How to Choose Overland Communications Part 3: Ham Radio & Sat Comm

When your adventure takes you off the grid access to communication solutions become even more essential. In this video we break down the two most common "off grid" communication solutions overland travel enthusiasts rely upon during a Level III trip. The first is satellite communication utilizing something like a Garmin InReach. The other is Amateur Radio (aka "HAM"). We fully admit this video just scrapes the surface of all things HAM, but we also don't want to overwhelm people new to radio communications. As we said from the beginning, we're not here to cover everything, just help you make an informed decision about what you may or may not need when it comes to radio comms.
0:00 What is a Level 3 Trip?
0:56 Satellite Communication
3:05 Ham Radio
7:40 Using Ham in an Emergency
9:17 Outro
Shop Radios www.blueridgeo...
3 Levels of Overland Trips:
Level 1 Trip: Basic
- Tow Truck Accessible
- Mostly On-Grid
Level 2 Trip: Intermediate
- Tow Truck Accessible
- On the Fringes of the Grid with Some Time Off-Grid
Level 3 Trip: Advanced
- Not Tow Truck Accessible
- Extended Time Off-Grid
#overland #radio #communications

[@WilliamMcKeehan]

With HAM radio, APRS (and many of the things that you talked about needing an advanced license) is available with the "entry level" (aka Technician) license. The General and Amateur Extra class licenses give you privileges on more frequencies - especially HF frequencies (3 to 30MHz). HF (while not easy to install in a mobile) allows for much greater communications distances as the signals bounce off the atmosphere - no repeater needed. A HAM license is a license to experiment - I highly encourage it!

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

I stand corrected. Thank you for the insight. Going to pin this reply at the top! Great info.

[@teammcintyre]

Buddy your series has been greatly appreciated 🙏🏿

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Glad you like them!

[@slik560]

Excellent series. I really like the way you present information. No gags, no fluff, just the facts. Well done. Subscribed. 🇺🇸

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Thanks. We have a few other topical series. Hope you check them out.

[@HamRadio2]

Great series, I watched all 3 videos and you have some very good points in each one. Thanks for putting this together.

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JamesHome]

The Gandalf wink made me hit subscribe.

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Glad you liked that part. LoL

[@davidkay7389]

Having a planned checkin schedule with family or friends can also be a lifesaver. If you wreck a vehicle and damage the equipment inside, or dont have power, having a checkin at a prior waypoint can be a good place for a rescue to start from.

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

That's why I like things that are or have a battery. InReach has a batter, and having handheld radio(s) with a battery is nice.

[@thedoorider]

@@BlueRidgeOverlandGear I never go out of cell range with out my inReach!

[@truevinetoday1398]

Thank you for all of your very helpful information on communications. It has been very eye-opening and educational. Have a brand new 2020 gladiator

[@brendanschick7605]

All three videos provide great information that I know has definitely helped me and probably many others, great job!

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Glad to hear you found it informative. We just filmed the install tips and a brief Q&A video so those will be out soon.

[@davidsweeney8472]

Bill was right when it comes to ham radio. but if you think you are going to pick up a 2M or 440 radio and have any luck in an emergency without some training, you are sadly mistaken. so go get your tech license. it only cost $15. and 12-year-olds have passed the test, you know 5th graders. N1SRD 73

[@jcblackmon]

Great info, Dean! Thanks for covering the major options!

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mattlewandowski73]

Bear in mind. "Emergency use" is subject to the interpretation and discretion of the FCC. If they feel your usage is not a sufficient emergency, or they feel you deliberately chose illegal use of ham radio when other options where available (including "why did you choose to purchase and use ham radio when you have other radio services available in your area"... "I did not want to spend $75 on a GMRS license" won't cut it if there is a GMRS repeater in the area. It has been tried.), they can still hit you with significant fines for operating without a license even if it was a legitimate emergency. The license is easy to get... amateur radio clubs exist everywhere to help you get a license. While the individual club can establish its own pricing structure within reasonable limits, typically a testing session will cost about $15, but you can test for your Technician, General, and Extra class licenses in the same session. Back in '99 when I got licensed, I had not even looked at a General test prep book, but after passing my Technician license, the Volunteer Examiners suggested I go ahead and try the General while I was at it. I missed passing my general by 3 questions (with NO prep) a few months later, another ham loaned me the General test prep book, I studied about a month, went back and passed my general theory, but not the morse code (which has since been removed) Your Tech class license (passing a 35 question multiple choice test) is on par with a GMRS license in the typical range of radios there are other radio types and amplifiers that you can use, but as a rule. What he said of GMRS radios and repeaters is true of dual band mobile radios and HTs, though your Tech license opens the door to a lot more than just "convoy communications". Your General class license (passing another 35 question multiple choice test) opens up HF communication which will allow you to talk nation wide, and occasionally globally from your vehicle with just a moderate investment in radio equipment and working on your vehicle to block electrical noise on your radio (in truth anything more than a hand held of any radio service will need noise suppression) Extra license (passing a third test) only expands the frequency range you can use in HF, and is more of a prestige class that offers li'l to no benefit to overland and convoy communications. Get your Extra license because of your interest in ham radio, not for use in overlanding and off roading. That said, having those extra frequencies available does offer a quieter portion of band width where you can call out in an emergency, or to contact a Extra class ham in your home area to check in with friends and family when you are several hundred miles away, but realistically, a General class license will give you all the ham radio capability you need. As a final note: It sounded like you where hinting at suggesting that overlanders get their ham license, then modify their radios to operate on GMRS or CB. MANY hams have done this over the years. The FCC is taking a dim view on it when someone is caught doing so (as with the baofeng radios that where easily modified to operate out of band that started the baofeng controversy)... It is just a bad idea. There are ultra compact CBs, ultra compact 15w GMRS mobile radios, and remote mountable ham radios that allow for installation of all three radio types even in vehicles with limited mounting space. When finished my new tacoma will have all three. I will mount all three mics to the driverside of my center console, and the only radio head unit that will be visible will be my HF/VHF/UHF all band all mode, and truth be told, I could mount the same radio gear in a mazda miata though a miata would look mighty silly with 4 (HF ham, VHF/UHF dual band ham, GMRS, and CB) antennas mounted to it.

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Per the FCC: Part 97.403: Safety of life and protection of property. "No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are not available." That's pretty black-and-white. Applies to any and all radio frequencies.

[@ubergeek318]

one thing you didnt hit on , with ham radio if you set up a camp you can setup a mobile repeater or a radio that does cross band repeat. and if your viewers are looking for a plkace to learn amature radio send them over to the Ham Radio Crash Course , YT,FB,discord they are helpful for what you can do

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

I used HAM Radio Crash Coure's videos to study for my HAM test. Great resource.

[@DARTHDANSAN]

Great stuff!!

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@bradcallander7789]

great job

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Thanks!

[@Zkpe02]

I use a ZOLEO satellite communicator….

[@jhaze66]

Yes Part 3!!!

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Finally. LoL

[@dreday6134]

What about wifi capable vehicles? Do they still need a booster?

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Most WiFi capable vehicles will be running off a cellular connection. So a booster will help with connectivity while on the fringe of the grid, however since boosters are only SISO (single-in/single-out) and only amplify signal they won't do anything for bandwidth. Meaning you can be connected just not getting good data.

[@dreday6134]

@@BlueRidgeOverlandGear thank you for replying. Great video for someone like me, newbie!

[@relic6.339]

Thanks! Answered my question about emergency use of Ham Radio and which channel to tune in to or monitor. I'll have to keep an eye out for the Ranger station notice for channel posting. Is there a designated channel on Ham and GMRS that is monitored by emergency personnel (like CB channel 9)?

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

There is a HAM "calling frequency" which many enthusiasts monitor. They are 146.520 and 446.00. As for GMRS, there is no traditional one monitored by the police, however I have seen national parks post a GMRS channel they are monitoring, but there is no consistency (that I've seen) from park to park.

[@johne1793]

GMRS, at least at one time, had 462.675 MHz listed as the emergency channel in the FCC rules. At one point, no longer the case, when you got a GMRS license you had to select one frequency and all users got access to 462.675 MHz in addition to their licensed frequency. Today, a GMRS license will give the user access to all 7 frequencies

[@alexisongpoy7074]

If we were to have a power outage and all lost of signal from our power lines would this still work?

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Radios running off battery power will work. You might lose repeater access if the power outage is widespread enough, but a lot of repeaters have backup generators. There are also volunteer HAM groups that will set up radio networks when there are natural disasters. Some of them will also do GRMS networks as well.

[@bobmcnamara7514]

You can use aprs with a tech license.

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Thank you for the correction!

[@fjon589]

Nice!!

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Thanks!

[@davidcowan1583]

Interesting you don't mention PLB devices at all super important or even sat phones.

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

There is a ton of stuff we didn't mention and/or ended up on the cutting room floor. We tried to focus on the questions and gear common to the overland enthusiast market. Most people don't need nor can justify the expense of a satellite phone. And something like the InReach does everything a PLB does and is a 2-way communication device which is that middle-ground most of our customers seem to land on.

[@madjack8893]

New sub ☘️ 73

[@BlueRidgeOverlandGear]

Thanks for the sub