QuoteThea solution can be as complicated/expensive, or as simple/inexpensive as your budget allows.

I usually tell people that you can start Ham radio with $100...

Gil.

Sounds a bit like an old Hartley!
Awesome.

Gil.

Quotethere are those of us on here who ONLY use Morse, because it is SOOOOOO amazingly effective

Like this morning, Ray and I chatted over 830 miles using 100mW!  :o
A tenth of a Watt!!! That's 8000 miles per Watt.
1000miles/Watt award? Oh please  ::)

Gil.

Interesting, because I am a pilot and have done a lot of cave diving..

Gil.

You got it, that's pretty much it.

You can go on some parts of HF with a tech license, but with Morse code only, parts of 80, 40 and 15m.
The only exception is 10m voice (SSB or AM or FM) between 28.3 and 28.5MHz.
The range on 10m can be more than CB (11m), because the band is less noisy and you can use more power.
When conditions are good, 10m can give you intercontimental communications.
The tech license gives you all privileges above 30MHz.

Once you have learned enough and got your Tech license, the General isn't much harder, just a bit more material.
Lots of people pass the Tech and General the same day, but you don't have to. It does save you $14 and a bit of time.

Gil.

Quote2m SW radio with SSB is recommended

2m is not shortwave, it's VHF. Shortwave means frequencies between 1.8 to 30MHz. 2m is 144 to 148MHz.
2m handhelds and car radios do not have SSB, they use FM. Only 2m base stations have SSB.
Some HF+VHF car radios have 2m SSB, but they are expensive ($900+).
You can find 2m FM & SSB base radios on Ebay for about $300, but they are pretty old.
That said, 2m FM should give you 30 miles with good antennas mounted high enough..

Look at the Yaesu FT-270R and FT-2900R, the later could be used at home and in a car, and has 75W in FM.
Best thing is, they are cheap and rugged.
The handheld will only give you a few miles. Of course there are repeaters, but not to be excessively relied upon..

Also get a shortware receiver... That way you will get a better understanding of what's going on on HF.
Short wave and HF means pretty much the same thing.

Gil.

QuoteGil, the link for the CB handheld seems to take me to a radio that has SSB, but it looks like an AM radio, not a CB radio.  Am I misinterpreting the ad?

Yes.

30 miles is pretty far and would be practically impossible with a CB. Even with a Ham radio, it won't be easy. Car antennas are too small and too low for good results at that distance, except if you use a repeater on 2m. I'd say start with 2m for local stuff. It's cheap. Yaesu makes great handhelds and car radios. With a good antenna, maybe a Yagi, you might get your 30 miles. When you're set-up with 2m, get into HF and pass your General license. Then the whole world opens to you.
Don't be in a hurry to buy a radio right now. You need to learn a bit more to make the right choice...

Gil.

Well, I am a little bit clandestine as well... My antenna is a black wire up a tree. You can't see it unless you really look, and it's in the back of the house, which is surrounded by trees. I also use my magnetic loop antenna, and that is inside. Even my Buddistick has worked fine inside the house on the second floor. It is certainly possible. With a tuner, one can even load things that are not meant to be antennas. When I get the ATU for my KX3, I intend on trying to load everything I think might work..

Gil.

QuoteSo to really dumb it down what is a carrier and what are sidebands?

That would be a long answer, and I am no expert. So, you might want to use Google for this...

QuoteAre you recommending taking the test before getting a radio?

I don't think it matters. I had a few radios before I got my license. I was just listening.

QuoteI would expect the answer to be yes, but I don't know if there are handheld units that have SSB.

Yes, you do need SSB on both ends. For a CB SSB handheld, see:
http://www.copper.com/cart/product_info.php?products_id=1780&osCsid=bb0a55686a9466c1eeb62296083ee0ca
I don't believe it's legal though...
Handhelds are pretty much FM.

Gil.

QuoteHat tip to gil again for the mention of that book.  It's a gotta-have and has been worth every penny.

You might want to thank Ray for the suggestion.
He suggested it to me..

Gil.

QuoteGil, you recommended SSB.  What is SSB and why is it important?

Hello Geek,

SSB stands for Single Side Band. Historically, the first voice mode was AM, Amplitude Modulation. Still used today. An AM signal has a few components: A carrier and two sidebands. These are the upper (USB) and lower (LSB) sidebands. So, AM requires quite a bit of power to produce those components. You can actually remove the carrier and be left with the two sidebands. It's call Double Sideband (DSB). Going further, since the sidebands are identical, you can filter one out and be left with one sideband, USB or LSB. A CB radio will typically output 4W in AM and 12W in SSB. So, you get more range with SSB as opposed to AM or FM. The only other modes better than SSB (voice) are CW (Morse) and digital modes. Most Ham radio operators use SSB on HF. A few use AM for the nostalgia but also better sound quality. So, if your receiver has SSB, you can listen to Ham radio operators chatting. For CB, it's a matter of range. Some Hams use SSB on VHF and UHF for regional contacts, 100-250 miles. These often involve an amplifier and a directional antenna.

CB works great but will only provide long distance communications during the day and at the peak of the solar cycle, which we happen to be right in the middle of now. Having access to the Ham bands allows you to choose your frequency depending on the time of day and season. It also gives you more modes to use, especially Morse code with CW. Like Bob says, a 2m handheld will beat the pants off an FRS radio. You get slightly better privacy as well, though there are better options for that. So, essentially, with Ham radio, you multiply your changes of making contact at any time, especially if you really need it. I do own a CB, and I am not going to sell it. However, it's collecting dust since I use Ham radios now.

The tech license is very easy. I can't emphasize that enough. It's really not worth not getting. Today, I could even use CB much more efficiently with what I have learned about Ham radio. Look around the site, you will find many interesting topics. You could probably pass your test after doing so, LOL. Those qrz.com practice tests are great. Think about it, they give you the answers, the exact same FCC questions you get on the test. How hard is that?

Gil.

Welcome aboard Geek,

You are better equipped already than most preppers. I probably won't be the only one to suggest that you get your Ham license. At $14 and a few hours of study time, it is a very small price to pay for a lot of capabilities. That said, using your existing equipment, learning more about antennas would definitely benefit you a great deal. Does your CB have SSB (USB/LSB)? That is a major must-have if you want any range.. You can't swap antennas on FRS radios, but on CB, you can use whatever you want. I would suggest that you try the PAR End-Fed 10m model, which should work for the upper part of the CB band. That would allow you to take your radio out of the car and operate it from a small battery. I shoot up fishing weights and line up trees with a slingshot to hoist up wire antennas; works like a charm.

If you want to go the Ham way, and simple/cheap, nothing beats Morse code. CW radios are small and cheap, and you can go on 40, 10 and 80m with a simple technician license. The tech license also gives you 10m SSB and VHF/UHF for local communications. You could get a radio like the MFJ-9410X. The General license though is what you want to get as soon as you can. Get yourself a book and do the qrz.com practice tests... You'll be ready in a few days.. There are a lot of people here willing to help.

Having a SW receiver is a must as well. Just make sure it also receives SSB and has a plug for an external antenna. I'll attach the Ham frequencies band plan to this post..

Gil.

QuoteTell nobody that you have a ham station - nobody...  TRUST me on that last part.

Ah well, my friends know... But not my neighbors...

The magnetic loop indeed is great, but wouldn't work too well in an attic unless you have some way to turn the capacitor remotely.. I'm not sure I would let a teenager play with an antenna that produces 2000V even at QRP levels... And all that RF, I don't know... They work well for sure, I'll say that much. There is nothing that size that's as efficient, that I know of... A dipole might be your best best. A Buddistick might work too, set it up outside to operate, take it down when you're done..

Gil.

QuoteWhere is my thinking wrong considering the rat tail set-up as a 2m dipole?

Pretty much...

Gil.

QuoteWhat you need is a Tesla coil going in the background for ambience.

LOL yes, and wear a lab coat...!

Gil.