Suggestions for 2-Meter Ham Radio for Preparedness guest article by ‘Minerjim’ for Modern Survival Blog
There have been a lot of conversations on MSB lately about ham radio for communication preps. Most of this conversation has been geared towards getting a Ham Technician’s license and getting on the air legally with a 2-meter radio.
Many of us are familiar with the Bao-feng handhelds, which now go up to about 8 watts of power. Good for short-distance communications. But what if you want to really reach out into the distance to find out what is going on in the next county or state???
You need higher power, to begin with. This is where some folks have upgraded to higher powered radios in the 50-80 watt range. These are usually vehicle mounted (12 volt DC) or home base stations (12 volt DC or 120volt AC).
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While there are a lot of older 2-meter FM ham radios out there, the cost of new is really pretty low. Do a search online for “2-meter mobile/base station radios” and you will see what I mean.
So which 2-meter radio is best???
They all have basic functions, but each has its own “bells and whistles”.
Truthfully, they will all do what you need them to do as far as transmitting and receiving. They are so cheap ($180-250) that looking for a used, older, 2 meter FM radio really doesn’t make sense, imho. Just buy a fresh radio with a guarantee, and learn to use it.
(Note: there are “Nifty” brand ‘cheat sheets’ for most new ham radios. Basically they are quick-start instructions for all the radio functions printed on laminated card stock. I consider these a must. Under $20 each)
Setting up a 2-meter radio base station
So what do you need to set up a 2-meter FM radio base station setup??
I will point out that FM is the most common 2-meter mode of transmission. There are other modes, but not widely used. The radios I list below will all be 2-meter FM mode radios.
Well, here is a minimum setup:
2 Meter FM radio, 50-80 watts
Most will be 12 volts. Recommendations as follows. Prices are in the vicinity of about $200, plus or minus.
