Which Radio License Do YOU Need?
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- čas přidán 11. 04. 2024
- There's a huge amount of radio spectrum out there, and in the US there are almost as many licenses as there are radio bands. Here's an explanation of which licenses cover what, and which bands do what. Now you can make your own band plan and start building your communication plan.
2:05 - FRS
2:59 - GMRS
4:54 - MURS
6:05 - Marine and Aviation
7:08 - Amateur Radio Bands
9:53 - Ham Radio Testing
13:30 - Business Band Radio
17:45 - The Grey Areas
20:50 - The Citizens Band
25:20 - Having a Communication Plan - Věda a technologie
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When I got my amateur license, I looked up my Dad's license and he didn't have an amateur radio license - he had a full-blown "PG - General Radiotelephone Operator License" and shows him as "CM - Commercial Operator".
Dad was an AM radio DJ back in the day right after he got back from his second tour in Vietnam and finally got out of the Army.
He passed away years ago but the FCC still shows his license as "Active" since those licenses *never* expire.
Great overview of the radio services available along with their relative strengths and limitations. I am a big fan of MURS for local, close in neighborhood use. It's license free, only 5 channels (so simple to use), and you can add a higher gain antenna to improve performance. At $20-$25 a piece they are great to buy in bulk and hand out to your neighbors in an emergency. We're also exploring Meshtastic for the same use case, but with the explicit goal to legally use encryption.
This is the team up I never knew I needed 😎. Can’t wait to see all the cool stuff you guys got going on!
I've been trying to get more unlicensed guys who are interested in radio to put up basic murs antennas. Just a handful of people with a simple copper jpole, 35ft of amazon coax, and one of those cheap Chinese radios from radioddity can cover a decent area and provide relays for other unlicensed people with only baofengs.
Cars need their own CBs again. It would start fights at first. However, if it became common again, people would be more cordial if they knew they could be roasted on an open frequency. 😂
I'm not sure that's a good idea, although it'd be fun. As a former tractor trailer driver for a yuge company, I used to get tickled whenever there was a wreck holding up traffic for miles and you'd have 'drivers' threatening each other.
@@turn-n-burn1421 fair fair
🇺🇸
Looking forward to The Tech Prepper collaboration. Really glad you are using a G90, as I have one too. The detailed setup info will be really helpful. Thanks for serving freedom. 👍
This was ridiculously informative and was explained and stacked in a way that I've never discovered otherwise. Appreciate it, one of the few channels that helps explore the fringes of possibilities within the confines of reality.
For ham radio, the testing fee is $15. The license fee is $35. Just got my technician license a few weeks ago, and my GMRS license about 3 weeks before that. I’m loving getting on the radio.
Idk if you or someone else is writing these scripts, but the humor sprinkled in is absolutely hilarious 😂. Your delivery is always so casual and dry, yet sarcastic 🤌🏻
Radios and radio licences are like guns, ammunition, and tools. Get all of them, use all of them, train with all of them. That is if you’re truly serious about the subject.
Very true. Radio may require more regular training than certain shooting fundamentals.
yes sir !
The FCC budget is actually funded by licensing fees. There isn't really any significant tax dollar amount associated with them unless you count any time spent by congress messing with FCC regulations.
Thank you for doing this video! I ran into a similar video back in December and got my GMRS license. Fell in love with the hobby and ended up getting my HAM Technician license this month. I’m in my early 30’s and didn’t have much amateur radio exposure. These videos really help get more people into the hobby and I hope for more people from my generation to join!
These labs videos are probably the most informative inclusive videos I’ve ever seen, I’ve watched dozens of hours of other CZcams videos from many sources to acquire just about the same amount of knowledge completely covered in this video
Can Trex Arms purchase a business band license and then add all of us as authorized users?
Yeah, team up with S2 Underground and some others in the space and it might just work...
That would be a epic collaboration. Do it do it!
Not really. Business radios licences are dolled out geographically :/
Constant nationwide usage? Sounds like a multi-million dollar item.
I've had GMRS for the last year and been holding off on HAM because I figured I didn't need it, but you sold me on it. I'll do it this weekend.
Good luck! GMRS is a great service. HAM is a whole nother world open to you, really its more like worlds there so many directions to go if you make general.
Just a clarification: the $35 fee goes to the FCC for the license itself. VECs (Volunteer Exam Coordinators) charge $15 per testing session. If you pass your Technician test and fail the General, you'll pay $15 dollars to the VEC and $35 to the FCC once your paper work has been processed. If you want to re-test for General, you pay $15 to the VEC but since you already have an active license you don't need to pay another $35.
At the risk of being that guy, the driver of a boat is the pilot. The man in charge is the captain, and depending on the size of the boat the captain might also be piloting the boat. Aviation takes a lot from naval tradition.
Edit: somebody can't spell, it was me.
I was a child and had a speech impediment. I wanted to be a PILOT, not a PIRATE!!!!! /endPiratesofPenzance
At the risk of being that guy, I don't trust people who can't spell what they're supposedly experts about. It's captain, not captian.
@@SladeMcCuiston fair enough 😂
what about skipper ?
@@dauby0913 another word for captain
I got my Extra back in August of 2022. Mostly operate HF and VHF, not a lot on UHF, but do occasionally get on a 70cm repeater. I would like to get the IC-905 for SHF, but here in East Tennessee, those bands would be about useless and over $3K wasted.
Maybe some time do a voice demo on D-STAR, C4FM, DMR and other digital voice modulation? Having a digital voice radio comes in handy when trying to stay somewhat private on the amateur spectrum. I have two out of the big three digital voice modes, D-STAR and C4FM. If need be, I'd be more than happy to come out one weekend and help out with a demo.
Great video and looking to learn some more.
W4ISB
Mike in Tennessee
“Superior radio powers and skills” .. not a hint of a smile, smirk or wink! Completely straight face! Very informative. Definitely going to get a ham license.
This content fascinates me thank you bro!
LOVE THE CHANNEL THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING TREX DOES FOR THE COMMUNITY
This is so helpful. I’m new with all of the Comms stuff. Grateful for the information.
It was nice to hear CB brought up in a talk about radios, my grandpa always had CBs in every vehicle it came into good use several times
If you don't mind being a low key outlaw, a high powered CB (usually called a 10 meter radio or export radio, for legal reasons) is definitely the way to go on CB. I've witnessed a 50 watt radio with a big antenna talk 5 + miles through dense trees and low hills, mobile to mobile.
Great video as usual! Keep the content coming, please!
Awesome info, thanks for putting this together.
So informative! Thanks Isaac
This helped a lot to kick my butt into gear and start studying, thanks
Booyah. This channel is awesome.
Best explanation I have seen so far.
Very understandable
Very well done. Extra class😎
this is great! been working on getting my comms up and running.
CB base stations were a pretty big thing in my area before and even during the first years of the Internet and cell phones ( 80's and 90's) . We regularly communicated with the same old people every day , across town and even several towns away at night .Conditions were always better at night for local talk. Skip was during the day mostly , inconsistent at best , more about conditions and luck (and maybe a little bit of cheating) .
Hand tuned radios , directional antennas on electric rotors , maybe some amplifiers here and there (solid state and even vacuum tube) .
I have fond memories of that time of my life actually. I met some interesting people.
I really like the Lab videos from Issac. I enjoy that more than the regular gun content even. Interesting things and good information. Even that one on the Dune movie. Altogether interesting.
Excellent content as always
As someone who is new, ill stick with 915mhz lora and just reach some locals for a grand total of less than $100
Ok, the bit with the editor trying to spell amateur and settling for HAM cracked me up. I don't know why, but it just hit my funny bone!
VE (volunteer examiner) for my local radio club. Exam fee is $15 I believe. The $35 fee is the FCC's most recently imposed fee for a new license grant. General VE's do exist but can only grade Technician exams, whereas you need to have Advanced (old license class no longer offered) and Extra administer General exams, only Extra can grade extra exams.
But yes, studying the tests to pass the tests is the easiest way to pass. Anything you don't get right on the practice tests, look up and learn about so you know why you didn't get the questions right and can pass later. That's how I got my license. I passed Tech and General in one sitting, about 6 months later I upgraded to Extra.
CB is creeping forward too. FM is now legal, and hopefully data will come at some point. Skip is really condition dependent , but a couple of quarter wavelength counterpoise set up in an inverted v or a half wavelength NVIS are pretty convenient because it is a relatively short wavelength.
I've been a ham for 11yrs and recently got gmrs. I've been happy with gmrs range for local coms (my primary use case) and have been able to get the family to use them. Midland mxt275 for home base station and vehicles, HTs for ATVs, and a few mars mod radios for just in case.
Glad to see collaboration with radio community trex, tech prepper, josh, and not a Rubicon...
A how to on a gmrs repeater would be an interesting video
Great info bro!! 👍🏾
Was literally just looking into this today, so glad my favorite tactical tech channel is talking about them
Correction: Extra doesn't give you the ability to administer tests. It's part of it, but you'll need to pass the open-book VE test. Once you pass, General may only administer tests to Tech, Extra may administer tests to everyone.
Ah, good point.
@@isaacbotkintrex Great video though. It covers a ton of stuff that I find my self repeating to folks. Now, I'll just share the video.
Thank yall for providing this much needed knowledge. My favorite T Rex channel 🦖 🤓
NOTE on where you said Skip the CB Handheld, I say they are still a good use for them BUT I have the Midland 75-822 as one of my CB setups it is mainly a dedicated car install with external antenna but has a battery pod that converts it to a handheld, so its best of both worlds as i can rabidly convert it to a portable option as needed. I live where there is a lot of logging roads and all the logging trucks use CB still, so any time you go down a logging road you want to make sure and tune into the designated channel for that road (they have signs up noting channels) so you know where the big rigs are so you wont wind up block them and causing a traffic jam, AND on multiple occasions I have come across logging rigs that needed help backing up down narrow roads and i was able to grab my CB convert to handheld and assist in flagging and communicate to the driver making the process a lot easier
Tennessee has a lot of fixed marine radios on very tall towers for the lakes and rivers for Coast Guard
A single individual GMRS license doesn't cover the whole family, only immediate family as the FCC defines them. Those would be the licensee's spouse, children, grandchildren, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, stepparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and in-laws. It doesn't cover cousins or more distant family members. The family members it does cover do not have to live in the same household as the licensee and the license doesn't cover any non-relatives even if they live in the same household as the licensee.
Removable antennas are allowed on all GMRS radios, handheld or portable. Only handhelds capable of transmitting authorized digital data(short text messages/GPS coordinates) are required to have a fixed antenna. The narrow band channels were originally FRS exclusive frequencies(before 2017 rules change). Those are still limited to 0.5w, only handhelds can transmit on them and they are near useless beyond 1/4 mile in most areas.
On the subject of CB wattage limits there are some common misconceptions. FM CB is limited to 4w constant carrier, meaning it's 4w dead key or when modulated. AM is limited to a 4w average carrier that can be modulated up to 100% while SSB has no carrier and is limited to 12w Peak Envelope Power(PEP). AM CB modulated at 100% results in 16w PEP, 33% more power than SSB. What makes SSB work better at longer distances is its narrower bandwidth signal(4khz vs 8khz) that better cuts through noise.
Ok this is officially my new favourite channel. Please make a video on mesh technology available to the consumer one way or another. Things like the Gotenna pro v2 or the new D.o.c.k. System announced by kagwerks (not sure if that one will be available for the commercial market or if they are still at the prototype phase even) or any other company or product that I wouldn’t be aware of. Regardless I am looking for something that will offer mesh radio technology compatible to use Atak/itak off grid. If it offers voice communication through the mesh (which sadly even though it offers everything else through atak like txt msg, location data etc. The Gotenna device does not do voice) that would be the cherry on top of the Sunday. Basically I want Mpu5 capability or as close to it as possible without paying mpu5 money 😂. Please help with your wisdom.😅
Great channel! Thanks for your generosity.
BTW, I've heard that the FCC is self funded. That is not to say that license fees add up to much. Used to be the amateur license was free (until recently). Most fees are generated by licenses granted to commercial broadcasters.
Yeah, when they auction blocks of frequency off to the big telecom carriers, it's a lot of money.
Thanks Isaac
Love your coms videos. We need a video on DMR
love it
Another cool option requires no lic...
If under a certain wattage it is legal to own and operate your own AM or FM radio station.
If set up right it can reach 1-5 miles and still be legal.
You should still use acceptable fam language.
Music
Talk
DJ
Pirate
Correction in the FCC fees for ham radio. There is an optional $10 fee for taking this test and may be administered by the testing group during the testing session.
The $35 fee is the FCC's administration fee. Once the paperwork has been submitted by the testing group and processed by the FCC, the applicant will receive an email where they can pay the fee.
From 1977 to 1990 channel 10 on the cb was the call channel in Toronto Ontario, Canada
Channel 6 in the US was (kinda still is?) the "Super Bowl." ALLLL kinds of wild stuff going on there.
The first test before you get any of your licenses is navigating the ancient FCC website.
Yes. You must prove yourself worthy.
Pretty good run down other than yer bit bout CB. Pretty clear you've spent little to no time on 11m and know no truck drivers somehow. Very few truckers on 11m anymore outside a few Metro areas that it's still popular with the locals, really its more a play place for a different kind of radio than HAM, sometimes a bit more crude and rude sometimes just less formal. Good jumping of place for some regional HF comms if you have a group where not everyone wants to test though for sure and can be a bit cheaper than HAM kit out. Long distance is possible just like 10m depending on conditions and kit.
i just took my technician test, literally paid the fcc their 35 dollars right before i saw this video, and god i wish i had this video before i did all the studying and testing. i was thinking the whole time i was studying "god i wish there was a whole chart that explained what sections of what frequencies can you do certain things and what requires what licensure". yall wouldn't happen to have a better version of the "hand drawn" graph that actually denotes the specific ranges of the sections of band, what they can be used for, max power levels for certain license level, and what license level, would you?
I have found an Atak alternative for civilians (very cheap setup), 2 radios and 2 phone! I tested different SSTV modes with osmand (map screen shot), and send it offline with my frs radio. So basically its a cheap way to send intel, photos, and gps information!
Explain please
@johnfarmer2674 I use on my phone some apps (sstv encoder and Robot 36 for transforming images in radio waves or audio files! Before that, you can do a screenshot on your phone to a map or GPS location , and put the image in sstv encoder then use pd240 for better quality image (this will take a few minutes), but afther transforming the image you can save it as a wave file and send it later. You can try pd120 mode or robot 36 the fastest of this encoder mode (but this mode is for low quality image).
And then a friend of your can decode this audio file with robot 36 app. You need 2 frs radios, or a cheap baofeng uv-5r, or other walkie talkie and just put the phone speakers (microphone) close to the radio. The phone will decode the sound, and the radio will do the rest in an off grid comms set-up.
Heh, you're not wrong! HF can do amazing things, but if you don't know what you are doing your more likely to mess up your equipment than make contacts, fm is a lot more friendly thanks to the cheap Chinese radio market, but if your trying to do stuff in the ham band you still need to know things like repeater offset and ctcss tones, because simplex is exactly the same line of site as gmrs without the repeaters. (Gmrs with repeaters is wanna- be ham radio operators... Go take the technician test already!!! Then you have a lot more people you can talk with, also you can use things like hotspots and digital mode devices to talk all over the world from anywhere!) Business stuff is boring and unbelievably expensive unless you're repurposing it from some garage sale find to play on a hotspot (pending you found programming software and cable... Good luck!😂) Shortwave so you can hear someone calling cq in Spanish half way through an evangelist broadcast station!😂😂😂😂
This is such a complex issue.
MURS is a highly underrated band for prepared citizens who want something more capable than FRS without a license, and the MURS frequencies are less used. Some MURS radios even offer quasi-encryption by having voice scramblers built in.
MRS 3 - Every 3 hours on the hour - for 3 minutes
Even if you don't have a license, you should have this capability
TL;DR: Get them all
I just went all the way to extra. Why not…
Some clubs will not allow you to retest, if you fail. They are donating their afternoon, not wanting to be there longer than necessary. You need a minimum of 74% correct to pass. I would study and practice test unil you can do 90% or more, reliably. Just my opinion.
While I'm pro of "Defund the FCC" I will suggest fact check what you said. I read awhile back the FCC is not Tax funded as you said, they live from COMMERCIAL license fees and fines. There is a TON of money on commercial license fees, starting from cellphone companies, companies, to even the same government agencies (police, etc)
I miss having a cb in my car. Lol and that was like 2014.
How would they catch you using wrong equipment for different channels such as removable antenna? Or if you do encrypt
This is part of that grey area. If the label is worn off of that radio, who can say? If someone busted the loctite holding an antenna on, how would you know? Encryption on the ham bands that expressly forbid it is more cut and dried.
Xiegu G90 mafia checking in.
The Trex Talk podcast logo on Apple has the photoshop cursor in the bottom center. Literally unlistenable.
For short range comms ham is not needed. GMRS and MURS are fine.
What hytera model do you use?
The "become ungovernable" people are talking about which permission slip you need to use the air?
Newbie here so I apologize if this question is meh..... What about DMR?? Where does that fit in?
DMR is a transmission mode. You can use it on any of the digital parts of ham bands unencrypted, or on any of the business bands with encryption, if your radio supports it.
Thanks Much!!
Who’s in here remember the Novice, Tech+ and Advance license? 😜
I did forget that it was called novice. I should have mentioned that in the video.
@@isaacbotkintrex no worries. I’m a radio nerd myself and glad to see more high tech content video covering ham radios. Thank you Isaac. By the way, you should host an HF net one of these days.
I think a driver of a boat is a pilot
Unlicensed UV5R users unite!
Nice try alphabet man, nice try 😂
Can a Holder of the Technician's License just re-new it and not go up to the General.......? =)
Yes you may.
Once you test, pass and receive your Tech license, there is no requirement to ever upgrade. You may just renew at your 10 year license renewal date each time.
I know guys that have been Technician Hams for 20+ years and never intend on moving up. Understand though, legally you cannot operate on HF bands. Hope this helps.
Lee, KQ4BAC
Around here even truckers don’t use CB anymore, everyone is on vhf radios
Good reason to get CB: quieter bands
Most all truckers are currently sticking to 19 for all communications
I don’t need the governments permission to use something they didn’t create. I’ll pass on any liscense and use what I want.
I’ve learned more radio knowledge from two Isaac Botkin videos than hours of research 😅
What are you doing with these radios? Who’s actually on them?
On the T.Rex business band, T.Rex employees. On the hand bands, random friends at various distances. On the GMRS and FRS bands, my family members.
🙏🇺🇸🙏
Ive been using gmrs, ham, murs, frs for years without a license. Its not hard to jail break radios if avaiable and easy to program one radio to do all of them. Antennas are aesy to change out. Just dont be a jerk on the air.
Probably shouldn’t get your drivers licence or any other licence for that matter. Just don’t be a jerk on the roads or anything like that and you’ll be fine…
@@Eric10179 can't be any worse than those licensed drivers
Doesn’t Walmart use MURS?
I thought ham tests cost $12?
Soup Can
Bare minimum you need a General and a GMRS license. But you should get the Amateur Extra upgrade.
Why go for extra?
@bellatoramatbellum you get more bandwidth in HF that's reserved for only Extra and is used for super long DX transmission. Not a lot of room in some bands and this is like vip rooms reserved for only us. Also you can get a vanity call sign that's only 4 characters in total, such as X0XX or XX0X. It's not mandatory but I had to get mine for those reasons.
@@timpetrillo2802 I should get extra so I can more easily talk to unknown foreign nationals?
@@bellatoramatbellumremote operation and building your own repeater are 2 really good benefits.
The chad option is to antagonize the local diabetic boomers with your unlicensed transmitions. Take the notarubicon pill
That's the neat part. You dont=)
Pilot of the boat not driver
You don't need any of them, haha, unless you'd like to have them.
We need no license. It's about time FCC needs to catch up with the time and forget about this nonsense.
I watch notarubicon all the time. Not subscribed, but I still get notices. That guy, Randy, kills me. I am 100% in his camp.
I just cant seem to find any reason to get licensed to use free radio waves. 🤷♂️
Why did you get a drivers licence then
@@Eric10179 where does free radio waves equate to driving a car? Are you high?
@@gadsdenconsulting7126 no I’m not high, but I think you might have a comprehension deficiency. The radio licence, much like a drivers licence, is a certificate of competency. It shows that you understand your responsibilities and will act intelligently and respectfully, and when you don’t, you get it taken away. Radio frequencies are an extremely limited resource, so they must be divided up and shared accordingly. Identification and licensing is how we know that people are playing in their respective sandboxes and not infringing on others spaces. If there wasn’t designated spaces it would be overrun by those with only the deepest of wallets. The little guy wouldn’t stand a chance.
@@gadsdenconsulting7126 What gives you the right to shout into the homes of millions of other people?
That's what you're doing with RF. You're blasting it out, bogarting the spectrum, drowning out anybody else who might be trying to use it, and hogging a common resource.
It would be the equivalent of you buying a bulldozer and just smashing through everyone on the road because they're in your way.
You get a driver's license so you can utilize public (common) roadways without harming other people. You get a radio license (or licensed device) so you can utilize public airwaves without harming other people.
@@Eric10179 And there we have it... you're a sad HAM! You do you. I'll keep doing my thing as a free user of the free radio waves. I'm very competent, and don't need to pay the gubment to prove it, or ask permission to demonstrate it.
👋 😜👍
My hang up for ham and gmrs is giving my address to the federal government with a bright neon sign saying “hey I have com gear at this location” and down the road when they want to enslave the citizenry they come a callin. Is there a way to not be an outlaw and get your license but not actually Having my address on a list?
You can use a PO Box instead of your full address if you have one. Also realize, you have a supercomputer in your back pocket at all times. Anyone who wants to find you already knows everything they need to know. You’re already on many a list. They don’t need to see your address assigned to your callsign to find and enslave you.
You're already on a list, bud. Your location is associated with your IP via your service provider (whether that's an internet connection or a cell data connection). Your IP is associated with your username. A government bot has likely already scraped your comment and potentially flagged it as "does not trust government".
Not that it matters anyway. Because when the day comes that the government is interested in shutting down your radio communications, they'll simply send a guy with a van and an antenna array to find you. It will take less than an hour.
@@dafunkmonsterexactly
Y’all are missing the point. I know I’m in several lists. I pay taxes. The point is that if they hear me on the air, DF my azimuth, over lay a map with pins of people in my neighborhood who have licenses and find me in 10 minutes. Vs not having my address on map and hitting the sad ham in my neighborhood first and give me time to slip away
IMO the licensing system of armature radio is an outdated relic of the Cold War. Back then there would have certainly been a real concern of espionage, but there was also no such thing as relatively inexpensive Chinese made radios that allow anyone to "plug and play" on the radio without causing problems. The technician license should not require so much technical jargon to study just to jabber on the radio.
It’s essentially a competency test, just like a drivers test. It’s not outdated, the entire world works like this…
The purpose of amateur radio is not to enable you to buy premade 2W handheld transceivers.
The purpose of amateur radio is to make sure you know what the hell you're doing before you go building an antenna and pumping 1500 watts through it. It's also to make sure you don't run around stepping on, say, public safety traffic while trying to key up to talk to your friends.
"The technician license should not require so much technical jargon to study just to jabber on the radio."
My dude, the technician license is easy to get. It's the most basic content. If you can't handle it, you have no business trying to get licensed. Stick to $10 blister pack FRS radios.
@@dafunkmonster preach
@@Eric10179 drivers tests don't even work because people still can't drive
@@dafunkmonster ok boomer
fuck a license. Nobody needs to be able to identify you if you don't want them to.
WW3 looming and you guys still think a license is important?
It is illegal to broadcast in amateur radio.
It’s kinda just word semantics. Most people don’t know that the definition of broadcasting is a 1-way transmission, so they are just using the word incorrectly but on accident.
All antenna laws are an infringement lol
Kinda
On what…