Walkie Talkies for emergencies?

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deadlyllama

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#3075313 12-May-2023 09:08

BlakJak: ...or for a better result, get your Amateur Radio License which opens up a whole bunch of new options.

That's what I did! The test to get your license is multichoice and the questions are available online BUT...

BlakJak: if you're in Auckland there's at least one decent radio club in each major district (West, Central, South, North Shore) and in Wellington I recommend the Wellington VHF Group (vhf.nz)

I got stung by this.

When you're organising the test, ask

Do they use the current NZART exam questions, or something else?
Will you get a free year's membership to NZART when you sit your test through that club/examiner?

Almost all will say Yes! to both, but the club I went through turned out to be a no to both... yes they were listed on the NZART site as giving exams, a friend from Auckland recommended them, etc.

davidcole

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#3075317 12-May-2023 09:15

Surprised no-one mentioned the CB radio scene. Is that not a thing any more? When I was growing up (80s/90) and in hamilton it was a big part of our life there. So many life long friends of my parents were ex cb radio.

As we moved to Wellington it had reduced significantly...and the advent of mobile phones as well. But they were good for most of a city.

Previously known as psycik

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axxaa

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#3075320 12-May-2023 09:24

Ham radio gives you much more options, both long and short range communications. The licence exam is multi choice and relatively easy to pass with a little preparation.

stuartjmz

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#3075435 12-May-2023 12:53

BlakJak: Any antenna with the right fitting and tuned for the right frequencies will work. With "rubber duck" antennas as in the top of a handheld radio there isn't a huge difference between antennas unless you're changing to something with significantly different length or gain. Switching for another fairly short antenna is likely to make only marginal difference.

Thank you. So far, the only SMA-M 477 MHz antenna I've found is 390mm, which seems like quite a big jump from 70mm. At only ~$22, it won't brak my bank to to give it a try, I think.

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