Meters--- refers to wavelength. Inversely related to frequency. The longer the wavelength the lower the frequency. Talking about the x meter band is kind of a mixup of the old ways of allocating frequencies to different radio services.
Mostly refers to ham radio allocations and shortwave broadcast allocations.


Getting a ham license is a good thing from the standpoint of knowlege always being good. It might become an addiction. Or it might not. But you'd know more about the radio world. (For the record- learning Morse code is no longer required for any class of ham license. If you encounter material saying that it is required you are looking at material several years old.)

Ham and VHF marine radio in the same package? I'm pretty sure that would be a NO.
Receive marine - yes. Transmit - no. (not w/o making illegal modifications)

Arrl.org has lots of startup info for new hams. (American Radio Relay League)

Have fun!


Originally Posted By: roberttheiii
I think the statement that I don't know enough about radio to really understand the answers is a fair one. For example, I have no idea what the meter ranges are. Does this actually refer to antenna size or is it an alternate description of frequency?

It sounds like I should get certified in HAM if only to learn a bit about the topics and determine how much I want to invest in equipment and time after I know a bit more. Any one think it is a bad idea to take the test/learn about it?

I'm very interested in a hand held (I think one was mentioned) that can LEGALLY transmit on both marine and HAM bands. FRS would be convenient skiing, hunting, etc, to communicate with party members, but a handheld waterproof vhf/ham would be great for both marine use, possibly hobbie use, and emergencies.

Thanks again for all the help!

R