How to Extend The Range of Walkie-Talkie Portable Handheld Radios.

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  • Опубліковано 8 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 490

  • @indridcold8433
    @indridcold8433 5 років тому +24

    The method in the video also applies to quarter wave antennas that are mounted on houses. Add a quarter wavelength counterpoise to a quarter wavelength vertical antenna and you have a vertical half wave dipole. I used to do it with a 261.62 centimeter vertical CB antenna when CB was popular. I added a counterpoise of equal length and made a 523.24 centimeter long vertical dipole. It was the poor man's base station antenna back in the day. It made for really good range and clear reception. It also helped to bring the standing wave ratio to almost ideal. I miss those days.

  • @TobyCross
    @TobyCross 5 років тому +13

    Great job explaining this concept. I have read a lot on this and yours was a very clear explanation. Thank you.

  • @Sydneywizard
    @Sydneywizard 7 років тому +36

    Well done. I actually learned something today. You got a new sub. Cheers.

  • @needi51
    @needi51 5 років тому +8

    Thanks for helping people to understand the complex electronics concepts in a simple & layman language! Very helpful video!

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  5 років тому +1

      Thanks.

    • @JH-wp5rv
      @JH-wp5rv 4 роки тому

      That why the radio sounds like car music FYI 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 who is unemiployed radio pile can you tell me about walking tune tracks at 3:21 some people unidentifiable time

  • @flamingo690
    @flamingo690 4 роки тому +6

    this was exactly the tip I needed, thank you!

  • @mutexnet
    @mutexnet 7 років тому +6

    Good vid - thanks for posting. Your comment on polarization was excellent. Hams (well some) are fully aware of this, but when you hand a radio to a neighbor or wife, they may have never even operated one before - let alone know the right / wrong way. Insightful.

  • @theoldhobbit3640
    @theoldhobbit3640 5 років тому +15

    Great educational video. I have now attached these "Tails" to both my HT's and feel confident that it will help in extending the range. Many Thanks for taking the time to share. M6KVK

  • @625lafayette
    @625lafayette Рік тому +1

    These were very good explanations of tactics to use to increase handheld radio range. Another tactic, if you are talking walkie-to-walkie (FM Vhf or Uhf), with some distance between the two radios, is to stand still while transmitting. Face in the direction, initially, that you believe your partner to be. Don't rush to make a quick, short transmission, during the first few transmissions. While you are working to extend the time of your transmission, your partner, who may have a very noisy copy on you at first, should be listening to the level of the noise on your signal, and, with his transceiver's antenna vertical, also, can extend his radio-holding hand out and rotate his body. If the quality of the received signal gets worse, go back to where you stood originally. If received signal quality improves, stand in that "hot spot", until your partner makes another transmission to you. He should look for a "hot spot" while you are transmitting back to him. Sometimes moving a very short distance (feet), while receiving a weaker signal, can have you go from receiving an extremely noisy and difficult to copy signal, to receiving a very strong and clear signal. A good way to demonstrate this, is to listen to one of the NOAA weather stations around 162Mhz (in the US), while moving around with your walkie.

  • @rodneyjohnson4794
    @rodneyjohnson4794 3 роки тому +1

    i was going to put 2 tails on (1 for each band), but when gil said just 1 (for 2m) would work
    for both bands, i was most pleased.
    fyi, the 2m tail is 9.5"/24cm and the 70cm tail is 4.5"/ 114cm.
    'tails' are also 'counterpoises'.
    once again the radio prepper saves the day!!

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  3 роки тому +1

      2m quarter wave is 50cm/19in. 70cm is 17.5cm.

    • @rodneyjohnson4794
      @rodneyjohnson4794 3 роки тому +1

      @@RadioPrepper that is what i get for doing it in my head! many apologies to you and your followers.

  • @miguelgamero5677
    @miguelgamero5677 3 роки тому +2

    Thank you! I will have to watch it again, very interesting!

  • @DarkShadowBliss6
    @DarkShadowBliss6 6 років тому +60

    well there you have it people, let's get high!

  • @AgilangKayumanggi
    @AgilangKayumanggi 4 роки тому +1

    Hi, Radio Prepper! I regularly watch your videos here in the Philippines!
    I look forward to see more of your video guides in the future!
    More power to your channel!

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +2

      Great! I spent two months in Las Pinas close to Manila. I enjoyed it a lot. It was around 1993. I wonder how it has changed..

    • @AgilangKayumanggi
      @AgilangKayumanggi 4 роки тому

      @@RadioPrepper The traffic has worsened in Las Piñas. However it is good to know that you came here decades ago. A lot has changed already. By the way, the car you see in my profile pic is a car I bought in Las Piñas 2 years ago.
      Radios are becoming popular here again because of inexpensive radios that are flooding the market. I use the radio as emcomm and also to train my daughter in 2-way radios.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +1

      Great, I hope to go back some day, maybe by boat...

    • @AgilangKayumanggi
      @AgilangKayumanggi 4 роки тому +1

      @@RadioPrepper I think it's a good idea to share your videos about rsdio prepping. So maybe I can share your videos in Pinoy Preppers (FB page for preppers in the Phil) and also in one of the radio groups that I belong to.

  • @hiquality
    @hiquality 5 років тому +8

    Thanks for the explanation, it was a good one.

  • @jodycastle8034
    @jodycastle8034 3 роки тому +2

    Thank you I never knew that and you did an incredible job explaining it

  • @garybolick6708
    @garybolick6708 4 роки тому +14

    When you can show a curve in 7 miles. You sir would get a Nobel prize. Definitely a good video on working a radio.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +2

      Thanks. It's just math..

    • @PatrickKQ4HBD
      @PatrickKQ4HBD 2 роки тому +2

      That's easy. Spend an afternoon at the beach near a shipping port. You'll be able to track the location and distance of ships as they arrive and depart.

    • @johannmeiring4208
      @johannmeiring4208 2 роки тому +2

      ​@@PatrickKQ4HBD the earth hss no curveture.
      Get your facts right.

    • @njphill0119
      @njphill0119 2 роки тому +5

      @@johannmeiring4208 I really hope your joking

    • @jagadishcdoralmedicineradi8932
      @jagadishcdoralmedicineradi8932 Рік тому +3

      Earth is flat. He was just showing a mountain ⛰️ in between.

  • @kellycoleman715
    @kellycoleman715 4 роки тому +3

    I always made j-pole ‘firestick’ antennas with PVC pipe, copper tubing and electrical tape. They are good, low-cost, high gain antennas. Or were before copper prices went up.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +1

      Interesting, knowing the firestick... Thanks.

  • @CanadianDrifter777
    @CanadianDrifter777 2 роки тому +3

    Getting higher extends the range for sure. Good radio/antenna info.But there's no measurable curvature. Architects and surveyors make no adjustments for earth curvature. Shocking but true.

    • @davidjwbailey1613
      @davidjwbailey1613 2 роки тому +1

      on a building 100m long it is easy to flatten the earth the few cm that the earth curves. Over 7km, the curvature is 3.85m, which more than enough rock to block UHF and VHF completely

  • @dwaynerobertson383
    @dwaynerobertson383 5 років тому +7

    Man...I love this channel! Just learned about this the other day. I believe it is also called a counterpoise (is it the same as a ground plane antenna?). Anyway, great videos. Very informative and directly to the point. Thanks so much for sharing.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  5 років тому +3

      Sort of... Thank you. Share it!

  • @firejackjon5524
    @firejackjon5524 5 років тому +10

    Thank you,great video learned a lot.

  • @richardshort4587
    @richardshort4587 5 років тому +2

    Years ago in the UK and using CB radio. My antenna was a mag mount and the ground plain of the car was important. If not in the car we used metal dustbin lids to increase the range. It was imperative to have the antenna on the car as close o centre of the roof for best range. Thanks for the video. A bientot mon ami.

    • @rayh592
      @rayh592 4 роки тому +1

      I still have cb. A relatively basic mobile rig. A property tuned and mounted antennae makes all the difference. People are amazed by my radios range and audio quality.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +1

      Half-wave end-fed!

    • @richardshort4587
      @richardshort4587 4 роки тому

      Radio Prepper Sorry I don’t understand the reply as I’m not radio savvy.

    • @richardshort4587
      @richardshort4587 4 роки тому

      Journey of a Lifetime I have an older Cobra in the basement collecting dust. No antenna and no SWR meters to set one up with anymore so I guess there it will stay. It has virtually no monetary value to sell so may as well keep it for now. There is a Baofeng UV-82R for sale locally it’s a tri band radio pre programmed for the local LADD radios only $80 Canadian but I have no license to transmit.

  • @kimberlyjohnson4319
    @kimberlyjohnson4319 3 роки тому +5

    Excellent video and great presentation. Finally a video for a newbie that goes slow enough to understand and explains in simple terms. Thank you

  • @judy1angel
    @judy1angel 4 роки тому +2

    Ah, thank you so much for this - brilliant!! You explained all so well. Bless you :)

  • @shawndobson5713
    @shawndobson5713 6 років тому +29

    Great video! Thanks for taking the time.
    Has anyone noticed that almost everyone who takes time to write multiple paragraph lines is typically wrong, incapable of listening to what was actually said, or just a jackass? I'm a General Class if anyone really needs to know. If you know so much why are you watching a video that explains the theory of a damn Tiger Tail? He is helping new people which is more than most choose to do. How about thanking him for taking the time and helping to keep our hobby a live.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  6 років тому +2

      Thanks Shawn.

    • @madcrabber1113
      @madcrabber1113 5 років тому +3

      People just love to bitch and moan and criticize others these days unfortunately. Guess they want everyone to feel as miserable and pathetic as themselves. Love the video and am appreciative of anyone who attempts to do something positive for others.

    • @indridcold8433
      @indridcold8433 5 років тому +2

      I have been interested in radio since I was a young lad. The practice of adding a counterpoise to the antenna works really well. During the golden age of radio when the bands were beautiful, I could talk all over the planet with three watts, a 261.62 centimeter long antenna with a counterpoise of equal length to make a vertical dipole. Those were good days. I still have the AOR scanner and I plugged it up to my television roof top antenna. The scanner still works perfectly. There is nobody on a bunch of dead bands because of poor propagation. Nothing above 15 megacycles is active anymore, including 2 meters. When I used to plug the same scanner into the television roof top antenna back in the 1990s, I could hear things from around the world. I came really close to getting my amateur radio license back in the day. I learned Morse code, learned the bands, learned basic antenna theory and basic propagation theory. Then all the bands collapsed and solar flux indexes started hovering around the lower 60s. I never bothered to get the license. These are bleak times for any kind of radio hobby. I miss my old favourite hobby a lot. I actually still have an old sideband citizen's band radio installed in the vehicle I bought back in 1996. But it is completely barren of users. The bands are dead everywhere.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  5 років тому +3

      Those days will be back!

    • @indridcold8433
      @indridcold8433 5 років тому +1

      @@RadioPrepper I really hope it happens soon. It is doubtful I will still have the vehicle and CB radio I bought back in 1996. But I hope I still will have them.

  • @stettan1754
    @stettan1754 4 роки тому +7

    I would have appreciated a drawing diagram while you were talking. Either way, I learn some new stuff from this video.

  • @krisraps
    @krisraps 4 роки тому +1

    What A Wonderful Explanations ! Really Thankfull For The Video :)

  • @jasoncreed6396
    @jasoncreed6396 2 роки тому

    Thanks again for a good video. Ive learned so much from you,in fact more than any other.

  • @fishingrainbowdaveraulerso1637
    @fishingrainbowdaveraulerso1637 3 роки тому +1

    Very helpful. Very easy to understand. Thank you

  • @tagg976
    @tagg976 2 роки тому +1

    Very useful information... thank you 😁👍

  • @marctcholkayan
    @marctcholkayan 3 роки тому +1

    Wow. Finally some facts!
    Merci!

  • @adamroach5260
    @adamroach5260 5 років тому +1

    Great video. I've been a fan for a while now an appreciate your videos and website.

  • @dixonqwerty
    @dixonqwerty 5 років тому +2

    Very educational! Good video.

  • @marccarter1350
    @marccarter1350 4 роки тому +4

    Merci beaucoup. Excellent information. Will adding wire improve the signal of AM on a handheld?

  • @zr2zamboni906
    @zr2zamboni906 4 роки тому +3

    I have the TYT UV-390 and love it !!!

  • @indridcold8433
    @indridcold8433 5 років тому +103

    Wait, the Earth is flat. Maybe a mountain is in the way.
    Just kidding everyone. Settle down.

    • @asappestcontrol1250
      @asappestcontrol1250 5 років тому +11

      Yes It's proven that there is no curvature or gravity (Gravity is a theory ). Its weight and density

    • @bhaddock9277
      @bhaddock9277 5 років тому +1

      @1EccentricMoFo where do Australian people live? Are they closer to the rim than us?

    • @Hassan-bc4bk
      @Hassan-bc4bk 5 років тому +1

      I agree

    • @kentcyclist
      @kentcyclist 5 років тому +1

      Indrid Cold and the planets and sun move around it. Of course this is obvious

    • @kentcyclist
      @kentcyclist 5 років тому +2

      1EccentricMoFo I agree and moons a giant flat disk in sky

  • @hondaridgelineenduser5934
    @hondaridgelineenduser5934 7 років тому +6

    This is why it's best to get your amateur radio license so u can learn al off the cool shit. Mobile radios, ht's and qrp, sdr, psk etc

    • @ajbulan2029
      @ajbulan2029 4 роки тому

      And not being an asshole jamming frequencies

  • @joelalfaro9348
    @joelalfaro9348 4 роки тому +1

    Great tips sir. Thanks. Liked & Subscribed.

  • @ingViMaslim
    @ingViMaslim 7 років тому +1

    I have another tip for PMR band (446 MHz). For other bands, you would just need to adjust the length. I have a dural tube, 31 cm long, 10 mm thick, but note, must be hollow! Then I have a little plastic tube which I can easily put on the standard anthena. The plastic one should be put on the anthena similarly like you put on gloves on your fingers. The aluminium/dural tube needs to be tied together with the plastic tube, thus, when you put the plastic tube on, the dural tube is placed along with the anthenna and goes parallel. Needs to be as close as possible. I use some ductape for fixing these two together. Do not touch the dural tube when receiving/transmitting, otherwise, you would distune it. This hack can be well used with stock PMR transcievers with non-removable little anthennas and it improves the signal by 1-2 radio, so if you hear somebody 3R, you can get 4-5 R from that.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  7 років тому

      +Rafael van Horn Thanks, did you test it yourself?

  • @M6JKW
    @M6JKW 4 роки тому +2

    Great video thanks for posting 👍

  • @lomgshorts3
    @lomgshorts3 5 років тому

    Range = height above local terrain, the "radio path horizon", antenna efficiency in "dbd"", antenna impedance match to transmitter, receiver sensitivity and selectivity, and at the very last, transmitter power. You can have all the power you can carry, but the type of antenna and its height over the surrounding terrain is what makes the difference.
    I stood at the top of Cheeha Mountain in Alabama, with a one watt amateur VHF transceiver brought up repeaters in four states with the rubber duck antenna alone. On 6 meters with a three element beam horizontally polarized during a band opening, I talked to a ham in Maine with a Yaesu FT- 625 RD at one watt. Height can be everything.

  • @joracer1
    @joracer1 4 роки тому

    They also wind a coil around to get the length. So the wire length in the antenna is 1/4 or half length, no matter how long it actually is. It is wound. No walkie talkie antennas I know of are whip...

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому

      Some are. Often it's just a spring.

  • @olugbengaoluyemi742
    @olugbengaoluyemi742 4 роки тому

    I have a client that has some sets of icom radios, they want to be using it over a very long distance. It was initially configured some years ago and they said it was connected to the a mast

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому

      They probably meant a mast was used to get the antenna higher, which does help a lot. An antenna is mounted on top of the mast and connected with a coax cable to the radio below.

  • @Orvulum
    @Orvulum 3 роки тому +1

    Yeah, height and polarization are big, especially height, although the antenna is something that should be given attention, for sure... A true quarter wave whip can improve range immensely, as opposed to the popular rubber duck antennas. In addition, and this is common in relation to using hand-helds inside buildings, one can often improve range to an astonishing degree by simply moving around and finding a sweet spot, this phenomenon presumably being due to the nature of muti-path RF behavior... Anyway, for better range, definitely get a longer antenna!

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  3 роки тому +4

      Quarter wave definitely! With a quarter wave counterpoise hanging... In urban environments reflection on buildings does play a role, especially on UHF.

  • @lespaw71
    @lespaw71 4 роки тому +2

    In American movies, gangsters shoot from weapons held horizontally. Increase the range of bullets? Walkie-talkies are also kept horizontal.
    ;-)

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +1

      That must be it...

    • @johnduggan8398
      @johnduggan8398 3 роки тому

      Basketball Americans were on to a winner with holding them horizontal haha

  • @M.R.T.V.Videos
    @M.R.T.V.Videos 3 роки тому +1

    Excellent point that isnt brought up alot 🤘

  • @abeltorres9199
    @abeltorres9199 4 роки тому +1

    Great Intel. Thank you

  • @garynorton8122
    @garynorton8122 6 років тому +2

    Great advice. Thanks for sharing!

  • @The1stMachinist
    @The1stMachinist Рік тому

    Thank you very much. I'm still looking for an antenna that can be mounted high. Like on the home or vehicle.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  Рік тому

      For VHF and UHF look at the Diamond X series..

    • @The1stMachinist
      @The1stMachinist Рік тому

      ​@@RadioPrepper I was specifically thinking the FRS walkie-talkies.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  Рік тому

      You can make a UHF Yagi using the handheld antenna as the feeding element.

  • @Mottersmotters
    @Mottersmotters 4 роки тому

    Great video will try it tomorrow on my anytone as I have problems getting into a repeater. Also need to make a slim Jim which you showed me but need to buy the parts and a NanoVNA. Thank you and happy Christmas. M7TRS 73's

  • @hzsolt99
    @hzsolt99 4 роки тому +2

    You make very good tutorial videos! Congratulations!
    I tried this with a tuned 49 cm long pig tail
    wire and the result was only a little bit better than originally.
    (Baofeng UV-9R Plus, with original stock antenna, VHF, 145.500 MHz, 1 W, and a field strength meter.)
    However when I unscrewed the wire from the body of the radio, and I just squeezed the wire with
    the back of the radio with my hand, the field strength jumped to double! Can you imagine how I surprised? :)
    I think in my case this capacitive coupling it was better than direct coupling! Worth to try! :)
    73DX! HA0NC, Op.:Zsolt, from Hungary, Debrecen

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому

      Interesting...

    • @iainmeteorscan1555
      @iainmeteorscan1555 4 роки тому +1

      @Zsolt Horváth: Hi Zsolt - that’s because handie talkie (HT) radios are (usually) designed to utilise the hand (and human body) for capacitance (and why HTs work better when held, rather than just placed on a surface). This is most noticeable when receiving more distant transmissions. Hope not teaching grandmother how to suck eggs! Will send you greetings via QRZ.com.

  • @jimbog6376
    @jimbog6376 3 роки тому +1

    Take my subscription!

  • @dannyo6699
    @dannyo6699 5 років тому

    The Quansheng UV-R50 radio clip does not connect to the ground on the battery. It would have to be done on the inside between the battery and radio, but theoretically could work.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  5 років тому

      Or the outside of the antenna connector..

  • @alexs1972
    @alexs1972 4 роки тому

    Guys the section about polorization is a knowledge bomb of truth. Ask anyone who works with antennas, keeping consistent polarization is key!

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому

      My last video about the UV3R+ shows this clearly...

  • @madcrabber1113
    @madcrabber1113 5 років тому +2

    Thank you! You got another subscriber.

  • @flpirate45
    @flpirate45 6 років тому +5

    Good lesson,thanks.

  • @truckerdaddy-akajohninqueb4793
    @truckerdaddy-akajohninqueb4793 5 років тому +1

    What do you think of the stubby antennas on Amazon, 2 iches high?

  • @gmilstein
    @gmilstein 3 роки тому

    you said any dual band vhf uhf antenna works on walkie talkies? what's the name of that antenna on video? thanks

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  3 роки тому +1

      As long as they have the same connector and are made for the same frequencies. I have so many, no idea!

  • @dale6510
    @dale6510 2 роки тому

    Some advice please; I event direct an ultra marathon. The race is on salt flats i.e. as flat as earth can be. On the flats are water stations for the runners. Base camp/start-finish is at the Southern edge of the salt flats with runners on the salt flats to the North. Further South of the base camp is a 100m high escarpment overlooking the salt flats with no obstructions. On the escarpment I placed a person with a 2W T800 Motorola walkie talkie. Then each water station had its own 2W T800 walkie talkie. The furthest water station from the escarpment walkie talkie was 32kms. Everyone at the water stations on the salt flats could hear the person on the escarpment but the escarpment couldn't hear anyone more than 15 - 20kms away. How do I fix this? I was based at the start finish and was using the escarpment person to relay messages from the water stations to me 1kms forward of the escarpment. Is a repeater set up on the escarpment the solution? More power walkie talkies everywhere or something else?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  2 роки тому +2

      Power won't do it. The reason is the curvature of the earth. At that distance the stations no longer have line-of-sight. The solution is height. You need to use a coax cable to an antenna on a mast, like a telescopic fishing pole, on both ends. What frequency are you using? You'll need a small budget, likely less than $100...

    • @dale6510
      @dale6510 2 роки тому

      @@RadioPrepper 462.5625MHz

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  2 роки тому +2

      I'd suggest a quarter wave with radials to put on top of the masts.. See the quarter wave antenna calculator by m0ukd..

  • @nxesr
    @nxesr 4 роки тому +2

    What curvature, don't think so!! If anything you missed some vital points, the air is super dense, obstacles and other radio or emf interferences.

  • @jaipalyadav1352
    @jaipalyadav1352 3 роки тому

    Very informative video...... :)
    I have a VHF motorola xir p6600i walkie talkie and I use this in dense forest area. What length will be appropriate for rat tail to increase range?

  • @MrHPT3
    @MrHPT3 6 років тому +2

    This is taken right from the Technician test.
    Why do VHF and UHF radio signals usually travel somewhat farther than the visual line of sight distance between two stations? (T3C11)
    The Earth seems less curved to radio waves than to light
    I do agree that holding the antenna properly when using an omni-directional antenna is correct.

    • @deborahchesser7375
      @deborahchesser7375 6 років тому

      Protective HT because short wave. bounces off the atmosphere and the ground

  • @jimmygerilius8494
    @jimmygerilius8494 6 років тому +2

    Whats the model number of that antenna @8:02 ?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  6 років тому +1

      Diamond, SP-something... Markings are unfortunately worn off...

  • @bubayou
    @bubayou 4 роки тому

    I live in the city there's a lot of electrical noise I was thinking about using a loop antenna that instead of attempting to pick up the electrical component of the radio frequency it attempts to detect the magnetic component. I think that will give me a better signal to noise ratio and make it easier for me to detect a weakee signal. Any ideas as to whether an external loop antenna would work better and what size does it need to be

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому

      Definitely and outside would be better. Use a perimeter of 5m.

  • @koniconga
    @koniconga 5 років тому

    Have acquired my call sign and GMRS license, now seeking and debating to either purchase a FRS/GMRS radio or MURS? Seeking advice as participative in Jeep roundabouts jamborees, camping and mountain biking escaped. Seeking suggestions since again assurance getting a suitable means of communication for me, family and friends.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  5 років тому

      Since you will be outdoors I would suggest MURS, which works better in wooded environments. GMRS does work better in urban environments...

  • @bloodsweatandtearsforeverl9833
    @bloodsweatandtearsforeverl9833 6 років тому

    I think outside the box, the antenna plug looks alot like a TV cable, would it work if you plug in to that would you get a world wide signal, or use a aligator clip like you have it set up and connect the other end to the biggest metal structure you can find, or the copper water pipes

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  6 років тому +1

      No. The antenna needs to be a precise length. You would risk damaging the radio.

  • @greghaff229
    @greghaff229 2 роки тому

    So if you have that radio in your left hand plus a Quarter Pounder from McD's in your right hand = half wave ? Enjoyed the video, just gave up on all that 1/4 wave stuff.

  • @GwynnethJaylo
    @GwynnethJaylo Рік тому +1

    Eveytime i turn on my car engine the recieve signal of my uv5r scatter and its annoying.. but if i go out in the car the signal is ok

    • @GwynnethJaylo
      @GwynnethJaylo Рік тому

      Do you have idea whats going on?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  Рік тому

      Might be the car ignition system, issue with wiring maybe, or not enough shielding.

    • @GwynnethJaylo
      @GwynnethJaylo Рік тому +1

      @@RadioPrepper ok sir thanks for the comment

  • @bhaddock9277
    @bhaddock9277 5 років тому +2

    Interesting video, thanks

  • @anne-marielove7530
    @anne-marielove7530 3 роки тому

    Bonjour ,j'ai un baofeng BF-88E. Svp, comment augmenter sa portée ( car elle est casi " null" ) et du fait que je ne sais même pas oter l'antenne qui m'a l'air d'être bien fixe ? Et ou comment bricoler ou quel modèle pourrait s'insérer dessus ? Merci à vous.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  3 роки тому +1

      Je dirais de souder un fil d'un quart d'onde sur le pole negative de la batterie et de la laisser pendre. Mais bon, pas grand chose à faire... Ou construire une Yagi qui s'emboite sur l'antenne... Vidéo à suivre...

  • @gamersquidtv5000
    @gamersquidtv5000 4 роки тому +2

    Thank you i just bought some survivor cord and wanted to know how I could I use the included wire

  • @ftnwo7829
    @ftnwo7829 3 роки тому

    If the curvature of the earth is an issue then what about those short wave radios picking up stuff from Germany , England etc? According to the spherical trigonometry used by scientists these locations are obscured by many miles of curvature.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  3 роки тому +1

      Radio waves are refracted by the ionosphere.

    • @ftnwo7829
      @ftnwo7829 3 роки тому

      @@RadioPrepper does refracted just mean bounced? And the signal can be or must be bounced multiple times?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  3 роки тому

      Yes, usually it bounces once, up to maybe 600 to 1400 miles, depending on many factors, but sometimes, when there is enough solar activity (the sun ionizes the ionosphere), multiple bounces do happen. Higher frequencies, above 10MHz up to 50MHz need a low angle to bounce... Lower frequencies, especially between 2 and 7MHz can bounce almost straight up and back down, covering zero to a few hundred miles. Anything above 50MHz does not bounce and goes straight up into space...

  • @miker1473
    @miker1473 5 років тому +3

    I've always just used the rat tail wire, and put a ring terminal on it. Before screwing the antenna on, place the proper size ring terminal over the antenna connection on the HT, then, screw the antenna on. You can also use 2 wires....one for each band. A fan counterpoise, so to speak.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  5 років тому +1

      Yep, I have done that too, even easier with BNC..

  • @BourbonWhiskies
    @BourbonWhiskies 6 років тому +1

    Is the polarity the same on the radio for SMA male and female connectors? Hope you dont mind me asking.

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  6 років тому +1

      Hi, yes, the outer ring is always the ground. Not that it matters, since we are dealing with A.C. current...

    • @BourbonWhiskies
      @BourbonWhiskies 6 років тому +1

      Excellent. Thank you

  • @OnlyFacts11b
    @OnlyFacts11b 2 роки тому

    What two way radios do you recommend for long distance? For people without a license

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  2 роки тому +1

      Without a license CB would be best... A CB radio with SSB modes...

  • @truckerdaddy-akajohninqueb4793
    @truckerdaddy-akajohninqueb4793 5 років тому

    How long should I cut the rat tail? What gauge wire too?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  5 років тому +2

      A quarter wave of the lowest frequency. For the 2m band, 50cm (19in). A thin wire is fine.

  • @olugbengaoluyemi742
    @olugbengaoluyemi742 4 роки тому

    Hi, Please is it required to connect radios to mast if needed to be used over more than 20 kilometers distance?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому

      Sorry I do not understand your question.

  • @--RSL--
    @--RSL-- 3 роки тому

    What brand\model radios are you using in this video?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  3 роки тому +1

      I think it might have been a TYT MD390.

  • @siddharth4662
    @siddharth4662 2 роки тому

    hi... are you placed anywhere around Toulouse ?

  • @Dr.Binladen
    @Dr.Binladen 26 днів тому

    Can we connect any talkie walkie type to RJ11 port?? Is there any method

  • @gongjames9634
    @gongjames9634 4 роки тому +1

    Thank you for share.

  • @tarstarkusz
    @tarstarkusz 5 років тому

    So if you are buying an antenna, do you have to take the length of the radio into consideration?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  5 років тому

      Theoretically it should help, but in practice there are too many other variables to matter. Best way it to test a few and keep the best one. I test my handheld antennas on an analyser, but that even can give totally unexpected results.

  • @geobeau7004
    @geobeau7004 Рік тому

    How long of a wire for FRS / GMRS bands 462.7250-462.5625 mhz

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  Рік тому

      Hello, 468/462=1ft half wave, so a quarter wave is 6 inches, body of the radio included from the base of the antenna. On UHF it won't help as much as on VHF. Maybe worth trying. Might be illegal on a legal FRS radio..

  • @shelbysgarage5828
    @shelbysgarage5828 4 роки тому

    Why do some cars with cb radios have like 10ft whips? Isn't that way past their wave length?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +1

      A quarter wave for 11m is 2.75m, so not far from 10ft. Some antennas are 5/8 wavelength. Anything shorter than 9ft is actually short for CB. Some antennas have a coil in the middle or at the base to shorten the antenna, but they are not as efficient as a 9ft whip.

    • @shelbysgarage5828
      @shelbysgarage5828 4 роки тому +1

      Thx for reply!

  • @jasonfriesenyxe8072
    @jasonfriesenyxe8072 3 роки тому

    How much longer distance can you get afterwards?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  3 роки тому +1

      Range is not predictable. It can be a few hundred meters to a few hundred kilometers. It will just work further than without.

    • @jasonfriesenyxe8072
      @jasonfriesenyxe8072 3 роки тому +1

      @@RadioPrepper thanks a bunch

  • @pd0jw650
    @pd0jw650 5 років тому

    This is possible on a 10 m band ssb with a walkie talkie a distance of 3201 km 1989 miles with 5 watts.
    to be seen on you tube channel pd0jw. And thanks to the other station with large antenna park.

  • @CuJIa_B_IIpaBge
    @CuJIa_B_IIpaBge 2 роки тому

    Hello. I heard that in Norway you have switched radio from analog to digital. Is it true that your analog walkie-talkies are not working now?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  2 роки тому +1

      I am not in Norway, but walkie-talkies used for what? Analog will always work anywhere in the world. They do not depend on an infrastructure like cell phones. An analog radio will always work with another analog radio and a digital radio will always work with a digital radio using the same system. Geography has no bearing on radio waves.

    • @CuJIa_B_IIpaBge
      @CuJIa_B_IIpaBge 2 роки тому

      @@RadioPrepper if so, okay) I thought that I bought myself an analog walkie-talkie in vain. Now, after all, everything is being digitized: digital television, digital money, digital broadcasting, and so on. Excuse me if it's not convenient to read, I'm just translating from google translator :)

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  2 роки тому +2

      No problem, the translation is good. Analog will still be used for a very long time :-)

  • @robert420ism
    @robert420ism 6 років тому +1

    What is the model of the TYT radio without buttons??

  • @paparaotango9345
    @paparaotango9345 4 роки тому

    Buildings in high is signals reach other side how we fix the problem

  • @zembalu
    @zembalu 4 роки тому +4

    10 kilometers are 6,2 miles :-).

  • @benhansford8524
    @benhansford8524 4 роки тому

    This is just as smart as standing on your roof

  • @HarryHamsterChannel
    @HarryHamsterChannel Рік тому +1

    Deploy a reusable drone. Hook the radio to existing structure. Old Easter basket. Abandon or retrieve.
    -- Harry Hamster ;-)

  • @M.R.T.V.Videos
    @M.R.T.V.Videos 3 роки тому +2

    Cool flag love it

  • @entubadao
    @entubadao 2 роки тому +1

    Great video... Just switching from miles to kilometers units confuse people a little bit. Sure X kms x 1.6 = Y mls, but yet... You've got the point. Thanks.

  • @edoardodepiccoli3004
    @edoardodepiccoli3004 Рік тому +1

    waiting for the flat earters to show up

  • @tomjmarazzo616
    @tomjmarazzo616 7 років тому +2

    I need to communicate 130 Km or about 80 miles to reach my family in another city across a big lake (Toronto to St. Catharines over Lake Ontario). Any suggestions on how I can communicate that far?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  7 років тому +3

      Hello, if you have an amateur license either the 80m band with a 135ft horizontal wire antenna or 2m SSB with a Yagi-Uda antenna on both sides, as high as possible. See my next video about that... Without a license you have few options... CB will work sometimes but not often and would require beam antennas, quite large for the 11m band... I doubt a handheld, even with a Yagi would get you there... Sometimes maybe... But you would have to build a long multi-element UHF Yagi for each station. 80 miles is more difficult to cover than 20 or 1000!

    • @tomjmarazzo616
      @tomjmarazzo616 7 років тому

      Awesome, thanks for letting me know!!

    • @thebutcherofbenghazi.libya3348
      @thebutcherofbenghazi.libya3348 7 років тому +2

      CB if we get more sunspots: 102" antenna, preferable with a 520XL "peaked & tuned" (can be done by a professional or at home); USA law=illegal to make CB go >155miles (see if CAN has similar law, ven then: not reliablle @80mi). *License equal to USA's "technician" with: 1.* Public Repeaters *(find website: radioreference). or 2.* As RP said, 2meter maybe can make it (try a 19.8" antenna, with counterpoise... some reasonably-priced radios w/decent reliability = 10W Retevis, 8W Baofeng, will FOR SURE reach 100% clear--> 65W Luiton if you're CAN license allows you to use a "mobile not handheld"), unless you're on the far side of Toronto transmitting across many miles of city & suburban sprawl before making it to the wide-open lake, or have powerlines, etc along the lakefront (maritime radios on the Lake probaby will use special frequencies). What can help is inverted ("scrambled") voice if you buy the same brand of radios -- even all Baofengs have this -- and it acts similar to the "SSB" he menioned. CTCSS and thee similar coding conventions can also help you "squelch other users on the same freq deespite the large range". Turning up th antenna gain may also allow you to reduce your squelch (to hear at such a longer distance than other 2m users are probably trying to hear from = you cannot squelch them out, but they can squelch you out -- so they may be using the same freq and not even hear you -- even as you or your brother hear (get talked-over by) them).
      . . . 6meter may have some atmospheric & manmade-noise interference issues, but GENERALLY goes further than 2m; may require a higher CAN license level.
      ...or just get the app "talkatone" (requires your WiFi or 3G doesn't go down) or a satellite-phone (failsafe unless spacejunk or sunspots take out the satellite, or similar unlikely problems -- more reliable than 'normal' cellphones). Pay some Ojibwe to take pieces of paper across in their canoes? ;-) Smoke signals & bonoculars? ;-)

    • @thebutcherofbenghazi.libya3348
      @thebutcherofbenghazi.libya3348 7 років тому

      Oh, and search YTube for "DIY hombrew YAGI 2m 70cm": under an hour & aboot $10 of scrap wood & scrappy old tape-measure (go buy a new one) can give ya quality worth an ~$100 commercial yagi. 4 elements (parallel rods) for the 2m is good (this'll give 7 elements for the 80cm if you choose to add an 80cm for other than going across the lake).

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  7 років тому

      +The Butcher Of Benghazi. Libya indicted me because I'm too stupid to delete my incriminating emails? Yep, I will make one for UHF soon...

  • @rx_pillx9469
    @rx_pillx9469 4 роки тому +1

    Thank you so much

  • @daviddahl83
    @daviddahl83 Рік тому +1

    I have a pair of kids walkie talkies that have better range than a baofeng because the radio works horizonal and vertical somehow. My baofeng is limited by the polarization

  • @rexsheeley8177
    @rexsheeley8177 5 років тому +2

    excellent thank you

  • @paulmacgiollacaoine8619
    @paulmacgiollacaoine8619 4 роки тому +1

    Nice helpful video.
    Your english is amazing, how did you get it so good?
    funny when you said "I got up recently" :)
    rather we'd say:
    "I'm not up too long" or "I'm only up a while" or best of all "I just fell out of bed"
    Love your channel.
    Greetings from Ireland.

  • @maxdrew1355
    @maxdrew1355 4 роки тому

    Do they lose distance over time?

  • @JeremyIglehart
    @JeremyIglehart 4 роки тому

    Loved the video! Thanks for the Rat-Tail trick! I never knew :) Hey, by the way, my wife and I can't decide where your accent is from. If you're willing to share, where is your accent from?

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +3

      France :-)

    • @JeremyIglehart
      @JeremyIglehart 4 роки тому +1

      Radio Prepper, not only is your content great! You also have great French accent which makes it even that much more interesting. Thank you for making videos! I love to watch them in my free time. Maybe I’ll have time to make my rats tail today :)

    • @RadioPrepper
      @RadioPrepper  4 роки тому +1

      Excellent:-)