US ARMY COMM. Ham Radio
| US ARMY COMM. Ham Radio | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Communications |
| Weight | 15 |
| Condition | 100 |
| Uses | about 71 |
| Power | Battery |
| Type | Two-way radio |
| Portable | No |
| Transmit Range | 20000 tiles |
| Channels | 0.2 to 1000 MHz |
| Volume Range | 15 tiles |
| High Tier | Yes |
| Research |
|
| Location | Containers |
| Spawn ID | /additem Base.HamRadio2
|
The US ARMY COMM. Ham Radio is a heavy military two-way radio built for a fixed base. It is the strongest ham radio in the game. It sends a voice farther than any other radio and tunes the widest band of frequencies.
It suits a survivor who wants to hear every broadcast and reach other players across the map. In single player it picks up music stations, news reports and military broadcasts. Its main cost is its bulk. At 15 weight it is far too heavy to carry around, so it lives at a base on a table or the floor.
The radio is a rare find in army storage rooms and pawn shop offices. The Electrician is the best occupation for communications. It starts with the most Electrical skill. The Engineer also starts with some Electrical skill.
Using
A ham radio has to be placed on the ground or a surface before it can be used. Once placed, it can be turned on, tuned and set to a volume. Its sound carries about fifteen tiles, so loud broadcasts can draw nearby zombies.
As a two-way radio it also transmits. In multiplayer, other players on the same frequency can hear speech from up to about twenty thousand tiles away. That is far beyond the reach of any other ham radio. The Premium Technologies Ham Radio reaches about 7,500 tiles and the Makeshift Ham Radio about 6,000. Both also tune a much narrower band of 10 to 500 MHz.
The radio is also a teaching item. The Research Craft option on it teaches Make Makeshift Radio, Make Makeshift Walkie Talkie and Make Makeshift Ham Radio. Those recipes let an Electrical survivor build radios from scrap parts later.
Upkeep
The radio runs on a battery. A battery can be put in or taken out at any time. A full battery gives about 71 uses, which is fewer than the civilian ham radios get. The Premium Technologies Ham Radio gets about 100 from the same battery. Spare batteries are worth keeping near a base radio.
A broken or unwanted radio can be taken apart with any screwdriver through Dismantle Electronic Device. That yields Scrap Electronics and a little Electrical experience.
Research
The Research Craft option in the inventory menu studies the US ARMY COMM. Ham Radio and teaches the recipes below.
| Recipe | Output | Image | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make Makeshift Radio | Makeshift Radio | 
|
/additem Base.RadioMakeShift
|
| Make Makeshift Walkie Talkie | Makeshift Walkie Talkie | 
|
/additem Base.WalkieTalkieMakeShift
|
| Make Makeshift Ham Radio | Makeshift Ham Radio | 
|
/additem Base.HamRadioMakeShift
|
Used in Crafting
These recipes take the US ARMY COMM. Ham Radio as an ingredient or a part.
| Recipe | Output | Image | Station | Skill | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dismantle Electronic Device | Scrap Electronics | 
|
- | Electrical: 0 | /additem Base.ElectronicsScrap
|
Locations
This is a rare radio. Army storage rooms are the best place to look, on metal shelves and in military crates. Military crates in offices hold it at the same low rate. Pawn shop offices keep one now and then on metal shelves. Pawn shop counters and shelves turn one up only very rarely.
The places where it spawns, with the rough chance per container. Each tab shows one kind of place.
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Army storage | Metal shelves | 1.2% |
| Army storage | Military crate | 1.2% |
| Army storage | Other | 1.2% |
| Office | Military crate | 1.2% |
| Oldarmy | Locker | <0.1% |
| Oldarmy | Other | <0.1% |
| Storage unit | Other | <0.1% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn shop office | Metal shelves | 1.2% |
| Pawn shop office | Other | 1.2% |
| Pawn shop | Counter | 0.2% |
| Pawn shop | Metal shelves | 0.2% |
| Pawn shop | Shelves | 0.2% |
| Pawnshop storage | Other | 0.1% |
| Any building | Small box | <0.1% |
| Bedroom | Small box | <0.1% |
| Pawn shop | Other | <0.1% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Any building | Cardboard box | <0.1% |
| Attic | Cardboard box | <0.1% |
| Attic | Crate | <0.1% |
| Attic | Other | <0.1% |
| Bedroom | Cardboard box | <0.1% |
| Bedroom | Crate | <0.1% |
| Closet | Crate | <0.1% |
| Closet | Locker | <0.1% |
| Closet | Other | <0.1% |
| Garage storage | Crate | <0.1% |
Notes
- The radio must sit on the ground or a surface to work.
- Research Craft on the radio teaches three makeshift radio recipes at once.
- Loud volume carries sound to nearby zombies, so a low setting is safer.
- The radio is too heavy to haul far, so it is best found close to the chosen base.
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