What would be a rock solid total communications package for exploration,on the cheap?

[Comanche Scott]

NetDep brought up a great point in the "To Ham Or Not To Ham" thread, in regards to what can be done "on the cheap"?
I hadn't given much consideration to cost when it comes to a communication package, as my main concern is being able to make reliable contact at all times.

CB, 2M/70CM is pretty much short distance line of site (not relying on repeaters). Some of the lower bands rely on propagation.
Satellite relies on a fairly clear view of the sky.
No one thing is going to cover all situations, and redundancy is definitely important.

So, if cost was a major consideration for someone traveling both way out of normal communications range, and within cell range, what do you think would make a good complete package without breaking the bank?

My personal setup & goal is not even close to "budget minded", except for the cheap Hand talkies. So I'm a poor choice to follow for someone trying to keep the costs within reason.
I'm very interested in what you all think. Because sometimes throwing money at a situation, doesn't make the best result.
Also if you have experience with the gear you are thinking of, that would be great to read too.
Thanks for your input :beer:

If there has been a thread on this, or it's been beaten to death in the past, my apologies in advance.
In which case, maybe just whatever new-but-proven technology could be discussed?

 

[Chris Boyd]

If cost is a factor, but satellite is out, then I'd go for GMRS. $85 license good for 5 years and the mobile radios are under $200. Portables are plentiful and cheap. Mobiles offer near Ham performance without the exam.

For me it's a layered approach if it is a life safety issue and cell coverage isn't reliable: 1) InReach for two-way/SOS as life-safety, family connection and weather. 2)Ham for regional comms with repeaters and APRS 3) GMRS for convoy.

2 is 1 and 1 is none, if your life depends on the comms. InReach is based on Iridium, so even a partially blocked sky will get out as the constellation passes.

CB isn't worth it unless you want to listen to truckers complain.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Do you mean within and out of cell range? What are the criteria for communication? IOW, how critical and practical to adjust location to compensate for poor RF conditions?

If I was building a high reliability communication system on a strict budget it would be a surplus analog VHF radio, used portable HF rig, a SPOT and a cell phone with external antenna.

Thinking:
Vertex VXD-2200
- 25W, 250 channels
- 134-174 MHz continuous receive and transmit so could be used on just about any type of license
- free programming software from Vertex (my main beef with Motorola is how tight they are with CPS)
- typically like $100

Icom IC-718
- 160m to 10m coverage
- modern architecture, still easily repaired
- simple operation
- typically $450 used

 

[Rando]

If you really need "to make reliable contact at all times" at the lowest cost, your options would be limited to SPOT, InReach or a PLB.

 

[briboki]

If we're talking the USA then one of these should work..

(1) Delorme Inreach
(2) VHF mobile with a few antenna choices
(3) Cell phone


With my Yaesu 1900r and my SPOT I've felt well covered out of cell phone range. Although there are lots of 2M repeaters in Colorado. Snowshoeing and backcountry skiing my SPOT has been super reliable. Wife and I have been talking about switching to the Delorme for 2 way communication rather than the 1 way SPOT.

How many spare tires do you carry? I'd be more worried about running out of tires than those 3 choices above not working.

 

[Frdmskr]

Where are you going?

If you are sticking to populated areas and pretty civilized parks in the lower 48 or lower Canada near the US border: 2/70 Ham and CB are fine. Even GMRS/FRS can do well.

Going into mountains/ rugged rural areas: satellite, Ham HF, maybe CB if in the US.

Internationally: Ham HF/VHF/UHF and Satellite.

The thing is this. I currently am limited to mountains and parks near me. While I live in populated, infrastructure intense areas, the mountains are a real nightmare. I'd run 30/40m HF to make any contacts when below ridge line. I've run 2m and heard jack. CB and FRS are common for groups on the trails but those modes don't carry far and we loose touch front to back in a long convoy.

If going international it's ham or satellite due to service availability. 27MHz, 462 MHz services are not common worldwide. In South Africa CB is 30 MHz FM. In Australia it's on UHF around 470 MHz I believe. May not even be legal in some areas.

It's a legit question but need more info.


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[Robert Bills]

My offroad rig is equipped with: (1) CB (still the common denominator among offroaders, and it doesn't matter to me if the only person I reach is a "whiny trucker" if that person can help me out of a jam); (2) FRS/GMRS (even though it has limited range); (3) Ham 2m/70cm (for both simplex and repeater capability); and (4) my cell phone. I would have an Inreach/Spot/PLB device if I knew more about them, and will probably acquire one before next spring because I am getting older and more aware of my mortality. Thus far I haven't needed or wanted a satellite phone.

CB can be installed for $100 or less, and one can also have FRS/GMRS/Ham capability for less than $100. [See, e.g., http://www.thenewx.org/forum/297-electronics/114594-poor-mans-ham-radio-less-than-$100.html]. One can buy a good cell phone for less than $100 as well (albeit not an iPhone or a particularly smart phone). I have no clue what Inreach/Spot/PLB capability costs.

I think the key is to be equipped with more than one type of communication device to maximize the chances of reaching another human being in the event of an emergency, and to bear in mind the type of device(s) the closest person able to offer help is likely to have.

 

[LR Max]

I guess it really depends. Here in the southeast, you can pretty much go to any mountain top and get cell service. So while you've gotta go for a bit of a hike, that isn't that bad.

When I was in Colorado, we ALWAYS saw another vehicle. Its just that populated out there. We once got into a bit of a jam, and before we even made a decision on the best way to handle it, another vehicle came along and helped. Easy. That said, we were on some pretty popular trails so I suspect that had something to do with it.

Right now, I've got a cheapo Baofeng 2m/70cm hand held with a 1/4 wave antenna on it, seeing how well that works. Still trying to feel it out. Need to get a mag mount antenna.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Anywhere, anytime

Great input! :beer:

My thought is travel anywhere in the world. Because base communications are the same on every continent.
Cell
Radio
Satellite

Redundancy, because no one system will function 100% of the time, in every environment, in every remote location. Ease of use in an emergency would be a big part of the equation too.

Since CB/2M/70CM and cell is all line of site, it isn't hard to get in a spot where there is no reception, especially in mountainous terrain as you guys have mentioned. I've even lost signal on the InReach SE before. So it doesn't necessarily need to be an exotic location. It could just be the time of year, or the wrong place at the wrong time of day, that could require a more robust strategy, than the status quo.

Used gear is a great idea. Even the satellite PLBs are showing up used. That could be a big savings, with the new cheaper subscription plans out now.

Until I read the post by NetDep, I hadn't even thought about the word "budget". What I am doing isn't even reasonably common sense price wise. But it got me thinking that for a lot of people "budget" may be the difference between getting out off the beaten path and seeing things most people don't, or sticking to the well trodden dusty trail.

Nice to read all the cool ideas on keeping things reasonable from you guys. :beer:

 

[BigJimCruising]

Try to find a used working Icom 706mkII. That takes care of all your HAM needs in one unit. You can buy an HF multi-tap antenna or just a handful of different band antennas and you're pretty much done. Add a 2m/70cm and upper bands are done.

But like above I would also have another option as a backup if you can afford it.

 

[Frdmskr]

Don't forget 2/70cm can do satellite but it raises a layer of effort many don't try.

If budget is at issue buy used not Baofeng. Those Chinese rigs are unreliable and dirty. Not unusual for tests to show out of band spurs and random failure due to poor QA.

You can get lots of use Ham and commercial gear under 300$ and plenty under $250.

Again, don't discount HF if going outside of the country. Licensing can be either reciprocal (just a paperwork thing) or laborious (thinking Africa or China) but unless we have a huge solar storm of amazing levels (effecting even Sats) you'll work someone.


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[Comanche Scott]

HF is pretty amazing.

Yes, what people are doing on HF at low power is pretty amazing. Also ran across some good articles about home made antennas on the cheap.
With a General license, there are so many possibilities.

I was looking through some ham specific websites (like eham.net), and there are some pretty good deals out there. I'd feel more comfortable buying used from the person who was using the gear, than off of eBay. I've also run across some good stuff on craigslist, which gives the chance to check out the gear before buying.

I hadn't looked much at Icom before. Mostly Kenwood (because of the TS-2000 with Star Command, and ability to control it through the front end of a TH-D700/710), and the Yaesu 857D.
That Icom 706 Mark II looks pretty awesome, and the newer G version has 430MHz as well.
There was an Icom mobile which had a spread spectrum analyzer that would be really cool. If I remember right the model was IC-7000. But I don't know if the face plate was remote capable. It's also discontinued.
I've read about issues with the finals, which may make it a good deal on the used market.

 

[DaveInDenver]

IC-7000 has a remote face, if you want. So does the IC-7100, but it to me doesn't look as accommodating to mobile.

One thing about QRP (low power, under 5W) HF is that it's not about predictable and reliable communication. It's fun to do but for something you may want to rely upon my feeling is that you should plan on either being able to run 100W barefoot or have an amp available. In this respect the FT-857, IC-706, IC-7000, etc. are ideal since you can dial back the power but have the option to punch it up.

Low power HF to me is like amateur satellite, very interesting aspect of the hobby but not what I would call a primary operating mode that I would count on working or having a high chance of making a contact.

 

[Comanche Scott]

That's a great point Dave.
Which also means the antenna has to be able to support this. That changes things for hiking away from the vehicle.
But there seems to be a lot of instructions on home made antenna's on the internet, and some don't seem all that tall.
All of your choices would be back pack capable, just need a good battery system and easily deploy-able antenna to handle the power.

So this begs the next question. Thinking of a budget, and going used. What would be a good dollar value price point for a competent HF radio on a budget?