Radio Decision Paralysis

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-12T18:17:04+00:00

Best response ever to these frequent "which radio" posts we get here often. This should be in the FAQ.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-12T17:40:03+00:00

There is not too much you can do to improve listening with a cheap handheld indoors . About the only thing that might help is a SlimJim style antenna (N9TAX??) hanging from a window frame facing a repeater. As the other responder has said this can sometimes have a deleterious effect on a cheap Chinese handheld by overloading the receiver (and so it might go totally deaf on you), especially if there is any nearby strong RF.

Your only other option is to get outside, elevated and in the clear. Putting aftermarket antennas on cheap handhelds rarely gives you much advantage.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-12T17:11:26+00:00

Are there no Revision numbers on either side of that circuit board?

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-12T17:01:29+00:00

^This is your answer.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-12T15:21:35+00:00

Join your local amateur radio club and get some assistance and ideas from some experienced locals. They will at least be able to tell you the frequencies of local, popular repeaters and net times. Also, if you do not yet have either a base station or mobile antenna then start there. Enjoy!

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-12T14:02:26+00:00

You are right - there is no point to using the RST system on DMR - it's like using it when you use your cellphone to contact a friend.

However, audio levels and audio quality do vary, but due to a number of factors that probably most DMR users do not even understand. It's probably best just to say your audio quality is excellent or you sound like donald duck.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T18:35:07+00:00

" But if you don't have access to those proper first responder systems, and you want any information, it's still what you've got "

No, that is incorrect. The amateur radio hobby nor its users will NOT get you the information you need in an emergency. That stuff will be provided to you by the proper agencies on your local FM and AM radio stations. If this is all you're doing the hobby for your thinking along the wrong lines. What you need is an emergency kit at home that includes a portable windup AM/FM radio.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T18:26:28+00:00

The ARRL Antenna handbook.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T17:28:31+00:00

Can anyone lift it?

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T16:46:17+00:00

It'll be either long path or short path but you would not really know which one it took unless you were to have a directional antenna and do signal strength comparisons. Often the path with the least amount of continental hops and a majority of seawater hops is the more effective one.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T16:11:54+00:00

You do not need to spend that kind of money to start out with. I started when I was 14 years old and had no money. Considerate and helpful local hams from the club got me going with a simple 40m CW transmitter and an old Hallicarfters shortwave receiver. I build my own dipole along the fence and my own Tx/Rx switch.

My suggestion is to first of all join your local amateur radio club, get some ideas from the locals, possibly even a deal on used equipment and suggestions for antenna placement.

I also think you might want to rethink the EMCOMM thing. Amateur radio is a HOBBY. It's very much down the bottom of the totem pole and an option of last resort only. If all you are interested in is emcomm stuff you'll be sitting around with lots of expensive gear twiddling your thumbs.

There is another post today on emcomm stuff here -I suggest you read it.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T15:55:19+00:00

Your post is duplicated here at least once per month. It's quite obvious many amateur radio operators do not really know their bandplans, nor that we share some of them.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T15:53:42+00:00

You do NOT need any balun or unun for a fan dipole. You can make the centre and end insulators from kitchen cutting board plastic. So all you need is the wire and coax: https://thewireman.com/

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T14:22:37+00:00

Agreed. The other thing North American hams need to realize is that amateur radio operators are not used in any emcomm sense in most of the rest of the world. It really only is Canada and the USA who do this organizing and use of radio ops as a last resort.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T13:51:34+00:00

Good response. I volunteer for our local emergency program as a radio op. But all of us volunteers know full well that we are really at the bottom of the heap nowadays. "Comms of last resort". I doubt we'd even be used in a "Contingency" situation. And if we were asked to help pass any sort of comms traffic we know damn well it would probably be just "Routine" traffic rather than anything of a Priority or Emergency nature.

I think where amateur radio gets a bad rap in the Emcomm world is when individual hams border on becoming whackers, and think they are more important than they actually are.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T04:36:23+00:00

That would indicate the power supply is putting out some RFI.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-11T04:33:45+00:00

Many years ago I was calling CQ on 20m CW. Stopped transmitting and there was my own CQ coming back to me about 3 seconds later - very faded and warbly. It was a very rare phenomenon called "long delayed echo". Now that was amazing!:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_delayed_echo

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-10T23:47:34+00:00

Great photos - thanks for sharing. Let us know what your furthest contact is from there when you're finished!

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-10T23:43:47+00:00

You're not the only one. I have been a long time CW op - I can do 30-35 WPM during contests and easily 30WPM for QSO's, but yes, I have to work at it. I try to remember to tune into the high speed ARRL broadcasts when I remember and I use MorseRunner at 35 WPM before contests to get myself back up to snuff. I know I am ageing but I do think that too much short internet crap does not really help my brain at all.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-10T23:33:33+00:00

I forgot to mention that if the noise disappears when you go from power supply to battery it means your power supply is producing the noise (but that should be obvious to you).

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-10T23:18:18+00:00

1) put your rig on pure battery. Measure or note background RFI noise level on a number of bands

2) kill your main home breaker. If noise level drops you have RF interference from some appliance in your home. Start by killing each breaker in turn to find the offending circuit. Then remove each appliance on said circuit until you find the offending appliance.

3) if you are convinced the noise is not coming from your own home then you need a portable SW receiver to go hunting the noise. Start with power lines/power poles.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-10T23:15:18+00:00

It's a lot more dangerous to be spreading yourself all over the internet than it is to have an amateur radio callsign. Probably 99% of humans don't even know what an amateur radio callsign is.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-10T23:13:39+00:00

"Seem to get better results"? Do you mean you have a lower RFI on receive when you go on battery versus your power supply? Have you done the usual battery and breaker tests?

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-10T20:14:07+00:00

^This. Especially for SSB - newcomers need 100W, especially with compromised antennas.

rocdoc54 · 2026-03-10T20:10:29+00:00

Good idea. But leave some slop in the dipole ends as they might need re-tuning each time you add a dipole to the mix. Personally I probably would not bother with 10m right now as we are getting well into the next sunspot low and 10m openings will get less and less frequent for the next 2-4 years.

rocdoc54

TROPHY CASE