I am looking for a handheld radio that will operate on the CB emergency channel and also recieve NOAA reports. So far the Cobra hh_38_wx_st is the only one I have found. This does serve my purpose but the 1.8# weight is heavier than I would prefer. Can anyone else suggest another brand/model of radio that would be smaller and/or lighter weight? So far this is the only CB/NOAA handheld radio I have been able to find.

Upon further investigation I think perhaps a no code ham license and a Kenwood F6A may be the best idea. Any thoughts? I know there are a lot of hams in this forum.

Brian:

To best answer your questions, I would like to ask for clarification on what your needs are exactly. In the Cobra line of consumer radios you have the handheld you mentioned and the GMRS/FRS radio line. Some of the GMRS/FRS radios from both the Cobra line and Motorola line of radios have GMRS/FRS and Weather receive capability.

Sounds like what you are looking for is a combination unit that covers all of the CB/GMRS/FRS/WX bands and I am not aware of any such unit.

Getting your HAM ticket (License) is a good way to ?broaden? your range and frequency use, not to mention the excitement you have of not just talking with your friends, but also making contacts with other HAMS and reaching people all over the world. HAM radios are just as light and some even have triple frequency capabilities as with the ICOM IC T90 (6M/2M/70cm) or the Kenwood TH F6A (2M/220/70cm).

One clear advantage of the above is you can talk unit-to-unit without a repeater and use a repeater in some cases to extend your range (GMRS and HAM radios) which is something NEXTEL, or Cellular units cannot do.

If you want a weather alert radio e.g. living in tornado ally, then make sure the radio also has that feature, but also check to make sure an emergency alert will override your monitoring to issue the alert.

With the exception of CB and some GMRS and FRS radios you will not need a license, but depending on the power output then a license is required. NOTE: The GMRS/FRS license is not the same as a HAM license according to the FCC.

Define what you need and what you will be using the radios for. Once you have a need identified e.g. keeping track of kids in the campground etc. then proceed from there. You can always get a HAM license and when you do you extend your communication capability greatly. For more info on HAM licensing check out eHam. I have a ICOM HH HAM 2M/70cm radio and 2 Motorola GMRS/FRS radios. I also have a cellular phone and a wireless card for the laptop. For ambulance duty I also have a HH for dispatch <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> WHEW talk about weight. Oh wait, I don't carry all of them on me all of the time. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Take care,

Stargazer

"If we believe in absurdities, we shall commit atrocities - Voltaire"

get your no-code tech and a whole new world opens to you. you can even mod some ham radios to run GMRS/FRS + ham bands. Forget CB, nobody's listening anyway.

Thanks for the great advice guys. I have decided to purchase the Kenwood F6A HT and begin studying for the No-Code license. I assume that it is not an FCC violation for an unlicensed person to call 911 on the Kenwood F6A. Also, speaking of licensing, if you have a No-Code HAM license and the FRS/GMRS license then is it legal to modify a HAM radio to send/receive FRS/GMRS signals also?

Don't know about the modification question, someone here will know.
FCC states that in an emergency, anyone can use any frequency, licensed or not.
Good luck with the Tech license, I am shooting for my General upgrade in the next few months. Morse is not coming naturally to me. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

When it comes to modification of radios to transmit out of their designed band, you do have to careful that some aspect of the license is not violated. For instance using modifed gear to transmit outside of its band would have to meet the license restrictions completely....so transmit power would have to be determined as legal on the modified gear. Most HAM gear transmits at higher power than FRS or GMRS radios, so you would have to make sure you did not exceed the power levels for the license. You also have to be careful that the modified gear is not transmitting outside of its frequency allocation. Transmitting outside of the band, that results in interference is a huge deal, you can be fined and lose your license. Modification of gear is sometime way easier to do than testing to make sure it performs properly once modified.

For the most part I think sticking to HAM frequencies is a much better approach. There are many groups around the country interested and ACTIVE in emergency communications on HAM frequencies. This is totally the way to go, IMO, for yourself and your community.

Many new HAM handhelds allow monitoring outside the bands so TV, AM, FM radio, weatherbands, police, fire etc can be heard. This can make for a very nice package in a community that has a dedicated RACES or ARES group.

We have a pair of Icom T90A's, my wife got her Ham license this year and we are able to communicate by simplex or repeater during the day, participate in 2 local emergency communication groups, and our local CERT teams.

I cannot emphasis enough the capabilities of HAM frequencies. So much for so little....a few hours of study and a few hundred dollars for excellent communications. Most of the hard work is already done in larger communities....get the ticket and join a group.

I highly recommend that you check your local HAM groups out. Ask about community service, ask about repeaters, ask about administration of tests etc.

Find your local groups here:

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml

I thought they dropped the code requirement. It's a bit like knowing how to use a muzzle-loader in the army - interesting, utterly irrelevant to the actual requirements of the job at hand.

There is a "no-code" license which is what I intend to get. It is however the entry level license and all subsequent levels still require morse code knowledge. At least that's how I understand it based on the research I have been doing this past week. I agree completely it is just like requiring muzzle loader training at in today's army.

i think morse code is stil something people should choose to know atleast a little of, you never know when the situation may call for it.

i remember when i was much younger i knew a bit of it and could understand small messages in code because of constantly listening to this "box" we had.
wish i still had that too, it picked up truck cb`s and other signals back then in the 70s.

i honestly dont know what else to call it, it was slate grey plasticshell the size of a large shoebox. and was mostly hollow inside the case with a wooden slat for a backing.
the front was mostly black, it had volume / tuning dials, earphone jack and a big orange talk button and was pretty light weight.



if anyone recognizes this bad description id like to put a name and model to that thing finally.

But if there is a problem on the interstate highways, what is the radio of choice for the quickest information? Isn't it going to be the CB? My brother was coming to Dallas the evening before we were leaving to go snow skiing. An ice storm was in full force and I-20 was shut down east of Dallas due to ice or related accident. The story is crazy, but the traffic came to a standstill in 20 degree weather at midnight with no law inforcement going around to explain anything. Using his CB he was able to learn of the shutdown that would not open back up til the next morning. We had to catch a plane so that was a no go. He and some others got in their cars, made their way off the highway, slept in some nearby town and got to Dallas in time to catch the plane. What is the preferred information line on the interstate highways? The CB has it's place there among the truck drivers who seem to know a lot about what's going on. Comments?