communication 101 for preppers & survivalists about me: amateur (ham) radio operator – call...
TRANSCRIPT
Communication 101 for
Preppers & Survivalists
About Me:• Amateur (Ham) Radio Operator – call sign WF5U
• U S Navy Electronics Technician 1st Class (ret)
• Seabee / Viet Nam & Desert Storm Vet
• Engineer (BSEE ‘UMR) & MO Registered PE
• Survivalist / Prepper since early 1980’s
What is Communication?
Imparting or Exchanging
INFORMATION
Most Forms of Modern Communication Need
“The Grid”
Attributes
• Communication can be 1-way or 2-way • It can be in “Real-Time” or Delayed• It must be Understandable (by the intended recipients)• It must be Detectable (by the intended recipients)• It can be Verbal – sound (ears)• It can be Written / Depicted / Displayed – sight
(eyes) • It can be Physical – (touch / smell / taste) • It can be Wireless• It can be Wired • It can be Hand-delivered
Methods
• Broadcast radio & TV, cable TV • Cellphone – voice / texting / twitter, etc.• Telephone – regular conversations / computer calling, etc.• Internet – E-mail / website / Yahoo Group / blog / podcast /
YouTube / Peer-Peer / Face Book, etc• Newspapers, books, magazines, posters, graffiti• NOAA Weather Radio• Monitoring “Public Service” radio (scanning)• Personal Radio: CB, FRS/GMRS, Marine, MURS, Ham • USPS, FedEx/UPS, telegram • Messenger / Courier / Carrier Pigeon
Normal vs Emergency Communication
• Normal: Infrastructure is intact – especially the electrical grid
• Emergency: Normal communication has been disrupted – for whatever reason
• Potential causes for disruption – most likely power (electrical) outage – “The Grid” goes down– Ice storm, tornado, earthquake, hurricane– System overload – excessive heat or cold– Equipment or operator malfunction– Vandalism / Terrorism / War– Government (Internet “Kill Switch”, etc)
Why
Communication
is
Essential
for
Preppers & Survivalists
Maintain Situational Awareness(Know what’s going on)
Keeping tabs on things – monitoring: Local / Regional / National / Global
• What’s the weather forecast?
• Where’s the tornado – what direction is it heading?
• Where’s the brush/forest fire – what direction is it heading?
• Where’s the HAZMAT spill – is the wind blowing it my way?
• When will power be restored in my neighborhood?
• How soon will snow plows get to my neighborhood?
• Where’s the SWAT team deployed for a home invasion gone bad?
• Where’s the riot – is it likely to come to my neighborhood?
• What areas are quarantined by FEMA / DHS due to the pandemic?
• How bad is the economic situation – is it likely to impact my AO?
Maintain Contact with VIP’sFamily – Friends – MAG – Survival Group
(2-way comms)
• Did grandma get home OK after having dinner with us?
• Where is (mom / dad / son / daughter, etc) – they should have been here by now?
• CP: “All stations report-in”
• RP-1: “All Secure”
• LOP-3: “Armed looters at gate 2 – send
reinforcements NOW !”
Notify Authorities (911 call most likely)
• There’s been an injury accident in the EB lane of I-44 @ MM-87 – sedan & 18-wheeler – sedan on fire.
• My (mom / dad / son / daughter, etc) is having ( xxxxx ) – please send an ambulance.
• Report a fire / possible burglary / suspicious activity, etc.
Inform Others (broadcasting or 1-way transmissions)
• Blog / e-m distribution list / podcast, etc
• Low Power FM re-broadcast of USA Prepares Radio Show, Survival Podcast, etc.
• Situation Report (SITREP) to affiliated individuals or groups
Security Considerations
• Public – intended for anyone to hear – generally commercial broadcast: radio, TV, Blog, etc.
• Private – intended for limited distribution, but no special security measures involved – normal phone calls, mail, etc.
• Secure – info could do harm if it fell into the wrong hands – generally encrypted / scrambled, etc.
Different types of Comms
Capabilities Equipment Needed Costs Training Licensing
FRS (Family Radio Service)
• No License• 14 Channels in 462-467 MHz• ½ W max power output• Handheld only • No external antennas• Range < 1 mi
GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service)
• License required *• 23 Channels in 462-467 MHz
(some shared w/FRS)• 50 W max power output on
GMRS only frequencies, (5 W max on freqs shared w/FRS)
• Handheld or base stations• External antenna OK• Range up to 25 mi base to base• More if operating thru a repeater
MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service)
• No license required
• 5 Channels in 151-154 MHz
• 2 W max power output
• Wireless alarms & other alerting devices available
• Range up to 10 mi (w/outside antenna)
CB (Citizens Band)
• No license required
• 40 Channels in 27 MHz
• 4 W max power output
• Range up to 10+ miles (w/outside antenna)
VHF Marine Band• No license required, but legal
only from boats while on the water
• 59+ Channels in 151-154 MHz
• 1 or 25 W
• Relatively inexpensive
Amateur Radio (Ham)• License required (Morse code
no longer required)
• Bands from “DC to Daylight”
• 1500 W max power output
• Many modes
• Global range
MonitoringSWL (Short Wave Listening) or Scanning
• No license required
• Inconspicuous
• Good way to gain familiarity
Part II
Recommendations
It’s far better to possess a tool now for which the need has yet to arise, and the mastery of which has yet to be accomplished – than to find out later that it’s desperately needed, but no longer obtainable!
“Tools”1. Dual-Band (2M/440) Handheld FM Transceiver
2. 2M/440 Mag-Mount Mobile Antenna w/adapter
3. 2M/440 Base Antenna w/Mast & Feedline
4. Scanner
5. Portable Shortwave Receiver
6. Backup Power Source
7. Battery-Powered Portable TV
8. 2M Mobile Transceiver
9. Multi-Mode HF Mobile Transceiver + Tuner & Antenna
2M/440 Ham Dual-Band Handheld
• 136-174/400-480 MHz Transmit• 4 Watts Power Output• Excellent Speaker Audio• 128 Memories • FM Broadcast Band Receive • 1800 mAH Li-ion Battery• Drop-in Charger
Baofeng UV-5RA ($32 @ Amazon)
2M/440 Ham Dual-Band Handheld
• 144/220/440 MHz with 5W on all 3 bands • 4 Selectable Transmit Power Levels• FM/FM – W/FM – N/AM + USB & LSB / CW• 0.01~ 1300 MHz RX (widest transceiver in the industry)• 435 PC Programmable Memories in 8 groups of 50 channels per memory bank• Dual Channel Receive – even on same band / AM Aircraft Receive• Built-in Ferrite Bar antenna for AM receive (0.1 ~ 7 MHz)• 3 Call Channels plus 20 for programmable scan• MIL-STD 810 for vibration, shock and light rain• Built-in CTCSS Encode/Decode / DCS Digital Coded Squelch• 1200/9600 bps TNC ready (no adapter required)• TOT Time Out Timer & APO Auto Power Off• Built-in VOX• Special (10) Channel Weather station mode• 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery • Battery Voltage Level Indicator & built-in battery charging during DC operation• Automatic Simplex Checker• Wireless Remote Control
Kenwood TH-F6A ($280)
2M/440 Mobile Antenna
2M/440 Base Antenna
• UVS-300 2M/440 base antenna ($90)• 21’ stick of chain link fence top rail ( $30) • 50’ of ½” low-loss coax w/PL-259
connectors ( $60)
Scanner
The BCD996XT comes equipped with Uniden exclusive features like Advanced Dynamic Memory System, Close Call™ RF Capture Technology, and GPS compatibility.
Uniden Bearcat BCD996XT ($435)
• TrunkTracker IV (Motorola APCO 25 Digital, Motorola, EDACS, LTR)
• 25000 Dynamically Allocated Channels • Close Call® RF Capture Technology • Location-Based Scanning • Fire Tone-Out • Multi-Colored Display Backlight • Alpha Tagging • 100 Quick Key System Access • Band Scope • Continuous Band Coverage* • Audio AGC
• Automatic Digital Threshold Adjustment • Temporary Lockout • Search with Scan • NAC Decoding • DCS/CTCSS Rapid Decode • S.A.M.E. Weather Alert • PC Programming/Control • Public Safety Scanner • System / Channel Number Tagging • Compatible with BC-RH96 Remote Head • Individual Channel Volume Offset • Priority ID Scan on trunked systems
Portable SW Receiver Tecsun PL-660 ($115)
Portable SW Receiver
The Kaito KA1103 is a dual conversion portable radio covering AM, FM, & Shortwave w/SSB
Kaito KA-1103 ($55)
• AM & FM broadcast band coverage
• Shortwave coverage from 3.2 – 21.9 MHz
• Single side band (SSB) receive capability
• 268 memories with 190 dynamic memories in 19 banks.
• Auto scan & auto memory
• Clock w/3 alarms & wake to beep or radio
• Large backlit LCD
• Signal strength indicator
• DX-Local, FM Mono-Stereo, Hi-Lo tone, & Wide-Narrow selectivity switches
• Battery power indicator, lock and sleep
• External antenna jack
• Stereo earphone jack
• Line Output jack
Portable TVAxion AXN-8701 ($75)
• 7-Inch widescreen LCD portable handheld TV • Built-in NTSC/ATSC tuner for both analog and digital channels • Built-in antenna allows for easy repositioning for better reception • A/V input for external audio/video sources • Includes AC adaptor, instruction manual, remote control, external antenna, car adapter, and A/V cables
Power Supply
• Continuous power up to 400 W w/800 W surge capacity
• Modified sine wave for up to 87% efficiency
• Heavy duty input cables with alligator clips
• 5 volt, 500 milliamp USB port
• LED indicator light
• Built-in hi/low voltage, hi/low temperature, hi/low current, short circuit & overload protection
12V Marine Battery + Float Charger + 400W Inverter ( $120)
• Three-stage fully automatic charging for extended battery life• Auto on/off trickle charging stage keeps batteries fully charged
without overcharging• Overload, short circuit, & reverse polarity protection• LED charge indicators
Portable 12V & 120V Power
• 22 Ah professional grade, high output AGM Battery, w/Built-in automatic charger
• 400 Watt Inverter w/2 120V outlets
• 12 volt DC power outlet
• Charging & charge status LEDs
• Polypropylene case
Mobile CB Radio
Wilson 1000 Mag-Mount CB Antenna with 62 1/2“ Removable Whip
Midland 1001Z ($32) & Wilson 1000 Mobile Antenna ($70)
• 40-channel, 4-Watt CB radio is perfect for novices and seasoned CB users
• CB/PA switch allows CB to be used as a Public Address System when paired with a PA speaker
• RF Gain adjusts reception sensitivity range for clear communication
• Easily installs in most cars, trucks and RVs • Three-year limited warranty
Ham LicenseHam Test Online (study guide): free – nominal amount
Local VE exam ($14)
HF Station
• Multi-mode HF - UHF Ham Mobile Transceiver – Yaesu FT-857D ($805)
• Automatic Antenna Tuner – LDG YT-100 ($200)• + DIY NVIS/dipole antenna ( $60)• + 75’ of coax ( $50)
Conclusions• Communication is something we all take for granted
during “normal” times.
• During an emergency normal communications may be disrupted
• The inability to communicate can cause great inconvenience – or possibly be life-threatening
• Preparing in advance of emergencies with alternate means of communication is prudent
• Communications preparedness can serve as a useful hobby
Referenceshttp://www.cityfreq.com/mo/springfield
http://www.mokanscan.net/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=167
http://www.grove-ent.com/EXmissouri.html
http://www.springfieldcrimealert.com/police_scanner.php
http://members.tripod.com/speedbird_2/index.html
http://www.trunktracker.com/
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?mid=174
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?sid=2304
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?ctid=1517
http://forums.radioreference.com/missouri-radio-discussion-forum/
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Springfield_/_Greene_County_Public_Safety/Services
www.amazon.com/Uniden-Digital-Scanner-Channels-BCD996XT/dp/B002IT30LM/ref=sr_1_25?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328203993&sr=1-25
http://www.eham.net/reviews/products/25
http://www.mokanscan.net/main/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=167
http://radio-scanner-guide.com/RadioScannerGuidePart6-Category5-DigitalTrunkingScanners.htm
http://www.dxing.com/above30.htm
http://www.dxing.com/selscan.htm
http://www.dxing.com/
http://www.dakotaalert.com/catb2b1/product_info.php?cPath=36_37&products_id=93
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/survivalcomm
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/5071
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/8467
http://www.amazon.com/Midland-1001Z-40-Channel-CB-Radio/dp/B00024DIDK/ref=sr_1_29?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328241821&sr=1-29
http://www.gijoesradioelectronics.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=537
http://www.powerwerx.com/wouxun-radios/?gclid=CJPZh4KAga4CFQpY7AodqEKt3g
http://www.powerwerx.com/wouxun-radios/kg-uv3d-dual-band.html#desc
http://www.aesham.com/photos2/WOUKGUV3D2.jpg
http://store.rlham.com/shop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=340&products_id=38079
http://www.nixahams.net/2007/07/become-ham.html
http://www.nixahams.net
http://smarc.org/?page_id=31
http://smarc.org
http://www.hamuniverse.com/multidipole.html
http://www.w0ipl.net/ECom/NVIS/nvis.htm
http://www.radiosurvivalist.com/antennas/Near-Vertical-Incident-Skywave.asp
http://www.tactical-link.com/field_deployed_nvis.htm