Talked to someone in E.Tucson from Avondale,AZ last night.

[TNFrank]

I was testing out my radio and wanted to see if I could hit the Tolleson repeater from my daughters house. It's hooked to an AllStar network so when I called it up and I got a response.................from East Tucson, AZ. We chatted for a bit and then signed off but I was amazed that we could communicate that clearly from such a long distance(for us) over the linked repeaters.  The GMRS repeaters in my area are all but dead but wow, HAM repeaters, that's where it's at. Dozens of them, especially in 2M and 70cm bands and some that are linked with AllStar, EchoLink, etc. let you pretty much talk Around the World from your backyard. I'm so glad I got my HAM license. It opens up a whole new world of frequencies and repeaters that I can use. If anyone is on the fence about getting theirs just do it. You'll be glad you did. 

[SteveShannon]

17 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

I was testing out my radio and wanted to see if I could hit the Tolleson repeater from my daughters house. It's hooked to an AllStar network so when I called it up and I got a response.................from East Tucson, AZ. We chatted for a bit and then signed off but I was amazed that we could communicate that clearly from such a long distance(for us) over the linked repeaters.  The GMRS repeaters in my area are all but dead but wow, HAM repeaters, that's where it's at. Dozens of them, especially in 2M and 70cm bands and some that are linked with AllStar, EchoLink, etc. let you pretty much talk Around the World from your backyard. I'm so glad I got my HAM license. It opens up a whole new world of frequencies and repeaters that I can use. If anyone is on the fence about getting theirs just do it. You'll be glad you did. 

Way to go, Frank!  It’s fun, isn’t it?

[TNFrank]

Now if I could just get some of my family to get on board so we can have EmComms if the Cell System ever goes out. That's my entire reason for getting into GMRS/HAM, Emergency Communication.  As much as I hate to say it, HAM seems to be the way to go, GMRS doesn't have many repeaters and what they do have are down all the time. I still think GMRS is useful in a limited capacity but if you want any kind of distance you need HAM Linked Repeaters to cover the miles you're looking for. 

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

Now if I could just get some of my family to get on board so we can have EmComms if the Cell System ever goes out. That's my entire reason for getting into GMRS/HAM, Emergency Communication.  As much as I hate to say it, HAM seems to be the way to go, GMRS doesn't have many repeaters and what they do have are down all the time. I still think GMRS is useful in a limited capacity but if you want any kind of distance you need HAM Linked Repeaters to cover the miles you're looking for. 

While not as vulnerable as the cell systems, the loss of the internet, is not impossible, regardless of the redundancy built into it.  Local access is especially vulnerable.  A single dig-in can disrupt access for an entire state in some cases.  If you really want distance without reliance on any infrastructure, you’ll want to get into HF.  People will tell you that it’s not reliable, and it’s true that you can’t just dial up another country at will, but there are shorter distance traffic networks, HF radio to HF radio, where people are trained to pass messages accurately worldwide by relaying the message in a predetermined manner.  
GMRS (and FRS), is excellent for distributing messages to your family that you gather via ham radio. 

[TNFrank]

I really do want to get into 10M at some point in time. My little Radtel RT-900's will do 10M, how well is to be seen and I'd need an antenna for 10M to really take advantage of what little power they offer. I know there's some small QRP(I think that's the right saying) radios that are 5 watts and made for POTA activation on 10M and are really portable but before I invest I'd like to do more research. 

[SteveShannon]

14 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

I really do want to get into 10M at some point in time. My little Radtel RT-900's will do 10M, how well is to be seen and I'd need an antenna for 10M to really take advantage of what little power they offer. I know there's some small QRP(I think that's the right saying) radios that are 5 watts and made for POTA activation on 10M and are really portable but before I invest I'd like to do more research. 

That’s wise and honestly you’ll need to get into the 80, 40, and 20 meter bands in order to talk worldwide.  For instance, the Montana Traffic Network is on 80 meters at 0030 Zulu every day. It’s part of the National Traffic System, which is presented here: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/NTS Presentation 6-2012.ppt

[TNFrank]

As a Technician 10M is the best I can do. The RT-900 puts out just shy of 6 Watts, that should get me a bit of range though probably not world wide. I just need to look into an antenna tuned for 10M that's somewhat portable and I should be good to go for short range POTA. 

[WRXB215]

If you get into CW, you have space on 15, 40, and 80 as well.

[TNFrank]

CW is what stopped me from trying to get a HAM license 40 years ago.

[TNFrank]

I found this antenna on Amazon that would work(maybe not the best but still, for the price) to use with my RT-900 to start to play around with 10M. Then if I find it's something I want to get into more I can save up and get some "Real" 10M stuff to mess around with. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9475FMV/?coliid=I14V6SXJAF4IQM&colid=3RB8UUAOOLTHH

[SteveShannon]

2 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

I found this antenna on Amazon that would work(maybe not the best but still, for the price) to use with my RT-900 to start to play around with 10M. Then if I find it's something I want to get into more I can save up and get some "Real" 10M stuff to mess around with. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9475FMV/?coliid=I14V6SXJAF4IQM&colid=3RB8UUAOOLTHH

Honestly, even though I’m an Amazon stockholder, I would not shop for antennas there.  Shop at hamradio.com, dxengineering.com, Gigaparts.com, randlelectronics.com, or possibly antennafarm.  You will be dealing with companies that know what they’re selling and usually have better prices than Amazon. If nothing else do your window shopping at the places I listed and then buy from Amazon because of the easy returns.

[TNFrank]

Main reason for Amazon is my Credit Card with them so it's no fuss, no muss to buy. Also the return policy is good. I've also seen a Balum Antenna center section that I'd have to add wire to at the right length for 10M(not sure how long they'd be out each side) that might work as well. 

[SteveShannon]

25 minutes ago, TNFrank said:

Main reason for Amazon is my Credit Card with them so it's no fuss, no muss to buy. Also the return policy is good. I've also seen a Balum Antenna center section that I'd have to add wire to at the right length for 10M(not sure how long they'd be out each side) that might work as well. 

If you’re talking about the Alpha-Delta dipole kit, it’s really not necessary (https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-005111).  It’s nice, and I have one, but all you really need is to connect the center conductor to one wire and the shield to the other (that’s really all this does!) Dipoles are dirt simple and they work well.  Here’s an article that will help you figure out the length: https://www.arrl.org/single-band-dipoles

Here is a good video showing how to build a dipole “balun”: 

 

 

[TNFrank]

I've also read where you can use a simple CB antenna and tune it for 10M. That might be an inexpensive option to get me started. 

[SteveShannon]

1 minute ago, TNFrank said:

I've also read where you can use a simple CB antenna and tune it for 10M. That might be an inexpensive option to get me started. 

You certainly can.  Inexpensive whip CB antennas can sometimes be found at thrift shops also.