My Station
I hate the term "base station" it sounds so darn CB-ish. I say "station" or "fixed station" instead since its not mobile and its not portable. Let me tell you a little bit about "my station" photos. For years my real main interest was "weak signal" V/UHF operations, but right now I'm starting to chase the Parks (POTA). I have a Yaesu FTdx-1200 which is a HF + 50 all mode as my main rig. For local VHF-FM I have a FT-8900 for 146/440 as I would use the FTdx1200 for 29 & 52 FM. I also have a little QYT KT8900 that I use for GMRS and other itinerate services.
My Mobile Station
I drive a 2016 Ford F150 and I have a FT-8900 installed in it and the control head is between leg & console and the radio is behind the back seat. For antennas I have a Larsen NMO2/70.
My Other Stations
For hand held usage I have a Kenwood TH-F6a, its a tri-band (144/222/440) with general coverage DC-light reciever. So far I have added a better antenna a Maldol MH-610 antenna which is a significant improvement over the OEM rubber resistor. I also have added a "AA" battery pack and the 4000 mAh Li-ION battery to the accessory arsenal along with headset and the little magnent 1/4 dual band mag mount. I also have a Conterra chest pack for holding the radio up front. In addition I have a Yaesu VX-6R (144/222/440). And I have four (4) Baofeng UV-5R handhelds to the bag for back-ups and loaners.
Other portable ops, like POTA, include a FT-817ND photos.
I have recently changed up my primary go kit for ARES/RACES/Skywarn/PSE (again). I downsized the rack one last time, or so I think. The new case/rack I picked up through MCM out of Cinni OH. In the case I have my FT991 and a Yaesu FT-8800 and a Astron 50 amp power supply. photo's here I also upgrade this case to all power poles with a 8 position powerwerk bus. That gives me 1 in for the power supply and I can use the other 7 for radios, a battery or charging a cell phone or two. For antennas I have a Diamond X-30 vertical for the 144/440 MHz bands. I have a DJ light bar that I took the cross bars and was able to make it a little taller.
What Ham Radio Is And Isn't
Ham radio is not to be confused with CB or "childrens band" as we jokingly refer to it. Amateur radio is a hobby in which you can chat with people in your own area or around the world. With CB you are limited to only three modes of operation, amplitude modulation (AM) or single side band (SSB) and now FM and legally limited to 5 watts AM or 12 watts SSB, and can only use 40 "channels" on one band. Where as in amateur radio we can operate on 17 bands, we are not limited to channels, we can operate morse code (CW), single side band (SSB), amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), radio tele-type (RTTY), slow scan television (SSTV), fast scan television (ATV) and digital (Packet). Exactly which bands and how much power you can operate on / with depends upon the class of license you have. The top power allowed is 1500 watts out. In addition to all this we also have several elaborate wide area repeater networks and orbiting satelittes at our disposal as well.