CAP 2 meter radio

[kc2ush]

Hello,
I heard at some point from some staff at my squadron that if I get my Advanced radio op. card i
I can purchase a legal CAP radio w/ necessary licence. I was just wondering if there is any creditability to this?   
Thanks
Evan

[Eclipse]

Yes, if you get an A-Cut card, you can purchase your own equipment and have it licensed by your wing.

The equipment must be on the compliant list, found here:  https://ntc.cap.af.mil/
Note, some equipment has a specific CAP in-service date to be eligible.

[RADIOMAN015]

Yes, if you get an A-Cut card, you can purchase your own equipment and have it licensed by your wing.

The equipment must be on the compliant list, found here:  https://ntc.cap.af.mil/
Note, some equipment has a specific CAP in-service date to be eligible.

BEFORE you do anything talk with your comm experts.  They may have a source for buying compliant equipment for a fairly low cost.  Even P25 digital equipment has been on the market for around $500 or under.
Rm

[Major Lord]

You don't need an A-Cut just to buy a CAP, NTIA compliant radio. You can do that as Joe-citizen. The A-CUT training and a compliant radio allows you to apply for a Call sign in your Wing. Your Wing Comm People may not be crazy about programming a radio for you if you don't have at least the B-Cut training. You have to keep in mind that there are no "ham" radios that you can use in CAP anymore; You will need a commercial radio, and one that is NTIA compliant, so don't rush into a purchase until you understand the requirements.

Major Lord

[arajca]

Also keep in mind you may have to pay for programming the radio yourself. Wings do not have all the software and hardware for every radio. Every wing has EF Johnson 5100 and 5300 programming capabilities, many still have Tait 2020 and Orca capabilities, some have Motorola capabilities of various flavors. Your wing DC will know what they can and cannot program. They may also know members who have various other programming capabilities based on personal radios owned by them.Do not buy a radio and expect the wing DC to give the frequencies to a shop just because you bought a radio. They may very well tell you to use a different shop which has already been approved for the frequencies.