I can't use ham to replace cb

[kane375]

I was reading the technician class book and it states you cant use ham for normal 2way radio. while my friends and I are wheeling along we chat on the cb, so even though we are all driving seperate vehicles we all talk like we are in the same vehicle. conversations like ( " you can back up 3 feet before your diff will hit a rock") , (" dude check out that bear over there"), and talking about obstcles we just drove over and what is comming up next, and genral bs. If I understand it corectly we woulden't be able to do that with a ham radio.

 

[W5LZ]

I'm happy to say that you don't understand it correctly. You can say or talk about almost anything on ham radio. There are a few "but's", but nothing that would prevent the example you described. As in, keep it 'clean', you can't charge for making a transmission ('amateur' radio, not 'commercial' radio), can't use secret codes/ciphers (published ones are okay), and probably some other things I can't think of off hand. You get the idea though? It sort of amounts to common courtesy, common sense to some degree, and not having someone say, "Did you really say that?" kind'a thingy. It also depends on what/where/when you say things. If you stumble onto a 'directed' net, or a group talking about a particular thing, it's sort of smart to talk about the same thing or behave in the same 'directed' manner, right? If it's something you'd rather not participate in, go somewhere else. Don't interfere or make a pest of yourself. Just like in 'real life', ain't it? Well, sort of? - 'Doc

 

[Marconi]

Find another hobby.

 

[kane375]

thanks

Thanks doc im glad i missunderstood that it I didnt make the busness conection.

 

[2CO3026]

Just remember to announce your callsign at least once every 10 minutes, and at the end of your final transmission of the conversation (like just before you turn off the radio, or hang up the mic and aren't going to be saying anything for awhile) and you'll be good to go.

Have fun!

-

 

[dudmuck]

I was reading the technician class book and it states you cant use ham for normal 2way radio

Its correct.
This is listed in rule 97.113 (a) (5):
No amateur station shall transmit:
Communications, on a regular basis, which could reasonably be furnished alternatively through other radio services.

Its a good argument to use 11 meters.

 

[Sonwatcher]

The FCC clarified its meaning. There are particular transmissions of a repeated nature that can qualify for other available services .

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Specifically, it amended the rule to allow amateur operators more flexibility to provide communications for public service projects as well as to enhance the value of the amateur service in satisfying personal communications needs and expand the benefits derived from the amateur service by the general public. It noted that the vast majority of comments supported its proposal to relax the prohibition against using the amateur service as an alternative to other radio services such as the maritime services, land mobile radio services or the cellular telephone service. The Commission stated that this action would allow licensees to use amateur service frequencies, for example, to facilitate events such as races and parades, to support educational activities, to provide personal communications such as making appointments and ordering food, to collect data for the National Weather Service, and to provide assistance voluntarily even where there are other authorized radio services available....[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Further, we note that under the Rules, if the control operator of an amateur service station, who also is an emergency services provider engaged in disaster relief, questions whether a particular message in support of disaster relief should be transmitted on amateur service frequencies, he or she is under no obligation to transmit the message.If the control operator decides that a particular message is not appropriate for transmission on amateur service frequencies, we note that the message can be transmitted on frequencies allocated to other radio services, because disaster relief organizations are eligible for and have been assigned numerous radio channels in other radio services to meet their communication needs.[/FONT]

If I were you I would use an FRS/GMRS radio or 2m simplex .

 

[Cajun Invader]

Find another hobby.

 

[kane375]

so what is a ham good for

so what is a ham good for? If all you can do is talk to someone long distance than just use the internet. I hav talked to people in China, Germany and Russia in real time video. And with MMORG's you can play video games togeather with people from arround the world. I will be sticking with cb and ssb I guess

 

[Highlander_821]

so what is a ham good for? If all you can do is talk to someone long distance than just use the internet. I hav talked to people in China, Germany and Russia in real time video. And with MMORG's you can play video games togeather with people from arround the world. I will be sticking with cb and ssb I guess

Sure, you can talk all over the world on the internet. You can do that with a telephone, too. Big whoop. In both instances, you are using other people's equipment. Using HF Ham radio to do the same, you are using only your own equipment at your own location. That's about 10 million times cooler than the friggin internet!

 

[W5LZ]

Well, you're certainly right in one sense. Then again, to use the internet, you have to have an internet connection, which may not always be possible. And the same thing can be said for CB too. There are 'pros/cons' for any radio use, and it's certainly not the best answer to all things. It is a very nice 'fall back' alternative though.
If you have an interest in the 'doing' of things, not just the results, it can certainly keep you busy! It's also where a lot of the 'newer' technical ideas come from, not all of them by any means, but more than you might think. How about a duplex capable handy-talky combined with a phone-patch?? (Cellphone)
- 'Doc

 

[Gearhead]

No one says you can't have both CB and HAM in the same truck. use what you need for the particular situation.

 

[C2]

I cannot think of a ham radio communication that could not be furnished by some other radio service.

Find another hobby? Which one, wheeling or radio? Nice!

 

[WX2MIG]

I think the biggest obstacle he'll have is getting all of his buddies to study for, take the ham test, then invest in new radio equipment....

I tried this very thing several years ago with the guys I surf fished with, we all drove the beach in our 4X4's looking for the birds working over the fish, and talking over CB's. Usually the noise level and skip would preclude us from being able to talk very far from each other.
I first tried to get them all to get their ham ticket, but there was still that pesky code requirement then. So I suggested we all get VHF Marine radios, find an unused channel, and go that route, but most of these guys were cheap, and didn't want to spend the money on another radio and antenna, so we put up with the noise and limitations of CB......

 

[Moleculo]

There is a fairly good sized group of us here that use ham radio for wheeling for exactly what he describes he wants to use it for. There's nothing wrong with that and whoever is saying otherwise is misinterpreting the rules.