A question for all prepper hams

[KC5OTL]

When the SHTF, you can bet that Amateur radio will be suspended, along with FRS, GMRS, CB snd licensed business bands, as well.

I don't think the FED's will be driving around with direction finders, looking for the defiant individual.  But than too, we don't really know what the authorities will actually be doing.

In any event, if you do transmitt, it should be on the lowest possible power available and, sparingly.

I think that from and Amateir point, direction finding is as much trial & error as it is a skill.  But to be sure, I have known some military people over the years and they tell me that a transmitters direction can be determened within miliseconds.

And if you are one of those people who spent a ton of money on encripted radios, true, the FEDs can't understand you - you hope!  But even though the FEDs might not be aboe to make what you are saying, you are still transmitting.

The real fact is, just like with QRP, the local oscilator in a radion can be detected from afar as it, in itself is emmitting RF radiation.  In fact, I've heard that the Germans use to zerk in on AM radio receivers during WWII.

Those of you hams who are fortinuate enough to have a spectrum analyzer, connect it up to an antenna and see what pops up in your area.  You will be amazed at what you will detect.

So becareful about what you think is possible and not possible!

[roscoe]

Good advice & insights, KC5OTL, thanks for sharing that.

I'd only add that any encryption attracts unwanted attention and Feds can figure out & discover source of
most anything, once you've gotten yourself onto their radar in using it.

Better to have prearranged codes amongst your team, utilizing in the clear typical & common conversations in
your radio comms, like talking about the weather, with which you've got numerous variables that can mean a
variety of things to your team alone. Weather can be about past, current or future, with wind direction and
speed, rain, temperatures, humidity, etc., whether it's being spoken of as already seen or desired. There are
plenty of variables in a short mention of weather that can convey a ton of private information, without notice,
if you develop it and then codify it amongst your team.

PS - Here's an example of one base anxious for an update of when another group in transit will be arriving,
and how many in their party, while also warning them of hostilities west of their location to then avoid using
that route. And, then the response from in-transit team of when they'll be arriving and number in their party.

Base would sprinkle into normal conversation;
Saw some thunder west of here yesterday, wondering when we'll ever see rain and how much?

In transit group;
Heard you could see more than 3 inches before weeks end.

Above is pretty basic, not too cryptic, just for an example, but to mix it up more you could have pre-arranged
that all compass directions are reversed or clockwise forwarded by 90 degrees and all references to rain, time
or wind speed be doubled or X10, or cut in half or tenths, if a "more than" or "less than" is used with them, etc.

Above, of course, is assuming that comms are not prohibited that you'd even be talking about the weather, but
still a lot of essential information was conveyed very quickly that did not mean anything to anyone else, and you
did it without attracting additional unwanted attention from the Feds by using a recognized encryption mode. 

[Ca Hoss]

Hi Jonas,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hoss. Today is my first day here and this is my first reply/post.
I live in California so for me it would be 11 meter 38-lsb. I want to know what is or has  happened
out over the Pacific. I have a good shot to Hawaii and all the way through Australia with contacts through the islands. These folks live and die by radio chatter. So that and local sevices on the scanner,
try to get as much intel (good or bad) as I can. Get informed and then inform other as I dig in or bugg out depending on the condition of the fan.

73's
Hoss

[Jonas Parker]

Thanks for the info Hoss! Another entry into my "little black book"!

[Sunflower]

Not having your name and address in the (publicly searchable) FCC database of licensees makes you a little harder to locate too.

Is it work to stay off the list?
Are there more pluses than possible negatives to being on the list?
Thanks, Tess

[Sunflower]

Hi Jonas,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hoss. Today is my first day here and this is my first reply/post.
I live in California so for me it would be 11 meter 38-lsb. I want to know what is or has  happened
out over the Pacific. I have a good shot to Hawaii and all the way through Australia with contacts through the islands. These folks live and die by radio chatter. So that and local sevices on the scanner,
try to get as much intel (good or bad) as I can. Get informed and then inform other as I dig in or bugg out depending on the condition of the fan.

73's
Hoss

Welcome Hoss. In your first sentence, I think you were referencing an antenna. Right? 38 Ibs is what? communication strength?  Thanks, I am very new.

Attention Guys and gals - by now you will have notice just how new I am. I have had an interest for a long while, but never had a chance to take the interest off the back burner to the many things I hope to accomplish and learn in this life.

I was over 40 before I took my first piano lesson, and then went on to play several recitals. I never did get great, but I could entertain myself and took great pleasure learning to play a few songs. I am too rusty to do much now.

Back to Radio. Is it OK if I stay on this forum and keep trying to pickup up vocabulary and basic understanding of radio?

[Ca Hoss]

Hi sunflower,

38LSB = Channel 38 Lower Side Band 27.3850 mhz

That is the 11 meter LSB open call channel

Thanks for the welcome

73's
Hoss

[Frosty]

Is it work to stay off the list?
Are there more pluses than possible negatives to being on the list?
Thanks, Tess

Hi Tess.  I'd say it depends on the scenario.  In a war, radio stations are captured or destroyed, but never ignored.   Also consider who the licensing authority is, the FCC falls under DHS now.  Are you sure they're always going to act in your best interests?  Take care.

[KC5OTL]

...the licensing authority is, the FCC falls under DHS now.  Are you sure they're always going to act in your best interests?

Say, has the DHS has ever acted in the publics best interest?  Just another reason I rarely ever talk on the radio - making the justification for their imediate loss of use as they are EMP protected.

[RadioRay]

"...civilians..."   mooo--ha-ha-ha'nuf said.

---

First and formost, what is on your doorstep is most important, so local repeaters, local 'public safety frequencies' and etc. are most likely to tel you what is seen happening in your area, which will effect you soonest. I was in more than one earthquake in L.A. , Ca. After the shaking stopped, ALL of the commercial radio stations were all giving the 'limited damage... all is well' speach.  However: the 2 meter rig in the car told a different story of broken & flaming gas lines, downed power lines, cracked overpasses...  Remember: when the government says "all is well", it really means "run like hell!" .

For the wider view I rely heavily upon the Maritime Mobile Service Network //14300USB//.  It 'IT' is happening in the world, they usually know about it and keep people posted, not only sailors, but eveyone.  Antoher, after an 'event is the Salvation Army Emergency Radio Network, usually on 14265USB coordinating relif efforts, heling refugees and etc.  We aso have a very active 80 meter nets frequency tht serves as a hub to keep track of what is happening in this grouping of states.

SHORTWAVE RADIO NEWS: If you REALLY want to know the news in the USA, you listen to foreign broadcasters. Everyone has an agenda and tilts their news different ways.  By listening to a few differeing nation's views on events, you can 'read between the lines' to know more of what it really going on.  Because our controlled media inside of the USA is largely the same, this leaves few differences in actual reporting to read between the lines.

The Colonel is correct:  HF direction finding does NOT a produce a precise location until they are well within your line of site, either by DF car or DF aircraft. HF, particularly NVIS is very, very difficult - nearly impossible to precisely locate a station because all of the signal is coming in from nearly straight UP.  If the transmitting station is NVIS in a city , it's simply not going to happen unless the transmitting station is ratted-out by a neighbor or via his own computer,  or lays a brick on his key to leave a constant carrier after coming to the attention of a three letter agency. Even then, it has to be sooooo long and strong that the DF'ers have time to get to the block he's on and even then ,it's very very tough. Send your traffic, change you modes, frequencies and patterns and move out casually, blend in and most of all - zip your lip.

First Though: consider whether what you're sending is REALLY that important.  Listen much,  transmit little.


73 de Ray ..._ ._




VHF/UHF cellphones...

[gil]

I think there is a lot to say about transparency.. In an real emergency situation, I don't think going all "tactical," as many might be tempted to do, is a good idea. If you're just trying to find out what's going on, who cares.. As Ray says, listen, transmit little. You want to draw little attention, take care of your family and friends and survive. Keep the camo face paint for later. There probably are satellites up there that can triangulate a signal in seconds. I would be much more worried about the gangs of thugs a few blocks from my house than anything else.
Radio might be very important to gather potentially life-saving information, but it would have another most important role: To make us feel less isolated and give us hope.

Gil.

[Gambrinus]

Y'all do have some of your radio and test equipment EMP protected, right?

I recently invested in these:

http://techprotectbag.com/

and have all my HAM gear (and other stuff too) in these bags.  Some of it is further embedded within other containers for multi level protection, but all radios (Unless I am actively using them of course), stay in these now.

Aren?t those the same bags that you get electronics in?

It?s hard to believe that that is enough protection. I would rather get those then to go through all the trouble of building some elaborate contraption. Of course it will be too late to get your money back or leave a bad review.

[gil]

No, those are a bit thicker..

Gil.

[fastback65]

The frequency I tune to will depend on the time of day.  After 1800 hours it would be 3.862  during daylight hours it would be 7.970.   For VHF, I would try the local repeaters and then go to 146.540.  The HF frequencies are the frequencies the state EOC operates on and the VHF frequency is a frequency a small group of friends have decided on.  I also have a "Private" frequency that may just be out of the HAM band, that my wife's radio and mine will be tuned to.

[KC5OTL]

No, those are a bit thicker..

Gil.

Say Gil,

Aren't those "Tech-Bags" just heavy duty anti-static bags?  And aren't anti-static bags, just that - they protect the components within, from an electrical discharge - meaning, high voltage?

Those bags will not prevent a high energy magnetic pulse from getting into your equipment because, they are not designed to block magnetic fields, but rather, an electrical discharge caused by high static voltage buildup.

An EMP will go right through that anti-static bagg and induce a voltage within the (assumed) protected equipment, as if that bag wasn't even there.  An experiment... take a FRS or GMRS radio and place it in that "Tech-Bag" and see if it prevents RF reception from its mate.  If the FRS radio Tweedle-dees when called, you have no EMP protection - AT ALL!  For that matter, try it with a trash can with a lid, you will find that there is no protection there, either!

Before I become convinced that an anti-static bag will protect against an EMP event, I would need some valid and convincing proof!

There is a reason why Aluminum and Mu metal is used in RF or Faraday shielding - because it works best at protecting from unwanted stray electromagnetic radiation.