# Radio



## urbanprepper (May 15, 2012)

Hello everyone!

I've been thinking about whether or not i should get a radio, or rather, what type i should get?

I do plan on getting a few walkies to have in my BOB, but at my location i dont have anything (as of yet)

Are all you other preppers planning on having a CB radio? 

My main concern is having an open channel that others might be able to listen into. Obviously i would want to communicate with like-minded people, but as we all have discussed, not everyone will share our thoughts, those who didnt prep, may want to take.

All that being said, what type of radio do you have?


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## Ration-AL (Apr 18, 2012)

well CB isn;t where you want to be, i'd talk to some of the HAM guys and see what you want to be on, i would suggest a 2m,11m or 12m radio though for better range and broader use, problem is you need a license for one of those.
i'll admit my knowledge is sophomoric at best in this realm so i'd really suggest talking to the ham operators and seeing what they say, from my understanding though most older ham radios can easily be tuned to work almost any bandwidth and if you get good you can actually DX or skip your signal across the globe , pretty cool stuff, i've only seen people doing it at various base camps i've been at , always wanted to get into it , but the start up cost and license seems to deter me, lol


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the radios. If you are going to be mobile, then CB isn't a terrible choice. They are still fairly common, and if installed properly, can give several miles of coverage. The family type portables have less range, but are cheap and simple to operate and you can communicate with anybody who has one of their own. Ham is a lifestyle...I know several people who are consumed with ham radio life and I don't have the time to commit to it just to have 2 way communication.


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## Pixelphoto (May 31, 2012)

basically if its an over the air transmission it can be listened to. Private individuals (citizens) don't have access to the good stuff the govt does. That said using opsec when speaking on the radio is most important.
You also need to think about how will you recharge your radios if the electrical grid is down and you have no power. Solar is a good option. 12 volt battery backups also. Ham gives you more range than a cb unless you have an illegal power amp but in a post shtf scenario are you really concerned with fcc law at that point?


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

Pixelphoto said:


> ....Ham gives you more range than a cb unless you have an illegal power amp but in a post shtf scenario are you really concerned with fcc law at that point?


I'd be more concerned with people with Radio Direction Finding (RDF) equipment than fcc regs.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

If you are just looking for tactical use, hand held radios, the TriSquare eXRS radios are a good choice. They're small, fairly rugged, and provide fairly secure digital spread spectrum communications. A government agency may be able to listen in, but your average person, or even Ham, could not. Best of all they are very reasonably priced (about the same as an frs/gmrs radio).

I did a review of them in the Product Review forum, if you are interested in learning more.

For the BOL, CB is a reasonable choice as long as (like Pixelphoto said) you use good OpSec. It has decent range for covering your general area, and is easy to use. Amateur Radio is by far the best all around option, but it can be more expensive, mainly because there are so many options and capabilities. It IS a way of life for some, but like any other hobby, it doesn't have to be. It's sort of like fishing, you can sit on the bank of a pond with a cane pole, or you can start buying graphite rods, bass boats, etc. It's just a matter of how deeply you want to become involved. ;?)


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## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

If security is a major concern, concider using aviation band radios. Handhelds should give several miles of transmit power. The dash mount radios should give you 30-50 miles range. In a SHTF senario I would doubt that anyone would be scanning these frequencies. 

Used radios are fairly common and can be purchased at most FBO's (Fix Base Operators) these are the general aviation businesses at the airports. Or they can be purchased off of the internet.

These radios are not cheap. Used they run $300-$1000 for a used radio and new radios can run $1500-$4000.


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