HAM Radio

RHM said:

Greetings,

Maybe this is a shot in the dark - are there any HAM operators amongst the DR1 crowd? Looking for frequencies, etc. Any guidance is much appreciated.

RHM

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Although I'm not a ham operator, I do use marine SSB. You can find Caribbean frequencies and channels here.

East Coast Cruising Nets

I am a General Class (KK4 area prefix) "occasionally" operating out of Central Florida (when I am back there). I don't have a lot on the DR, but I do know that there is activity. Also, I recall hearing DX from there, but I have nothing in my logs. Having said that, here are some links and potential contacts which may help.

"73"

__________________________________________________________________
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Radio Club Dominicano [RCD]
Address: P.O. Box 1157, Santo Domingo
Tel: +1 (829) 954-4444
Email: h.....@iaru-r2.org <HQ>
Web: Radio Club Dominicano
President: Hugo Ramon Sanchez, HI8VRS
Secretary: Juan de Dios Salas Gil, HI8JSG
IARU liaison: Rafael Martinez, HI8KW
Last updated: 25-Aug-2014
____________________________________________________________________

Resources:
Radio Club Dominicano
.Dominican Republic Amateur and GMRS radio repeaters
Welcome to the Frontpage (HI8CR's list of repeaters - from 2011?)

Couple Of Potential Contacts, For More Information:
HI8CJ - Callsign Lookup by QRZ.COM
https://www.qrz.com/db/HI8RD
(If you are on QRZ, you might also find contact info for the RCD club members listed above)

Some Activity In The News:
Dominican Ham’s stablished radio communications between Dominican Republic, Haiti and the rest of the world | International Amateur Radio Union

Major448 said:

I am a General Class (KK4 area prefix) "occasionally" operating out of Central Florida (when I am back there). I don't have a lot on the DR, but I do know that there is activity. Also, I recall hearing DX from there, but I have nothing in my logs. Having said that, here are some links and potential contacts which may help.

"73"

__________________________________________________________________
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Radio Club Dominicano [RCD]
Address: P.O. Box 1157, Santo Domingo
Tel: +1 (829) 954-4444
Email: h.....@iaru-r2.org <HQ>
Web: Radio Club Dominicano
President: Hugo Ramon Sanchez, HI8VRS
Secretary: Juan de Dios Salas Gil, HI8JSG
IARU liaison: Rafael Martinez, HI8KW
Last updated: 25-Aug-2014
____________________________________________________________________

Resources:
Radio Club Dominicano
.Dominican Republic Amateur and GMRS radio repeaters
Welcome to the Frontpage (HI8CR's list of repeaters - from 2011?)

Couple Of Potential Contacts, For More Information:
HI8CJ - Callsign Lookup by QRZ.COM
https://www.qrz.com/db/HI8RD
(If you are on QRZ, you might also find contact info for the RCD club members listed above)

Some Activity In The News:
Dominican Ham?€™s stablished radio communications between Dominican Republic, Haiti and the rest of the world | International Amateur Radio Union

Click to expand...

i hope you are not one of those guys who uses that thing called a linear. i had a guy move in nextdoor to me with one, and i had to call the FCC on his ass.

the gorgon said:

i hope you are not one of those guys who uses that thing called a linear. i had a guy move in nextdoor to me with one, and i had to call the FCC on his ass.

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LOL........Had to deal with that once. When they cue up sh1t goes crazy

Probably 27.555 USB! LOL

Seriously though, there are very few (in any) antennas (HF) on show around Sosua, Cabarete and Puerto Plata. I've noticed a couple of beams in Santiago. I expect you'll be very busy with a pile up using the "HI" callsign prefix.

barker1964 said:

LOL........Had to deal with that once. When they cue up sh1t goes crazy

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i could hear this guy?s conversations in my stereo system, and my telephone. at first i did not know what was happening, and i called the telephone company. they said it was a guy operating a linear, and that i should call the FCC, since they would triangulate it, and shut him down.

they did. it was my nextdoor neighbor.

In general, "Linear" amps are used (illegally) by CBers. They are "dirty" (meaning that they "bleed" over onto other frequencies). The people who use them have no technical training on how to properly adjust and use them. Big fines if caught using them. And they are VERY easy to catch.

CB is not HAM radio .... HAM radio is not CB. Two totally different animals (both equipment and users). In fact. without training (and a call sign), it would be difficult for one to even properly use a HAM radio.

Now, it is possible for a licensed (trained) HAM to put out too much power and cause interference. This is rare ... but it does occasionally happen and can be easily "fixed/adjusted".

I tend to run at lower power levels .... no need for amps.

A CB radio has a very limited range. It is open to the public, with no training or licensing required. And there is also about as much ignorance and lack of "discipline" on those things as on an Internet forum! And even with high power (illegal linear amps), there are certain "technical" reasons why the range will still be limited.

With a HAM radio, I can sit in my car, if I choose to, and consistently make contact around the world. (During hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes ... this just might come in handy.) I am only on air occasionally ... I don't get into the "socializing" and contesting aspects of the hobby all that much. But here are just a couple of the nets (HAM networks) that I sometimes check into. (If I were not doing my travel thing, I would even consider getting certified to handle military message handing -- MARS).

* Maritime Service --- emergencies and message handling
14300 Net Information

* Historic/Legacy Net (read the "About OMIK" page -- THIS net may still prove useful!!)
OMIK Amateur Radio

j&t's future said:

Probably 27.555 USB! LOL

Seriously though, there are very few (in any) antennas (HF) on show around Sosua, Cabarete and Puerto Plata. I've noticed a couple of beams in Santiago. I expect you'll be very busy with a pile up using the "HI" callsign prefix.

Click to expand...

I put together a KX3 last year. Thought about bringing it down, and doing DX from the DR and Haiti. But the thought of the "pile ups" is enough to scare me out of that! I have seen what happens when Cuba is on the air ......

There are still people using HAM radio in santiago. It uses to be a very big deal, before the cellphone. The only cheap means of comminicating withe family back home . I would imagine it is not as popular with the young crowd as its just not cool.
Keep on searching! And good luck. We need to keep HAM alive. Ham radio can operate on batteries, so an electrical black out cant stop the ability of keeping in touch, unlike a cellphone.

Let's see how much trouble I can get into.

I have a need to maintain radio communications between a few individuals. FRS/GMRS radios just do not have enough power to reliably work inside a community as well as over a reasonable distance of a couple of miles in the campo and the jungle. There is no hope of anyone funding the creation of a network of repeaters and issuing radios. So, I'm on my own.

I have found a handheld transceiver with a 5W output thereabouts for a little more than pocket change. At home obviously a license would be required but in the DR I don't know. They can't license their drivers so I would suspect a radio license has never been considered. Am I correct? Taking this a step further, as long as we aren't walking all over Govt/Military frequencies no one should get bent out of shape right? I don't think we will be bothering anyone in Russia with our handled units with a stubby flexible antenna.

The HAM HT's can connect to a repeater if such a creature exists somewhere within range. Again, I assume it would be wishful thinking to find an amateur repeater operating on the North Coast and in particular in the the Sosua/Cabarete area. Right?

Finally, for simple local operation I am assuming that no repeater is necessary. As long as the units are set to the same frequency and are within range of each other, they should talk to each other just fine. Correct?

Thx.

I'm a licensed (U.S.) ham radio operator but have not done anything here with ham radio.
I sent in for a license for the D.R. years ago, they kept my money.

I had a repeater for the GMRS frequencies in the U.S. and it was decent (UHF).
Tried a UHF repeater in Florida in a heavy wooded area, BAD option, the trees (jungle) absorbed all the power.

Don't believe any of the advertising of range on GMRS/Family Radio service, it's a joke, and they are UHF.

The 5 watt units will give you additional range of course, but still not what you need for unit to unit in a city/jungle.

Range varies greatly depending on frequency and height of the units in use. VHF will give better distance then UHF. Buildings, trees, etc. will block signals. My house is on a high hill top above the city and I have gotten distances from Santiago to San Jose de Martes (Rare) using 5 watts of power and an outside vertical antenna. In other words, unless you have a site high up to communicate to, you won't get any distance unit to unit. Walkie-Talkie to Walkie-Talkie direct is extremely limited. A repeater system up high is the only sure bet.

VHF is the better option and units of 5 watts are low price, I have a couple, and when in Florida can pick up Walmart employees on their system a mile away.

The VHF units I referred to in previous my post are MURS radios.

MURS RADIOS


Frequencies
Frequency Type Alpha Tag Description Mode Tag
151.82000 M MURS 151.82 Common Use FMN Other
151.88000 M MURS 151.88 Common Use FMN Other
151.94000 M MURS 151.94 Common Use FMN Other
154.57000 M MURS 154.57 Common Use FM Other
154.60000 M MURS 154.60 Common Use FM Other

One advertisement on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Dakota-Alert-Wireless-Handheld-M538-HT/dp/B013XQMPSM

For communications between Sosua and Cabarete I would imagine a standard CB Radio would be fine, do you need the unit to be with you when you're out and about or just a permanent fixture in your home?

I considered the CB option but remembered the times from my youth farting around with antennas and sw meters frequently and I know handheld CB's with short antennas may as well be tied to carrier buzzards and the message delivered that way. What we need is a portable handheld option that will give us the best possibility of communicating among a group of people who are not usually separated by great distances. Maybe a couple of miles at most, usually less.

The units I am considering are dual VHF/UHF. The UHF may work better in a community and the VHF may work better with more open terrain. At 5W, this option has to be at least marginally better than GMRS. We'll just have to see.

Because I have no actual HAM experience, I just wanted to make sure that there were no licensing requirements in this country, that the HTs don't by default require a repeater to get a signal down the street.