 73

[@garyclark4930]

Nice video. When i was first licensed I started with a Radio Shack 202 handheld 5-watt radio. I later found Radio Shack here selling a 2 Meter 35-watt amp for $25. Took the amp and a mag mount antenna and used it in my truck for mobile. Quick and easy to take the radio in and out of the truck. Great Ideas when on a small budget. You can also make a cheap 3 element tap measure handheld beam antenna to give yourself more gain and directionality. Nice video Gary KF6EWO

[@WolfQuantum]

When I got my Tech about seven years ago my first everything radio was a TYT UV8000 and a BTECH speaker mic. With the help of the radio club, we put up a Tram Discone antenna on the roof. I put a through-the-glass antenna on the van. Using the coax adapters I was able to use it for base and mobile operations. Several handhelds, a General ticket, and more radios later, I put that old UV8000 to use in the Gladiator today. My VHF rig in the Jeep is a 2-meter Yaesu FT2900. I just put the HT with a battery eliminator and hand mic in the Jeep to cover UHF. It goes to a dedicated UHF antenna. I also dropped the rubber duck and a USB-C chargeable battery in the tray the radio is clipped to so I can go portable dual-band as needed. I am also GMRS licensed with GMRS radios on my wife's and adult son's vehicles. I can neither confirm nor deny that my HT can operate in such a manner.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Sounds like you've got a great setup going!

[@greg5929]

One rig to rule them all. Have same amp. Good but little noisy for HF, btw. Great video. Thanks

[@nativetexan9776]

My first radio was a 5 watt HTX -202 in the 1990s and I had it set up just like you have there and used it and a 50 watt VHF amplifier to talk all over North Texas. I made my own 2 meter yagi antenna from a Radio Shack TV aerial. I used that setup for years before buying a 50 watt mobile.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

That's awesome, you had a great start to your ham radio journey.

[@KandiKlover]

I do this with a VX8DR yaesu. I even have a little CB amp someone modded onto 6 meters for me that I use with it connected to a trimmed VHF Lo commercial antenna.

[@rogergrant8865]

Great video and a good review too. Being out here in LNK land not much radio talk on either repeater or 146.52. 10-meter is dead been trying all day now. Nothing but noise. Glad I was able to get on 10 meter in 2011 it was great for about 5 years 73 Countries and 1210 QSO of those only 478 Confirmed on QRZ but not everyone uses QRZ logbook. Then slowly went south. Since, I am only a tech. since 1996 it was just 2-meter and 5 HT radio to boot. Oh well that life in the Midwest. I also have a Kenwood 2000 in 2012. Another problem I just have an inverted-v wire antenna facing north and south up on a tree at a height of 15 feet. 73 from Nebraska

[@gerardosullivan1642]

A very good presentation

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thank you.

[@earnestmatlock9694]

Nice video Max. I own the exact same model mirage amplifier. It has a single 100 watt Motorola final transistor. Pretty tuff unit. I modified mine to accept 25 watts input and I use it for 2 meter ssb with a pair of 14 element hygain 2 meter vhf beam antennas in phased array, and it does the trick with band openings. I also use a baofeng uv5r7w on 2 meter packet on lifpo4 batteries and solar panels on a copper slim jim antenna at 120 feet running lmr 400 feedline and it has good coverage area where I live. 73 GOD bless and great video as always Max. Earnest K5EWM 👍.

[@SierraWhiskeyHotelRadio]

Life is too short for just one radio. I think you have a better experience when you have several 😊

[@EXSENTRIX]

Awesome video! Stay safe Mad.

[@seller559]

Great set up 👍

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Thanks 👍

[@gen-amb]

They are also limited for digital modes if they have baked in hardware and software filtering, typically aggressive hardware hi-pass and software bandpass EQ for intelligibility. Their DNA is designed for voice, which you don’t want for digital modes. I’ve seen someone who’s modded them to flatten the transmit frequency response making digital modes MUCH more effective (and in some cases even possible) but that’s soldering surface mount components and a custom firmware that flattens the bandpass filtering. Also once you’ve done that you also have to consider how that mod affects the power drawn. These radios still have high voltages inside and that means tiny changes in current can have big effects. You can end up trying to make a circuit that wasn’t designed to tolerate a power load have to tolerate it, and it might not be able to… you need to KNOW what you’re doing, not just wing it. This is a VERY basic reality of these transmitters that I’ve almost seen no mention of anywhere. It *CAN* be done, apparently, but you’re in for a project. Also once you start doing that you’re basically welding a rocket to the bed of your truck because that filtering is also designed to affect the harmonic interference suppression and suddenly you have gone from a marginally legal RF harmonics suppression into an RF amplifier… there be dragons. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing especially if you accidentally interfere with government or other non-amateur spectrum allocations, and you can get in trouble especially in a built up area way faster than most people would realize. Yes, you can put this into an RF amplifier, but you BETTER know exactly what you’re doing especially if you combine that with unsupported modifications to the RF certified design. Some people seem to want to pretend this can’t become a problem, and that the real problem is any objection to violating the license terms but it can become a problem and you could end up with a heap of legal trouble and fines that you did not count on getting. Be very certain on the RF harmonics end of amplifying an RF output from a marginally certified HT is probably the best advice.

[@XENONEOMORPH1979]

cheers mukka grt vid from bham uk

[@kbjerke]

Looks like a Benton Harbor Lunch Box behind you!! 73 de VE3GUN

[@paulladdie1026]

Interesting video...

[@TalmidAndy]

One radio... Plus a shelf full of extra equipment.

[@johnmine5609]

Is it possible to use a HT as a mobile/base set? Yes it is possible but a 140/440 amp is more $$ then a 25watt dual band mobile and a mobile microphone is 10x better then the speaker microphone on the under $50 range.

[@blaircawston]

Stay safe with all fires going on there buddy, de VE3BCA

[@Kevinlbright]

As others have stated... I hope you stay safe out there...

[@michaelliebe5028]

Which antenna are you using on the roof? Great set-up and great video.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

It's the 770R mag mount VHF/UHF antenna.

[@michaelliebe5028]

@ Thanks

[@granitebuilt5836]

Have you found the radtel and tid h3 to be spectrally clean? Also, I'm curious to know what you're using for your antenna ground plane.

[@L8errore8robot]

I think that no amplifier is needed on an external antenna. I use 10 watts in a collinear reaching more than 50 km.

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

Perhaps not needed, but isn't it better to have more power available?

[@Steven-re7xt]

No! Lotso radio. Back up to the backup never enough 😊😊

[@germanjohn5626]

Pure rubbish, hand held radios lack the filtering and front end design dedicated base station radios have. By all means, if you want to do it go for it but remember, rubbish in rubbish out.

[@wushock92]

How cool a pilot having a call ending in VNE.🤣 73 de WØRHP

[@HeavyMetalHorizons]

It was just luck but I love it.

[@Robbie-sk6vc]

Nobody on the rpt! Imagine that, even in a big city! What a waste of time and effort.

[@grandloup74soixantequatorz62]

Pourquoi mettre un titre en français alors que la vidéo est en anglais ? 👎

[@oobihdahboobeeboppah]

Junk HT. Look at the reviews when the output is monitored for splatter. TERRIBLE! These should never be imported.