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Home › Forums › Learning › Trying to figure out reach for license categories

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    Trying to figure out reach for license categories

    Posted by melody12 on 2024-12-29 at 15:16

    Hello all! I bought a Baofeng f8hp a year ago and got daunted at licensing so never pursued it. Now I’m ready to dig in. With the state of the world I really want to be sure my family can keep in touch. I bought the same radios for my 2 sisters. One is here in NJ about 7 miles away. The other is in South Dakota. I bought a book to start learning and am confused. Can I not reach my sister in SD with a technician license? Would we have to go for general license? Also can I reach my sister in NJ with a technician license? Sorry for the long post! I’m a little confused! So happy that a community like this exists!

    KP4CI replied 1 week, 3 days ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
  • 1 Reply

  • KP4CI

    Member
    2025-01-07 at 14:27
    10
    5W posting rank

    Hello

    The following response is assuming al three of you get your Technician class license.

    With 2 Meters VHF, you should be able to reach your sister 7 miles away through a repeater. Not knowing what type of terrain and other obstacles are between you and your sister in NJ. if electricity, or the repeater are unavailable, you would use a simplex frequency (point to point), and having mentioned terrain and obstacles unknown, you may need to place an antenna outdoors and as high as possible to reach each other.

    With your sister in SD, yes you could talk to her by adding an Amateur Radio system that connects to the internet (Hotspot / Echolink /IRLP). There are also means of you connecting your radio, as a Tech License, to a computer and sending emails to a relay station on VHF or UHF then the relay station to HF, delivered to them either by radio or internet in reverse order.

    If the commercial communication systems that we interconnect with go down, your best communications would be HF having General class license. Do remember as a Tech, you can use digital on the 28.000 to 28.300 portion of 10 meter band.

    Since you are just starting, there can be more answers and ways for all three of you to communicate. It would take equipment and practice. Amateur Radio is not a buy equipment, operate, problem solved service/hobby.

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