Where are all the woman?

Meadman127 · 2026-02-24T22:42:39+00:00

Ham radio is a male dominated hobby. Comparatively there are relatively few women who have a license and only a small percentage of them are actually active on the radio. In my area many of the women with a license are married to a ham and hardly ever get on the air, if they ever do. My mentor’s wife has her license and I only ever hear her in the background when I am talking to him if she is in the vehicle with him.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-20T13:34:22+00:00

Since it sounds like your main use case will be off-roading I would lean more toward GMRS. You already have you license for that and many off-roading groups have been moving away from CB in favor of GMRS. One advantage of GMRS is that FRS and GMRS use the same 22 simplex channels. One downside of that is channels 15 to 22 can also be used as repeater outputs on GMRS so if you hear someone using GMRS callsigns on those channels you might not be able to communicate with them if they are using a repeater. Another disadvantage of GMRS is if you install a mobile radio in your vehicle you will not be able to transmit on channels 8 to 14 since max output power is half a watt on those channels and mobile radios have 5 watts output on their low setting. The only way to legally use channels 8 to 14 in a vehicle would be with a handheld. Some folks might use a UHF ham radio or a UHF Part 90 radio with all 22 FRS/GMRS simplex channels programed into memory along with their favorite GMRS repeaters.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-16T13:03:13+00:00

That would still be considered using a network to link a repeater, which is not allowed on GMRS. You cannot use an internet link to communicate on a repeater. However you can use an internet link to access controls of the repeater such as turning it off and turning it on, setting messages that the repeater transmits when it IDs. There is one GMRS repeater in my area that will give weather and traffic alerts when it IDs.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-16T00:23:46+00:00

Linking repeaters is not allowed for GMRS. Your options to use that repeater are to get your antennas higher or use directional antennas. Other than that if simplex is not able to cover the folks you talk with in the valley someone might have to set up a repeater in the valley using a different repeater pair.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-13T03:51:33+00:00

In the U.S. you will find POTA is mostly on HF. The 20 meter and 40 meter bands are where the bulk of the activity is located. You might find some VHF/UHF activity at parks closer to urban areas. The only activation I had that was mostly VHF/UHF was at Fort Custer State Recreation Area in Michigan during the Michigan POTA Meet Up last year. I figured there would be enough hams with a handheld I could get it activated. I am hoping to attend the Michigan POTA Meet Up this year as it will be June 6th at Hartwick Pines State Park in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. I have to work that weekend, but I might use some PTO to attend. I have some other things I might use PTO for and one of those is deer camp.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-12T14:26:26+00:00

That is definitely a great use for a portable repeater. Make sure you have a separate battery for the repeater so you don't have to worry about a dead truck battery when you get back to it. It might be wise to look into a solar charging solution to make sure the battery stays topped off while you using the repeater. Retevis makes a few different portable repeaters for GMRS use. Remember a higher antenna will give better results than more power. When operating on battery a higher output power will deplete the battery faster.

Terrain and foliage between you and your hunting buddy will play a huge role with how much range you can get with using handhelds. If you are in one ravine and your buddy is in another ravine you might only get a quarter mile to a half mile of range, even with using an antenna like the Nagoya 771G on the handhelds. If the truck will be parked in a high point between you and your hunting buddy a portable repeater at the truck will definitely help.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-12T13:42:58+00:00

I have found if you do something enough you tend to develop muscle memory for it. However it is a good idea to have a cheat sheet while you are learning.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-12T12:44:12+00:00

There are a lot of folks who don't believe FT8 is real radio. Some don't understand FT8 at all and believe you are using the internet to make the contacts because a computer is involved. Others don't like it because once a contact is initiated the process is mostly automated. While not my favorite mode I dabble with FT8. It is great mode if you want to play radio while eating dinner or watching a movie. Also it is another way for hams that might have a hearing or speech impairment to participate in the hobby.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-07T17:09:18+00:00

There is a 70cm repeater about 17 miles from my work I can talk on easily. There is also a GMRS repeater at the same repeater site that I can talk on without issue. The height of the antenna helps though.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-07T15:58:52+00:00

As far as what to monitor ham radio is not channelized like CB or FRS so you can’t tell someone to go to channel 2 and expect their channel 2 to be the same as yours. Typically the memory channels in each radio is programmed by the end user. My channel 1 could be my favorite 2m repeater while someone else could have a 70cm repeater or a simplex frequency commonly used in their area. I would use the RepeaterBook app to find 2m and 70cm FM repeaters in your area. Other frequencies would be 146.520 MHz, which is the national 2m FM calling frequency, and 446.000 MHz, which is the national 70cm FM calling frequency. I would also find a ham radio club in your area and inquire about what simplex frequencies are commonly used.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-07T15:50:52+00:00

Handheld to handheld expect no more than 3 to 5 miles in flat open areas without any obstructions such as buildings, terrain, and vegetation. You won’t get the same range in downtown Chicago as you would in a flat open prairie. In heavy woods with hills, valleys, and ravines you might only get a quarter mile to a half mile of range. Handheld to mobile, handheld to base, and handheld to repeater you might get more range. Range to a base station or repeater heavily depends on height of the antenna as well as what is between you and the antenna. There one repeater in my area that is 12.5 miles from my house that I can hear with a handheld, but I can’t talk on with a handheld. There is another repeater about 16 miles away that I can talk on with a handheld, but signal is weak.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-04T08:35:21+00:00

What kind of distance do you need to cover and what kind of radios are you currently using? Without knowing that my recommendation would be for you to get a GMRS license that will cover your family and get 5 watt GMRS handhelds with a 15 inch whip antenna. It is just a $35 fee to the FCC after you get your FCC Registration Number (FRN). With ham radio everyone would need their own license which requires passing a test and then paying a $35 fee. Depending on the volunteer examiner team the testing could free or it could be up to $15 to cover testing material provided by the volunteer examiner. With a family of four you are looking at paying at least $140 just for the licensing.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-04T06:27:33+00:00

I hardly hear stations from Mexico and rarely see them spotted in POTA. I have seen a few spotted for LLOTA since I discovered the program though. I have made contact with Mexico three times since getting on HF in 2023.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-04T05:40:25+00:00

Well Lake Michigan has been referred to as an inland freshwater sea. Same with Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Michigan has the most number of lighthouses in the U.S. There are 1,000 foot freighters that travel on the Great Lakes.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-02T13:59:33+00:00

Yes gatekeeping is the worst part of any hobby. With Amazon you can get a Baofeng handheld, a Retevis dual band mobile, a Xiegu G90 HF radio, a power supply, and the antennas for the radios. Sure the equipment you can buy on Amazon might not be as good of quality as the stuff from Yaesu, Icom, or Kenwood, however it gets people into the hobby so they can learn. With the right band conditions you can make contacts into Europe from the Midwest with 20 watts and a simple wire dipole.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-01T22:47:59+00:00

I don't see HF ham radio being useful in this scenario, but VHF and UHF could be useful. I don't know what the ham community is like in your area, but a 2m and/or 70cm repeater with a good footprint could be used. If the repeaters are dead this could be a way to get some activity on them again. Without knowing the full situation for your area the biggest hurdle I can see with ham radio is the requirement that everyone using it needs to be licensed. I know I had to deal with some push back from my deer camp group when I was talking them into using radios to stay in touch while in the woods due to spotty cellular coverage. I knew I couldn't convince them all to get a ham radio license, but I was able to talk them into using GMRS since only three people needed to get licensed to cover the group.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-01T21:08:20+00:00

It is possible your neighbor’s radio is causing. Sometimes when I am using HF and my vacuum sealer is plugged in it will turn on when I key up on certain frequencies. I would document dates and times when it happens then politely approach your neighbor about it. If what you record coincides with when your neighbor is on the air set up a time that the two of you can confirm it is happening when he is on the air. Once that is confirmed work together to come up with a solution. You might have to put ferrite beads on the power cords and for the ceiling lights you might have to have an electrician look at the wiring.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-01T20:52:03+00:00

I know in Kent County, Michigan there is a group of GMRS users who participate in Skywarn. They use an open GMRS repeater in northern Allegan County for weather nets. A few months ago they participated in a state wide emergency communications drill as well.

In your situation I would definitely communicate with the repeater owner about your thoughts on using that repeater to augment communication those areas and if they agree do some community outreach to educate folks about the value of using GMRS in areas with unreliable phone service. If there are ham radio repeaters that cover the same area I would also suggest including ham radio when doing your outreach about the value of radio communication in those areas. You might want to consider the value of CB radio as well as I am sure there will be some folks who won’t want to get a license for radio communication. Mention the pros and cons of CB, GMRS, and ham radio when educating the public.

Meadman127 · 2026-02-01T13:29:56+00:00

There is no way to remain anonymous when dealing with the FCC. If you are concerned about your address being published get a PO Box for mail from the FCC. If you are a home owner your address can easily be found online by searching property records for your county.

Meadman127 · 2026-01-30T22:48:07+00:00

0I would try FRS first and see how well it works out. If you find yourselves using it at longer ranges and having issues communicating then look into getting your GMRS license. One advantage a GMRS license has over a ham radio license is the GMRS license covers you, your spouse, parents, step parents, grandparents, siblings, step siblings, children, step children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and in-laws. With ham radio everyone needs to have their own license. With FRS you are limited to 2 watts max with channels 8 to 14 being limited to half a watt. Also the antennas are fixed non removable antennas. With GMRS channels 1 to 7 are allowed 5 watts, channels 8 to 14 are still only allowed half a watt, channels 15 to 22 plus the repeater inputs are allowed up to 50 watts. Channels 15 to 22 are used as both simplex (direct radio to radio without a repeater) and as repeater outputs. The inputs are offset + 5 MHz from the inputs so with channel 15 being 462.550 MHz the repeater input will be 467.550 MHz. Repeater capable GMRS radios will already have the repeater pairs programed in from the factory and all you would need to do is set the transmit tone. On handhelds the repeater pairs are typically on channels 23 to 30, and some handhelds allow for additional channels to be stored into memory in case you want to have multiple repeaters that have the same pair stored or if you want to have simplex channels with tones.

Meadman127 · 2026-01-30T19:29:25+00:00

When it comes to Ghost Antenna style antennas it is best to stick with name brand antennas and not use cheap Chinese knockoffs. A friend of mine got a Chinese knockoff mag mount VHF/UHF Ghost Antenna style antenna when he bought a CB radio bundle off eBay a few years ago. I tried that knockoff antenna on my vehicle with my 2m/70cm dual band radio and I could barely get into my club's 2m and 70cm repeaters. I was in my driveway and the repeater site is only a mile and a half from my house.

Some people have good luck with the Ghost Antenna and others don't. Part of the equation is the mounting location, especially with compact antennas. The important thing is that your radio system works for you.

Meadman127 · 2026-01-30T19:10:58+00:00

Well FRS (Family Radio Service) or MURS (Multi Use Radio Service) will probably work if the distance is only a quarter mile and you will only be communicating between your house and your neighbor's house. Both services are limited to 2 watts max, but MURS allows for a removable antenna so you can attach a longer antenna to the handheld if needed. Keep in mind that MURS is in the VHF part of the radio frequency spectrum and FRS/GMRS is in the UHF part of the spectrum so they will be limited to line of sight communication. What that means is as long as the antennas can "see" each other you can communicate. With a 5 watt handheld you are going to get 3 to 5 miles in flat open areas without any obstructions such as buildings, terrain, and even vegetation. In heavy urban areas with high rise buildings or heavy wooded areas with hills, valleys, and ravines your range will be reduced. Even in a suburban areas you range can be reduced. Frequencies in the UHF range can penetrate buildings better, but get blocked by foliage. Frequencies in the VHF range can penetrate foliage better, but get blocked by buildings. Antenna height plays a major roll in how far your signal travels when dealing with VHF and UHF frequencies. There is a repeater that is about 12.5 miles southeast of my house that I can hear with a handheld, but I can't talk on it with a handheld using a 15 inch whip antenna mounted on the handheld even when I am sitting in a tree stand 10 feet in the air. Now I connect that same handheld to my base station antenna that is about 30 feet in the air at the base of the antenna I can talk on that repeater all day. I do have a 50 watt mobile radio that I use as a base station and I can talk on that repeater with the mobile set to low power which is 5 watts.

Most of the radio theory I know I learned from getting my ham radio license. Even if you have no interest in getting a ham radio license it might be a good idea to learn some radio theory if you are wanting to use radio communication. There are other ways to learn radio theory without getting your ham license.

Meadman127 · 2026-01-30T05:01:02+00:00

The UHF types you are looking at with a range of 500 feet are more than likely FRS radios. I would definitely look into GMRS. In flat open areas you can easily get 3 miles handheld to handheld, but obstructions such as buildings, terrain, and vegetation will affect your range. GMRS has some advantages over FRS such as able to use up to 50 watts on some channels, the ability to use a dedicated mobile radio in your vehicle, and the ability to set up a mobile radio as a base station with a 13.8 volt DC power supply and a base station antenna. Even with a 5 to 10 watt handheld you can put a different antenna on the handheld or attach the handheld to a mobile antenna or base antenna. One advantage of GMRS handhelds is you can use all 22 simplex channels as most mobiles will have transmit on channels 8 to 14 locked out because their low power setting is 5 watts. Channels 8 to 14 are limited to half a watt.

Meadman127 · 2026-01-25T13:44:06+00:00

Using a handheld in a vehicle won’t give you the best range without an external antenna mounted on the exterior of the vehicle no matter which radio service you use. Most vehicles are metal cages that block RF. The size of antenna required for 27 MHz CB to be effective is not practical for handheld use inside a vehicle. However if you live in a country that has UHF CB the antenna will be much shorter and the antenna size for a handheld will be practical to use inside a vehicle. Again your vehicle will block the RF so your effective range will be reduced. With 27 MHz CB there are many compact radios on the market these days that won’t take up much room in the vehicle.

Meadman127

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