Help for a first timer

[Steptoe1966]

Hi all ok i have used cb back in the old days in the 80's but have now purchased a ham set that also does fm my questions are

What antenna should i be looking at as a first timer , i have been told you can not use 1 aerial for all band but then someone else said you can if you use a auto antenna tuner so any advise would be so welcome as i have been reading so much online but the brain is friend
thanks and merry christmas one and all

[gnuuser]

a lot depends on the frequency you will be using.
If you are going to use hf the simplest antenna that will cover a lot of bandwidth is a fan dipole But setting one up depends on how much space you have and what is allowed in your area! For instance if you live in an HOA neighborhood you will probably be severely limited in antennas.
there are ways to disguise them but many suffer in performance.
Its a lot to twist your head around I know! but quite often the simplest solutions are the correct ones.
many antennas you can easily build yourself out of various materials, Some will require the use of tuners, baluns, ununs, and some will not.
but part of being a ham operator is learning many new and fun things as well as many things to be cautious about.
designing antennas requires a bit of math, but luckily there are a lot of online calculators that can help you.
one thing Ham radio is not cb!
in order to transmit you need licensed and must rigidly comply with the bandwidth regulations and power limits in the scope of your license level.
you must be courteous and repeat your call sign at regular intervals, and check your equipment frequently to prevent broadcasting unwanted interference, and refrain from the use of vulgar or abusive language.

Be helpful with your neighbors in locating nuisance signals and taking steps in cleaning them up (This is also a good way to get them interested in ham radio)

and dont be afraid to ask for help or that you might ask a dumb question.

[Steptoe1966]

Hi and thank you for the reply , i am always looking to learn and that was why i wanted to learn more on Ham as a kid i used cb and a local guy had ham set up he use to have us round sometimes to let us see how ham worked over cb .

I have been looking at the cobweb type antenna as well now i just think i need to read much buy less lol i know i brought a set just to clean up and get ready , i will be taking the licence when i feel i have learned enough .

The set i have is the kenwood ts-430s and i am going to put up a CB Antenna as it has the fm board mounted in it and i just want to make sure i get a good antenna for the ham side , i think i will be a listener for a long time but it never hurts to be ready , i was a boy scout so yup ready for most things .

Thanks again an all advise is welcome (a friend on our gun site put me on to a T2LT antenna)

[gnuuser]

Hi and thank you for the reply , i am always looking to learn and that was why i wanted to learn more on Ham as a kid i used cb and a local guy had ham set up he use to have us round sometimes to let us see how ham worked over cb .

I have been looking at the cobweb type antenna as well now i just think i need to read much buy less lol i know i brought a set just to clean up and get ready , i will be taking the licence when i feel i have learned enough .

The set i have is the kenwood ts-430s and i am going to put up a CB Antenna as it has the fm board mounted in it and i just want to make sure i get a good antenna for the ham side , i think i will be a listener for a long time but it never hurts to be ready , i was a boy scout so yup ready for most things .

Thanks again an all advise is welcome (a friend on our gun site put me on to a T2LT antenna)

ham antennas are different wavelength than cb and need to be tuned for ham bands
.
using a ham radio to transmit on the cb (11 meter band) band is a violation of fcc regulations and can get your license revoked. (you can monitor the 11 meter band with a ham radio though) in fact this is one way to find out who is broadcasting more than the legal limit of power.
cb radio if i remember correctly is limited to 4 watts but some ssb cb's can transmit at 12 watts (3 times the limit)
using amplifiers on a cb is illegal and can even net you jail time.

its best to keep your ham and cb's as separate entities.

[Steptoe1966]

@gnuuser ok thank you for the heads up , i see you in the usa i am in the UK , i wantto keep it all legal as i have been down the old days of illegal am and sidebands and the bigger the boots the better was in the 70-80's .

I have a kenwood ts430s it has the fm board fitted so if i have a 5 band antenna and also a seperate for the cb is that allowed or is it that a ham set can not trans on fm , i just find that funny they fit a board to let you use fm but it sounds like your saying it is illegal .

Ok well i have a few ideas for antenna as i found a few i like but will wait until i can go in the local radioworld and get their imput as well .

what do you think to this as the ham side of it

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MFJ-1796-...UAAOSwl2BeHePv

And i am looking for the cb side as i just been given 2 more sets as well at this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GAP-H-1-2...8AAOSwQYZWvk-I

hope it is ok to post these like this so i can get peoples input thank you

[WZ7U]

I doubt FM is illegal in the UK for hams, but I don't know how the CB regs go over there. Best to ask/read the opinion of your regulator and see what is exactly allowed and vice versa. It's on the web I'm sure.

[Steptoe1966]

@WZ7U see that was what i am worried about , the trouble being why would they put it on the set if not legal .
I have read loads lately but find nothing saying a ham set can not have a fm set built in

[gnuuser]

the problem is primarily because what is legal in one country may not be in another!
with manufacturing in china or other countries their equipment is built to their legal standards and sold at much lower cost.
in the technology world lower cost is an attractive lure for sales. but the buyer must be aware that it may not comply with the laws of his own country and must stay within the guidelines of his own laws.

while many ham operators will claim that that amateur radio is not a rich mans hobby what can you say when that shiny new radio cost over $1,000.00 and the chinese radio cost under $100! what would you be inclined to go for?
the same pixie qrp radio kit from a us seller $15.00 and from chinese seller $4.00

but as was stated earlier in this discussion. You should check with the local communication laws to make sure you are in compliance.

[WZ7U]

@WZ7U see that was what i am worried about , the trouble being why would they put it on the set if not legal .
I have read loads lately but find nothing saying a ham set can not have a fm set built in

I get the frustration, but you need to peruse the regulations in your country, which I assume falls under the auspices of the RSGB. Not that you don't know how to get there, but I found this start page for RSGB. AFAIK, FM is a legal mode to use, possibly restrained by frequency and power limits.

https://rsgb.org/main/