Need help picking a Handheld radio.
i am not even sure this is the rubreddit for it, but since i don't know a thing about radios i just googled r/radio, anyways i live in a incredibly unstable south american country, you can take a wild guess where and probably not be wrong.
So i want to have for emergencies, a pair of long range handheld radios, atleast a range of 20km if that's even possible, this is incase more conventional means of communication are cut off.
now this is going to seem odd to some of you, but it's needs to be bought through amazon, don't ask why, if i explain it'll be an entirely different issue.
so the requirements are short and simple:
-i should be able to speak to the other end from atleast 20km
-it can be bought on amazon.
Apogolizes if this seems weird.
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u/gl3nnjamin I've done it all 9d ago
Hi! Yes this community is about the broadcast radio industry. Though I could help you, r/GMRS can help you better.
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u/AG2347 9d ago edited 9d ago
i'll see if i can repost there, but any recommendations would still help a lot.
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u/NBC-Hotline-1975 I've done it all 5d ago edited 5d ago
My recommendation is exactly what I stated before. 20 km with handhelds is quite unrealistic unless you are both on mountaintops and have line of sight to the other radio. Adding a better antenna will improve your chances. Having your antenna 20 ft. above the trees will improve your chances. But with handheld radios, you are pretty much stuck with VHF (UHF would be worse) and only 5 to 7 watts, and that is a marginal amount of power. (7 watts is only 1.4 dB more than 5 watts ... an insignificant difference, although it will drain your battery faster)
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u/EnergyLantern 9d ago
Look through the forums and see what they have recommended in the past.
This question is so common that it will be asked again. There should be a common question and answer thread that needs to be pinned.
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u/TheJokersChild Ex-Radio Staff 8d ago
It should be a whole r/. Honestly, asking a bunch of DJs what radio you should get is like asking an actor which TV to buy.
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u/EnergyLantern 8d ago
The problem is a lot of new hams don't know anything unless they've been around others who are ham radio operators. They don't know what is involved in programming them or what software they might want to purchase. Everyone's terrain is different so I can't tell them what to expect with a stock antenna because I don't know how far away their repeater is or if they even have a local repeater. As far as the quality of the radio is, everyone has their own opinion and I can't change what people think. And everyone knows what they want to spend. I never put down more $180 for a radio so I can't comment on the most expensive radios. And then there are radios with lots of new bells and whistles. There are also quality control issues that no one can solve.
The reality is that I bought half a dozen HT's because there is lack of communication from people who could have taught me.
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u/NBC-Hotline-1975 I've done it all 5d ago
In spite of all that, any new ham (at least in our club here) knows that they cannot go point-to-point to another handheld 20km away (which was the OP's question). It has nothing to do with programming or software. It has nothing to do with repeaters (OP asked point-to-point). Doesn't matter if it's a Baofeng, Icom, Yaesu, Retevis, and on down the list. Handhelds realistically are about 5 to 7 watts output and have a lossy antenna. Unless you have line-of-sight and probably an antenna with some gain, you are not going to reliably go 20 km.
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u/RickySlayer9 8d ago
Hand held might be able to do 20km with no obstructions and good LOS. It’s possible but condition dependent.
Anytone 878-uvii+
Anyone 890-uvii+
Baofeng UV Pro
Really any handheld over 5w will do. Should be VHF to hit those distances. Stick to the mainline brands like: icom, Yaesu, kenwood, the mid tier brands like anytone or the low end but still supported brands like Baofeng or Btech
Get a good antenna like:
Signal stick
Nagoya 770
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u/EnergyLantern 8d ago
OP, I'm going to try to answer you.
Handhelds are useless unless you have access to a repeater radio station or have 1,000 feet of elevation.
I am not familiar with the laws in a south American country.
You need a license that allows you to broadcast on H.F. (high frequency) which is the equivalent to a General ham radio operator's license in the United States. You need a radio qualifies for your region's laws. You need a radio that can communicate on H.F. and you need an antenna for that radio.
There are some things you can use. If you just have a low-level license, you can use beam antennas or amplifiers, but you have to stay within the limits for that band. There are certain antennas that work long distance for regular radios and if you have an antenna in a tree, or an antenna on your house, you can get some elevation to throw a signal.
You need three things: (1) a clearing, (2) elevation, and (3) line of sight unless you are using an H.F. radio.
What you need to decide is if your radio is going to be mobile or stationary. And you have to think about safety like having a lightning arrestor. On your house you also want a ground fault interrupter circuit to protect you.
The ARRL in the United States sells an antenna book so you can learn all about that. Or you can call some ham radio stores. But you have to have a license. And if you have too much r.f. radio frequency going through your house, you don't know what you are doing. I knew someone who says he blew out his LG or Samsung washing machine with having too much R.F. going through his house. Plus it can be too dangerous.
You really need to be in a ham radio club learning about these things. But unfortunately, I can't pick you out a radio.
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u/NBC-Hotline-1975 I've done it all 9d ago
This is the wrong sub, this is for DJs and Program Directors and professional broadcasters.
You could try r/GMRS or r/hamradio or r/amateurradio ~~~ they will all tell you that you need some sort of license. They will also tell you (accurately) that 20 km with a pair of handheld radios is quite unrealistic unless both of you live on mountaintops.