this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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I was considering getting licence to have something that isn't 0.5 W walkie-talkie on summer camp.
But decided against it because no one wanted to do it with me. So having one high power radio is pointless.
You should still go for it though! You can contact people on radio, you don't need to necessarily have anyone local join you to achieve that. At most times of the day, there are hundreds of radio contacts being made. Now actually receiving those, and reaching those stations yourself as well in order to make a contact, that's the challenge. And there are many different ways to achieve that with different gear on different frequencies in all sorts of different conditions. You can do much more than just a bit higher power walkie-talkie, you can reach the other side of the world if you go at it well :).
My main motivation was game coordination around our camp. We didn't have decent phone coverage until recently and phones aren't practical for it.
As for reaching and connecting to other people it is fun but I don't want to do it alone. It is better to have someone to share this hobby. I am homebrewer and my friends can at least enjoy my beer. This wouldn't bring that enjoyment.
One option is to see if there's any GMRS repeaters, and especially any repeater groups, in your area. The license is cheap and you can still go 50w with it, but it's not as popular as the HAM bands. There's a few really good, but simple enough, mobile stations. Pick up a better antenna (height is king!), and you'll be able to listen & talk with the locals.