I want to set up an off-grid amateur radio

There's definitely a lot of information out there about amateur radio and off-grid set-ups, but trying to sort though it gets overwhelming after awhile. I admit I'm pretty much starting with a zero knowledge base here, which means that one person's explanation is another person's head-scratcher.

I'm in the research and information gathering stage on this project, and would like to hear from folks who are doing this. I am interested in recommendations for:

information and learning resources geared toward the newbie novice

about your particular radio and why you chose it

your set-up

how well it's working and what you would change, if anything

Locally we have a Ham Radio group that gives classes and have a network that is on call for emergencies, forest fires in our area. I don't have a Ham license but needed more than a cb or handheld. GMRS uses some of the same bandwidth that HAM uses but power of your radio is reduced. I opted for a GMRS radio and the license that goes with it. No testing required.  The GMRS license is kind of an umbrella license covering my family group. I think the cost has dropped now but it was 70.00 for a ten-year period. There is a repeater nearby that boosts the coverage to a greater area than what my antennae alone covers, while still allowing limited radio wattage. If you're looking to talk to Australia probably not what you're looking for but local communication with a bit better distance than a handheld might be worth at least a look. I can communicate with local HAM operators with less horsepower. The repeaters I use were located on an online GMRS site.

We use old mobile cbs we find at flee markets.  They all run off of 12v batteries so it is easy to use them from a vehicle.  We have 12v just about everywhere on the homestead. We have a cb in the house and one for the barn.  We have 2 handheld 12v or AA bat operated that we got in scrap.  They are nice and will run off of next to nothing.  Antennas that are matched to the cb is the most important thing to make them talk longer distances.  Ground is also something that need to be done well in order to get the best signal out. We have about a 30 mile radius from our homestead using legal wattage.  The house antenna is a Wilson trucker mounted on the TV tower.  I have gotten 2 of these within the last year being scraped. Truck stops are a good place to get information and parts.

I am dating myself here, when my wife and I started dating cbs were our main way of communicating.  Back in 1993 to 1994 we had some real bad weather and that was the only way to get ahold of emergency personnel.  Many of nights coming home from college I'd contact the dispatcher for getting help to others.  Breaker breaker O 9, dispatch can you hear me?  "Yes Sir, what's your 20?"  Our state highway patrol had really good dispatchers back then.  

I also like tinkering with powerless crystal radios to just listen to AM signals.  

Robert, I was completely unaware of the GMRS radio, so you've given me something more to research. Thank you for that!

Christopher, my husband is a retired truck driver, so he has some experience with CB radio. HAM, no experience, but we aren't sure yet what the best option for us is. Thank you for your experience and insight. Very helpful.

No practical advice here, but a fun story about off-grid improvisation: in the early 1980s my father and I spent a summer gold mining on the upper 70-Mile River in Alaska, near a place called The Falls.  About 40 miles from town and the old dozer trail was really a winter-only affair.  We had a CB radio that couldn't reach anywhere except for the friendly bush pilots who would check in on us by flying over; it was of course entirely illegal for them to have citizens band radios in their airplanes, but they did anyway.  And we had a primitive Heathkit-style HAM radio that was Morse only.  Amazingly we both had licenses for that and there were several friendly HAMs in town we could usually reach.  Dad learned Morse as a kid and was pretty good; I had barely passed the exam to get my license. But of course we were in a primitive camp all summer with no power source... almost!  Dad's double-track snowmobile was a custom build he had rebuilt from the shell of an old Bombardier; he'd powered it with a four-cycle engine from an old Onan welder and it had a 12v electric start system, because unlike a regular 2-cycle motor, it was a beast to start with the pull cord.  We hooked the radios to that 12v battery and when it got low, he'd fire up the snowmobile (in high summer!) and run it until the battery recharged.

Dan, that's a great story. It illustrates permies improvisation at it's finest! I think it's a good reminder too, that this doesn't have to be a complicated endeavor. I have to confess that even the dummies and idiots type books on the topic of radios get overwhelming when they go on-an-on about the options, bells, and whistles.

I have to add that I'm really glad morse isn't required for a HAM license anymore. That would be a tough one for me. My brain doesn't seem to be wired that way.

Hi Leigh, what kind of distances are you desiring to communicate over? I personally use the 80/75 meter band (3.5 ~ 4.0 MHz) to stay in touch with friends within a 400 mile radius, operating SSB voice during the early morning hours, and also evenings. That frequency band (and other HF Ham bands) requires at minimal a General class Ham license. With the study guide containing the actual exam questions and answers, passing the exam is a piece-o-cake. Look around your area for the local Ham radio club. They are very helpful to new aspiring Hams and may even be administering licensing exams, or can steer you in the right direction.

More info. including study guides may be found on the American Radio Relay League's website here http://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed

Off-grid would be a none issue for the common 100-watt multi-mode HF transceivers, which are 12 volt DC powered by design. Obviously that 12 volt DC power can be supplied by the electrical system in the average automobile, or in the house / ham-shack via 12 volt battery system, or an AC mains generator powered 12-volt DC power supply.  

Under ideal operating conditions the MTBF service life of a typical 100-watt class multi-mode HF transceiver runs about 10 to 15 years, before it needs to go in the shop for servicing and or repair. With that, I'd recommend against buying a secondhand radio unless you know of a good local electronics shop qualified to service your particular make/model Ham rig. This is coming from someone that's actively servicing Ham equipment professionally for the past three decades.

*rig = Ham slang for their radio transceiver

Byron, thank you for the good information. The website is especially helpful. And, it sounds like off grid will be easy to do!

For communication distances, we have friends who are hams and live about 1000 miles away.

I've found two amateur radio clubs in our part of the state. One offers testing, but neither mentions classes. Of course, thanks to the internet, I don't think a class will be necessary, other than it would be nice to meet people.

I have mates who talk with HAMS on the other side of the world.
They have log books of conversations and have often been speaking with people for 20 or more years.
On CB I was called 'ground hog' and my granddaughter is 'Bec'

I use these 2 radios along with a pair of FMRS/GMRS radios. The Motorolas are very sturdy & reliable with many features. They have a range of several miles through thick woods. There are other similar models available with different features & higher powers. I have used this general type of Motorola radio for 30-35 years & can't recall a single failure. That's why we use them for controlled burns in the forest. Our lives depend on them working. Not cheap, made in USA.

I use the BaoFeng for backpacking. It is small & lightweight with fairly good range. It works in part of the ham band, including some ham repeaters, as well as the FMRS/GMRS band. It has easy to use scan features & receives NOAA weather radio. Weather is the main reason I have it. This particular model is discontinued but they have similar ones. Cheap, made in the C place.

https://www.motorolasolutions.com/content/dam/msi/docs/products/mototrbo/portable-radios/user-guides/user_guide_xpr3300e_non_display.pdf

https://www.radiodepot.com/products/motorola-xpr3300e-radio

https://baofengtech.com/product/uv-5r/

There's a free app called HamStudy, that teaches the ins and outs, and preps you for the test...

Mike, thank you for that. I've only thought 'base station' so far, but really ought to add something handheld to my list.

Carla, that's the kind of thing i need!

Leigh Tate wrote:
For communication distances, we have friends who are hams and live about 1000 miles away.

Hi Leigh, your most welcome.

1000 miles is easily done, depending on the band (80/75, 60, 40, and 20 meter bands) and time of day. That's the great thing about shortwave radio, long distance communication. However, the antenna's for these bands tend to be rather long, for wire dipole antennas, varying in length from 120 feet (75 meters) to 33 feet (20 meters). Obviously, due to the antenna size requirement for efficient operation on the shortwave bands, we're talking "fixed station".  Mobile operation can be done, with special "loaded" short antennas and higher transmitter power, but that's a whole other topic.

The "handhelds" are VHF/UHF radios with exceptionally limited range, being good for "local" communication, i.e. 20 miles radius, depending on "repeater station" capabilities and multi-repeater link-up options for your area. Obviously out of the question for communicating with friends that are 1000 miles away.

Leigh Tate wrote:Mike, thank you for that. I've only thought 'base station' so far, but really ought to add something handheld to my list.

Carla, that's the kind of thing i need!

A hand held is (WAY) less expensive, and portable - making it a more versatile first ham, to get started with. I'm not advising you NOT to get a base unit, just imho, a hand held is lighter, easier to take with you (for more comfortable learning), and so much less expensive. We like knowing we can grab them and head to separate vehicles, or in opposite directions, too.

Byron, more good information. Very helpful. So I need to think "antennae" too. Also, I was going to say that handhelds are probably "out" for now, except that Carla brings up a good point about cost. Which leads to another question.

What are the differences between a stationary base station and a mobile? I know the mobile transceivers are intended for vehicles, but many of the descriptions mention they can be used as stationary units. Since they are already DC, it seems one would be easy to set up with a deep cycle battery. But are there other considerations? The other reason mobile units are attractive to me is because they generally seem to be less expensive than the larger stationary units.

(I hope I'm using the terminology correctly; I'm still learning!)

Wire dipole type antennas are inexpensive and can easily be constructed from readily available materials. I'll bet your 1000 mile distant Ham friends, if they are into operating on the previously mentioned shortwave bands, have already put together a wire dipole antenna or two.

The 12-volt DC powered HF SSB transceivers I've mentioned are universal in that they are made to be operated both as mobile and fixed station, and are among the least expensive group of multi-band shortwave Ham radios.  Using 12 volt deep cycle battery power is common practice especially for emergency / AC-mains power outages.  

Here's an example of a basic HF SSB transceiver in the least expensive class, one that has good owner reviews:

https://www.gigaparts.com/icom-ic-718.html

So, in order to have long distance communication, my understanding at the moment is that I need to be looking into an HF transceiver and a relatively tall dipole antenna. Setting up up DC is no problem.

That's a start!

Leigh Tate wrote:So, in order to have long distance communication, my understanding at the moment is that I need to be looking into an HF transceiver and a relatively tall dipole antenna. Setting up up DC is no problem.

That's a start!

Yes, HF SSB transceiver. SSB = Single Side Band, the most commonly used shortwave voice mode, and HF = High Frequency aka Shortwave, those frequencies from 3 to 30 MHz, generally speaking. Most HF SSB rigs also include the 160 meter Ham band (1.8 ~ 2.0 MHz) which is great for local communication within about 50 ~ 70 miles radius during the daytime, and several thousands of miles after dark. The band opens into Europe late in the evening, close to midnight for us East Coast Hams.

Your dipole antenna does not have to be ridiculously high in the air. Also, the easiest configuration for a dipole is the Inverted-Vee. I.e. hoist it up a flag pole, or from a rope over a tree limb, supporting the antenna only from it's center with 1/8" diameter Dacron rope. Each end of the antenna is then stretched out in opposite directions and tied off a few feet above the ground to whatever is available; bush, ground stake, nearby tree, etc. The height of the ends is not critical, only that the angle between the two "legs" of the antenna (which form the upside down V-shape) are 90 degrees or more, but never less than 90 degrees. The center support height can be fairly low, i.e. 20 to 30 feet and the antenna will still perform well.

The antenna lead-in will be coaxial cable (type: RG-8X is a popular size) which connects to the Inverted-Vee's center "feed point". Running a search for "80 meter dipole" and "Multi-band Fan Dipole" will bring up some pictures. If making your own antennas sounds interesting, and it will save you a ton of money, have a look at Ed Noll's 73 Dipole and Long-wire Antennas book http://www.on5au.be/Books/73%20Dipole%20and%20Long-wire%20Antennas.pdf

Now that I'm armed with a little more information than I had before, I'm looking at HAM tutorials for beginners on YouTube, reading descriptions of transceivers for terminology to look up, and starting to study for my technicians license. Understanding antennae is next on my learning list.

I hear and read the phrase "entry level" a lot for equipment, the idea being that eventually one will invest in better equipment. For me, however, this will likely be a once in a lifetime purchase (because of the way money comes my way), so I want to make sure I know what my needs and goals are, and what I need to achieve them.

The Icom IC-718 is what I'd consider an entry level HF fixed station radio, though it is small enough to go mobile too. For an HF SSB transceiver budget of around $1000, and considering this will be that once in a lifetime purchase, the recommendation most often given is the Icom IC-7300, a feature packed multi-mode rig that covers 160 meters to 6 meters and includes a built-in "antenna tuner". It is such a good rig that even Hams that have been in the hobby for 40+ years, favor the IC-7300 as their primary everyday radio. It is that good in both performance and dependability, and you get a lot for your money.

Byron Campbell wrote:the recommendation most often given is the Icom IC-7300

So I'm seeing! It seems to be a very popular model. All the reviews I've read rate it very highly. I've also found a number of videos comparing it to the Yaesu FT-991A, which people also seem to like.

The Yaesu FT-991A is an "all your eggs in one basket" (MF ~ VHF frequency coverage) miniature mobile class MF/HF/VHF/UHF radio. The more eggs in the basket, the greater probability of breakage. And reading through the reviews on eHam.net, lots of folks are having problems with the company and the FT-991A:

FT-991A reviews: https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=12025

20 meter band SSB is good during the day.  40 meter band SSB is good in the evening.  Both of these bands have a zone of no reception which varies but is generally 100 miles out to 400 miles out, meaning you can't pick up anyone closer than that, unless they are close (line of sight). The reason for the area of no reception is that the signal travels into space and bounces off of layers of the atmosphere (actually ionosphere) and comes back down at a certain angle.  

One or two deep discharge lead acid batteries are a good power supply.  AGM's or marine deep discharge batteries.  Charge them with a 100 W solar panel and charge controller, or if you have 120VAC use a automotive battery charger.

The choice and installation of the antenna is key to good performance, both on transmission and reception.  A dipole is a good place to start. Loop antennas are also good wire antennas.  

The transciever choices listed in previous posts are good choices.  I would go with a new model if at all possible.  If funds do not permit a new model purchase, you might find an older Kenwood HF transciever might be a cheaper way to start.  But you need to do your research, and you never know if you are buying a radio with a problem when you buy online. Personally I would go with an Icom 718 for a base rig and an Icom 706 for a mobile rig. But there are many good rigs out there.

Byron, that makes sense. Thanks for the link! Something I very much appreciate about he internet is the ability to read reviews.

Paul, thank you! All that is appreciated. I've gotten a lot of good input here, and am definitely feeling more confident about my goal.

Choices (always choices): comms around the property, or comms around the world, or "survival" comms?

 - if just comms around the property (say, 40 acres or possibly further out into the county), get a GMRS license (good for the whole family) from fcc, some baofeng radios (one that specifies GMRS) for each family member, done. We utilize this ... grab a radio, & go; cell phone not working, radio does (two possible routes to comm). Because GMRS is so inexpensive, don't bother with FRS (although you could start there, and save a small license fee).
 - if comms around the world, get a ham license, and look at the learning path below
 - if survival comms, you are *required* to buy a set of baofengs ... and then BURY them (after proper EMP protection is applied)

My learning path for ham radio communications is/was (you never stop learning) something like:

0a. forums ... find 'em all, peruse them; lots of rabbit holes, but fun ones ... something to be learned from each
 eham.net
 forums.qrz.com
 dozens, if not hundreds, more ...
0b. ARRL website ... use to explore and get licensed; the gold standard are their technician/general/extra guides.

1. determine where you'll take your online test (no need to drive anywhere); get the arrl technician guide, study/memorize (open-book test), complete & get your technician ham license

2. get a baofeng HT ($50), upgrade its antenna; this could be step 0, if you never transmit, just listen (receive) only; get CHIRP, learn how to program your radio (NOAA weather stations, local stations of interest like police, fire, etc.) for receive-only.

3. DMR ... get a baofeng Digital HT ($200) and/or a DMR hotspot; expands your reach to the whole world, no antenna needed (you're using the internet). this avoids the whole "who is (or isn't) ham'ing" in your area.

4. repeat #1 for general license ... again, effort/memorization of open-book test

5. set up "ham shack" (mine is currently the chicken coop, and don't ask why), w/ power (120v/12v), internet, antenna, mobile rig (anybody's), pc/laptop; learn all you can about grounding & other issues specific to ham shack operations.
 - get a baofeng, if no HT yet ... almost free ($50); 100% lifetime warranty (just buy another new one, at full price ... really)
 - get a mobile rig next, use it as a base, and/or move it to your vehicle (few $hundreds)
 - get a (real) base station, having learned from the above w/o dropping big bucks (few $thousands)
 - start down the mysterious path of antennas ... repeat the above effort for ht/mobile/base, only do it for antennas (cheap to really technical, really expensive)
 - whatever you do, look at warranty periods ... if one year or less, it is disposable; you've been warned ...

6. possibly repeat #1 for extra ... why not, it's just a tad more effort/memorization of open-book test

That's really it ... of course, there are a million side tracks (rabbit holes) that are always fun to go down (really!) ... a very partial list:

- morse code (CW) ... not required, but it makes you multi-lingual!
- arduino, raspberry pi ... projects galore, all with ham benefits
- electronics ... projects galore, all with ham benefits (and pretty much, the pillar of ham effort ... don't buy it, build it); for example, when your 1st baofeng dies or gets bricked, TAKE IT APART & learn from it; then feed the parts into the next one!
- internet (ham) radio ... use someone else's shack
- sdr ... specifically RTR-SDL (dongle), but applies to baofeng, internet ham radio, mmdvm, and more ... explore qrz forum for this
- APRS ... and any other specialty application of/for ham radio ... too many to list, but all of which might have a benefit for you on the homestead

Really, I'm just scratching the surface ... but hopefully, my path through all this sheds some light on a possible path for anyone else ...

PS: the survival/emp stuff was for fun ... but some folks (survival sites) have potentially helpful info with comms. Not that I do any of that ...

PSS: not fact-checked (all from memory), but then, you need to learn about all this yourself ... it's a never-ending journey, but one I'm glad I found, as it has numerous applications to our homestead, and our life!

Jt, I reckon I'm about halfway through your path list. I'm reading and watching videos, researching and obtaining equipment, studying like crazy, and looking to take my technicians test in early April. I have to admit I had no idea what we were getting into when my husband and I decided to go down this path. Thanks so much for sharing yours.

I run my entire Ham Shack on 12v. I have a Yaesu FT-101E as my HF rig, an old KLM Multi-2700 as my 2m SSB rig, and a cheapo chinese 2m/440 radio for local talk. I also have a Galaxy DX959 CB on the shelf that I talk with everyone in the valley on.

I like radio, I'm an Extra class Ham. But before I became a ham I talked sideband CB, and "freeband", still do sometimes.

The volt meter on the solar battery bank is reading 13.2 and it will run my house and all my radios for about 3 days with little to no sun.

I have an older Icom 706mkII in the truck and it will do all the HF bands and 2m. Plus it runs on 12v and can be modded to talk on the CB frequencies.

Have fun,

Ben

Ben, that's very helpful. I'm particularly interested how you set it up on solar. My current solar experience is with AC appliances; I have a chest freezer and converted chest freezer->fridge with a 705-AH battery bank. I have a sine wave inverter connected to the charge controller to plug the appliances into. So, powering DC will be new for me. Obviously, I don't need an inverter. But what do I need?

Leigh Tate wrote:Ben, that's very helpful. I'm particularly interested how you set it up on solar. My current solar experience is with AC appliances; I have a chest freezer and converted chest freezer->fridge with a 705-AH battery bank. I have a sine wave inverter connected to the charge controller to plug the appliances into. So, powering DC will be new for me. Obviously, I don't need an inverter. But what do I need?

Hi Leigh,

The 12-volt DC powered SSB HF Transceivers I've referenced earlier are supplied with a 10 to 12 foot long DC power cord, as are most all 12 volt powered amateur radio transceivers. Simply connect that power cord to your solar charge managed battery bank, I.e. directly to the battery bank.

If your battery bank is something other than 12-volts, say 24 volts for example, you may "tap" the battery bank at the 12 volt position. To do that, the negative lead (black) of the transceiver's power cord will connect to the battery bank's common / negative (ground potential) terminal. The power cord's positive wire (red) will connect to the positive terminal of the first 12 volt battery (the battery with its negative terminal at ground potential).

Before connecting the transceiver's power cord to the battery bank, I would recommend measuring the battery connection points with a DC volt-meter to insure the polarity and voltage are correct. Also verify the battery banks ground potential connection is actually at ground potential - there should be zero DC voltage measured between the negative battery terminal and the chassis-ground of the AC inverter. Obviously, this can alternately be verified by visually tracing the inverter's negative power wire back to the battery bank's negative / ground terminal.

Thanks Byron! Good information and advice.

It will definitely be a 12-volt system. What I have figured out, is that I will need a DC outlet panel, so that we can connect the DC equipment to the battery bank. Still working out what that equipment will be. For our first solar project, I diagrammed the whole thing out including wiring and grounding, plus sizes of cables and circuit breakers. I'll do the same for this one, especially since we'll be adding the DC components.

Since 12-volt powered HF transceivers have fused DC power leads, your battery bank's DC power distribution can be as simple as using a pair of bus bars hardwired to the battery bank. Each bus bar (Recoil BB46) contains multiple bolt terminals (for high current devices) and screw terminals (for low current devices). A  typical 100 watt HF transceiver will have a maximum DC current draw, on transmit, of around 20 amperes peak (receiver current drain is very low, usually 1.5 ~ 2.5 amperes or less).

Back to the bus bars, these units by Recoil will do nicely where the total current for all connected devices to be powered is 150 amperes or less.

Byron, those definitely look less expensive than the fancy outlet panels I've been looking at. Thanks!

Leigh Tate wrote:Ben, that's very helpful. I'm particularly interested how you set it up on solar. My current solar experience is with AC appliances; I have a chest freezer and converted chest freezer->fridge with a 705-AH battery bank. I have a sine wave inverter connected to the charge controller to plug the appliances into. So, powering DC will be new for me. Obviously, I don't need an inverter. But what do I need?

I have an 1150AH battery bank, and lots of 100w 12v panels on the roof of my house. I run 4 charge controllers simultaneously, they are each on separate groups of panels, but all of them feed the same battery bank. It adds some redundancy to the system in case one goes out.

I have some #6 stranded running inside for my 12v feed in the radio room, it is simply screwed to the wall; when I want to hook something up I loosen the screw and tie the line in under it. My radio room has OSB on the walls and wood isn't very conductive when its dry. I have the positive and negative leads spaced about 4 inches.

I know it is more efficient to run a higher charge voltage and battery bank voltage, but I knew I was going to run 12v in the radio room and many DC appliances run on 12v so I went that route. I also have a Giandel  inverter tied into the bank, and ran into a breaker in my home panel. I have the breaker painted orange, when the main is off I can switch the breaker on and back feed power to my house. Eventually I will be completely off grid, but for now I am mostly on the temporary pole.

Hope this helps, I've been working long hours and that's one reason I've not been back in here to reply. Apologies.

I should check the forum more often, lol

I am an active ham that specializes in outdoor off grid and mobile equipment from HF in the trees to portable EME and ARA. My recommendation to you is get a portable all band all mode Xcvr like a I-706 (any version) or an FT-891, something small compact and energy efficient. there are so many options it's hard to make a recommendation that fits you. In a SHTF situation where you need comms, you will want a radio that is unlocked and can transmit anywhere your antenna is tuned for (CB, FM radio, military, etc.). On HF, you will always find people on 20m between 14.225 and 14.350

This is what I did, it lives in a NVIS can inside of a 20mm can with other equipment (cheap EMP shielding). I also setup two lawn mower batteries in a 40mm ammo can for field use and have a 400w solar bank on a trailer. Be careful what solar chargers you use, they may emit noise while charging.

David, what do you mean by unlocked?

Mike Barkley wrote:David, what do you mean by unlocked?

The radio is modified so it isn't restricted to the amateur radio bands. Also known as a MARS mod.

Thanks. Looked into it a little & that seems like an excellent feature to have.  I never knew that was an option.

This is as good of a place as any to post this.  I wish to thank everyone posting on this thread.  It motivated me to take the Technician exam.   I am scheduling the General Class.

I passed the General today.