Alternative communication options

[drumenigma]

After doing some thinking I figured that in an emergency situation whether minor or severe one shouldn't completely rely on something like a cellphone for communication. I'd imagine in a severe situation that the grid that cellphones rely on would eventually go down and possibly land lines. I was wondering what others have as far as options. I know we have quite a few folks that use HAM radios. I recently picked up a handheld CB radio and external mounted antenna so I could get longer range reception in my car and it seems to work pretty well most of the time. What options or option do you think would be most useful? I figured for short range the CB made sense as I didn't see myself needing to communicate very far. Plus it get's the weather stations as well which is a nice feature.

 

[coastie]

We have multiple options. I do have a working ham radio although no license yet for longer range stuff. We have both CBs and FRS radios for shorter range stuff and finally I have a couple of military field phones and wire to connect a couple of houses together.

 

[radioman]

Find someone with a working Ham VHF or UHF setup to show you. You can even talk on it in the presence of a licensed operator. Once you experience the professionalism and clarity of the ham bands you will never use that CB again. Not to mention amateur radio has their own network separate from cell phones and government control that CB lacks. I talk well over a 100 miles on a regular basis with perfect clarity on the 440mhz band.

P.S. If you want to be a part of the professionalism I talk about get your ham ticket soon. Etiquette seems to be going down hill lately.

 

[drumenigma]

I may go the HAM route at some point. I guess the turnoff is the fact that I need to get another license for something. After doing a lot of research though it does seem that the capabilities of HAM are leagues beyond most other mediums. Packet radio seemed like a really cool concept.

 

[jar]

Getting an entry level ham license is trivial if you have any electronics background. If not, a decent cram class could get you from zero to licensed in one day. (I ran one for some NESers a while back, everyone passed though one took a few tries at the test.)

 

[drumenigma]

Getting an entry level ham license is trivial if you have any electronics background. If not, a decent cram class could get you from zero to licensed in one day. (I ran one for some NESers a while back, everyone passed though one took a few tries at the test.)

I don't really have an electronics background. I'm pretty good with computers and technology in general but I definitely am not keen on a lot of the lingo I was reading when it came to radio pertinent information. Maybe I'll get a HAM book or something and do some reading. Then I guess the decision would be do I get a handheld radio or should I get some sort of base or other mobile type radio. I like things that are portable which is one reason I went the handheld route with the CB.

 

[radioman]

I don't really have an electronics background. I'm pretty good with computers and technology in general but I definitely am not keen on a lot of the lingo I was reading when it came to radio pertinent information. Maybe I'll get a HAM book or something and do some reading. Then I guess the decision would be do I get a handheld radio or should I get some sort of base or other mobile type radio. I like things that are portable which is one reason I went the handheld route with the CB.

The hand held options available for ham radio are limitless and are light years beyond what's available to cb'ers. Check these guys out for some of the best prices and inventory of ham products on the web--

http://www.hamcity.com/store/pc/home.asp

 

[drumenigma]

Can one of the mobile radios also be used as a base as well?

 

[Palladin]

I stocked up on empty cans and string!

 

[n1oty]

I personally use Motorola, Kenwood and Icom commercial gear. For a real SHTF scenario, I have a handful of UHF Motorola XTS3000's capable of both analog and P25 digital comms. In addition, they have encryption modules in them that can be used in DES-XL (analog) and DES-OFB (digital) modes. I have the necessary keyloader to load encryption keys if the need arises.

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Can one of the mobile radios also be used as a base as well?

Yes, as long as you have an adequate power supply or 12V battery.

 

[drumenigma]

Yes, as long as you have an adequate power supply or 12V battery.

Thanks for the info. It's good to know I'd have the option of using it inside or outside of my car if the situation called for it. I can't see myself ever going nuts and putting a tower in my backyard or anything so a small somewhat portable setup is what I would probably get.

 

[Titan]

Doesn't a licensed HAM setup just constitute one more registered thing that the government will target for confiscation/annexation once the SHTF?

In a crisis, wouldn't you just need a working unit and expertise and be glad you didn't have a license?

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Doesn't a licensed HAM setup just constitute one more registered thing that the government will target for confiscation/annexation once the SHTF?

In a crisis, wouldn't you just need a working unit and expertise and be glad you didn't have a license?

You don't need a license to buy a ham radio and if TSHTF, a license won't mean anything, there will be anarchy and policing the amateur spectrum would be the least of gov.org's worries.

 

[n1oty]

You simply do what the amateur op (9K2DZ) did when the Iraqi army invaded Kuwait in the early 90's. You give them a box with your old, broken junk and keep all your good equipment. If you want to watch a fascinating story, I suggest you watch the "Last Voice from Kuwait" series up on youtube. The ARRL used to distribute this video to local clubs back in the 90's.

Doesn't a licensed HAM setup just constitute one more registered thing that the government will target for confiscation/annexation once the SHTF?

In a crisis, wouldn't you just need a working unit and expertise and be glad you didn't have a license?

 

[Kevin_NH]

FRS+GMRS

At a bare minimum, consider picking up a pair of inexpensive radios with support for both FRS and the less congested GMRS band. Look for a radio that can accept both AA batteries and some sort of 12V power supply, and preferably one with a good antenna connector (a feature not available on FRS-only handhelds).

When shopping for a handheld radio, keep in mind that the reported range is extremely optimistic marketing, and without access to a repeater, expect that you'll get perhaps 1-3 miles on reasonably flat terrain. Speaking of repeaters, very few 'consumer' radios including the additional GMRS channels needed to access repeaters (exceptions include Garmin, and Icom).

Use of the GMRS frequencies requires a simple FCC license, no test required.

 

[Gadsden]

At a bare minimum, consider picking up a pair of inexpensive radios with support for both FRS and the less congested GMRS band. Look for a radio that can accept both AA batteries and some sort of 12V power supply, and preferably one with a good antenna connector (a feature not available on FRS-only handhelds).

When shopping for a handheld radio, keep in mind that the reported range is extremely optimistic marketing, and without access to a repeater, expect that you'll get perhaps 1-3 miles on reasonably flat terrain. Speaking of repeaters, very few 'consumer' radios including the additional GMRS channels needed to access repeaters (exceptions include Garmin, and Icom).

Use of the GMRS frequencies requires a simple FCC license, no test required.

Or get a Yaesu Vx 6 or 7 and mod it for those bands as well as CB, MURS, etc in addition to the amateur bands it can do. (Not encouraging you to do so as it is illegal and could cause global warming or cancer in lab mice... just saying it can be done).

 

[drgrant]

Doesn't a licensed HAM setup just constitute one more registered thing that the government will target for confiscation/annexation once the SHTF?

In a crisis, wouldn't you just need a working unit and expertise and be glad you didn't have a license?

No, not really. Anyone can own ham gear... and just because someone is a licensee doesn't mean there are radios there, either. There are thousands of people who have licenses and only own a couple of HTs, if that.

Besides, if you are in MA and you are a law-abiding gun owner, you're already "marked" more than you'll ever be for owning a radio anyways... look at it that way. No use carrying around tinfoiler worries over something which is comparatively, nothing.

-Mike

 

[one-eyed Jack]

I stocked up on empty cans and string!

Beat me to it. Jack.

 

[Radio]

 

[Finalygotabeltfed]

Nice field setup.

 

[Titan]

I've started checking out the FT-817ND (latest version).

It DOES looke like a great little package. They can go as high as $650.00 but a brand new one just sold on ebay for $388.

I'm going to have to keep my eye out for a deal.

 

[hikerlt]

I picked up a couple of MURS handhelds Kenwook TK2100's a couple of years ago.

Just purchased a Puxing PX-777 plus handheld.....now to take the ham radio exams to eventually be able to use it on 2M bands. This looks like an iteresting little radio, and it was cheap, but the on-line reviews look encouraging.

 

[Yazz]

I'm just starting but I have a cousin who is willing to sell me a an FT-187 for $470.00 I guess I'll get it!

 

[n1oty]

I just wanted to give you a slightly different point to ponder. The OP in this post was talking about EMERGENCY comms, so I'm assuming that you are considering radios, like the Puxing, for the same reason. I would suggest NOT using such a radio for SHTF, but simply as a toy to play with. They really are quite crappy. We've had a couple of these chinese radios apart and the workmanship and materials are very bad. For a play toy, fine. For SHTF, not so good. There are a LOT of very high quality, public safety grade radios hitting the market on places like Bat Labs, Ebay and Radio Reference for very short money. My favorite Motorola 900 MHZ handheld only cost me $105, plus shipping, yet it will take abuse that would absolutely destroy one of those chinese toys. For that matter, even the P25 radios have dropped dramatically in price, if you want to use digital voice.

I picked up a couple of MURS handhelds Kenwook TK2100's a couple of years ago.

Just purchased a Puxing PX-777 plus handheld.....now to take the ham radio exams to eventually be able to use it on 2M bands. This looks like an iteresting little radio, and it was cheap, but the on-line reviews look encouraging.

 

[drumenigma]

Is there a decent HAM radio for ranges of around 50-100 miles that is still somewhat portable and can transmit on a wide range of bands? Also perhaps have other capabilities as well like the packet radio. I was looking at some of the handhelds out there but I wasn't sure if their low power would limit their range capability.

 

[jar]

Do you want that range with or without using repeaters?

You'll need more than a handheld to do it without repeaters. Handhelds operate on VHF or UHF spectrum. VHF/UHF is pretty much line of sight. Handheld to handheld without a repeater, on flat ground with nothing in between, you'll probably get around 5 miles. Depending on the repeater, you can get in with a handheld up to as much as 50 miles away (if the repeater is very good), 10-25 miles is probably more realistic for most repeaters.

If you want portable operation with that kind of range without depending on repeaters, you'll need to go to HF. You'll probably need to stop and throw a wire in some trees, though I haven't really experimented with HF portable. I'd look at something like the FT-817 or a kit from elecraft. If you want to do it in a car, look at the FT-857 or the IC-706 (I have a 706 for sale/trade).

 

[drumenigma]

Thanks for the info. What I would probably want to do is not use repeaters but if something like that is going to be too large for what I am looking for then I'd probably just settle on a handheld at some point.