Radio Preppers

General Category => Morse Code => Topic started by: gil on August 17, 2016, 07:09:04 AM

Title: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: gil on August 17, 2016, 07:09:04 AM
(Loud intro...)



Gil.
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: NWARadio on August 22, 2016, 07:18:28 PM
Totally unrelated to radio: What's that painting behind you?
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: cockpitbob on August 22, 2016, 10:48:22 PM
Drop cloth from when he was painting a kids room multiple colors? ::)
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: gil on September 01, 2016, 11:13:28 AM
The painting came with the house! No idea.
Gil
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: NWARadio on September 10, 2016, 09:37:16 PM
Back on topic: I'm loving the YouTube channel and I'm glad you started it.  It also gives me more things to share on Facebook, even though I rarely post these days. Your videos are inspiring me to look into some low power cw rigs.
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: Jim Boswell on September 12, 2016, 12:40:50 PM
Gil,
     Excellent video, great explanation of the bandwidth difference between CW and SSB. Your video makes me think of breaking out the old CW cd's and headphones working again to get proficient. Considering peoples dependance on fancy phones and computers, preppers do need a back-up system. I enjoy my TenTec Argosy and Icom 703 but the Youkits 4 bander will get the message out if I could get my CW skills up.
      In all honestly I would rather improve my Cw skills than upgrade my license. Why, because I think this nation is under threat. Thank You

      Any news about your boat? Take Care, 73'S  KA5SIW
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: gil on September 12, 2016, 01:07:59 PM
Thanks Jim. No boat sightings unfortunately. Not holding my breath anymore..

That is exactly the point of CW, it goes through. I use all kinds of antennas, some not very efficient, but they work with CW, as they would with PSK31 or weak signal digital modes, but there is no need for a computer. SSB to me can be very frustrating on low power.

My Morse decoding abilities vary from 15 to 20wpm on a good day. Not the fastest but enough for good contacts and rag chewing. I'd like 25wpm solid head copy..

My favorite radio remains the Weber MTR. I really enjoy the small single band rigs too and plan on getting a 1-Watter on 80m next.

A small CW rig, half wave wire and tuner beats anything else in my book, especially when it can be powered for a week by eight AA cells.

Now, I really like my RT-320 and KX2 on SSB, but that's for decent conditions. My next video will be on the Clansman BTW. The lack of propagation this year however made me very happy I know Morse code!

Gil
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: RadioRay on September 12, 2016, 06:43:44 PM
I totally agree on the elegance of Morse code for radio communication.  I enjoy the simplicity of being able to set-up just about anywhere, in minutes, with my wire antenna and QRP rig; which includes the HOA I live in.   The power budget for excellent communication in Morse makes it very easy to keep a rig running when operating out of a rucksack.

Am I impressed with how well digital modes work?  Yes! They do amazing things, but the power budget, portability and more, goes right out the window, even with my tiny tablet.  To be perfectly frank: the ONLY reason I find myself using digital modes, with friends who do not speak Morse.  There is no advantage for me to use digital, because Morse is simpler and much more enjoyable for a conversation. MY 1939 McElroy bug or tiny field key never fails to boot...

Like I used to tell people, SKILLS that you own, are your best use of Size, Weight and Power and they are always with you.

Morse code is a survival skill.



73 de RadioRay  ..._  ._



Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: gil on September 12, 2016, 08:07:48 PM
Very good point on budget Ray. A 1-Watter kit costs $50. A complete HF station can be bought for $100 and fits in a very small box. You can't beat that!

Gil
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: Rescue9 on September 12, 2016, 09:13:16 PM
Quote from: RadioRay on September 12, 2016, 06:43:44 PMThere is no advantage for me to use digital, because Morse is simpler and much more enjoyable for a conversation.

I can agree with this statement, if that's your fancy. Had the words "for me" been missing then that would have been a different story. While I completely agree that morse is useful in all aspects, for covert operations digital can outperform morse. Sending and/or receiving multiple SPOT reports from field ops over digital is much quicker and easier than morse.
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: cockpitbob on September 12, 2016, 09:28:09 PM
Quote from: Rescue9 on September 12, 2016, 09:13:16 PM
... Sending and/or receiving multiple SPOT reports from field ops over digital is much quicker and easier than morse.
And more accurate.  I can be copying along just fine, then all of a sudden I loose focus, I loose characters and ...Oh look!  A squirrel! :o
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: RadioRay on September 12, 2016, 09:38:45 PM
My days of 'bursty' comms are long over and unneeded. For my needs, the PRC-74B, GRA-71 , batteries and accessories can go to the memory bin. The ham equivalent overhead for software, interface, cables and power --- and distributing the load ( 2x for redundancy ) among a bunch of guys - naaaah!

These days,  I'll take my QRP rig , Danish pipe tobacco and aged Ilay Scotch: mission accomplished !

Rr
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: cockpitbob on September 12, 2016, 10:59:16 PM
Ray, I like your style.

On the last outdoor QRP Skeeter Hunt, I brought a folding chair and iced white wine stealthily concealed in a Gatoraid bottle (not allowed in the state park I set up in). 
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: gil on September 13, 2016, 04:07:20 AM
I always knew a wobbly or chirpy CW tone was caused by excessive drinking!

Gil
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: Jim Boswell on September 13, 2016, 12:56:03 PM
Gee, all this time I thought a chirpy CW signal was caused by tube radios, not the jugs of wine, See I learn something new every time I check this forum. Kind'a confusing, how does Gator aid get radioactive?
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: Juergen on September 22, 2016, 03:55:35 PM
I think in case of emergencies the simplest possibility to communicate may be sometimes the best. So inside the net we find Morse-TX's kits for less than 10 Euros or USD. And, i think every prepper has a gd small SSB handheld radio, like a DEGEN 1102 or other one. So an "SOS" can be send and an possible answer can came in wid the radio. And CW is gd for more: if u have allways a whistle wid u, u can give loud calls when u are locked in.
by the way: i think learning cw wid a small mW TX and a SSB radio is more intresting like the old morse buzzers...
73
DL4KE
Title: Re: Morse Code for Prepping.
Post by: gil on September 22, 2016, 04:14:51 PM
Yes! Look at the 1-Watter... I just posted a thread about it, waiting for mine. For SSB, the ILER 20.

Gil