Tag Archives: Ham Radio Starter

Ham Radio Starter Kit for Emergencies

by GunGuy

Warning: If you TRANSMIT on frequencies reserved for HAM radio without a license you will be considered a “Pirate”. This is against FCC regulations and they can find you, fine you and take all your radio equipment.

Having reliable communications is always important but it is essential during times of crisis. I think it is imperative that you and your family have reliable communications in times of an emergency or disaster. If the power goes out and the landlines and cell towers are disrupted having the ability to communicate and gather information prevents you from feeling isolated and hopeless.

Keeping the above in mind and also wanting to price out a budget friendly starter package for the beginning ham radio enthusiast or SHTF emergency contingency I recommend the following. It’s cheap, works well and it is easy to add more radios as needed.

So after ordering several of the items listed above I have:

  • 2 Baofeng 2-way radios.
  • 2 Expert Power 7.5″ antenna upgrades. These are flexible and will not snap like the antennas that come with the radios.
  • 2 Handheld Mics. Good for clipping to your shirt.
  • 2 Spare batteries.
  • 1 Car charger. This plugs into the charging cradle and not the radio directly.
  • 1 genuine Baofeng programming cable

For a total of $152.57 I have two radios with upgrades and accessories which is less than one Yaesu FT-60R handheld.

List of frequencies included in the Chirp Emergency Radio Config IMG file here and Emergency Radio Config CSV file here. Same info different file formats.

In order to get you started on obtaining your HAM radio license here are two excellent resources. National Association for Amateur Radio and eHam.net Practice Exams. The test is relatively easy to pass and just reading the Ham Radio License Manual published by the ARRL will be enough. You can cram for the test by reading the Q&A’s in the back over and over till you get them down.

1 70SPX1 446
2 2SPX01 146.52
3 2SPX02 146.535
4 2SPX03 146.55
5 2SPX04 146.565
6 2SPX05 146.58
7 2SPX06 146.595
8 2SPX07 147.42
9 2SPX08 147.435
10 2SPX09 147.45
11 2SPX10 147.465
12 2SPX11 147.48
13 2SPX12 147.495
14 2SPX13 147.51
15 2SPX14 147.525
16 2SPX15 147.54
17 2SPX16 147.555
18 2SPX17 147.57
19 2SPX18 147.585
20 FRS1  462.5625
21 FRS2  462.5875
22 FRS3  462.6125
23 FRS4  462.6375
24 FRS5  462.6625
25 FRS6  462.6875
26 FRS7  462.7125
27 FRS8  467.5625
28 FRS9  467.5875
29 FRS10 467.6125
30 FRS11 467.6375
31 FRS12 467.6625
32 FRS13 467.6875
33 FRS14 467.7125
34 GMRS1 462.55
35 GMRS2 462.575
36 GMRS3 462.6
37 GMRS4 462.625
38 GMRS5 462.65
39 GMRS6 462.675
40 GMRS7 462.7
41 GMRS8 462.725
42 MURS1 151.82
43 MURS2 151.88
44 MURS3 151.94
45 MURS4 154.57
46 MURS5 154.6
47 NOAA1 162.4
48 NOAA2 162.425
49 NOAA3 162.45
50 NOAA4 162.475
51 NOAA5 162.5
52 NOAA6 162.525
53 NOAA7 162.55
54 MVHF16 156.8

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