Survival Communication w/ Two-Way Radios & Cellular Phones

[@BackwardTravisty]

Simple, to the point, very informative, great A/V presentation, with zero political BS or rhetorical hyperbole. Learning took place! Thanks.

[@livingsurvival]

Thank you for your comment, that means a lot!

[@iamsemjaza]

If you're looking to make radio contact after SHTF and you're still in a built-up area at all, keep in mind that churches and commercial radio towers both tend to be built on the high grounds of areas, each giving you a better chance for radio line of sight with those lower down.

[@donalderickson-si8ww]

and totialy forgetting that your radio in family service radio has only have half a watt of power.

[@iamsemjaza]

@@donalderickson-si8ww Distance at low power is acheivable with a couple of high points.

[@prepsolar787]

Very true on the cell towers not working on a natural disaster situation I personally experience that situation recently here in Puerto Rico when we went weeks with no signal on the smartphones dew to the huracaine Maria luckly I had purchased two of these about a year back and they where very very!! useful for communicating with my family. Excellent video my friend 👍

[@218cblue]

Thank you for the great video! My wife has been asking me what I want for Christmas and now I have an answer!

[@livingsurvival]

218cblue NICE!

[@jojojeep1]

I believe your radio also has an FM on it, your ham radio, it also has a siren in the light flashes SOS in Morse code, and another good thing about the ham radio if there’s a grid down situation a very high percentage of repeaters have back up batteries with solar or generators so even when your cell phone don’t work, And if the towers are down you could still communicate because they’re working off of solar and back up batteries.

[@smokeymountainrain]

U can buy a plastic bag for those for around $5 too, it has a hole for the waterproof mic u can buy for it on amazon, and baofeng has an F-A58,( i think thats the one), model now that is waterproof for around $40,( retevis has one thats ip67 submergeable waterproof for $50), but for $25 on amazon, the baofeng uv-5r dual band radios are deffinitely a "must have". Good video, it helped me make up my mind, ive got the tri-power 8 watt (for $39) now, (i programmed mine without the software for what I needed it for, theres only like two things u have to use the computer for anyways, and its simple once u play with it a minute). Im gonna get my ham license soon anyways, Ive always wanted to, and it is easy now, (no code memorization necessary now), for entry level ham tech license. Thanks for posting

[@anitaalmine6606]

smokeymountainrain

[@anitaalmine6606]

smokeymountainrain

[@anitaalmine6606]

smokeymountainrain

[@anitaalmine6606]

smokeymountainrain vv

[@TangoTexan]

The Scanner Radio app is nice IF someone has a scanning receiver set up for the area you want to listen to. In the larger cities and municipalities such as Los Angeles, Houston, or New York it will most likely work. In a small rural area it may not. In my area it doesn't. At one time someone initiated it for my area then they couldn't afford the internet bill and so it stopped. Its probably for the best because they only monitored one frequency and that was a seldom used secondary channel for the sheriff's office. Also, on the Baofeng (or Pofung or whatever they are called now) take your time with the programming. Don't rush it and you'll be pleased. Rushing it can cause you to leave out a CTCSS tone or have the frequency put in backwards etc. I use CHIRP to program mine. It is so easy. There is a guy in my area that seems to think he KNOWS what he's doing and several people he's programmed radios for have come to me to correct his mistakes. If you're not sure what you're doing, seek out someone who can assist you. Because if you put in a transmit frequency where there should be a receive frequency in the programming, you probably won't be hearing much of anything. Keep up the good work. Good video.

[@livingsurvival]

Thank you for the information, CHIRP does work very well. I was going to show that and RadioReference but will most likely do a more in-depth video on the Baofeng. Thanks for the comment!

[@borealwoodman]

Nice video, thanks for taking the time. Have you considered storing your HAM radio in a mylar bag, in addition to the zip-lock? That should protect it reasonably well from electrical shocks.

[@mikeka5cvhurich773]

Plus with the Baofeng radios is that they are type approved to use on the VHF interant and MURS frequencies and if you have a GMRS license you can use it on the GMRS frequencies.

[@Mel0763]

Mike (KA5CVH) Urich Only certain models, not all of them are type approved for that.

[@frodjr71]

With the Baofang radio, you can't transmit even if your only using the family frequencies?

[@livingsurvival]

Francisco Rodriguez Jr nope.

[@beardjoe11]

Living Survival well, you can transmit but you will attract the attention of HAMs and the FCC

[@hangfire5005]

+Francisco Rodriguez Jr the FRS radios are limited by law to 1/2 watt output

[@fortwaynefamily]

Just apply for the GMRS license. no test, and it's about $70/5 years

[@Elfnetdesigns]

@@hangfire5005 FRS is allowed 2 watts now (2019)

[@gaddogabetti740]

why do you have shift in negative if you don't use it to transmitt

[@junky802]

This was exactly the information I was hoping to find. Thank you

[@mytuber81]

Are these rechargeable or do you have to replace the batteries? Also, which radio is better the BF-F8+ or the UV-5R? Whats the difference?

[@livingsurvival]

The two radios are very similar, they probably have a compare chart on their site. Yes, rechargeable via cradle.

[@mytuber81]

Living Survival Thanx

[@cjbelgrave]

mytuber81 They both are great radios but may I suggest the new tri power Baofeng BF-F8HP which is 1,4,8 watts of transmit power compared to the other 2 which are 1,5 watts.

[@livingsurvival]

Ohh nice ;)-

[@mytuber81]

CJ Belgrave Cool thanks for the info.

[@OverlandTT]

If the repeater station goes down in an emergency situation, what is the realistic range of a pair of the BF-F8?

[@livingsurvival]

Peter I Few miles, better antenna is a must for most things besides weather.

[@jerryrubio9963]

The way I understand it, if an emp is activated over a large city and you were on your way home from work, it won't work. If repeater towers are out, then what? Is it usable as a portal to portal communication? Probably a small walkie talkie for SHTF situation.

[@CoyoteWorks01]

What kind of range for two way communication can you get out of the Baofeng?

[@livingsurvival]

Coyote Works Not very far. Better with an extended antenna. Also depends on the power of the towers.

[@Phazon8058MS]

As a ham, it all depends on your antenna. The rubber duck that comes with the radio is crap, so don't even bother with it. You can get a Nagoya NA-771 or NA-701 which will give you much better range. You can get even better range if you use a roll up J-Pole like a Slim Jim, or if you build your own fold up J-Pole, or a fold up Dipole. It's all about the antenna.

[@Richard2003]

Fact is if you have your ham license you can communicate for several up to hundreds of miles using repeaters using those Baofengs with 2 meter capabilities.

[@Mel0763]

The antennas that come with them now are much better than the earlier ones were. I found the stock antenna to perform as well as a quarter wave after market antenna.

[@EMSThinWhiteLine12866]

I have a GMRS license, and I own a Baofeng UV-5R and the 997-S. I use them for GMRS frequencies as my survival backup setup.

[@gaddogabetti740]

What do you need a radio if you can't use it to transmit

[@texabara]

I got 3 PMR (Cobra) for my family. I live in Puerto Rico and we are getting a lot of sysmic activity, and the latest big hurricane.... so We put a land phone line in the apartment and got the walkies. We test the distance and the walkies work up to 1.4km in our city neighborhood. Thanks!

[@CRUIZ3R100]

there is a two way radio on a iPhone if anyone has an iPhone cell its called two way can be used for emergencies if you can make a call but you can get out on it to anyone all around the united states

[@Themissinghiker]

Can you program the baofeng uv-5r to pick up emergency services?, i have one that was given to me years ago but have never used it. I'd like to know how to set it up for the emergency channels.

[@PaulBuikema]

Good vid, any recommendations for a tutorial on the Baofeng style radios? I have one but other than scanning weather channels I don't know how to get the best use of it in daily use or emergency.

[@livingsurvival]

Honestly, unless you have a higher power radio or antenna it is hard to find or scan anything but local stuff (minus weather). I leave mine on the weather channel but have printed out a list of local repeaters should I need it. An app like "scanner radio" for iphone or android is awesome and you can stream repeaters from all over the country/world. However, it does require an internet connection. I suggest taking a look at repeaterbook or radioreference (.com) for a list then see what you can tune in.

[@PaulBuikema]

Living Survival Thanks for the response amigo! Weather is easy to get here but local emerg services are all on encrypted channels, out of reach. I have been planning to hit up a local HAM store to see if there are some more popular channels used locally or some such. Haven't gone for the HAM license yet but its on my to do list.

[@livingsurvival]

Typically you can transmit on HAM channels in an emergency (only time I would need it anyway). There are some awesome scanners for home use but pretty pricey. Interested to see your progress with it!

[@PaulBuikema]

Living Survival All good. I have a couple old Uniden Bearcat handheld scanners but they just pick up idle chatter most times. I don't think the govt would be too hasty to put me behind bars for a bit of unlicensed radio chatter, emergency or not, but I hear you.

[@bowlsallbroken]

Living Survival Just get licensed. The technician level test is dirt simple if you have a brain. Don't give me a WROL excuse; ham radio is great because it's also useful for personal and regional *limited* emergencies. Don't put yourself in a situation where you have to convince the FCC your emergency was bad enough to break the rules. I wouldn't encourage anyone to buy amateur radio equipment just to mothball it for some vague concept of an eventual emergency. Why would you want to rely on a piece of equipment you can't even test? If you aren't licensed, who do you think you are going to talk to? How are you going to find them? How are you going to be sure they won't just dismiss you as a prankster, seeing as you have no callsign and no idea what the protocols are?

[@OH8STN]

Thanks for sharing this video The scanner radio app is cool, but dependent on the internet. I think a more responsible recommendation to your subscribers would be the Yaesu VX-6 or VX-7 radios which have wide band receivers from Shortwave up to UHF. Then the user would receive HF, CB, NOAA weather, Airband, Police, Fire, and transmit on Murs, FRS, GMRS, and amateur VHF and UHF all in one radio that is not dependent on the internet. Moreover, the Baofeng radios are not water or weatherproof! Their only survival benefit are they are cheap! I know you mean well, but its important to give viewers the reality, not ones personal preferences. Thumbs up for the effort!

[@hubert0010]

can you program the radio so that you and your friends can talk without disturbing other channels also without a licence?

[@dojonim9758]

Legally.....The simple answer is no

[@Mel0763]

You can get the Baofeng radio that is specifically for MURS and they don’t require a license.

[@Elfnetdesigns]

@@Mel0763 BTech MURS-V1 is a stripped down BF-UV82 with a locked firmware that only allows you to transmit on MURS channels and you can monitor others.

[@sam0899gamer]

Can it transmit and receive on aviation frequencies?

[@dojonim9758]

nope

[@RealitySurvival]

Excellent vid!

[@livingsurvival]

+Reality Survival thanks JJ.

[@allenjackson3475]

+Reality Survival one thing that most people dont know this frs is bull he is right you can only get about 1/2 mile or so but if you take that baofeng take the programming cable and cut the power down you can used it on MURS 3 channel on 151 mhz and 2 channel on 154 mhz and the range of around 5 miles and with MURS you can run mobile with no license you can also program the weather frequencies or channels also can program public service ( receive only ) their is a lot you can do with these baofeng radios, i know a lot of people will say that bull but in a national disaster they not going to say anything as long as you stay on the frequencies you legal to run, they ( authorities, fcc, ect) have more to worry about than you walking around with a radio just behave yourself. And yes you can program the FRS frequency in as well

[@RealitySurvival]

Interesting!

[@shawnrodgers7573]

What model backpack is that shown in your video??

[@livingsurvival]

Shawn Rodgers Maxpedition Typhoon

[@jonathanwarner1844]

Baofeng is good - I use one with a Slim Jim antenna suspended on a 6 or 10 metre fishing pole and get the full 5 watts forward power though it and can talk a distance. But I wouldn't want to rely on it for survival because it isn't waterproof. Yaesu make a good range of waterproof hand-helds from single band ones not much more expensive than the Baofeng to sophisticated 3 band ones with APRS, on 6m, 2m and 70cm.

[@Kritsalos]

Try Baofeng UV-9R , it is fully water proof

[@StarDarkAshes]

Does the Baofeng receive AM radio?

[@fortwaynefamily]

I have a Baofeng Btech GMRS_V1 radio and it I use it to listen to talk radio throughout my work day, what's cool is if anyone talks on a GMRS channel that I am monitoring it switches to the GMRS and then back to FM when the channel goes quiet. My radio was $56 on Amazon.

[@ChrisLee-UK]

Good video brother, I have the Baofeng UV-5RE and the GT-3. I also have the 888S walkie talkie type radios. All programmed to work with each other. Going for my HAM license in the new year as well. Excellent radios, great video review and definitely worth having at least one of these in your preps :D Thanks Buddy

[@livingsurvival]

Thanks for the comment and happy holidays.

[@ChrisLee-UK]

Living Survival and to you my friend thank you :)

[@ryangassxx]

Another thing that would have been good to mention is the price. For the price of a couple of good FRS radios, the Baofengs are negligibly more in cost. You might as well just get a couple of Baofengs for $35 each (incredible value, because they're Chinese made, US brands that are similar in function and quality cost $200+). If you're not ham licensed you can simply opt to program them to FRS frequencies. Doing that is operating in a little bit of gray area legally speaking since they're not type accepted by the FCC due to them not being limited to 200mw and not having a fixed antenna. But, honestly nobody is going to really care/know the difference if you're staying in the FRS frequency ranges (462 MHZ). Also, we're talking about a prepper radio are we not? So in a SHTF scenario, who really gives a flying fart about what the legality is. This radio is going to do the job of a substantially longer distance communication device, be able to monitor police/fire, listen to weather, as well as standard FM broadcast band radio. It's fine to have the FRS radios on hand to give to family and friends, but get the Baofengs for yourself :p

[@livingsurvival]

Ryan Gass Right, as being for shtf who cares.

[@CyprusTM]

+Ryan Gass How can i program 2 of them to comunicate with eachother i want to use them while camping. Im in Alberta Canada. Please let me know if you can help, or direct me to some reading sources on it. Thank you

[@fortwaynefamily]

the GMRS license does not require a test, just an application with the FCC and about $70.00. Gives you access to the GMRS channels and legal transmit at higher power.. Good Stuff.

[@reempire888]

Justin Byerley Hi Justin, by using GMRS, am i getting better, longer range than FRS channels?

[@Mel0763]

reempire888 Yes, by far.

[@acet7]

I need to put in some sort of communications in my get home bags. Thanks for the video.

[@livingsurvival]

Thank you!

[@rykerbragg]

The baofeng. I've got a question. What if, you only use it to talk on FRS frequencies that don't require a liscnece? I don't need the FCC knocking on my door.

[@jfrphoto01]

Most of these emergency comms videos an KZbin keep leaving out MURS (Multiple User Radio Service)! It is license free (licensed by rule just like CB and FRS) and aftermarket gain antennas can be used, 2 watts, VHF-FM (5 channels, 151/154 MHz, just above the Amateur 2 meter band, 144-148 MHz). Better range (almost triple ht to ht) when compared with FRS and 10 to 20 times the range with a mobile and/or base antenna over FRS!

[@livingsurvival]

Check my more recent videos I think it’s called ultimate survival radios it’s all about Murs

[@jfrphoto01]

@@livingsurvival Watched it, nothing about survival or prepper/emcomms, just an add for Retevis ht's. Sad!

[@kenwhiteproductions]

Also for a public note the baofeng UV-82 is a much better performer and in the $35.00 range.

[@livingsurvival]

Kenneth White thanks for the input

[@cmdrlee2190]

He neglected CB radio they are old school but the range is more than FRS you can legaly transmit up to 150 miles if you have the equipment and are cheap to own if you are in a vehicle 12 volt is readily available

[@jojojeep1]

cmdr lee that’s right I used to love my cobra GTL 148 350 W heater under my bed and 100 W heater under my car seat I would talk halfway around the world. With Skip of course and today with all the cloud ceilings from Chemtrails you get a lot of skip. My 148 in my bedroom would do an easy 80 mile trip with no skip I like to see I ham radio do that, and average ham radio in the car is 50 W and I don’t think it’s gonna do 100 mile trip but a good old fashion 11 m CB can

[@andrewpratten]

I haven't found any woods tests..

[@Rbhawk3rd]

xwhat is the two way range?

[@N4UPD]

The zello app is a great communication app. It has multiple channels and categories you can listen and transmit on.

[@livingsurvival]

N4UPD I will have to check that out.

[@bev8200]

Do you still consider this a good radio?

[@livingsurvival]

jeremy beverly Yes, very good, however an antenna upgrade is an advantage. Also, they have a new model out with 5 watts at the same price.

[@sixteen34]

Living Survival What's that model? baofengtech.com/CompareChart It seems the BF-F8+ is rated for "4-5" watts.

[@themiwoodsman7222]

Well done Awesome info and review ! thanks for sharing

[@livingsurvival]

Thank you!

[@r.m.cortez8178]

I have a brother that lives about 25 miles away. I would like to give him a walkie talkie so that I can get in contact with him if needed. What is a good recommendation?

[@leeknivek]

landline phone or probably a full blown radio

[@dwaynerobertson383]

Very informative. Great video, man!!

[@archygrey9093]

Most phones also have a built in fm receiver that can be used if you plug in an antenna or wired headphones to receive the fm transmission. Also smartphones can decode aprs transmissions from a analogue 2 way radio with an app even without internet, either by connecting a cable to the radio and phone or by letting the phone listen to the aprs transmission with its microphone.

[@ive9th]

New fan here. Have you ever heard of firechat or serval. Firechat is probably the most user friendly communication app that doesnt require a data connection. I havent tested it with anyone yet though.

[@livingsurvival]

i'll check it out.

[@ive9th]

+Living Survival it's been used in HK while the government blacked out internet access. They are called mess communication apps. I

[@radiosurvivorguy8141]

so will I get the uv82 is much better to use the uv5r have to many problems

[@kgsz]

"mesh" :p I'm actually very happy someone AT LAST mentioned Firechat & co - they have so much potential[1] [1] personally for me Firechat never worked reliably, but it's probably me ;)

[@MaZEEZaM]

Unfortunately, in Australia, the useful emergency services channels are banned to general citizens :(

[@Spookieham]

For obvious reasons - to keep fuckwits out

[@Screamingtut]

is noaa transmitting on UHF? i thought it was just VHF

[@livingsurvival]

VHF

[@Screamingtut]

Living Survival I thought I saw 470.625 0n the radio display?

[@livingsurvival]

Kristyanna Virgona You did, that was the B channel. My NOAA is set at 162.400. It is more difficult to program using the device instead of software on the computer where you can name the channels. Otherwise it shows the channel # and not the frequency on the A side.

[@Zettu701]

I have a BF-F9V2+ and It has an FM radio chip in it for recieving only but i can't seem to figure out how to access it, the manual mentions a Band Key that this model doesn't have I saw a site mention manually input the frequency and it will tune to it but it won't recognize anything below 130Mhz anyone know how to access simple fm radio on the Baofeng's?

[@Mel0763]

Zettu On my UV82HP it is a push button right below the push to talk button.

[@luna.celestia8590]

Just tap the monitor button on the left side and make sure if you have Chirp software that it is turned on.

[@andoyomark6592]

Thank you for the information that you've given! I need to learn more from you! :-)

[@livingsurvival]

Thank you for watching and the comment!

[@PrimalEdge]

Great video!!!! thanks for doing this.

[@livingsurvival]

Thanks for watching!

[@NullaNulla]

And if your cops are encrypted like most are now your app is totally useless. Mobile phones can be traced by law enforcement (with warrant) as well where radios need someone who can "foxhunt". IF you get good enough with radios you can move up to a tait, Motorola etc and enable/use encryption between others in your group.

[@DeepSouthExperience]

Good info and general review.

[@livingsurvival]

Deep South Experience thank you.

[@illuminatorix]

Hello! May I ask if I can communucate with the commom 8 channel 30+ sub channel two way radios Like Cobra motorola or midland? I saw the uniden you have but there are many with other frequency?

[@greymajickjedi]

More or less agree with every idea in this video. With few exceptions such as preferring Android to iOs and thinking Maxpedition is waaaaaay to expensive. i have that Scanner Radio application too. It's awesome technology, i just wish there were more local departments. It's mostly major cities. But you can listen to your local National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration broadcasts on it, so that's kind of convenient for people without a standard weather radio. The only thing missing from this survival communications array is a means of charging the devices in the field. There are tons of crank and/or solar devices for charging phones and other electronics when the power grid is not an option, like my eton microlinkfr160 - which i can not only receive Am/Fm/Noaa frequencies on, but use the hand crank to recharge my phone, gps, and a few of my radios. Great video! Stay prepped!

[@livingsurvival]

I have a previous video on an Eton solar/crank radio and also solar panels you can use to recharge in the field. Thanks for the comments and yeah agreed on the scanner radio app.

[@ShazBookOwl]

Great review and good advice. Thanks for sharing Cheers & atb

[@19TC504]

you can also program the pmr frequentie,s so you can talk without licence

[@dojonim9758]

yes you can...... however , not legal in the U.S.

[@livingsurvival]

[@sebasalb123]

THE NAME OF THE PHONE APP PLEASE?

[@livingsurvival]

Scanner Radio

[@leonp333]

Those hunting radios are bad choice for survival, I have the Motorola 352 mini USB rechargeable and can be charged from my 5v solar panels from my backpacks or external battery packs

[@livingsurvival]

FNX 45 i'll have to check those out.

[@leonp333]

also just got the Puxing 2R and they have nokia batteries and charging cables, USB, so its great for survival and they are 2W UHF

[@aaronthemadd]

thank you for making the video.

[@WootTootZoot]

All due respect, if I was into prepping, I'd buy a radio that has a significantly more reliable reputation than one of the cheap Chinese radio's. Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, they all cost a bit more, but they also won't just quit working the second time you turn it on as some people have reported with the Chinese stuff. They'll cost you a fair bit more money, but your reliability is there when/if there is a need.

[@livingsurvival]

True, most often the more you spend the higher the quality.

[@stephenszabo2361]

Can you use that ham radio just to do Family comunication until you get a license for the other channels?

[@jfrphoto01]

No! You must be licensed to use the amateur frequencies and the license only covers you, not your entire family. To talk to your family on amateur radio they all would have to get their own license.

[@matthias9000]

awesome no bs un-biased, very helpful review. Thanks!.

[@mattthompson9480]

Good smart info thank you

[@fortwaynefamily]

Remember, the GMRS radio service is available for anyone. You apply for a GMRS call sign with the FCC and it's good for 5 Years. Costs around $70..makes you legal to transmit on all of the GMRS channels. you are permitted to transmit on the FRS channels without a license or a call sign, however those channels are restricted to a lower power and shorter range. GMRS allows a much higher power and far greater range. GMRS repeaters can extend your range to Dozens of miles,.Good info. thanks.

[@soumyadeepbiswas2077]

Justin Byerley 7

[@DeanO]

Great information

[@livingsurvival]

Thanks for stopping by and the comment ;)-

[@haarccsn.c.4746]

A couple of ?s Does it cost anything to get a license? Also if SHTF and RWOL is taking effect, can you be shutdown remotely from transmitting if you don't have a license? Excellent Video! You and Yours Take Care, Watch Your 6s and God Bless!

[@livingsurvival]

GMRS license is $85 for 5 years and allows you to use the GMRS frequencies. Not sure about the HAM license. I don't believe they could shutdown from transmitting from device to device but if a repeater/tower went down it would limit the range.

[@Zenshu1]

It depends on the area and the VEC's who are running the HAM test. Check ARRL.org for local tests around you. From what I have seen locally Its no more than $7 for the HAM test, and the license is valid for 10 years.

[@Terribleguitarist89]

For an amateur license you're looking at around $10-20 but it's free to renew. The license last for 10 years and the technician class is really easy to get. I've had my technician class since I was 14 and have seen stories of even 7 year olds getting the top class, Extra, license. Each class of license has different privileges of frequencies as you advance up. For most survival/shtf requirements a tech class would be all you really need with the VHF/UHF plus small slices of HF bands. (VHF/UHF is all you really need for local comms since HF will extend great distances and might attract unwanted attention. Though the HF could be useful with keeping contact with displaced friends/family.) As for being shut down, repeaters would most likely be down due to power grid outages. Few repeater operators have alternative (ie. solar, wind, etc...) power sources though a select few have the provisions. An alternative is setting up a simple repeater, be it cross band or simplex, which with these cheap baofeug and wouxun radios is actually pretty easy and would be easy to power with a simple solar system. That said, the president's war powers include the ability to silence the amateur radio service. This hasn't been done since WWII though. If that were the case, operating against that order would not be advisable as VHF/UHF is easily traceable with minimal equipment. Sorry for the over complicated answer but hope it helps.

[@jnsky1249]

+Haarccs N.C. In essence yes you can be shut down from transmitting if you are using someone's repeater. If you were operating illegally they could shut it down because they are partially responsible for the legal use of it. I have heard on my radio a few times where non hams were on there or people messing around. The repeater will get shut down, they will be angrily lectured or ignored. As much as people think this is some kind of elitism, it does keep the airways from becoming unusable like CB radio became. It is known that the FCC does not enforce anything on CB bands.

[@jnsky1249]

+Mykal Anstrom Makes me wonder if CB with SSB would be an option in a war powers situation.

[@MauriatOttolink]

Jeez ..He could talk a bulldog down off a fully loaded meat wagon. Shame he ain't got much to say!

[@davidventura5357]

Man, I am not utilizing my smartphone enough.

[@livingsurvival]

+David Ventura so many apps that don't even need signal.

[@davidventura5357]

I have the SAS lite app as well as a NOAA radar app, but that needs a signal.

[@TwitchRadio]

www.arrl.org/exam-practice... here is a link to the different online study guides.. and if you have no back ground in the radio world i would say go out and get the tech lic. 3rd addition...

[@WilliamMoirSCOT]

Good vid

[@bmmcwhirt]

FYI: It is illegal in the US to use a ham radio to communicate on FRS/GMRS even if you are licensed. I would have to check with the ARRL but I'm pretty sure operation of a ham radio is illegal without a license unless a ham is on hand and that includes using it to receive. Just get your license, it's quire easy, there are 5yr olds that get licensed.

[@livingsurvival]

bmmcwhirt You can scan all you want.

[@bmmcwhirt]

Living Survival yep, you are correct. However it really is super easy to get licensed and I encourage everyone to do so. You do not need to know mores code any more so you just have to pass a written exam of which all the questions and answers are public information. You should also know the 'calling frequencies' as these will be used in crisis and disaster situations and can be found in the band plan here: www.arrl.org/band-plan . In addition there are some other important frequencies to know and there is a very good list here: preparedcitizenwsg.blogspot.com/2011/03/ham-radio-common-emergency-frequencies.html Most ham radios will not allow you to transmit out of band(your allowed frequencies) but the baofeng and other radios from outside the US will. It is only permissible to transmit out of band in a life-saving emergency and only when attempts to communicate in-band have failed.

[@livingsurvival]

bmmcwhirt awesome thanks

[@1838561]

bmmcwhirt all wrong is all leagal in the us I know I live in nyc no problem ham radio for years no license just don’t transmit to people you don’t know

[@franskleintjes4020]

i just program it with pmr frequenties so i can transmit without licince

[@26CW128Jake]

Most Baofeng's power settings go to a minimum of 1 watt. PMR only allows 500milliwatts... Unlucky!

[@David-lt7ko]

The FCC will find you and other hams will help them. Just get a license for 15 bucks

[@Elfnetdesigns]

@@David-lt7ko FCC has no power outside of the USA.. Get a life, that's free..

[@Rocky1765]

Scanner Radio has been "determining my location" now for over 30 minutes. 4 out of 5 bars, 4G. =(

[@livingsurvival]

Is your GPS on?

[@Rocky1765]

Living Survival ahh let me check, LOL, I bet I turned it off. Always worried about Big Brother you know. =)

[@kenwhiteproductions]

It is unlawful on a federal level to use the vhf/uhf as a transceiver for gmrs/frs transmissions without the proper permit. Reason being is the type of wattage used for frs/gmrs is much lower than the baofeng will put out. You can cause interference to other gmrs/frs users in your area due to the amount of power you are transmitting with. The other radios will be unable to refuse signal from out of band transmissions if you are over powered or over deviating. -Licensed radio operator.

[@SurvivalZoneAfricaZA]

+survivalzoneafrica Will get mine soon -thans

[@tacticaltradecraft3858]

Just my opinion. I own 5 Baofeng radios and they are garbage. People get wrapped up in the low price of the radio while completely ignoring the low quality of the radio. Many are touted as 5 watts but none of mine actually put out 5 watts. In fact, one radio only puts out 2 watts. These radios are terrible to program manually, have quality control issues, and rarely deliver listed performance. Preppers should spend extra money and get a quality ham radio that will actual perform during an emergency. Preppers who count on Baofeng radios are setting themselves up to fail.

[@livingsurvival]

Tactical Tradecraft Which brands do you recommend?

[@tacticaltradecraft]

Living Survival - I recommend the Yaesu FT-60. It is more expensive than a Baofeng but it is built much better, actually transmits on 5 watts, and is a very dependable radio.

[@livingsurvival]

Tactical Tradecraft I'll check it out.

[@TwitchRadio]

book. forgot to add the word book lol

[@Elfnetdesigns]

Only the BTech GMRS-V1 is legal to use on GMRS / FRS channels in the USA. None of the Baofengs are legal for that. Also most of the Chinese HT's and mobiles radios as of 2019 are no longer legal to use on ANY BAND in the USA if they do not have an official FCC ID on them physically. You can blame Trumps so-called trade war with China for that.. Also analog radios and scanners are becoming more useless by the day as public services are converting to digital formats. FRS is allowed 2 watts now also.

[@jfrphoto01]

"Also most of the Chinese HT's and mobiles radios as of 2019 are no longer legal to use on ANY BAND in the USA if they do not have an official FCC ID on them physically." The Baofengs and their cousins are dirty radios, 3rd (VHF) harmonics in the amateur service/public service/emergency services/business bands (UHF) and interfere with those communications. UHF 3rd harmonics transmit interference into the GHz bands. These Chinese radios and others (Part 90 business complaint) can still be used in Amateur Radio Service (Part 97) as amateurs are allowed to modify transceivers for use on the amateur bands whether it be a physical modification, a couple of key strokes on the radio itself or by the use of computer software as lo9ng as they meet the spectral purity requirements set forth by the FCC. This is allowed by the FCC Rules for the Amateur Radio Service. With few exceptions, Amateur Radio transceivers do not require any FCC certification (linear amplifiers do). This was all on the FCC (and lobbying by the big Amateur Radio equipment manufactures), not Trump. To make these radios "illegal" for use, the FCC issues a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and after a public comment period and if no changes are needed or made, it is published in the Federal Register and 30 days later it becomes law. The Office of the President and the Congress have nothing to do with it (unless it is a regulatory change to licensing fees, then it has to go to Congress to be approved and then the President has to sign it into law, then it is published in the Federal Register and becomes official in 30 days).

[@mw10259]

IN A S H T F SCENARIO , NO ONES GOING TO GIVE A SHIT WHETHER YOU HAVE A HA M LICENSE OR NOT

[@danijel124]

why are americans so obsessed with prepping? ill never understand this.

[@tavsultra9458]

Every country has it's quirky hobbies ;) Plus at least this is useful

[@tinkertanner165]

danijel124 We have alot of emergencies. Lol. Hurricanes and tornadoes in particular are pretty bad. So prepping is a good idea. Also. Americans AND Russians were in a cold war, which started the whole prepper mindset. We have many fallout shelters/bunkers which had to be "prepped" for food and water, protection and communication. Hope that helped clarify.

[@bosspatis369]

Hi. May I know the brand and model of that two way radio? Thanks.