My Station
I hate the term "base station" it sounds so darn CB-ish. I say station instead since its not mobile and its not portable. Let me tell you a little bit about "my station". My main interest is in V/UHF operations and I have a Yaesu FT-736R which is a V/UHF all mode as my main rig. Presently it has the 50 / 144 / 222 & 430 MHz bands installed. I also have an old Realistic PRO-2023 scanner I use for monitoring the local public safety agencies and a FT-840 for HF. Right now I need to get some tower work done and get the HF antennas back on the air. I have photos of my station including putting the tower up in my photo gallery.
My Mobile Station
I drive a 2008 Taurus and I have a FT-100 installed in the car. I used a Lido Mount to mount the control head and for a place to hang the mic. For antennas I have a Larsen 2/70 dual band antenna for 144/440 MHz and a 1/4 wave whip for 52 MHz. I also have an additonal mount for a HF antenna which I haven't installed as of yet.
My Portable Stations
For hand held usage I have an ICOM IC-W32a dual-band HT. I have numerous accessories to go along with the HT such as spare batteries, headsets, chest harness, etc etc etc. I also have a FT-817ND.
Now my real pride and joy is my portable station that I would use for ARES/RACES/Skywarn/Field day / etc. I have a 6u Gator 19" rack case. In the case I have a Yaesu FT-8900 and a FT-1500 & Kantronic's KPC-3+ TNC. The radios are powered from a Astron SRM-30 power supply that can be switched over to an external deep cycle battery in the event there is no commercial power available. For antennas I have a Diamon X-30 vertical for the 144/440 MHz bands. I had a MFJ1538 but it was too big for everyday ops so I sold it and replaced it with the Diamond. I have a Ultimate Support Systems speaker stand to mount it on. This does well for getting into the local repeaters. I also have a 50' Rohn push-up pole if I need to get the antenna higher.
Check out "KA5CVH Portable" in the photo gallery
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 two modes of operation, amplitude modulation (AM) or single side band (SSB) 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.
Heck you can even talk to one of the Astronauts on board the International Space Station.