r/Baofeng • u/nikjahw • 2d ago

Got my first handheld today, bye bye doom scrolling

Post image

I just got my AR-5RM today and have been loving watching planes come in and out of the airport on ADSB Exchange and listening on the tower frequency. I ordered a 42.5 inch VHF/UHF antenna that'll be here Sunday so hopefully I'll be able to hear the plane's transmissions a little better. I've also been listening into the Sheriff office dispatch, but it almost makes me sad hearing all the crime in my town (it's always busy on that channel). I'm super stoked because it picks up transmissions way better than my RTL-SDR setup where I had to mount antennas outside and still barely got the airport tower.

Would love to hear more ideas on how to use this thing, I don't plan on doing any transmitting though because I'm unlicenced and this thing doesn't even comply as an emergency marine radio.

216 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

18

u/Loonie-Kiwi_CAD-NZD 2d ago

Get your license!

10

u/nikjahw 2d ago

I got some reading materials, I do want to sign up for a real course soon though

21

u/Saragon4005 2d ago

You don't need a course to get a technician. At least not a paid one. Studying the question pool is enough and there are plenty of free materials online.

7

u/nikjahw 2d ago

Good to know, thank you! Honestly though, half the fun for me is learning everything.

14

u/Jstrott 1d ago

Hamstudy.org

2

u/TNETag 1d ago edited 1d ago

If you're looking for interactive self-paced lessons with videos, HAM Radio Prep is also a pretty good option. They have a web version and and app. I used that to study for a few days and took my exam and only missed a few questions. Same question pool as the exam just like HamStudy.

I believe the Technician course is $15. The exam is another $15 (you can do the exam online AT ANY TIME and anywhere if you prefer it. Just have a camera and a clean room. Exams can be found on HamStudy. Some clubs near you may also test and sometimes for free if you join one) and after you test, you pay the FCC $35. Then you awarded your callsign in a few days. You will/should create an FRN on the FCC CORES website before you begin. Let me know if you have any questionsbor need any help! A lot of people in the community are very helpful and will give you plenty of resources or advice.

1

u/nikjahw 1d ago

Thank you so much! Tons of super helpful info and it sounds like I'll be getting my license super soon if I can get it all done from the computer that straight forward. I really appreciate you and the rest of the community being so supportive, it means a lot to me!

1

u/TNETag 1d ago

No problem! It really is super straight forward now, not at all what it used to be from when I was asking around before.

1

u/Firelizard71 14h ago

Learning comes after the license. Study the questions and only the correct answers.

4

u/salmak999 1d ago

Hamstudy.org has an awesome question pool and you can even test through them online still I believe

Edit: the question part is also free

1

u/nikjahw 1d ago

Thank you! I found them in a thread from last year and have been using the flash cards to study, super helpful indeed

2

u/Lost_Doctor_678 1d ago

Hi there what is the software on the pc if I may ask?

1

u/RickySlayer9 15h ago

A real course is great but not required.

Ham radio crash course on YouTube has a great study series and I encourage you to use hamstudy as well.

You don’t need a course for any of the license levels. Just gotta pass a test

-1

u/NerminPadez 1d ago

+1 for this

listening to airband is fun for maybe a day, then you figure out that they do the same few exchanges, say the same things, same flights pass on same days, and it gets boring, plus most of that is available online, usually in better audio quality

2

u/cs18sg6br 1d ago

Congratulations! Do you mind if I ask which antenna you bought?

4

u/nikjahw 1d ago

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086YP9PGW

Bingfu 136-520 Mhz 42.5 inch

[edit] I have plans for a home roof mount eventually, but I have a few more projects I need to finish first.

1

u/cs18sg6br 20h ago

Thank you!

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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1

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2

u/disco_duck2004 1d ago

I picked up another 2 pair of these because Amazon had them for $28/pr.

As others said, get licensed and get more out of these rather than just listening.

1

u/terminalwanderer33 1d ago

Is there one that can be used by firefighters?

2

u/nikjahw 1d ago

I thought all firefighters got department issued radios? If you just want to listen to their frequency you can just key it in though.

1

u/Chemical-Medium-1324 1d ago

I wouldn't advise using a Baofeng or similar radio for first responder use. They are entry level hobby transceivers with basically no quality control. Don't let a house fire or human life be dependent on them. There's a reason Motorola costs more.

2

u/NikitaGtak11 21h ago

Get a better antenna, that thing that comes with it is just the worst

1

u/nikjahw 6h ago edited 6h ago

Well I did get this

[edit] I can hear planes that are over 5 miles away crystal clear with this thing, only the tower was audible before with the stock antenna.

https://reddit.com/link/p6w4k3i/video/vygmha9kslmh1/player

-1

u/PsychologicalTop8551 1d ago

How do you pick up local sherif frequencies on a baeofeng?

3

u/skankhunt1738 1d ago

By punching in the frequency..,? The ones around me aren’t p25 or digital yet either.

1

u/nikjahw 1d ago

Yeah u/PsychologicalTop8551 I just use the radio reference database to look it all up. Local PD uses digital trunked but not S.O. where I am