Comms Prepping. Ham Radio, CB, Shortwave, ETC, get in here now

CQ CQ CQ

indeed........

CQ DX....CQ.DX....CQ DX.....DE (callsign)....INT ZBK.....INT ZBZ....K

After seeing a number of AC trolls, shills, and shitheads,
the grouchy old man came out in me. Especially since I am
an Idiot HAM guy who is supposedly 20 years behind in computer technology.

For all the newbies who are going to do a weekend campout in the woods without a flashlight, matches (or starter stick), poncho, rope, compass, and bug net....fuck you.
Deal with YOUR lack of simple planning.

For the rest, go to RADIOREFERENCE.COM.
Up in the left hand corner is DATABASES. Click it.
Up comes a USA map. Get into YOUR little world and start exploring radio frequencies being used. HAM, first responders, business, government- at all levels are listed
by their frequency. Most even list what the code/decode tones are for the repeaters.

You don't need the whole world's numbers. Just your little
area to know what is going on AND maybe you can communicate with some of them in a pinch.

Also on RadioReference is a category on FORUMS. A lot can be learned there quickly BY JUST READING. Same for radio, a
lot can be learned BY JUST LISTENING.

When it comes to TRANSMITTING, going cross country or even your State is seldom important for most operators. 10 miles
around you is way more important. Maybe even just 4 or 5 miles. Take care of your realm and your preps.

Remember this?

Thread: radio geeks: online wideband SDR available!

and this?

Thread: I bought a Baofeng UV5RA Ham Radio. Now what?

If you waNt radiosbuy them now.


Sample alinco dx sr8 went as scare as wooden horse shit , non available!

Those Beofeng UV-5Rs came in today. By default, they would not let me go below 150.000 MHz, and most of the repeater stations in my area were below that. I couldn't even take it down to 146.520 MHz.

So, I had to connect them to my computer to program them. My computer would not recognize them at first, so I had to download a special driver for them. After that I was able to get on CHIRP and extend its VHF range down to 126 MHz without issue.

I just finished setting my basic channels. I've got all of the local repeater stations. This is kind of fun - too bad I can't press that talk button until I get a license. Just waiting for the CB radio to come in now.

I'm glad I saw this thread, cheers!

A little note as to what is happening in New Zealand and much of Australia. They are under major lockdown. The political thugs running the place have come down with an iron fist. Big time lockdown. In NZ, they don't even want you to talk to your neighbors!!!!!

Let's say you have a 2 watt handheld Family Radio Service (FRS) at your house. Maybe more than one? Your neighbor has
one too- 3 homes down the street. Guess what? You can talk without leaving the house.

Yes, they can do jamming. But maybe you have the little MURS 2 watt handheld. Or a CB walkie talkie.


All 3 of these can be easily purchased at retail big box stores. CB items are at truck stops like religion. None of them require a license in the USA. A pair of handhelds will set you back under $100.


Here is a a 6 pack of them from Walmart for under $100 complete with a charging base. Retevis.

[link to www.walmart.com (secure)]


They only have 16 channels instead of the full 22 but so
what? Cheap, disposable, and functional.
Just something to think about in troubled times.

The only reason they're doing this is those radios also transmit gps coordinates. They need FM for reliable data transmission. I don't really see how this will benefit the avg cb user as all you'll hear is the strongest signal.

Doesn't sound right to me. I have some 90s FRS radios that reach well over a mile and I think they're only half a watt.

It didn't sound right to me either. But note the poster said "last summer". Not a lot of time to learn the ropes in one year.

The Baofengs are cheaply made and cheaply sold. The quality control is not good. BUT people do get lucky and might get a good unit. Even the SWR on the new ones can
be poor. If dual band, one band can be good and the other very poor.
Some people put a whip antenna on them. That guarantees NOTHING until you check the SWR. Been reading HAMs on the net checking them get up to 1:6 ratios. Lucky to get a 1:2.5.

Power is not the biggest factor for transmit. Your rig has to be balanced. 50 ohm and as close to 1:1 SWR as possible. With line of sight even a 1/2 watt can go many miles. The antennas must 'see' each other unobstructed.

Way behind.

Thanks thread now am making payments on IC-705.

Recommend to store all the Prepper / SHTF frequencies

[link to radiofreeq.wordpress.com (secure)]

And I picked up an FTdx-10 for Christmas....

As I read through this thread it saddened me to realize how dumbed down most have become. I have been into CB/Amateur since I was a kid in the 70's.

I think most folks dont realize that you wont have google when this happens. Even having printed out pages and books will only help so much...This is the reason to get your license and start using it now, learn it...you will NOT know how to use your radio, it will be a worthless brick when the time comes you really need it. You have been warned.

Thank you Gandalf.
Also, miss your fireworks and wisdom.
All the best.

- T. Hobbit

I may add here that one thing people miss from LOTR is the gunpowder subtext.
Gandalf has gunpowder but knows something greater as to how he uses it.
Sarumon the Wise uses it for destruction and orcism.
Thus bringing his own end.

By a man he controlled.

Hurt Locker a good film, but it is DOD versus Soldier both drunks
can you see that???

yep. getting out and practicing in the field from backup/off grid power sources at least once of month on different modes is whatever everyone with comms gear should be doing to help simulate challenges in a grid down scenario. Know your equipment and power requirements and antenna setups.

this needs to be 2nd nature to you if you are serious, because you will likely be dealing with other challenges and adversity in such a scenario that getting comms for monitoring or for getting help needs to be well practiced before you need it. its a skill and it needs practiced and experimented with in scenarios where you dont use the internet or grid power to operate to know what you need to be effective before it happens.

Not as a ham operator, but most of these radios will allow one to program it for illegal operation.

That said, I haven't seen anyone mention the Radioddity GD-77 radios. They can be bought for less than $100, and there's an open source firmware that makes it much nicer to use. It can also be programmed for voice prompts which enables visually impaired hams to operate it more easily.

These are also DMR capable radios, and even have the ability to encrypt your communications, although that is not allowed on ham radio. It can be done legally with GMRS.

I have several of the Boefengs, the GD-77 beats them hands down in all categories.

[link to hamstudy.org (secure)]

Sign up, and start learning!

Unlock your baofeng uv5r

General cheat sheet for Baofengs

[link to w7apk.com (secure)]

I think I love you