HAM radio as scanner

Hello, I’ve been reading a lot about HAM recently, and bought a book as preparation for the tech exam license. I just got through it and I’m about to take the exam. In the mean time I bought a radio, and just received it. I’m not going to use it to transmit until I get my license and that’s official, but I have been looking though the manual, the programming software, and I did put a few channels in the radio to see how the uploading and downloading works. I’m also attempting to try to use it as a scanner, but having an issue.

I have a few FRS/GMRS radios, and I tried setting my HAM radio to transmit/receive on 462.5625. Then using it as a receiver I transmitted on my FRS radio and it picked right up on the HAM radio speaker, but I switched to a different channel on the FRS radio, and the Baofang picked it up on 462.5625, even though I was transmitting from a different FRS channel.

I’m trying to make sense of this. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,

I had to smile when you said you reading a lot about ham - I had visions about piles of food, and people eating ham sandwiches? Remember that HAM is an abbreviation of amateur - as in amateur radio. You can’t read about ‘ham’ because we don’t think of that word in that way. you can say ham radio - but not ham on its own.

I suspect your problem isn’t a problem. Many of the pre-packaged radios come with one frequency programmed but with three or six different CTCSS tones, to prevent other people being heard. The Baofeng hears everything, but your radio may just be transmitting a different tone on the next channel position and still using the same frequency - which is very normal. Some of the little cheap radio packs only have 6 channels, but claim 36, because each of the 6 different frequencies has 6 different tones. Clever marketing!

Thank you, I knew of the different CTCSS tones, but didn’t realize the walkie talkie radios had channels that were the same frequency but with different tones. I thought there was a subset of tones for each channel, but you are correct. After looking more closely at the walkie talkie radios I have, they don?t have subset CTCSS privacy tones for each channel as I had initially thought.
Now that you say that about HAM, I had to laugh. That makes sense.
And you are correct, that definitely is clever marketing.

I suppose it does work in practice - the different tones cutting out the chatter from other users to a large degree - so they work as if there are more actual frequencies. Here in the UK it’s actually quite fun to hear multiple conversations at the same time - the order for table two wiping out the order for a pair of size 6’s from the shoe shop next door - but neither user realising why the radios keep “**** things keep cutting out - their rubbish radios” being a typical comment. Nothing wrong with the radios, but a switch to say channel 7 would cure it as it’s empty!

Bear in mind, it is NOT LEGAL to use a Baofeng on FRS/GMRS frequencies. The Baofengs do not have the necessary FCC certification required to legally operate on these frequencies.

You can use almost anything to listen to different frequencies, or several. Doesn’t matter if it’s a ham radio, commercial or whatever. Transmitting is a different story. Depending on a number of things, being properly licensed may be a requirement (you and/or the equipment).

Addressing the scanner aspect, you need to decide if you need a full blown scanner or just something with a rudimentary scan function (many radios have some kind of VFO or preset/channel scan function).

Where scanners and regular scan enabled radios differ is essentially the first and second stages inwards. Where a radio receiver can be quite wide band in between first and second filter stages, the first two on scanners are extremely wide band and very wide band respectively and only goes narrow and selective in the final filter stage.

So where most radios sniff and seek around final filter windows, scanners sniff way back in their ex-wide and very-WB filter stages, where they perceive something akin to what a waterfall on an SDR reflects, a lot of simultaneously occurring residual, high and very strong sigs and it’s that difference which makes a bigger part of why real scanners zoom through their scan like a cat with it’s tail on fire, and the really good ones still manage to stop dead on center frequency when they do hit traffic or a source.

Whilst you’d realize why real GenCov receivers are somewhat justified in cost if you spent time playing with them, a good well made scanner or SDR (some scanners and non-scanners are actually software defined types, as are some transceivers and many commercially produced radio-on-a- chip transceiver modules (wifi being a notable example of use).

But however you explore, and whatever aspect of radio you choose to lurk and snoop at, play safe and don’t keep log audio recordings unless you know you need them. I know of at least one scanner user who proudly posted his claims about stuff he shouldn’t have listen to, even offered to let people visit to heard the more interesting unpublished stuff. When he got a ‘visit’ he didn’t expect, and who instigated it remains a mystery, even his panic to destroy his log recordings failed as he forgot about some mixed compliation tapes and his TB scale digital archive. There’s a lesson you can figure out for yourself from that.

Anyway, since I whole heartedly encourage legit interest and harmless and respectful intent curiosity, good luck exploring radio.

In fact, if you’re in analogue specifically and curious enough over a wide range of VHF/UHF and want a convenient item that’s usable as a ham 2m/70cm TxCr if you do get your ticket, then I’d point to wouxun kg-uv9 d or k variants.

Both cover a lot of VHF and UHF segments in FM in Rx, air band VHF in full and a proper AM receiver mode for such, with ham 2m/70cms full transceiver capabilities (including crossbars repeater mode). The d variant is older but is a bit of a bargain as much as comprehensive for 4m upwards listening purposes, can’t recall if crossband repeater mode (ham license use) is a d feature. The k variant appears to have better spec receiver (in wide band sense I’d guess and maybe hairband) , narrow band additional facility on air band, and definitely crossbar repeater (ham use).

Mind you, if air band matters, you can buy a proper WT type aviation transceiver for not much price difference and have a very optimal receiver - and unless you’re licensed for aviation radio use, I’d assume you’d use it PTT locked - and an added incentive talking of that, a ham license gets you - legit right to possess any tx/Rx/txcr that’s legitimately imported into your country (not import prohibited I mean) and not prohibited to civilians. It helped legitamise some of my working (used Rx only for demo with a Sig gen) surplus military and other non-civ radio kit, which probably is stretching the interpretation somewhat but still legit legal to own as workers.

So, there’s a 2 for 1, kit ideas and a motivator of a bonus (subject to national variables) feature of getting a ham license .

Since my last post, I’ve noticed there’s an Alnico HT that’s a analogue FM dual band proper ham set, but has a seriously extended rx multimode (Am and FM) covering 500khz through 900Mhz.

Pair it with a decent wideband suitable antenna (the stock one is OK for maybe 4m, 2m and 70cms, but that’s marginal beyond 2m/70cms) and it could be good intermediate compromise if you want a bit of gencon in a scanning capable HT.

But if you’re more into VHF/UHF, the Wouxon is probably a better choice.