Survival Communications, The Basics.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I hope it helps!

AWESOME!

Creating systems that are designed to work well in the short run, but make poor long term choices. Like using Coax instead of ladder line, or not putting a halyard on a line just in case the main support breaks, or needs to be stress relieved in high winds. We'll go over some more over time.

This IMO is going to be extremly important because the wind blows hard, real hard here and I may or may not be able to pull it down, Straight winds 70+, microdownburst, regular winds 30+ are the norm here.

I know several folks near here that have HAM. They are easy to spot with giant truck antenaes, ladder lines and towers attached to their homes. Any way to conceal this a little?

[Klayton]

tech ticket is above or below a general class?

[qrprat77]

tech ticket is above or below a general class?

The current system has three classes:
1: entry level: Technician class
2: Next: General class
3. Highest level: Extra class.

[ssonb]

I am now studying on line to take the tech test next month. For giggles I took a practice test cold without any study last week and made a 68.I am interested in the antennas that you speak of, I have a Galaxy DX959 ssb with a 102'' whip but unfortunately I have not had the time to set up the system.( working 10 hours a day five day a week) and now my Dual band 2m, 1.25m Ham unit has shown up I've got to get busy!

[qrprat77]

AWESOME!

This IMO is going to be extremly important because the wind blows hard, real hard here and I may or may not be able to pull it down, Straight winds 70+, microdownburst, regular winds 30+ are the norm here.

Vertical antennas could be part of the answer to your solution. How many trees at your location?

I know several folks near here that have HAM. They are easy to spot with giant truck antenaes, ladder lines and towers attached to their homes. Any way to conceal this a little?

Why would you want to hide it :) ok, so there's several things to do, see the blog I posted about turning your gutters into antennas. Also, I will see if I can make an Okie style video for you about what I have at my location. I am in 'pseudo stealth' mode right now, and can do a full blown 'stealth' antenna deployment for you too.

Here soon I will also do a blog about an easy to deploy long wire antenna for short wave reception or transmitting with 100watts or less of power.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Here soon I will also do a blog about an easy to deploy long wire antenna for short wave reception or transmitting with 100watts or less of power.

Sweet!!!!!

[ssonb]

Sounds good to me. thanks fer da hep.

[qrprat77]

The Short and Long on Antennas.

I cover some of what antennas do in a thread in the "Registared Members" section called
"Antennas, For Here or To Go", This is the link:

https://www.survivalandpreparednessforum.com/showthread.php?1454-quot-Antennas-For-Here-or-To-Go-quot

In it I discuss in wonderful nerd detail Antennas, and some of their uses for the prepper.
Here's a very brief thoroughly inadequate synopsis:
After you can power your radio, and you have a radio, it's time to either get an antenna, or improve the antenna on your radio. All ham radios and medium to good quality shortwave radios have a way to hook up an external antenna. Even the cheapo windup toys we all have in our "Emergency Supplies" can be modified for a better antenna.
I have two blog articles on this website about making your radio antennas as unobtrusive and stealth as possible. I'm working on a third article that I will hope to have posted by Saturday that is a continuation of that series. Here I want to briefly cover some very basic principles for listening antennas. Notice I said LISTENING, because the golden rule of radio is listening is more important than transmitting.
If OPSEC (I don't want nobody seeing my antennas) is a serious concern at your location, you have several good options that won't be good for transmitting, but will be ok for listening. First is the attic magnetwire antenna: basically, take some magnetwire, and staple it to the rafters as high as you can, Cut it in the middle and solder some coax to the cut you just made, center conductor to one half of the magnet wire antenna, and braid to the other. It doesn't matter if it's TV Coax or CB radio coax, it just needs to be long enough to get back to your radio. Instead of magnet wire you use slinkies, speaker wire, or classic antenna wire. I've found it's easier to work with magnet wire once it's already up in the attic, but it's easier to work with slinkies or speakerwire before you get up there.
A better antenna is a long wire out to a tree. Because you are not transmitting, the wire can be thin, and thin is your friend when it come to hiding antennas in trees. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow so you can see what I mean.
After you antenna is in place you need a way to ground your antenna when you aren't using it. This is important and necessary, even if all you do is listen with your short wave radio. I have a special antenna switch that grounds the antenna (if the switch is hooked to ground) and also helps shunt a lightening strike away from my rig. I still unhook my radio from my antennas when not in use. I'll go over that in more detail soon as well.


One of these days I'm going to post some interesting pictures I drew with an antenna modeling Program called XNEC2C that show the different effects height, shape, and ground have on an antennas ability to shoot or receive a radio signal in a particular direction. When you see the pictures a lot of this stuff gels.

[JUSTIFIED]

I got the ARRL Handbook on my christmas list and looking at getting a handheld 2M radio from MURS-RADIO...then work up to something larger.

Is this a bad plan?

What about getting a HAM radio at a pawn shop?

Appreciate your thoughts on this.

elittle did you buy that handheld 2m?

I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts on this or another similar radio. I'm too busy to pursue a Ham radio until we get moved and thought something like this would give me a good start with my survival communications.

[610Alpha]

@Justified - haven't bought the radio yet...was going to do that this summer when I can take the Exam.

[JUSTIFIED]

I think I misunderstood you earlier elittle. I thought you were talking about a handheld that would allow you to listen to several bands but not be able to send. One of those $100 jobs you can order on Amazon.

I'm pinched for time as well. Don't know when I'll have time this year to possibly tackle the HAM radio study and testing.

[Cimarron]

elittle did you buy that handheld 2m?

I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts on this or another similar radio. I'm too busy to pursue a Ham radio until we get moved and thought something like this would give me a good start with my survival communications.

In my humble and unexperienced opinion I would consider a dual band. Something in 2m and 70cm. I have been looking at a HT that does this and going with just the single band may make you feel gimped in the future. Reading the forum here and then discussing this in detail with a family member that is a HAM operator I am steering toward the above setup.
Just my .02 cents.

[610Alpha]

the radio I am looking at is this one:

TYT TH-UVF1A Dual Band (VHF/UHF) Hand Held Transceiver

[tech]

I'm pinched for time as well. Don't know when I'll have time this year to possibly tackle the HAM radio study and testing.

Wife studied an hour per evening for a week for her Technician class. It isn't so hard that you need a massive time allotment.

[Cimarron]

I am looking at the Yaesu FT60R VHF/UHF for $169.00 I also will be getting:
SMA/BNC Adapter $10
Cigarette Lighter Cord $29
Ni-MH Battery Pack (extra battery) (7.2V/1400mAH) $39
Speaker Microphone $39 (so I can put the radio under the seat or glove box and just have the mic out)
My total purchase price was around $237.00 ( They gave me free S&H)

Also I would like to thank grprat77 for his time, knowledge, and patience in working on these com threads. /salute

ETA: this doesn't include the cost of upgrading the antenna from the "rubber duck" to something more viable.