Thanks to whomever made this thread for me.

The radio service is really Amateur Radio. Ham is an old slang term from the early days of telegraphs where a new operator would be called a "ham" or a "plug". It has nothing to do with pork products.

>>2858393

Dude I've been looking to the real, practical, SHTF lowdown on Ham for a long time.

You.Are.Welcome.

Thank you for stepping up.

BO this thread was created by request folks on the QAnon thread (2858315).

Please don't delete this.

American Radio Relay League: https://arrl.org

Repeater lookup: https://repeaterbook.com

General website: QRZ.com

FCC License database: http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchAmateur.jsp

Most hams use voice for communication. How far your voice goes and who can hear you will be discussed in another topic on frequency bands.

Many use Morse Code which is abbreviated as CW for "Continuous Wave." which is a technical term for the type of wave sent. This is the most reliable, long-distance method, but few use it for conversations. Also, it is NOT required for an entry level license.

Packet radio is a way to send data over radio. It dates back to the 1980s. It's a point-to-point protocol calle A.X25. It's limited to 1200baud at VHF and 9600baud at UHF. On shortwave it's quite slow.

Packet is the transport for APRS which is a mode that many use. I don't do digital modes because I don't mix computers and ham radio except for my logbook.

There are other modes that are digital, but for SHTF, voice is going to be your best mode. Stick to basics for now.

I'm familiar with VHF/UHF and digital radio (Motorola P25, MotoTRBO, DMR), analog trunking etc, but shortwave is not my thing at all. Doesn't mean I'm not interested. Would one of those DIY shortwave transceivers boxes they sell on Amazon suffice, assuming I've got a good antenna?

Local communications are mostly conducted on the 2-meter band. This is the "go-to" band for local communications during disasters.

2 meter and higher bands are line-of-sight. This means that the 2 antennas must "see" each other for the most part. This restricts the range depending upon terrain, antenna height and power levels.

The radios used here are from handhelds, to mobile radios to base stations. Most hams have a handheld, but they're not very powerful and we usually have a 2 meter radio in our car with an outside antenna. These stations work well.

To overcome the distance with line-of-sight, we use Repeaters. These are automated stations set up on high towers and buildings. They listen on 1 frequency and retransmit the signal on a frequency 600kHz apart. This is called "duplex operation." When you press the transmit button on the microphone, your radio will shift to the repeater's input frequency. Everyone listens to the OUTPUT frequency.

https://repeaterbook.com has repeaters in your area. I suggest you find your local repeaters and print them out on paper because during SHTF, you may not have the Internet!

We also use single frequencies. I have a set of handheld radios for my neighbors for SHTF. We'll use a single frequency to talk to eachother as we man the roadblocks to our neighborhood.

This is referred to as "simplex" operation.

The 2-meter simplex calling and emergency frequency is 146.520MHz.

Many of us use 70cm band at 440MHz. It works like 2m. Very few of us use the 220MHz band. It's not worth buying a radio for this band.

If you can afford it, a dual-band 2m/440 radio is the way to go. I recommend a mobile radio instead of a handheld. You also need a decent antenna.

>>2858674

I'm working on getting all of this out for you guys. stand by!!!

Nellie and her crew were using DMR radios. I recommend staying away from digital voice because there are a number of different standards. They are difficult to program and the protocols are manufacturer specific.

I attended an interoperability seminar on this and it was confusing as hell. Stick to normal voice over local repeaters and simplex.

If you want to get into digital in a non-shtf scenario, have fun.

I'll fill some more in a bit. I need to run out and do some things to prepare for the tropical storm. I'm near Houston.

>>2858476

Thanks Anon! I’ve seen license plates like that before. Off to find myself a wild ham operator! Kek!

The key challenge facing Amateur/HAM radio is its reliance on the repeater network.

I would be interested in designing/programming a replacement under independent control. I am familiar with the concept of a repeater, but not the specifics of how the repeater network functions. As the power demands will be determined by the tramsceiver specs, and component selection, that leaves power system and the costs of a true off-grid stand-in unappraisable from my standpoint.

With the availability of streaming architectures, FPGAs, and RF mosfets, I see few reasons why it should be cost-prohibitive within the context of municipality, enthusiast, and charitable mission projects.

If the repeater network goes offline, then ham radio has its functional range radically reduced. Sure - some people can flip the bird to the FCC at that time and turn the power up on their amplifier, but there is considerable reliance on that repeater network.

Such a project could also be used to piggy-back other RF and microwave backup systems into them. Ideally a "place and forget" solution. As it would be expected to be a distributed construction process not for retail, prototype and pre-market technologies held by patent mills are fair game in my book.

>>2859193

You're not quite correct.

The repeaters are not a "network" in the conventional sense. We do not rely upon them in the way that you're meaning.

Each repeater station is independent, though they may be linked together to form networks. We have a system here in TX called the Saltgrass Network.

Due to the nature of repeaters, they are placed on tall things - buildings or co-located on TV and other broadcast towers. They use a local power source and some have battery backup.

The point is that they are not essential for communication as one can always use simplex and then have other stations relay messages.

Because each repeater is its own separate station, there is no centralized network to fail like the Internet. I've written a lot about how when the cabal fucks with DNS, it makes the Internet trivial to control.

I suggest that you learn much more about how our gear operates than drawing conclusions such as these.

I've had my UV-82 for awhile now… rarely use it. After reading the Q post about disaster prep I stupidly got another UV-82 for others who I may link up with. The new model had higher power options 1/4/8 watt so I jumped on it. But then I got to thinking… in a real disaster, am I going to freak out, and head way far away from civilization where the only comms with others would be by radio? Or would it be better to just remain calm… and speak directly with neighbors and others locally who are in need of help? Do what needs to be done close to home, and don't rely on electronics to stay informed… or bug the fuck out and live like an animal in the wilderness and hope civilization rebuilds itself?

>>2859393

I created this <grin>

>>2859461

These radios are popular because they're cheap. IMO, the Baofung is NOT legal on ham bands because it's a commercial radio that has not had FCC type acceptance under part 97.

The problem that everyone has with the Chinesum radios is programming them. You can't program them from the front panel and you need a computer.

I would stick with known ham brands:

Icom

Kenwood

Yaesu

Alinco

These radios are made for the bands we use and are type-accepted. They usually have reasonably good manuals for manual configuration through the front panel.

Many radios have a clone feature through an audio jack with a m-m mini phone cable.

Even the old Icom IC-2AT is an excellent and simple radio from 1982 and can be had for cheap.

>>2858804

Morse Code (called CW) is not necessary to get an amateur radio license anymore, but most oldfag hams know CW since it was necessary in the past when they got their license, and many of them simply enjoy using it. For HF comms (80-, 40-, 20- and 10-meter bands), nothing beats CW to drive a modest signal (say, 100 watts) all the way around the world. And nothing beats the thrill of a 2-way contact with a distant station in, say, Ukraine, Japan, Antarctica or Peru.

CW means "continuous wave" and the signal consists of simply switching the carrier wave on and off. The bandwidth of a CW transmission is narrow, about 200 Hz.

If you are interested in learning Morse Code there are some excellent trainers to use off-the-air.

→ http://aa9pw.com/morsecode/ (online)

→ http://www.g4fon.net/CW%20Trainer.htm (download & install, use offline)

→ http://www.rufzxp.net/ (download, use offline)

There are tons of trainers available, but these three I can personally recommend.

Here are two PDF papers that explain why the some of oldfag hams are in love with CW.

→ The Art and Skill of Radio Telegraphy

http://cw.hfradio.org/cw_resources/The_Art_and_Skill_of_Radio_Telegraphy-3rd-edition.pdf

→ Zen and the Art of Radiotelegraphy

http://www.qsl.net/ik0ygj/enu/ZART_r20101008m.pdf

-.-

>>2859560

I like CW and do a lot of operating in it, but for SHTF with new hams, not so much.

HF voice on 20m is going to be a lot more effective for most people.

>>2859516

Kek. I figured it was you. You are doing wonderful write-ups.

Maybe a few anons will decide to spend the time and effort to develop some new skills. I was afraid to admit I was a ham for a long time because of fear of doxing myself. Now, it's too late, kek. Both spouseanons are licensed, but I'm the primary ham of the household. A squirrel bit the VHF coax and I patched it but haven't had the desire to try transmitting on VHF since there's nobody around here to talk to anyhow.

My main HF antennas are carolina windoms, a Windom 40 and a Windom 80. These are practically equivalent in terms of range and band coverage, except the 80 can get on 80m and can be tuned to drive a weak signal out on 160m. We get a lot of wind and tree movement here so these antennas receive a lot of mechanical abuse. Lately we had a coax jacket split from wind flexing and I patched it with waterproofing tape. Really would take a weekend of contesting to compare its current performance with how it was working before the damage. So far we have not taken any significant time off QResearch to do anything else in our lives. I guess I should get on the air and do some testing and make sure the station is still intact.

Funny how kek reminds of -.-

Most people are familiar with the terms AM and FM as they relate to car radios. This is a terrible misnomer that causes confusion for people getting into radio.

AM means Amplitude Modulation and is the easiest and first method of sending voice over the radio. It is a method of MODULATING a radio wave to convey voice waves. We refer to it as Ancient Modulation.

AM is rarely used on Ham anymore because it uses a shitload of radio spectrum or "band-width."

AM is used for:

1. Aircraft communications. This is because more than one station may transmit at the same time and the other stations can hear both transmitters. This is good for safety because it happens. 2 people try to talk at the same time. Other modulating techniques don't work well for this.

2. Shortwave broadcasters still use AM. This is largely to do with the fact that receivers are simpler, cheaper and easier to tune in on AM. But it requires much more power and uses more spectrum.

For HF voice, we use almost exclusively Single Sideband or SSB. AM contains a carrier wave and 2 sidebands - an upper and lower sideband. In a ham HF radio, you speak into the microphone and an AM signal is generated internally. It gets split and filtered and only 1 of the sidebands is output as RF power. This means that it takes up much less space and goes further with less power and makes better use of the amplifiers.

It does require a more sophisticated receiver to pick it up. So, if you're looking for a shortwave receiver to listen to hams, you must get one with SSB.

By convention based upon old radio limitations, we use Lower SideBand (LSB) on frequencies below 10MHz and we use Upper SideBand (USB) on frequencies above 10MHz.

USAF uses USB on all systems. So, I listen to 11.175MHz for Skyking messages that are in USB.

If you're tuning your radio listening to us and you cannot find a tuning position where we're understandable, you need to switch the sideband mode to the other one (pro-tip.)

FM is used on the 2m/70cm bands for voice. FM means Frequency Modulation. It uses more bandwidth, but gives clearer speech and more reliable data transfer.

AFSK is Audio Frequency Shift Keying and is used mostly on FM for packet radio.

CW is Continuous Wave and is what we use for Morse Code. When I have my amplifier turned on and use CW, each pulse is FULL POWER at 1500W. This will get through when nothing else will.

The key to operating all of these is to get a radio and PRACTICE tuning. Do this NOW before SHTF. DURING SHTF is NOT the time to try to learn a new skill!!!!!

>>2858565

>I don't do digital modes because I don't mix computers and ham radio except for my logbook.

Me neither. Never tried any of the digital modes. I do digital CW keying from my logging app though.

For a mic we have a regular PC headphones with a mic on it, with a weird adapter connecting it to our HF rig. I have wondered if we ought to get a standlone desk mic so that both people can hear the conversation on SSB.

>>2859260

Anon, my point is very simple.

Those repeaters are an essential part of ham radio being able to achieve the range it currently enjoys. These are operated by federal agencies and also reliant upon municipal power supplies.

In order to work around this, you must be able to provide a replacement for the function of these repeaters. This means you need more ham operators to allow for CB-like relay of messages, and/or stations equipped to perform the same function and scheduled to do so.

I could be quite wrong, but I expect creating a repeater is a little more involved than plugging an antenna into an unfiltered RF amplifier. At least, if you want a practical device.

It's been a minute since I was involved with radio, and my applications were well away from civilian applications. I am simply identifying a point of failure in the system and inquiring about a project that could run tangent to a few of my own at the moment.

The most pressing point of failure for the ham radio environment is the reliance on the federally maintained repeater system. I recommend and propose assessing the feasibility of independently constructed and authorized repeater systems for deployment in the event of power grid failure or government fuckery.

Granted, they could just JDAM or HARM any such repeaters, but at that point we are talking about open warfare and that is more where my specialty lay. Which is why I recommend a contingency exist to cover the failure of the repeater system.

A system which consists of numerous repeaters repeating a signal from another repeater. A network. Since many ham operators are speaking through at least one repeater when they talk to someone, it is advisable to consider the impact a federal decision would have on the network servicing these individuals.

The formation of the repeater network was heavily tied to the surveillance system that would become Echelon. In short - the reason the government set up the repeaters in the first place was part and parcel with the goal of ELINT. I do not disagree with the need for such monitoring for security purposes - but I would caution against viewing them as an altruistic public utility to be present and functional for our wellbeing when it runs against a state interest.

>>2859842

This is a lot of bullshit.

Federal agencies do not own and run our repeaters. They're owned and run privately mostly by local clubs.

Most repeaters are not part of networks.

You don't know what you're talking about.

I need to sign out for a bit and hook up the auxiliary charger to my battery bank. This means shutting down my computers.

3 days without sun means the batteries are low.

>>2859842

Could you expand on this "reliance on the federally maintained repeater system".

What system is this? All the repeater systems in my area are run and serviced by the local club. I'm not aware of any federally maintained repeaters that are accessible to Hams, at least not in my area.

We have several repeater sites and they are linked to one another via a UHF link using yagi antennas, so the tower sites cover a 4 county area. You can additionally access the system by hopping onto the VHF link directly.

There is also a couple of DMR systems up on a couple of the towers and a D-star link which requires internet, but the area coverage is primarily analog VHF 2M linking the towers via UHF, and none of it is federally funded or maintained.

Where are these federally funded and maintained ham sites?

>>2859842

Your wrong, you need to get a technician study guide and read it, maybe take the test, but your conclusions are flawed.

>>2859842

One other thing, a base station with a co-linear antenna up at 40-50ft using a standard 50w mobile radio on 2M can make contact with another base station 50 miles away, with a similar set up, with little problem.

The base station can reach a mobile station on 2M 25-30 miles away with little problem.

So, when you're discussing range limitations, what do you consider range limitations?

>>2859997

This assertion of federal involvement in ham radio repeaters – by a person who is not a ham – is false. Ham radio repeater systems are owned, operated, and maintained by private ham-licensed owners or clubs. The federal government has no involvement other than granting the licenses. Basically you have guys and gals who take a lot of time to learn technology, and spend a lot of their own money, to build and operate repeaters for the sake of their communities. These are public-spirited individuals whose desire is to help others in case of disasters. Some of these repeaters are on inaccessible mountaintop sites where simpy getting the materials up there is a logistical challenges. They spend all kinds of $$ installing solar panels, batteries, towers, cables, etc. in addition to the radio transmitters, amplifiers, and other gear.

The person who wrote that should learn before spouting off their ignorance. However, the ham community would be glad to teach you. We are generally pretty friendly and helpful and encouraging to those who are sincerely interested in learning our technical hobby.

>>2860053

Agree.

A license is NOT required to purchase and to own amateur radio gear. You may purchase equipment and use it for listening all you want.

A license IS required to transmit. Of course, in TEOTWAWKI, all rules are out the window. Still, it's good to get some training and get a license.

HF radios require the General class license to get much of the use out of them.

The Technician (beginners license) is mostly 2m/70cm.

Compared to the cost for a set of golf clubs, the prices are not so bad.

Super helpful. I just copied and pasted your info for quick reference. Long ago I purchased HAM for Dummies. Haven't made it too far through, but glad I have it and will go ahead and get the recommended gear.

>>2861861

Glad I can help.

Please note that you do not need BOTH antenna tuners for the Icom 718. If you have room to put up a dipole antenna, use the G5RV antenna with the AT-180.

Get involved with your local ham club and get some training. Spend a lot of time listening. Don't be nervous. We all had to start sometime.

See thread 2316000 for possible Nellie Ohr ham connections!

I find it funny that people are talking about federally controlled repeaters. If it goes down, I've got my own repeater and my own radios.

Just how are the Feds controlling that?

Nice thing about VHF and UHF radios, while they can be used with a repeater, they can also be used without one. You can use them for radio to radio communications.

Another interesting item is power. If you turn the power down because your close, say in a moving convoy, someone would have to be on top of you to be able to pick up your communications and listen in.

Alternatives to Ham radios? CB's, MURS, FMRS, GMRS. So the little handheld Motorola's that you can get at Walmart? Typically these are on FMRS frequencies. CB's are AM so the sound quality and clarity can suffer with conditions and distance.

Some of the cheap Chinese radios are popular because they can transmit on MURS and FMRS frequencies as well out of the box.

More traditional radios will need to be MURS model. (Not recommended unless you know what your doing / don't mid the risk of "bricking" a radio) Once done they have the transmit capabilities of the inexpensive Chinese rigs.

Downside of the Chinese rigs? They suck to program! Most of them will drive you crazy over time due to spurious crap. However, they have their place…their cheap and a good entry point.

Another kicker…you don't need a "base" station in most cases. A good antenna and a handheld will do nicely in most instances. (The antenna is the key and height is your friend)

Oh, and you can use the handheld in the car as well. One radio for multiple useful applications.

It's possible to set up a "station" for $100.

Study for the Tech license (Free randomized tests at QRZ.com) and you can even do this legally.

Had me a technician license in Highschool as I could never get the hang of Morse so I could never get a real license. Its a shame because I was really into it back then. Stupid Morse Code pretty much killed all of the HAM stuff though. None of my friends learned it or knew it either so whats the point?

Any thoughts on a good unregulated wide-open "illegal" radio from China or whatever that can operate on all bands? Thanks!

>>2862781

I don't recommend anything from China illegal or otherwise.

The purpose of this thread was to get anons who want to be hams from 0 to ham in the shortest amount of time and with as minimal complexity with gear that will actually work.

Q has given us 30 days.

By focusing on solid products and the lowest price points for a solid product, anons will get stuff that actually works.

Radios like the Baofeng are a bitch to set up and really require computer control to program. This takes a lot of time and expertise. A new ham will not have the expertise to program them properly. If we end up in SHTF, we may not have the Interwebs for tutorials.

Simpler is better for noobs. Solid gear with decent manuals are essential.

I have buddies who love their Baofengs, but they also bitch about setting them up.

Let's stay on topic with simple and effective gear.

>>2861922

An external antenna tuner is great to have (I have one) but my used Yaesu FT1000 rig (transceiver) can tune most of my antennas with its internal tuner. So depending what rig you get, you may not actually need an external antenna tuner until you are want to play around with more sophisticated antenna setups. The internal tuner is a very nice convenient feature to have. It can memorize 3 (or more) tuner values for each band and then extrapolate the settings for the rest of the band. If your antenna is anywhere near a match to the rig, this provides excellent results with almost zero effort. The only time I switch on the antenna tuner is when I try to operate a band that my antennas really aren't resonant at, like 160m.

Many hams recommend a handheld transceiver for a technician's first radio. These have a built-in stubby antenna. It is a quick way to acquire a limited 2-way comms capability along with your technician license. I suppose all hams ought to have one, but mine seldom finds use. I have found all VHF/UHF rigs immensely bothersome to program; you practically have to program it from your PC and store the programming file on the PC. This aspect of technician-class ham radio does not receive much coverage when we are trying to convince people how easy it is to get the tech license and get on the air. The weird combinations of buttons presses, long button press, short button press, press first then press second, etc. on all my Yaesu VHF/UHF rigs, are weird to learn and easy to forget if you're not using the rig all the time.

Over.

>>2858367

Hey OP,

I used to create Skyking listening threads on /pol/ late last year and early this year on halfchan. They were really popular but do not really show up anymore (or maybe they do, I don't go on halfchan anymore).

I can take a crack at a skyking thread and see how it does here.

>>2862781

Morse Code is no longer required. The requirement was dropped in 1990.

Is one store/outlet any better than another?

>>2863947

Q-drop. I'll link stores later.

All,

https://8ch.net/qresearch/res/2864127.html#2864174

Here's the skyking thread I created. If this thread right here is sufficient, please continue. Whatever you like, folks.

>>2864201

Spasibo - signed Russian Bot

Here are mine in order of preference:

Main Trading Company in Paris, TX: https://mtcradio.com

Ham Radio Outlet (various locations): https://hamradio.com

DXengineering (expensive and in OH): https://dxengineering.com

>>2864464

>>2863947

Agree on Ham Radio Outlet and DX Engineering. They are two of the main ones. Once you get on their mailing list they will send fat catalogs a couple of times a year.

If there's a ham radio store in your area you can learn a lot by entering the store and talking with the people and seeing the gear in person. If not, there are a ton of stores and lists of stores you can find by web searching. Hams tend to be pretty garrulous as well as meticulous about logging things they find and sharing info. Web search is your friend.

For miscellaneous antenna parts like coax, connectors, outdoor junction boxes, etc. I like to patronize this guy:

http://kf7p.com/KF7P/Products.html

Great service.

Thanks Hamfags - some good info here. I've studied for the test, but have an aversion to volunteering to put myself on another government list, so for now I only listen.

I keep several UV-5Rs around just for local listening, but hate the wired Kenwood connectors. Wish there were a wireless headset (or bluetooth dongle?) for them. Just have to keep my finger off the PTT.

>>2870672

I don't think there is any point in avoiding another list. We're so surveilled it isn't funny.

Getting your license and getting on the air would give you valuable practice and interaction. IMO, you're gaining a lot more than any marginal utility of not being in the FCC database.

Don't worry about being on a list, you're probably on several already. And almost all Ham people I have met are conservatives, so you'll find like minded people.

A few more thoughts on licensing and gear.

Go get your tech license right away. The questions come out of pool, and all the questions and answers are available to download. Read the questions and memorize the answers. Drill and Kill. You went public skool, didn't you? They already taught you how to prepare to take tests. It's not the recommended way, but given the short time window, it's a good way to go. Test taking tip, if you're not sure, choose the longest answer.

As to gear, yes, get good gear if you can afford it. Everyone complains about the chinese hand held being hard to program. If you learn how to do it, you can program them from the keypad and it isn't that hard. I've bought 5 chinese hand helds for the price of an entry level name brand. The nice thing is I'm not worried about loosing it or dropping it or lending it out. They are only about $25 bucks.

For that reason, the local county EOC bought 100 of the chinese hand helds so they could be lent out in case of an emergency without fear of breakage, loss, etc.

If you're on a budget, get a two pack of hand helds, the upgraded whip antennas, an antenna adapter to plug into an external antenna, and a magnetic mount antenna.

You will only probably need to program in two frequencies, the repeater closest to you and the simplex frequency used by the locals. If you can get the signal from the repeater, that's all you need. And you can put the magnetic mount antenna on a pizza dish or similar and stick it out your window or on the roof of your house. You'll be amazed how much distance you will get over the little rubber ducky antenna on the hand held.

If things go down, I don't think we're talking long term and I don't think potus and Q team want long term chaos. I don't think they are talking grid down situations, necessarily. I'm thinking more along the lines of comms being down, like phone and internet.

But, that means no emails, no business, no bank transactions, no credit card/debit card, no phone calls. So, better have cash on hand, make sure your monthly payments are all taken care of, maybe even pay a month in advance if you can, and have food and water for a few weeks because the supply chain will likely be disrupted.

The boe

>>2872495

Forgot to put in the link to the question pool

http://www.arrl.org/question-pools

>>2858393

Thanks for the info. I am the one who originally asked about a lot it it with my post - normie from ICU yesterday morning

Lots and lots of confusing advice but have a place to start with looking for a handheld and then 2-4 “talky-talky” (as my little calls them) from Wal

Thanks again

>>2870812

Worked up my courage and tested the HF rig. Had to look up password for my logging PC, kek. It's been 10 months.

√ Antenna tuning

√ Listening, hear a QSO between California and Switzerland. They report the 20m band has been very quiet and is starting to open on that path.

√ Find a guy calling CQ on 20m SSB located 1200 miles away

√ Listen to the QSO

√ He calls CQ inviting anyone to transmit.

√ I speak my callsign

√ He heard one letter and asked me to come back

√ I speak my callsign

√ He switches antennas

√ I speak my callsign

√ 59 signal report

√ Comfy QSO, no repeats needed

√ He reports my audio quality is excellent … which is always my biggest worry since I hardly ever use SSB.

√ I feel good! Ready to work SSB if needed. Squirrel and wind damage has not affected signal quality.

Over.

Kek

>>2874156

Bill, N4HPG, put out on his Twatter a drill for this coming Saturday - 9/8/2018 at 2300Z (6pm CDT), 14.295. Said he's going to run the QAnon StormWatch Net.

>>2874502

Good copy.

Been interested in HAM since my grandpa got into it late 70s early 80s. Something like Yaesu FT-70D? Even though digital. There is a lot of great info here but a lot of conflicting advice on what’s best to get as well so a bit overwhelming. A lot of repeaters around me so feel I’m good there. Advice on best one to purchase for the near immediate use? Applied for GMRS already need to cliff notes study for HAM. TIA

Ham dude, is it remotely possible to set up an low-power, alternate "internet" using ham? I understand bandwidth is an issue, but it could support texts.

Satellite?

Other options?

>>2896133

Signal quality: huge problem.

>>2874502

Seems a majority of HamAnons feel this is too dangerous for them, at this time. I concur.

>>2896471

You could set up a mesh network using COTS wi-fi gear, and disregard amateur radio directly. Some larger conventions do this every year. You'd have to set up DNS and whatever websites you want running on the network as well. This isn't something you can load on a Raspberry Pi and have it up in 20 minutes (yet).

Ham radio will give you long range comms and text based communications no issue. It can do much more, but the equipment and software to do so is still in it's infancy, combined with limitations on data rate. Think 1980s computing tier data transfer rates of <300 Baud for the really long range stuff.

>>2896471

Yes and no, You can do some pretty cool stuff these days, Data modes like OLIVIA can transmit usable data while literally hiding in the noise floor, and even well honed operators will have trouble locating your signal. It seems to be a minority of hams that are playing with the current state-of-the-art, though. For high data rate stuff you're going to be limited to the Ghz bands and line-of-sight only though, not unlike a wifi router.

>>2910570

Given the nature of what we're dealing with, talking and sharing info anonymously is about the best we can do. Identifying yourself here is to paint a target on your back, who knows who is monitoring this site. I can't understate just how crazy it will become if they take out the net for even a short time, think every financial and logistics network suddenly grinding to a halt. There is the issue of operator training as well (Again, google what happened with the ARRL and puerto rico recently. They got asked to leave, and sent a total joke of a disaster support team. I suspect this is the 'quality' level of many hams out there)

This is a very useful thread, thanks to all for sharing their expertise.

>>2858476

There is a gigantic antenna set-up inside my attic that I have no idea what it was used for. I thought maybe it was for basic channels once upon a time but it's just waaaay too big for that to be the explanation. This seems like the most practical explanation.

The prior owner of the house must've had a ham radio. Is it possible this thing is still receiving signals/boosting signals for others around me? It is definitely still set-up and ready to use. Kind of relieving to finally have a real answer for what it is used for. Should I post pics of it?

Here’s my question simply for a quick fix if things happen—

If you had a family member asking exactly how to buy a hand held for emergencies-

What would you advise?

Can you buy from Pawn shop? Used? Or what to order today on tight budget that runs on AA rechargeable batteries? Also if you know anything about solar - can a battery charger for those AA’s be purchased frugally?

Thanks all and I hate to ask for you all to do my work for me but this is a whole different situation (just Incase). I also have friends that want to know this information as I have shared Q “kinda” most never heard of him and don’t even pay attention to the news. But they are tax paying conservatives that vote but are really uninformed—-

Thanks for the information and spoon feeding this time.

>>2934025

Anon it sounds like you want you and your group of friends to have CB Radios- it's older tech so you can find lots of it second hand, gives you a range of 2-10+ miles depending on antenna setup, no license, low/no training, and doesn't call much attention. The world is moving away from AA's as a power source (They honestly suck compared to Lithium) but battery packs exist.

If this remains too expensive and/or complicated, Get a hand crank AM/FM/SW radio like the Kaito KA500, and focus on other types of 'just in case' items.

Ham Radio Net - name change. StormWatchNet was meant to refer to the Calm Before The Storm. The problem is that this is confusing with hurricanes and other weather events.

#PatriotNet is a better name because it's for patriots.

14.295MHz USB during the DAY

3.995MHz LSB during the evening

Suggested meet-up time on 3.995 is 2300Z

>>2933936

Yes, it is likely an HF antenna for ham radio. If you did not connect it to anything, then it is just a resonant wire. There is probably no reason to disturb it since it is totally passive and is not really doing much up there. It would not be amplifying or affecting your radio/TV reception any more than passive electrical wiring or coax cables for your TV or internet affects reception. If you wish to tell us the dimensions/geometry of the wire we can probably tell you what band(s) it was being used for.

View a collection of "stealth" HF (high frequency, i.e. 3.5 MHz to 28 MHz, 80 meters to 10 meters) attic antennas here→

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=HF+antenna+in+attic

Some hams are restricted in what they can put up outside, or they don't have big trees, or don't want to put up a tower, so they will construct their HF antenna in the attic. Another stealth antenna is to wrap a wire around the entire house under the eaves. But the "tail" end has to be connected to a radio receiver, for the wrapped wire to do anything useful.

>>2947437

>>2947445

Noted net name change, frequency change, suggested meetup time.

2300Z (UTC) = 7PM EDT, 6PM CDT, 5PM MDT, 4PM PDT.

I am so embarrassed. Intended to power on the rig and listen (not xmit) Saturday at 2300Z and forgot.

I suggest stealth antenna wire. Use dark insulators and black cord to pull it up. Here's some material that is very hard to see, but will handle 100w treated carefully.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hidden-Stealth-Antenna-Black-Mil-Spec-Teflon-Stranded-26-AWG-135-foot-HF-Dipole/292572243092

>>2950058

Hmm, looks like TV

Patriot Net 3.995 LSB 2300Z 6PM CDT

lame (any body new to amateur radio should ignore these old codgers) baofengs work great program with chirp and the programming cable

HF digital modes are awesome (the easiest way to get away from the old farts talking about how the weather affects their gout)

>>2950106

old VHF TV antennas (

channel 2-6) work excellent for receiving 2m comms (and transmit well with a little adjustment)

>>2954983

I've tried Chirp a number of times and without much success. Sadly RT systems makes decent programming software, but you have to pay for and use their proprietary cables.

>>2957871

Ok well that is good to know, anon.

I did buy the $20 USB cable which as you know approaches the prices of the lowest price Baofeng HT, but I had read that Chirp was far superior to any of the factory-supplied software so planned to use that instead of what comes with the radios.

Thanks for the advice.

>>2958346

Give it a shot! That's why we call it Amateur Radio.

I think my issues with Chirp was because I'm a Mac/FreeBSD/Unix/LinuxFag

>>2954983

Here is a list of all sorts of frequencies for those who are interested (67-page pdf file)

Unfortunately it only gives the frequencies so there will be a learning curve for those wishing to program them into an HT.

http://www.rollanet.org/~n0klu/Ham_Radio/1000's%20-%20SCANNER%20&%20HAM%20Radio%20Frequencies%20-%20Ebook.pdf

I know a lot of people will not click on that but I saved it. Has everything from fast food restaurants to NASA.

It would be a great exercize here, I think, to compile a list of SHTF frequencies.

Bill, @n4hpg, got suspended on twatter. He was the dood posting the PatriotNet and other ham stuff for the normies.

>>2973795

That is too bad. FCC needs to step in there.

Would be interested in learning more about emergency and patriot frequencies so will do some searching on PatriotNet.

I have found some useful conversations in 2nd Amendment and hunting forums.

>>2974578

You've got it more or less backwards. You need to start with what type of radio system will meet the needs of patriots.

If all you're interested in defending is a small area, GMRS is sufficient, but you'll be cut off from more news sources.

CB radio doesn't carry very far and without enough solar flux, it doesn't skip. CB is in the HF band of 27MHz. - just below the Ham 10m band. I've programmed all of the CB channels into my ham radio's memories for quick tuning as I've modified the radio to transmit anywhere.

For anything other than local, the only radio that counts is HF and this means Ham radio. Yes, there are marine radios that work in the HF bands, but they're channelized and not as easy to acquire as ham gear.

The conclusion is this: patriots should become hams, get some gear and learn how to use it proficiently.

This is the frequency for the NC/SC Tarheel Emergency Net when they activate. This 75m frequency is used for priority traffic.

https://charlotteskywarn.com/

>>2974578

You will have a hard time getting practical help from old time amateur radio people because they believe in a high bar to entry.

Basically for the past 50 or more years the steps would be to get $600 worth of equipment and information, study for a few weeks for certifications, join the local club, and do what the people there have been doing.

Today, an alternative route would be to by a $25 radio from Amazon and do a few hours' of reading on the Internet.

The latter is extremely practical, and also heresy in the eyes of the old timers.

But stick with your search and you will find some useful info on your own, and hopefully some others who are less obligated to the old way of doing things will make an appearance here. I only keep my stuff for pure SHTF purposes but if I get a chance I will see what I can pull together in terms of freqency lists.

Good luck!

5 part series here gives a good overview for radio newfags and also shows why getting licensed is not such a bad or particularly difficult choice.

https://survivalblog.com/radio-communication-methods-emergencies-part-1-r-nc/

>>2884682

A Wullenweber!

Hopefully, Q Team also monitors these, to stymie Cabal comms:

– Earth-Moon-Earth via large, stealthy Fresnel zone antennas…

– Laser EME via Apollo retroreflectors (LAGEOS still in orbit?)…

– Meteor-skip packet bursts…

– LEO micro-repeaters lofted by illicit yacht- or bizjet-launched boosters…

– Misappropriation of AMSATs…

– Narrow-beam reflection from ISS…

– Hack of DirectTV, etc. data stream…

– Etc…

>>2987597

>

Cabal likely uses a VHF / UHF system, using digital modulation - P25 or DMRS, very likely also encrypted.

>>2974754

True.

On the other hand, GMRS/FRS is easily monitored, it'd be the first place I'd look if I wanted to monitor someone who has minimal knowledge of radio. Then the CB band.

Alternatives certainly exist, and depending on the security required, can get rather complicated. You could always operate clandestinely where nobody would even think to monitor.

>>2947665

For wide-band HF usage, I recommend a T2FD antenna. ARRL has been asked not to write about them, as their advertisers don't like them.

You lose a little efficiency, but gain a really wide bandwidth.

>>2858548

>I'll gather and post complete info

you can get weather sat images from ancient analog sats NOAA 15, 18 & 19 by building a QFH antenna

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/tag/weather-satellite/

or…

>Back in October/November of 2016 Lucas Teske showed us how to receive weather satellite images from the GOES line of geostationary satellites with an Airspy SDR (and possibly an RTL-SDR too), dish antenna and the decoding software that he created.

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/setting-up-a-goes-weather-satellite-antenna-system/

and a later follow up article

https://www.rtl-sdr.com/receiving-goes-16-weather-satellite-images-with-the-open-satellite-project/

archive of this thread so far

http://archive.fo/lvmgC

>>2858517

ARRL

That's cute.

The enemy to all but a few.

>>2981905

What brand and type? same mentioned earlier in here?

>>3143410

Pardon my jumping in but I've been following this and trying to get educated bit by bit.

The radio in question is undoubtedly the UV-5R

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-UV-5R-Dual-Radio-Black/dp/B007H4VT7A/

There appear to be a lot of variations but that one is the base model and the biggest seller, I think.

This is a good thread which I have gotten a lot out of, but is aimed more at veteran amateur radio people than beginners.

I've been scoping out the Web, and basic searches for "Baofeng" will lead to many, many good sources of information.

https://www.hamcollege.tv/

Nice series of videos - they get better as they go along.

Noticed they are also on Roku on free AmateurLogic.tv channel.

I recommend Joe Screwdriver Retro Tech channel on Roku too. :)

I bought and have received the baofeng

BF-F8 HP 8watt handheld.

Now it looks as though I can set it up commercially? And use it and all as HAM?

It is VERY confusing bc I am not familiar with any of the terms in the booklet. However I am ok with just getting the hang of it for now. Without a license for HAM.

It’s currently charging — any easy set up advice?

Thanks

>>3174238

You're really best off watching youtube videos explaining how to program a baofeng. hoshnasi has a decent one, so do others. Did you get a programming cable with the radio? Using the open source CHIRP software, it makes programming the radio very simple. It is possible to do this by hand, but a lengthy process, and long undertaking if you want to fill all the 100+ channels.

You could tune to one of the weather frequencies in the 162.xxx mhz range, or use the FM radio function if you're dying for something to listen too.

Make sure to keep an antenna attached at all times, in case you accidentally key up the radio. It's unlikely, but possible to damage the radio otherwise.

There is a general purpose frequency list available here as a CSV file, and can be imported into chirp. It includes FRS and GMRS frequencies, among others. This is an ok 'starter' channel set IMO but no means exhaustive.

https ://radiofreeq.wordpress.com/2013/11/05/program-your-vhf-uhf-transceivers-for-disaster-preparedness-with-frs-gmrs-pmr-murs-business-weather-marine-ham-channel-frequencies/

CHIRP does take some learning how to use, but is miles better then the Baofeng software.

And yes, people sneer at baofengs, but they're the honda civic of the radio world. Cheap, relatively reliable, and work just as well as expensive handhelds for many needs.