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Ham Radio People Metro ATL

Years ago I had access to a UHF trunked system - not amateur based - it was 5 repeaters that acted in concert being directed by an RF digital control channel. It had what was called interconnect. You could place a phone call from your car over your mobile radio.
 
Can I take a standard ham UHF handheld or mobile and hit a repeater and get a patch-through for a phone call to a land line or cell phone?
Well, unless the rules have changed, you can. Back in the 1990s, I used to phone patch through local amateur repeaters all the time (I didn't have a cell phone back then). That's assuming the repeater has a phone patch connection. As long as nothing business- related was discussed, it was legal. I assume that's still the case?

I don't think you can do the same through GMRS.

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I see I went about all this @$$ backwards. I was interested in radio communications and was reading up on it. I decided as long as I was reading about it, I might as well try to get a license. Now I am trying to fully understand the hobby and usefulness of ham.

Would you seasoned hams please help me to understand the usefulness of ham communications.

If you are not into contesting or DX, what pleasure do you get from ham as a hobby?

Do you spend most of your time talking with people you don't know?

I have heard that a lot of hams are using different digital protocols across the internet. Why not just use the internet with out the radio?

Have you developed a group of contacts/friends that you are able to regularly communicate with via ham radios?

From hobby to disaster: How would you personally use you ham equipment in case of a disaster?

Would you be primarily dependent on repeaters?
 
You ask a lot of well informed questions. I'll try to approach some of them. Your mileage will vary.
I'm a retired Air Force Morse Code operator and have been Ham licensed since 1984. I got my novice license when I was stationed on Crete. The Greeks had a reciprocal licensing agreement with the US to let US licensees work on their designated frequencies using their dedicated modes. I worked on the air from 1984 - 1986 as KA2PFV/SV9 the /SV9 meant that I was working portable on Crete (portable as I was away from my home station/country). In the contest world Crete was treated as a different country that Greece so it counted as scarce DX to the rest of the world working toward DXCC (working 100 different countries), etc.

I got a blast out of calling and talking to new friends/strangers. I was able to talk into the US and worked an Alabama station where the guy knew my uncle who owned John Thomas Ford. He let me know that Uncle John had died a week or so ago, at least 2 weeks ahead of mail from home telling me about it. My wife had to fly to Germany for medical treatment. I did a call out to German stations and got reports on the weather and also talked to some friends (and then we took it off the air but on the phone to set up for them to meet her, get her settled in the hotel and take her to lunch and shopping). Very practical uses of the radio.

We had a daily 40 meter net and we met for about an hour, solving each others technical difficulties and sharing general chit chat. Net control was SV0AA, Charlie Jackson, who was a retired Navy Morse Op and he could send faster and clearer, using a straight key, than most of the military targets I routinely copied. I got to meet him at the Athens Airport on my way out of the country and we remained friends (some sked chats between San Antonio, TX and Athens up until he got too old and then he died.

I get pleasure out of just rag chewing with strangers (I can walk up and start talking to anyone I meet so it's easy to talk to strangers on the air). I don't care so much for DX any longer and I don't contest since it you aren't a big gun or in a rare place it's just hard work. I like helping out on field days and introducing new people to amateur radio.

I'm not an electronic wiz and I can't build a radio from scratch but I can put together some really good, functioinal antennas with a spool of speaker wire, a balum and a solder gun, some electrical tape and a roll of coax. I enjoy that.
I enjoy getting on and having a Morse qso with a stranger and finding out about their station.

A lot of people are going to digital modes. I don't care for them and I don't use them. SSB or OOK is the limit of what I do. There was a time when I worked some RTTY and SSTV but not anymore. I'm old and set in my ways.

I have friends I talk to often. If propagation isn't working well I'll chat with them on facebook or other sites but I do enjoy ragchewing on the radio.

You asked about disaster communications. I posted earlier about stepping up for comms in Japan. Read that if you get a chance. Also, when the tsunami hit Japan and wiped out the nuclear plant, I was able to get on the air, connect with friends stationed at Misawa AB, found out what they needed and got some supplies on the way. Also managed to get banking info and got money flowing their ways. Internet was a failure and everyone there was working on battery backup. When props got bad, Morse still found a way through. Comms accomplished.

I have 2 meter gear but don't use it much and I don't use the repeaters. I also have CB gear and chat with some of the local CB guys when skip is right and signals are getting through.

I have been lucky in that I have always found Elmers to help me along. They kept me from making some big mistakes and steered me in the right direction on a lot of things. They helped me put up and take down antennas and figure out the technical issues I couldn't sort out.

It's a fun hobby. If you don't like electronics and talking to strangers then it might not be the hobby for you. Don't do it if it is going to make you miserable. As a SHTF backup, I know why I have mine. If things are bad like an EMP, I can get my spares out of the Faraday cages and be up on the air in a short time. Will I find someone else to talk to? I don't know.

Good luck with whatever you do.
73
Cliff
N5GWU
 
After getting input from all of you and looking into it and slicing and dicing it a dozen ways and taking into consideration my interest, I am leaning toward getting an HF base station.

That has some draw backs with cost, antenna size, power supply, ... but, I think I could enjoy it enough to pursue it as a hobby, and for me, it seems like the best choice for long-term power outages assuming that I could power it.
 
Guys, I have listed my relatives radio parts for sale in our misc section. If interested, please feel free to contact me via pm. Thanks!

 
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