No Service? No Problem! Article by Chas Carmichael

Justin Crossley

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Communication with family back home or our hunting partners out in the field is one of the big challenges outdoorsman have. There are a lot of different ways to stay in touch luckily and our guest contributor, Chas Carmichael is here to talk about one you may not hear have considered. No Service? No Problem!
Chas is available on this thread as "loggerchas" if you have questions after you read his article.

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Chas. T. Carmichael is a Colorado native who has explored hunting and fishing throughout Colorado and occasionally ventures into Utah and Idaho. Chas. has taken mule deer, elk, pronghorn and whitetail deer in his adventures with bow, muzzleloader, and rifle. Currently the Service Manager at a two-way radio shop, Chas. has a B.S. in Natural Resources Management and a M.S. in Forestry and Wood Sciences, both conferred through Colorado State University - Fort Collins, CO. Just last year, Chas was recognized as a Commissioned Pastor within the Pueblo Presbytery, PCUSA, and serves in the Youth and Young Families Ministry at his current church in Pueblo, CO. “Boots on the ground” has been Chas.’ motto in the outdoors. Whether hunting, fishing, or running game cameras, he credits any success to a strong Christian faith and ample time spent outdoors with his family. Chas.’ passion is for finding less pressured “fringe” areas where game may be more sparse but other hunters are far less abundant. A decade of health issues now behind him, Chas. rekindled a renewed dedication to his love of the outdoors and is beginning a process of replacing tried and true older hunting equipment with newer equipment in an effort to go deeper, hunt smarter, and stay longer when he escapes into the woods.
 
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Great article. It’s a topic I have wanted to explore for a while and you are motivating me. Thanks.
 

Desert Hntr

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Great article, I have been chewing on getting a sat capability, but as you mentioned it is not very affordable. Do you recommend any particular radio?
 
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Great article, I have been chewing on getting a sat capability, but as you mentioned it is not very affordable. Do you recommend any particular radio?

Go to a HAM club meeting in your vicinity and then look at what systems are in place where you intend to use it most. FOr example, a lot of eastern states have extensive DSTAR networks which predicates ICOM radios. States that have DMR networks use mostly TYT, Motorola, or Hytera radios.

All states have analog networks. A $30 Baofeng is a great starter radio and does both VHF and UHF analog. I am a fan of Hytera and Yaesu radios but Kenwood, ICOM and Alinco make good radios also. The great thing about attending a meeting at a local club is most HAMs are very generous in letting you test drive and talk about what options might fit you best. If you need help finding a local HAM community PM me and I will help!

Thanks - Chas.
 
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A great feature that wasn't fully explained in the article is the digital (DMR modulation) text messaging between radios. For simplicity, assume two people have the same brand and model of radio whether that be Hytera, TYT, or Motorola. The sending radio informs the user whether a message went through or not.

In application, Joe sends Jane a text message, one radio to another radio. A text message is sent because they are sitting a stand not wanting to talk and disturb the areas they are in. Jane has her radio in her backpack, turned on but in silent mode. Joe will get acknowledgement that the message went through and when Jane stops later in the morning and checks her radio the message will be there waiting. If Jane responds, and Joe has since turned off his radio, she will get an acknowledgement that the message failed to send. This "proof of delivery" is important for the sending party as they know whether or not their message reached the intended party and tells the sender if the other unit is in range for communication.


Also, some models, such as Hytera, have the ability to query another radio for GPS location/distance. Radio manufacturers have not caught on to UTM so everything is in LAT/LONG, but the ability is there.


Just some additional tidbits of info to consider.
 
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HAM radio in action here in Colorado, right now! The Spring Fire, Costilla and Huerfano Counties (GMUs 83/85/861 for those who reference areas only through hunting, LOL) blew up last night and tripled in size. A local tower that public safety communications uses was caught in the blaze and is out of service. HAM radio operators, from the local ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) group went down early this morning to support communications using HAM radio for the first responders and the Red Cross Shelter. The fire is threatening several cell phone towers which has potential to cripple non-wireline communications.

When all else fails, the simple and effective nature of HAM radio comes through.

Prayers up for those who have lost their homes (there have been many) and for the first responders giving it their all against this aggressive blaze.
 

muddydogs

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Very good article which lays out the Ham radio use very well.

Myself and a couple hunting buddies went the Ham route about 6 years ago, I own 2 handhelds and a truck mounted unit but hate to say it as soon as the InReach came along I basically dumped the Ham radio's. There's just no comparison in easy of use and knowing that you can get a message out with the InReach over the radio.

It takes time to research repeaters in the area your going to hunt then program the radio. Once you get to the area its best to check each repeater as half the time there out of service, owned by someone that has restricted use or just not monitored by anyone. Then if anything should happen your hoping to get someone to answer your call for help and that someone calls the right people and relays the right information. There are some cheap radios but by the time one spends the money on a handheld plus some assessors they probably spent about half the cost of an InReach, throw a radio in the truck and you could have purchased an InReach and half a year of service.

Most satellite communicator have a yearly service plan but I figure the ease of communication and my life is worth the $350 a year it costs for service.
 
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InReach and SPOT do what they do very well. No doubt.

It all depends on what you are using it for. Myself and my family, hunting partners, and ATV riding friends use HAM constantly. Real-time voice communication for many purposes is just more effective than texting. But, simple text is quite effective for some applications, absolutely. It all depends on the application of who you are trying to talk to, and where they are, and if they have the same equipment you do. All are part of a well thought out communications plan.

Like anything, knowing all of the options available is 2/3 the battle. So much misinformation gets out there regarding FRS/GMRS/HAM that many just don't know where the truth lies.

I figure if people spend 1/10th the time they do researching draw odds and hunting units as they do communication options when in the woods then they would have a good handle on what options fit their scenario best.

Thanks for the input muddydogs! 73's - K0FFW
 
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n2horns

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Bringing this back to life.

The challenge I have had with HAM is the radios are too complex for most users. I started using generic black box style with a few rotary #s for stations and volume control, using the MURS Freq. Worked well but not to far for distance.

Are there any simple ops HAM radios like a black box style that would work? Is the Baofeng the best solution?
 
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To use the higher power GMRS frequencies (5 watts in a portable) you have to pay for the GMRS license. MURS frequencies are limited to 2 watts. I had real good luck with the 5W GMRS freqs using the Midland radios here: Midland Radios. Most HAM radios have full power but extended functionality which causes issues for the novice operator. A solution I use for this is reprogramming a commercial radio such as the HYT TC-610 or Hytera PD-502 which has full power output onto a combination of GMRS/MURS/HAM frequencies so depending on who I am hunting with and if they have a HAM/GMRS/no license, we have options and a simple selector knob and volume. I work for a radio shop so I can buy direct but if you check ebay and other sites you can find used/new commercial radios all of the time relatively cheap. Be sure to tape a list of frequencies on the inside of the battery for reference - doesn't get lost there and is quick to pop on and off to check what frequency to use if knob gets bumped. I know lots of folks who use the Baofeng radios but durability in the field can be an issue in hunting environments. On a side note, using a DMR radio such as the PD502 has the advantage of being digital modulation which is not decoded by most current scanners. You'd be shocked how much hunting "intel" can be gathered by other hunters scanning FRS/MURS/GMRS analog frequencies during the day.
 
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Thanks!

(Articles are located in the "Home" tab at the top menu bar - then use the search function for the author's name or a keyword. Older articles moved back over time and might take a little digging to find them if there isn't a quick link in a forum thread.)
 
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