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If you are searching for solutions for homemade mouse poison and repellents, you aren’t alone. For years, we’ve shared our home with a plethora of mice and rodents; our older house appears to double as a mouse resort.
While I’m hesitant to use poison for fear of killing something other than a nuisance mouse, I’m at my wit’s end. I’m still committed to employing natural repellents and humane traps as much as possible, but I’ve chosen to investigate the usage of poison as a backup plan.
The recipes that follow all employ common household items as bait to tempt the mouse and poison to finally kill it.
Many of these poisons are as enticing to dogs, cats, and small children as they are to rats, so make sure you properly disperse the poison and keep it out of reach of children, dogs, cats, and other pets.
Baking soda as a homemade mouse poison is popular, being it is often found in most houses due to its flexibility. Baking soda, in addition to being a cleaning agent, anti-acid, and leavening ingredient, is also a remarkably potent mouse poison.
Because rodents cannot excrete carbon dioxide in the same way that people do, when the bicarbonate in baking soda combines with the acids in the rodent’s stomach to form carbon dioxide, the gas accumulates inside the digestive tract. It will eventually produce a blockage or rupture, killing the rat.
Mice aren’t naturally drawn to baking soda, so you’ll need to pair it with something tasty to pique their interest. As bait for your baking soda poison, you can use any of the following:
While baking soda is not harmful to children or pets, it is inhumane. I assume few toxins are actually humane.
Larger mice and rats must also consume a significant amount of baking soda before it kills them, so you may see unwell mice staggering around your house.
I’ve long claimed that quick mashed potatoes are closer to poison than nourishment, and it appears that this is true, at least for mice.
This non-toxic method of killing mice is one of the most secure, especially if you have pets. While cats and dogs are unlikely to eat instant mashed potato flakes, mice appear to enjoy it.
They become tremendously thirsty once they have eaten their fill. The water causes the mashed potato flakes in the mouse’s stomach to expand, killing them instantaneously.
A sachet of artificial sweetener sprinkled over the mashed potato flakes makes them even more tempting to mice and ensures they consume enough of the material to seal their fate.
Boric acid is odorless, colorless, and tasteless and can be found in crystal or powder form. It is widely used as an antibiotic, insecticide, flame retardant, and in the manufacture of monofilament fiberglass. Additionally, it is found in home cleansers, cosmetics, fertilizers, and laundry detergents.
Some consider boric acid to be one of the greatest and most powerful poison recipes available. Others argue that it just causes “developmental toxicity.” In other words, while it may affect the unborn fetuses of rodents, it will not solve your existing mouse problem.
You may still use it to get rid of cockroaches, ants and other animals, but if the mouse is your sole adversary, it’s not worth buying. This method just isn’t effective as homemade mouse poison.
Aspartame is a widely accessible and inexpensive artificial sweetener. Although aspartame and a related compound known as neotame are generally safe for human ingestion, research has demonstrated that they are “toxic to the digesting gut bacteria of mice.” This is an underutilized method for homemade mouse poison, in my opinion.
1 teaspoon peanut butter, 1 sachet or packet aspartame sweetener (such as this one). Roll the mixture into two equal-sized balls and distribute them in strategic locations throughout your home. Mice are drawn to the alluring fragrance of peanut butter and will consume this concoction before dying.
Because aspartame takes a while to take effect, if you’re impatient like me, you might want to pair it with something faster-acting, like instant mashed potato.
While vitamin D is necessary for human health, it is toxic to other creatures, especially rodents. The primary chemical, cholecalciferol, may be found in a variety of vitamin D-3 supplements as well as rat poisons.
Vitamin D-3 is a fast-acting toxin that induces excessive calcium and phosphorus levels in mice, resulting in renal failure, cardiac difficulties, and bleeding. It’s so powerful that it’s now available as a spray to combat New Zealand’s “super rats.”
I discovered a strange fact that stated you would need around 100,000 IU of vitamin D3 to have a 50% probability of killing an 80 oz rat. Given that most rats in our houses weigh between 0.6 and 17 oz, a single 5000 IU pill should be enough to make a significant dent in the population.
Crush the pill or empty the capsule contents and combine with some peanut butter. Place little balls throughout the home and leave them for a few days.
Although it’s easy to think of vitamins as generally harmless chemicals, vitamin D-3 is poisonous to dogs, cats, and children, so keep it out of reach.
While not everyone has this in their kitchen, it is inexpensive and quite effective, if you can get a mouse to eat it. If a mouse ingests it, it will solidify swiftly when it comes into touch with the animal’s digestive secretions.
To make the cement mix operate well, combine the powder with something tasty, such as peanut butter or chocolate powder. Peanut butter works well because it makes the mixture flexible, allowing you to form it into balls and distribute them strategically throughout the house.
Because cats, dogs and other animals love peanut butter just as much as the rest of us, this homemade mouse poison is not suggested if you have pets.
If you don’t have access to cement mix, plaster of Paris will suffice. Another method is to mix plaster of Paris or cement mix with corn flour, then add milk or water to produce a dough. Knead for a few minutes before rolling into balls and distributing them about the home.
Both the cement mix and the plaster of Paris will harden after a few days of exposure to air and must be refilled on a regular basis.
Raw sweet potatoes are another DIY homemade mouse poison. They are a natural deterrent, and eating raw sweet potatoes will kill them.
Rats adore sweet potatoes, but when they consume them, they die as a result of a cyanide reaction in their stomachs. To get rid of mice, spread tiny plates of uncooked sweet potatoes throughout your home.
To gently eliminate mice and rats in your house, use a bay leaf. The aroma that the bay leaf emits attracts rats and mice. The leaves, on the other hand, produce secondary metabolites that are harmful to rats when consumed. This is a great homemade mouse poison.
Placing bay leaves in areas of your home where mice are a problem will help you get rid of them permanently. Bay leaves are also effective in removing pests from your home.
To gently eliminate mice and rats in your house, use a bay leaf. The aroma that the bay leaf emits attracts rats and mice. The leaves, on the other hand, produce secondary metabolites that are harmful to rats when consumed. This is a great homemade mouse poison.
Placing bay leaves in areas of your home where mice are a problem will help you get rid of them permanently. Bay leaves are also effective in removing pests from your home.
Barn Owls are quiet predators of the night, appearing ghostly pale and remaining exclusively nocturnal. During the day, this owl roosts in concealed, quiet locations, with a pale face, breast, and belly, and buffy upperparts. They hunt at night in broad fields and meadows using buoyant wingbeats. Listen for their spooky, scratchy cries, which are distinct from other owls’ hoots. Despite their widespread distribution, Barn Owls are diminishing in some areas of their range owing to habitat degradation.
Consider erecting a nest box to entice a mating couple. Make sure you put it up well in advance of breeding season. Attach a guard to prevent predators from stealing the eggs and young.
Barn Owls consume their prey entirely, skin and bones and everything. They cough up pellets twice a day instead of passing all that stuff through their digestive systems. The pellets provide an excellent record of what the owls have eaten, and scientists analyze them to learn more about the owls and the habitats in which they dwell.
The oldest known North American Barn Owl resided in Ohio and died at the age of at least 15 years and 5 months.
The Barn Owl has outstanding low-light eyesight and may detect prey by sight at night. However, its capacity to detect prey only by sound is the finest of any animal ever examined. It can catch mice in full darkness in the lab or in the real world while camouflaged by plants or snow.
Female Barn Owls are more showy than males. Her chest is more reddish and extensively marked. The dots may reflect the female’s quality. Females with a lot of spots have fewer parasitic flies and may be more resistant to parasites and illnesses. The markings may also encourage the male to contribute more to the nest. In a study where some females’ markings were removed, their partners fed their nestlings less frequently than females whose spots were left alone.
The Barn Owl has been described in up to 46 distinct races across the world. The North American species is the biggest, weighing more than twice as much as the Galapagos race.
Snakes are the only species that can kill rodents by penetrating deep into heaps of brush, tree branches, and other debris. Large snakes, particularly rat snakes, will be the most efficient rodent predators in the mounds of debris left after cleanup.
Snakes, which are frequently undesirable guests under normal conditions, may become more attractive. Rat and mouse populations may rise when hiding spots for such critters expand. Rat snakes feed on rats and mice all throughout the Southeast and Midwest. A rat snake cannot be hidden.
Eastern rat snakes, formerly known as black rat snakes, are big non-venomous snakes that range in length from 3.5 to 7 feet (one to two meters). They feature sparkling black scales on their back and a light colored belly, as well as a white neck and chin. An eastern rat snake’s head is larger than its neck and the rest of its body.
Eastern rat snakes may be found in fields, forests, farmlands, and in and near suburban areas from Connecticut to South Carolina, and west to the center of Kansas and Oklahoma. Hawks and other snakes are predators.
Eastern rat snakes are adept in swimming and climbing. They’ll utilize these talents to collect everything from bird eggs to frogs. They are the most likely snake to be encountered around buildings, where they search for rodents, amphibians, and young birds. Eastern rat snakes are constrictor snakes that smother their victims with their bodies.
When confronted by a predator, rat snakes generate a foul-smelling stench. This musk simulates the flavor of poison.
This snake’s usual mating season lasts from May to late June. Male snakes look for females at this period and will struggle for the privilege to mate with a female. In late July, a female will lay between six and two dozen eggs. It might take between five and seven weeks for the eggs to grow and hatch. Hatchlings can stay close to their hatching location for up to two years.
The population of the eastern rat snake is thought to be steady. However, humans who are afraid of snakes frequently abuse them. Although eastern rat snakes seldom bite when threatened, there have been reports of eastern rat snakes rushing at predators. Despite making brief appearances during the summer, eastern rat snakes are extremely cautious and will either freeze or crawl away when threatened. When startled, eastern rat snakes emit a strong unpleasant stench to dissuade predators and people.
Mothballs are an excellent DIY mouse-killing treatment. They are incredibly poisonous and are a low-cost method of eliminating vermin infestations.
Using rubber gloves, distribute the mothballs around your home, concentrating on the garage, attic, basement, and pipes. You must exercise extra caution since mothballs can be exceedingly hazardous to your pets and children.
This isn’t necessarily homemade or mouse poison, but it’s effective. In situations where mice have been spotted, they are placed flush against a wall.
You can liberate a mouse by liberally spraying its trapped portions with cooking oil (vegetable oil), but avoid splashing its face or eyes, or by pouring some vegetable oil on the trap itself. The mouse will very certainly want your aid to free itself from the adhesive. However, this should be considered a “kill” trap.
Please keep in mind that disposing of mice in this manner results in a protracted, painful, and drawn-out death.
Crush zinc pills into a fine powder and combine with a teaspoon of peanut butter; the acid in their digestive system combines with the zinc to produce poisonous phosphine gas. (Place in a location where pets and small children cannot get it)
Keep in mind that if you reside in an area with a high concentration of predatory birds, such as hawks and owls, poisoning mice should be avoided.
Crush zinc pills into a fine powder and combine with a teaspoon of peanut butter; the acid in their digestive system combines with the zinc to produce poisonous phosphine gas. (Place in a location where pets and small children cannot get it)
Keep in mind that if you reside in an area with a high concentration of predatory birds, such as hawks and owls, poisoning mice should be avoided.
Ammonia is a poisonous toxin that will kill rats who consume it; however, due to the strong odor, it is difficult to deceive rats into drinking it.
Ammonia is a potent mouse and rat repellant that should be used to frighten them away rather than kill them. Make a 50/50 mixture of ammonia and water, then add a few drops of liquid dish soap. The dish soap will aid in the adhesion of the liquid to the surface it is sprayed on while also masking the ammonia odor.
Fill a spray bottle halfway with the solution and thoroughly spray any locations where mice have been sighted.
Because ammonia can discolor some surfaces, try a small area first before spraying the homemade rat repellent. Avoid locations where children and pets may congregate.
Ammonia may be used instead of other liquids to make rat bait balls, and if the rats consume the bait, it will kill them. To attract the rats, use ammonia sparingly to reduce the strong stench and plenty of sugar or cocoa powder.
Another method for keeping mice away from your home is to use toilet cakes or urinal deodorizer blocks. The toilet cakes have a strong odor that serves as a natural repellant and is ideal for freshening stale air.
You may install several throughout your home in mouse-prone places like as the basement, attic, porch, and toilets.
Rats dislike the taste and smell of onions. They will flee the area if you place a sliced onion near their burrows. However, onions decay rapidly if left out for a lengthy amount of time, so unless you don’t like the stink of rotting food, you’ll want to change the onion every couple of days.
Rats dislike the taste and smell of onions. They will flee the area if you place a sliced onion near their burrows. However, onions decay rapidly if left out for a lengthy amount of time, so unless you don’t like the stink of rotting food, you’ll want to change the onion every couple of days.
Instant Mashed Potato Flakes– Place instant mashed potato flakes in locations where mice have been detected on a shallow lid. They will seek water after consuming it, causing the flakes to enlarge in their stomachs and kill them. FASTRAC BLOX is Bell's fastest-acting rodenticide formulation, including the active component bromethalin. FASTRAC, an acute bait, has unrivaled rodent acceptance and control, killing rats and mice two or more days after taking a hazardous dosage. Aside from traditional "poor" food, a number of additional human foods are extremely dangerous – even lethal – to mice. Walnuts, raw beans, rhubarb, onions, raisins, and grapes are among these foods. Mice frequently leave an oily odor. They detect changes in their trail and distort it by using vinegar and detergent. This causes them to slow down. To alter their movement, peppermint oil can also be employed. When rats and mice consume baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate), they die. This is due to the fact that as the baking soda enters their stomachs, it begins to create a big amount of gas. Because mice cannot expel gas, they have no method of releasing it, and the inside pressure might finally kill them. ZP TRACKING POWDER is a single-dose, restricted-use acute rodenticide containing the active component, 10% Zinc Phosphide, which is intended to control house mice. When rats consume ZP TRACKING POWDER, it reacts with dilute acids in the stomach, creating deadly phosphine gas. Because of its unpleasant odor, bleach repels mice. It will make mice avoid any bleach-sprayed item or location. It can kill mice if taken in big quantities in addition to repelling them. It can also destroy the dangerous bacteria that causes hantavirus if sprayed on mouse droppings. Mice can be provided with instant potato flakes. They become quite thirsty after consuming the flakes. They will then seek out and consume water. This causes the flakes to enlarge inside the mouse's stomach, killing it. When you see bugs in your home, place a basin of Epsom salt on the floor and lean wooden sticks from the floor to the edge of the bowl. The bugs will climb the sticks and gorge themselves on the salt. Pests will die after drinking Epsom salt since magnesium sulfate is poisonous to them. If you have a mouse infestation and can see the mouse holes, apply some mint toothpaste nearby and the fragrance will keep the mice away. You may also apply toothpaste to the bottom of your baseboards and any other areas where mice may enter your home. Mice dislike the fragrance of mint and will avoid it. Keep a spray bottle with half Pine Sol and half water under your sink and use it to spray outside garbage cans or anyplace there is an insect problem. Animals such as rats, opossums, and raccoons dislike the odor. Garlic. Mice can be deterred by sprinkling garlic powder in gaps and corners. For a longer-lasting repellant, use garlic powder instead of raw garlic; fresh garlic will dry out faster than the powder. The strong odor upsets mice, causing them to seek food elsewhere. Mice have an acute sense of smell that is far superior than that of humans. This feature may be used to repel mice by using fragrances that mice dislike, such as cinnamon, vinegar, dryer sheets, clove oil, peppermint, tea bags, mint toothpaste, ammonia, cloves, clove oil, and cayenne pepper. This is an excellent method of eliminating mice, but it might be dangerous if you have children or other pets. In addition to commercially manufactured rat poisons, bait combined with borax powder can be used as a readily available rodent poison. Electronic repellers produce ultrasonic noises that people cannot hear and that rats despise. Any mammal, including mice and rats, will be drawn to antifreeze, ingest it, and perish as a result. Antifreeze, on the other hand, is exceedingly hazardous and should never be used as a pesticide. The chemical ethylene glycol is the active component in antifreeze. This substance is extremely toxic. Baking powder is a chemical that can be fatal to rats. Rats do not have the same capacity as other animals to pass gas. When baking powder enters the rat's circulation, the rat's system gets overwhelmed due to an inability to pass the gas caused by sodium bicarbonate buildup. Mice dislike the odor of cayenne pepper, which can be sprinkled across their routes or known nesting areas. It does not, however, kill them; rather, it decreases their reproduction rate and must be provided on a regular basis. Do coffee grounds keep mice away? Coffee grounds, however, do not deter mice. However, coffee grounds can be effective when dealing with mice. Although coffee grounds do not deter rats, they do spread scents. Mice, on the other hand, tend to avoid human contact and are fairly shy creatures, so they are unlikely to snuggle up with you in bed. Peanut butter is quite sticky, and it might clog and smother your mouse's nasal passages and airways. While it may appear to be an improbable event, a mouse cannot vomit and has no other method to clean its airways. A solitary mouse is unusual, but if the weather has been frigid, the mouse may be alone. Most mouse sightings imply a larger infestation, so seeing a lone mouse in your house is unusual. A group of Harvard researchers discovered that Vicks VapoRub, a popular cold medicine, weakened mice's natural immune systems, leaving them more vulnerable to bacterial pneumonia and other lung illnesses. Rats and mice are put off by the fragrance of the baby powder. It is not regarded as an efficient approach. However, baby powder aids in the intoxication of rats, resulting in their death. DIRECTIONS: Place a tiny quantity of powder around the rat tunnels. Poisoned mice can perish anyplace in or around a structure. However, the majority of mice die at the spot where they spend the most of their time - their nests. Why Do Mice Despise Aluminum Foil? Mice dislike metal because they can't eat it correctly. Furthermore, aluminum foil (thin sheet metal) features grooves and sharp edges that terrify mice and prevent them from chewing on the metal. Mice have very acute sense of smell, so the powerful lemon aroma might be overpowering and drive them away. Lemon oil is a natural approach to keep mice away from your house. Cayenne pepper, pepper, cloves, and peppermint oil This can happen when hantavirus-infected rodent urine and droppings are churned up into the air. People can also become infected if they come into contact with virus-containing mouse or rat urine, droppings, or nesting materials and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. A mouse or rat bite might potentially expose them to HPS. Mice, like their droppings, emit nasty odors through their urine. The presence of a nasty, ammonia-like odor in your house is a good indicator that mice are no longer there. You won't be able to detect this stench if mice no longer inhabit in your home. Food and shelter are the two key factors that might attract mice and rats to your home. Rodents will adore it if you don't clean up properly and leave food waste on the floor or surfaces! Rats and mice require refuge as well, especially during the winter to avoid the worst of the cold.What is the best Homemade Mouse Poison?
What poison kills mice instantly?
What food is poisonous to mice?
How does vinegar get rid of mice?
Does baking soda kill mice?
What powder kills mice?
Does bleach repel mice?
Do instant potato flakes kill mice?
Can Epsom salt kill mice?
Does toothpaste get rid of mice?
Does Pine Sol keep mice away?
Do mice like garlic powder?
What smell keeps mice away?
What does borax powder do to mice?
Will mice drink antifreeze?
Is baking powder poisonous to rats?
What does cayenne pepper do to mice?
Do coffee grounds repel mice?
Do mice go near humans when they sleep?
What does peanut butter do to mice?
Is it possible to only have one mouse in your house?
Does Vicks work to get rid of mice?
Does baby powder repel mice?
Where do mice go after eating poison?
Does aluminum foil keep mice away?
Do mice like the smell of lemon?
What is the best natural mouse repellent?
Mice are supposed to despise the odor of them. Soak some cotton balls in oils from one or more of these meals and place them in areas where mice have been a problem.Can mouse droppings (feces) make you sick?
How do you know when all the mice are gone?
Why do I have mice in my house all of a sudden?
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The essential factors are wattage and elevation, both of which will need some trial and error with your communication partners. As with any troubleshooting, begin with the simplest and cheapest solutions and work your way up.
Begin by attempting to converse normally with your BaoFengs. It is advantageous to have a backup mode of communication, such as a phone. If it doesn’t work, try having one party increase their elevation and then another. If elevation doesn’t cure the problem, you’ll have to spend money on more powerful radios, such as the Yaesu FTM-3100R, which can broadcast at up to 65 watts.
The majority of these DIY homemade mouse poison recipes will deter any troublesome rodent population. Some, such as fast mashed potato flakes, are even suitable for use in the presence of dogs and children. They won’t even endanger wild birds and animals.
None of these are especially nice for the mouse, and if you want to discover a more compassionate approach to deal with a mouse invasion, consider some of the techniques I investigated when determining how to rodent-proof my food store.
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In our internet travels, we occasionally encounter preppers purchasing pairs of BaoFeng handi-talkies for themselves and their far-flung loved ones, believing they would be able to communicate over hundreds of miles in the event of a grid-down. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. The BaoFeng’s range is nothing near that.
Yes, the popular BaoFengs are amateur (ham) radios, and with the proper ham radio, you can converse over hundreds of kilometers. However, BaoFeng handi-talkies are not suitable for long-distance communication. So, before you embark on any preparation plans using one of these gadgets, you should understand what they can and cannot accomplish, as well as why.
HF is only a minor part of what amateur radio is, and it’s a rather restricted club, at least in the United States. To make extensive use of HF, you will need two FCC amateur radio licenses: Technician, which is the entry-level license, and General, which is the mid-level license.
It’s easy to see how people become perplexed by the BaoFeng’s range. When you think about amateur radio, you generally see a middle-aged man in a hut with a table of electronic equipment and a large desk microphone, communicating with people all over the world. That is high frequency, or HF, communication, which occurs between 3 and 30 MHz.
But HF is only a minor part of what amateur radio is, and it’s a rather restricted club, at least in the United States. To make extensive use of HF, you will need two FCC amateur radio licenses: Technician, which is the entry-level license, and General, which is the mid-level license.
If you simply have the entry-level Technician license, you’re primarily limited to the Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) frequencies that your BaoFeng employs.
What is the distinction between VHF/UHF and HF? Longer electromagnetic waves go large distances in HF. HF waves may also bounce off the earth’s ionosphere, which allows them to spread all over the planet. This is known as skywave propagation.
Image Source Credit: RF Cafe
VHF and UHF have properties that are diametrically opposed to those of HF. Such stations must have a clear passage between them, with no substantial obstacles in the way. Because VHF has the largest range, I’ll concentrate on it from now on.
Output power is a particular difficulty for portable radios such as most BaoFengs. BaoFeng handi-talkies are often rated at 5-8 watts, while the actual power is lower. Most HF radios broadcast at 100 watts, whereas many mobile VHF radios transmit at 50-75 watts.
You could come across films like this one: “Baofeng UV-5R ham radio, talking from Atlanta to Seattle” and be persuaded to believe that a BaoFeng can travel such long distances on its own.
To be clear, the man in the video is not attempting to deceive. He utilizes an internet-based technology called EchoLink to extend the range of his radio, as he describes later in the video. He broadcasts to an EchoLink-connected repeater in Atlanta, and the signal goes through the internet to an EchoLink repeater in Seattle, where it is broadcast over the air to the other end of the nation.
You don’t even need a radio to experiment with this. As long as you have a Technician license and internet connectivity, you may utilize free applications for iPhone and Android.
EchoLink is a cool invention, but it relies on the internet, which negates the point of ham radio for grid-down readiness. You may save money on radios by using an app like Zello.
Other methods, such as tropospheric ducting or signal bouncing off satellites, can send VHF/UHF transmissions far further than normal. However, both of these are conditional and may not always be feasible. Those are all important aspects to be aware of, but while developing an off-grid communications strategy with loved ones, we want to focus on simplicity and dependability.
How might we overcome these constraints without relying on the grid? Other than purchasing a new radio, there isn’t much we can do regarding power, but there are a handful of other things we can tweak. Height is the most crucial of them.
I reside in a valley distant from cities, and even with my greatest antenna—a truck-mounted Nagoya UT-72—I can only hear a few repeaters. But if I ascend the steep hill behind my house, which boosts my elevation by roughly 60 feet, an entirely new world of communications opens up, even with the crappy stock BaoFeng antenna. I’m able to reach repeaters up to 34 miles distant.
Height is essential for good VHF/UHF communications. That is why repeater towers are built at high altitudes and as high as feasible.
You may assume that a longer antenna would be beneficial, but it isn’t. On the hill, I’ve tried various antennas, and none of them are noticeably better than the original one. My longer whip antennas, such as the Nagoya NA-771, perform slightly better, and if I could get my slim-jim antenna high up in a tree to increase elevation, it would probably assist even more, but the most bulk of the gain comes from just hiking up the hill.
Let’s return to your initial issue: long-distance communication in a grid-down situation. Obviously, the telephone, internet, and satellite are your first and best alternatives for crisis communications. Even in the midst of major calamities and civil conflicts, these services normally continue to function – satellites, in particular, will continue to function even after most end-of-the-world scenarios. But we’ll stick with the BaoFeng walkie-talkies for now.
If your definition of “long-distance communications” is less than 30 miles, then the two-way VHF/UHF BaoFengs will work. The essential factors are wattage and elevation, both of which will need some trial and error with your communication partners. As with any troubleshooting, begin with the simplest and cheapest solutions and work your way up.
Begin by attempting to converse normally with your BaoFengs. It is advantageous to have a backup mode of communication, such as a phone. If it doesn’t work, try having one party increase their elevation and then another. If elevation doesn’t cure the problem, you’ll have to spend money on more powerful radios, such as the Yaesu FTM-3100R, which can broadcast at up to 65 watts.
BaoFengs operate in the very high frequency (VHF) and ultra-high frequency (UHF) bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, which are limited by topography and can only travel one to ten miles under normal conditions.
This item BAOFENG UV-5R+ Plus Two Way Radio, Long Range for Adults Rechargeable with Earpiece, Walkie Talkie for Outdoors, 144-148 420-450MHz, Qualette Series has the longest range of all BaoFeng radios.
The range of long-distance walkie-talkie communication is heavily influenced by geography. In regions where there are no impediments, walkie-talkies can communicate for up to 5 kilometers or 3.1 miles (such as at sea).
The 5 watt radio has a range of 12 miles or more. Some portable radios have 6 watts of power and can reach up to 20 miles under ideal conditions.
Not only can I use the ham bands, but the radio can also be set to use MURS and Marine bands. There is no FCC certification for these two bands, but we all know that in an emergency, you utilize whatever you have. So I have MURS and numerous Marine frequencies set into my radio.
The Yaesu FT-60R Dual Band claims to have the longest range on the market. The maximum output power of this portable Ham Radio is 5 watts. It has a VHF frequency range of 144 to 148 and a UHF frequency range of 430 to 470. It is an excellent HT for anyone looking for consistent performance on the 2M and 440 ham bands.
The Baofeng UV-5R is a low-cost Dual Band UHF/VHF Amateur Radio with a small footprint. The UV-5R is a fantastic alternative for ham radio operators that need mobility at a reasonable cost, with 128 channel capability and up to 12 hours of battery life.
An extension, repeater, or booster can be used to extend radio range. Radio antenna boosters and extenders not only enhance your communication range, but they also give clearer sound quality for ease of connection.
Thus, with a 400 MHz frequency range and 1 Watt transmitter power, typical ranges are up to 30 kilometers and up to 80 kilometers with a 10 Watt transmitter power.
Because VHF uses lower frequencies, interference with other radios is common. UHF, on the other hand, is a better signal for long-distance communication in general. When utilizing radios indoors, such as in buildings or near cities, UHF is preferable.
The BaoFeng UV-5R is a small handheld transceiver with a power output of 4 watts and frequency ranges of 136-174 MHz and 400-480 MHz (520MHz later versions). It is a small, low-cost HT with a specific VHF receiving spectrum from 65 to 108 MHz, which includes the usual FM broadcast frequency.
The Baofeng UV-5R is dual band and most definitely covers MURS, making it a viable alternative if you want a commercial “walkie-talkie” that can communicate with an amateur radio. If you must use FRS/GMRS, it is also OK; FRS is also license-free (but GMRS is not).
The 82 feels more comfortable in your hand. The body appears to be more resistant to inadvertent touch with the elements than the UV-5R, although it is not waterproof. It also has less sharp edges that might grab on objects. The 82 is roughly 1″ taller than the UV-5R (body only).
While it is true that many Baofengs are wide open on any frequency in the 136–174Mhz and 400–520Mhz ranges, and that it is illegal to import, market, and sell these devices, it is not illegal to own or operate these devices if you are a licensed Amateur radio operator operating solely on amateur radio frequencies.
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The essential factors are wattage and elevation, both of which will need some trial and error with your communication partners. As with any troubleshooting, begin with the simplest and cheapest solutions and work your way up.
Begin by attempting to converse normally with your BaoFengs. It is advantageous to have a backup mode of communication, such as a phone. If it doesn’t work, try having one party increase their elevation and then another. If elevation doesn’t cure the problem, you’ll have to spend money on more powerful radios, such as the Yaesu FTM-3100R, which can broadcast at up to 65 watts.
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