This guide is based on the popular portable, mobile radios, such as the Baofeng UV-5R or the Radioddity GD-77.
These radios operate in 2 different frequency bands, the VHF and the UHF. The Ham radio part of the VHF band covers 144 - 148 MHz (known as the 2 meter band) and the Ham UHF band covers 420 - 450 MHz (known as the 70 cm band) Both of these bands are processed in FM only, there is no AM on these radios. Standard FM radio covers 88 - 108 MHz to get an idea where these freqs are located.
Technically, in the VHF band, the UV-5R (the older ones) covers 136 - 174 MHz but legally you can only transmit on 144 - 148 in the US. You can listen, just not transmit.
In this same way, in the UHF band, the UV-5R covers 400 - 520 MHz.
The official U.S. 70-centimeter ham band is 420–450 MHz, but the hardware on most standard Baofengs is unlocked to cover an expanded range of 400–520 MHz.
Just like the VHF side, this creates a major difference between what the radio can do and what is legally allowed. Popular consumer walkie-talkie channels (FRS and GMRS) sit right in this expanded range between 462 and 467 MHz.
Listening Access: Many businesses, security teams, and older public utility systems operate between 450 and 470 MHz. When I drove school bus they used a frequency of 451.825 MHz with a tone of 151.4. So, the expanded hardware lets you use the UV-5R as a radio scanner to listen to them.
Global Rules: Some countries allow amateur radio use outside the 420–450 MHz window, so the chip is designed broad enough to work anywhere in the world.
The Legality Reminder:
Even though your radio can type in and transmit on FRS/GMRS frequencies (462–467 MHz), it is illegal to transmit on them using a UV-5R in the U.S. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires radios used on those bands to be specifically certified for them, and the UV-5R is only certified as an amateur (ham) radio.
(Note: Some newer batches of the UV-5R sold in the U.S. are locked down at the factory to strictly transmit within 420–450 MHz to comply with recent FCC pressure).
These portable radios don't really reach very far. Maybe between 5 to 25 miles depending on the terrain. This is fine for close walkie talkie use, but to 'connect to the world' radio owners transmit to a 'repeater'. Repeaters are a more powerful base station unit which can take your signal and transmit it farther. Handheld radio's power is usually 5 watts max where repeaters are usually between 20 to 100 watts of power. Repeater antennas are also put on high towers so they're able to reach farther.
Repeaters also use 'tones' that you have to set your radio to if you want the repeater to hear you. The official name is CTCSS (Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System) Different manufacturers use different names for this but it's all basically the same. You might also run into DCS (Digital-Coded Squelch) Your radio will have a place in its settings to set this to its proper number according to the repeater's requirement. The best place to get info on repeaters is repeaterbook.com.
Link Here
When you first turn your radio on it will be on one of 2 main screens depending on what you last had it on. It will be either the channels screen or the VFO screen. The VFO (variable frequency oscillator) screen is simply the screen where you can manually type a station's frequency in the keypad. The channels (or memory) screen will show you stations that you preprogrammed into the radio. They will usually have a name that represents the repeater that it is linked to. Use the arrow keys on your radio to scroll through the channels that you have programmed.
Let's say you want to permanently program a station or repeater into your radio. You'll need to know first, the frequency that that station broadcasts on which will be your receive freq. Then you'll need to know what freq the station 'listens' to, your transmit freq. (the offset). Also you'll need to know the 'tone', described above, the station uses to trigger itself. Some radios allow you to enter this info via the keypad on the radio and scrolling through the menus. But also a quicker or easier way is through computer software called a CPS (Customer Programming Software). To use this your radio needs to have come with a programming cable that plugs into your radio and then usually a USB connection to your computer. A CPS allows you to enter all your station frequencies along with any required tones on your computer keyboard as opposed to using the buttons on your radio. After entering in the different frequencies, channels or repeaters you want to connect with, you can write this to your radio and save this on your computer. This is called a 'codeplug'. You can come back later and edit or add information and resave it. The popular CPS software 'CHIRP' is downloadable from Ham radio sites or its official site Here .
Up to this point, the subject matter has just been about analog radios and repeaters. There is now digital Ham radios which operate in a different manner. You still use offset frequencies for transmit and receive but after that everything is different. First of all you have to know if the repeater you are contacting is analog or digital. And obviously if your own radio has digital capabilities, Like the Radioddity GD-77.
You will need a DMR ID. Google AI says you can get a digital ID (commonly called a DMR ID or RadioID) for amateur radio for free by registering at RadioID.net. This unique 7-digit numerical identifier is required to transmit on digital mobile radio networks like BrandMeister, DMR-MARC, and TGIF. The network uses this ID to recognize your call sign and display your name to other operators when you key up your radio. You enter your DMR ID into your radio through the menu section or most likely through a CPS.
As mentioned, you need to know the transmit and receive (offset) frequencies for a digital repeater. You will also need to know what TS (time slot) to set (1 or 2), the color code (0 - 15) , and which TG (talk group) you want to connect to. These are also organized into zones and talk group lists. Your final destination in digital ham is the talk group. For example TG 91 is the world wide talk group. There are thousands of talk groups, some according to the country they're in, some according to their region, state, county, etc. You have different talk group clubs. Digital ham radio is actually connected to the internet through different networks, for example, BrandMeister. BrandMeister is the most famous and biggest. This is something you will also need to know when connecting to a digital repeater if it's on BrandMeister or some other network such as TGIF, DMR+, FreeDMR, DMR-MARC.
You use a different software instead of CHIRP to program a digital radio. A new DMR radio should come with its own downloadable CPS.
If you happen to own a Radioddity GD-77, it comes with its own software CPS but there is also an open source CPS created by ham enthusiasts called OpenGD77. OpenGD77 is much more user friendly and downloadable from the internet Here .
It is kind of involved to change the radio's firmware over to OpenGD77 so I found that asking Google AI how to do it was very helpful. It gave step by step instructions. Just ask it 'How do I install OpenGD77 firmware on my radio?' You will need your programming cable, a computer and 2 or 3 different files downloaded from the internet. Just follow Google's instructions. That's what I did. The software is also supposed to work with: Handhelds: Baofeng DM-1701, the older Baofeng DM-1801, Retevis RT-3S, and TYT MD-UV380/390.Mobiles: TYT MD-9600 and Retevis RT-90
There are other radio bands close to these Ham bands which can be listened to on these portable ham radios such as MURS. MURS stands for Multi-Use Radio Service. No license is needed for a MURS radio, they only transmit with 2 watts of power. Operates on five specific VHF channels (151.820, 151.880, 151.940, 154.570, and 154.600 MHz). BTW, CB radio frequencies are not compatible with the radios or the bands mentioned in this article. CB radios operate in the 26 - 27 MHz band and they modulate in the AM mode, not the FM mode.
As already mentioned there is the popular consumer walkie-talkie radios. Their channels (FRS and GMRS) sit right in the expanded UHF range between 462 and 467 MHz. No license is needed for a FRS radio but one is required for a GMRS radio. No test required, you just buy a license.
Frequency FRS Max GMRS Max Primary Usage 1 462.5625 2 Watts 5 Watts Shared Simplex 2 462.5875 2 Watts 5 Watts Shared Simplex 3 462.6125 2 Watts 5 Watts Shared Simplex 4 462.6375 2 Watts 5 Watts Shared Simplex 5 462.6625 2 Watts 5 Watts Shared Simplex 6 462.6875 2 Watts 5 Watts Shared Simplex 7 462.7125 2 Watts 5 Watts Shared Simplex 8 467.5625 0.5 Watts 0.5 Watts Low-Power Only 9 467.5875 0.5 Watts 0.5 Watts Low-Power Only 10 467.6125 0.5 Watts 0.5 Watts Low-Power Only 11 467.6375 0.5 Watts 0.5 Watts Low-Power Only 12 467.6625 0.5 Watts 0.5 Watts Low-Power Only 13 467.6875 0.5 Watts 0.5 Watts Low-Power Only 14 467.7125 0.5 Watts 0.5 Watts Low-Power Only 15 462.5500 2 Watts 50 Watts High-Power / Repeater Out 16 462.5750 2 Watts 50 Watts High-Power / Repeater Out 17 462.6000 2 Watts 50 Watts High-Power / Repeater Out 18 462.6250 2 Watts 50 Watts High-Power / Repeater Out 19 462.6500 2 Watts 50 Watts High-Power / Repeater Out 20 462.6750 2 Watts 50 Watts High-Power / Repeater Out 21 462.7000 2 Watts 50 Watts High-Power / Repeater Out 22 462.7250 2 Watts 50 Watts High-Power / Repeater Out You also have the 8 repeater frequencies for GMRS radios only: 15RP / 15R: 467.5500 MHz 16RP / 16R: 467.5750 MHz 17RP / 17R: 467.6000 MHz 18RP / 18R: 467.6250 MHz 19RP / 19R: 467.6500 MHz 20RP / 20R: 467.6750 MHz 21RP / 21R: 467.7000 MHz 22RP / 22R: 467.7250 MHz
Also while I was navigating the internet I came upon this interesting site: Here Basic Setup and Emergency Frequencies for the Baofeng UV-5R.
To get your ham radio license you must pass a test given by local ham radio organizations or clubs. To take the test you must first get a FRN (FCC registration number) from the FCC.
To get a FCC Registration number (FRN) go Here
To find a location that gives exams in person or online go Here
After passing a test you can check for your call sign Here
There are 3 levels of ham radio license you can get. You have to pass a test for each level and pass the previous level before going to the next. The 3 levels from lowest to highest are Technician class, General class, and Extra class. Each class allows more priviledges than the preceding class. So I ordered a study guide to help me pass the test for my amateur radio Technician class license. You can listen on a ham radio but you can't talk on these radios until you get your license.
You don't really need to purchase a study guide because all the questions and answers are freely available on the internet in the public domain. Here is an excellent site for studying for your ham radio licence Here
Here's a video that shows how to setup your Baofeng radio for FRS and GMRS frequencies. Also notice the warnings about using this radio illegally in these modes. The Baofeng UV-5R can transmit 4 watts. Click here...
I found the following video amusing with some dudes trying out their new radios. Here