Hello.
I updated the site engine to Simple Machines 2.1.3. As usual, please let me know if you notice any degradation of service or bugs. Thank you.
Gil.

Hello Guys :-)
So I waited that I received the next hosting invoice (paid) for the site to post this info so I don't feel guilty! If you have any crypto, please consider helping out by sending a few bread crumbs to any of the following addresses:

BTC   bc1qc5jq4dxt7359sh80lkv9v8rlsgnh322hmn6xyc
ETH   0xe7cC2e415E0D2d1De91604B2b693f124dfBCf9B8
DOGE   D6ha2Ax7UhmtEMPC4fsaEJPxHrLSu3BwYW
XRP   r93TuQrkEq3X9UDkqXKYWaTkteB2ap4hMq
LTC   LYwDy55mZSeb1Czx6JUiTS5YkqjfmWKK5H
SOL   Ee9iJx6ouBih1beozjWrwYBQA9tQgr4nYwosZYsjfxaj
TRX   TMvoMDkc2YJybCSk1SNYjW6wFbktZ8qoNA
DOT   14BeKCDq3FSvtF4k9i1n4DyqZbYTT9HMt1kxemQmkjkVeKZB
AVAX   0xe7cC2e415E0D2d1De91604B2b693f124dfBCf9B8
ATOM   cosmos1l8ct3kesrh48n2yeekh9e2ncrm8s397xxwf34f
ALGO   ZI3QSV4UV3KT6JFN4TUWO2TWEM46MQENXW3RTLQEH4OLSSY2SONYKR7XCM
XTZ   tz1YS3MSqU63VKGkUqomt1ZV4eDFY7dJD9mX

Thank you very much!
Gil.

the world being on the brink of a global conflict we need to make sure we can stay in touch to exchange survival information. This thread is for you to post frequencies you or your network might use to communicate, related or not to your location. Make sure you copy everything you see here on paper... Protect your electronics in Faraday cages.

If the SHTF I will monitor 10123KHz CW and JS8 on 30m.
Locally (Antibes France) I will monitor 145.5MHz FM and PMR CH3.
As long as it will remain active I will also be on the Mt Agel repeater.

Gil.

Hello.
I just upgraded the site's software to the latest stable release.
Please let me know if you encounter any bug.
Gil.

Hello!

I upgraded the forum software to SMF 2.1 RC4, which fixes a lot of bug... If you notice anything not working, please send me a PM.

Happy new year!
Gil.

Hello everyone!

I had some trouble with a Simple Machine (the software used for this forum) update and honestly did not have the time to fix it until now. I also renewed hosting and upgraded the hosting plan for more disk space. This is your site as much as mine, and a participation would help a great deal.
Buy me a coffee! Actually will pay for hosting...
I thought about ditching the site but then, there is a mountain of useful information to newcomers here and it would be a shame to lose it all. Fortunately I had a backup of the database and reinstalled the software. Let me know if you notice any glitches...
Thank you! Glad to be back online :-) This site has been running for many years thanks to you (and me, LOL), so please use it as much as possible, it is the best way to keep it going!
Gil.

Compiled by yours truly, file attached.

Gil.

Hello.

Following recent comments I had to add this to all my videos... Please do not comment about current political events on the Facebook group as some people misunderstand the meaning of a flag created in 1775 and associate it with its misuse these days. I do allow a bit of leeway here as this is my domain name, hosted in Iceland, country with great laws about freedom of speech. Here it goes:

"DISCLAIMER: The Radio Prepper logo (depicting a microphone) is indeed inspired from a famous flag created in 1775. It is NOTHING BUT a symbol of freedom and independence. It does NOT imply support to any political group. It does NOT imply, represent nor support any ideology with an intent on harming anyone. Freedom means freedom from persecution based on any human trait or belief such as, non exhaustively, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or nationality. The Radio Prepper channel is a technology and science channel with a focus on preparedness and use of radio technology for disaster relief and small group communications in times of need. It is apolitical and open to anyone sharing the same interests."

If you need any clarification on my opinions, feel free to ask me in a private message, but be patient as I do not check those often. This forum and associated YouTube channel are for discussions of a practical nature only.

Sorry that I had to post this but I thought it was necessary in light of the new censorship paradigm. Note that nobody ever asked me about the logo until a couple days ago... Keep in mind that I no longer engage in arguments so don't waste your time trying to start one.
Now more than ever is the time to be prepared as the future appears quite uncertain. You thought 2020 was bad? Just wait...

I prefer to avoid political comments on any platform, but this time, only once, and to clarify my personal position if anyone wonders:

• I am very much against instigating violence unless attacked.
• My political views are mostly Libertarian, not Republican and certainly not Democrat.
• I defend and promote freedom and individual rights.
• I am not religious but defend freedom of religion as any other freedom.
• I am very much against racism and any kind of discrimination.
• I abhor ideologies based on theft and control under the threat of violence, specifically socialism/communism.
• I do not support the far-right which is similar to far-left ideology.
• Don't tread on me.

That's it, and I really don't want to talk about this again publicly.

I wish you all a safe and healthy new year.

Gil.

Hello.

I am leaving for Spain on July 7th in an attempt to bring my sailboat Ragnar back to France. Hopefully the boat will be put back in the water on the 9th and I should set sail on the 10th. The problem is getting to Spain with ever changing restrictions on travel due to Covid-19. If all goes well and I can get there and leave port, the trip should last about ten days. The boat is a Havsfidra 20 built in Sweden, a good ocean-going full-keel double-ender sailboat.

As far as radios I think I will bring my Minion SDR and MTR3b; subject to change... The antenna will be the Chameleon MPAS with the whip. I am also carrying an inReach satellite beacon. You will be able to follow me at: https://share.garmin.com/svragnar

I am not sure if I will be able to be on the air during the day but I plan on following the coast and stop at night, so most likely will be on the air in the evening, starting at around 19:00Z. Frequencies will probably be 14300, and I might browse around 20m, 14285 and around. I should be also on 10123 CW. I'll have probably only one antenna so it will be 20 or 30m. I might bring a random wire with a 9:1 UNUN hung from the mast spreader, but not sure about that.

For those who might be living in the south of France, I will also listen to HAM VHF on coastal repeaters, as well as 145.5MHz. So far I have programmed only Toulon, but I will add more to my VX6. For those who might also be maritime mobile in the area, I will of course monitor marine VHF channel 16 as required by law. My MMSI is 227245060. I have an AIS receiver but no transponder, so the Garmin map will be the only way to follow my progress, or lack thereof.

I was planning on using JS8Call but could not get the hardware on time and my laptop crapped out, so no computer aboard.

What I would like is that you guys report any contact with me here. I won't be able to update this thread starting on the 7th.

I will be using a very short antenna but the Mediterranean ground plane should help ;-) My starting point is smack between Barcelona and Valencia, destination is Antibes.

This is a very exciting but also stressful endeavour for me after losing my previous boat Dagny in the Bahamas at the end of 2015. I am also not in optimal physical shape after this long confinent and I know it will be a very physically demanding trip on an unknown boat. Wish me luck... I will update this thread until the 6th, then it will be radio only. Also watch Twitter as I should be within phone network at times and might be able to update Facebook as well. You are welcome to repost here for those who do not use these applications.

Gil.

Yep, it's done! I am utterly broke and a boat owner now :-)
Here is the video:


So I am already planning for radios of course, HF and VHF. VHF Marine with a Standard Horizon GX2200E and a handheld, which was included in the sale. There is a VHF in the boat but it does not have an AIS receiver, which I find indispensible for collision avoidance and to allow longer bouts of sleep while offshore.
I will also carry my Yaesu VX6 for HAM VHF/UHF. Maybe a tiny APRS 2m tracker as well, after what happened to my last boat...
For HF, I just ordered a QRPVer Minion SDR! That will be mainly for SSB.
https://qrpver.com/transceivers/all-band-10-band-hf-sdr-transceiver-minion-sdr.html
I hope to get it before I go get the boat in Spain on April 27th. Hopefully there won't be any travel restrictions due to the Corona virus.
I will have a PRC-320 on board of course, but not to bring the boat back, because of airline issues with batteries and military gear, you never know...
My main HF radio will be a QRP CW rig on 30m, which one remains to be determined.
Also on the way is a Raspberry Pi and 7" 12V display for digital. I am adding a GPS/Glonass dongle and VHF/UHF SDR dongle for backup AIS reception. For naviation I will install OpenCPN with an AIS plugin. JS8Call and FLDigi for digital, as well as weatherfax decoding. I don't know if there is a Winlink software for Raspberry. For all that stuff I will need solar power, but I don't have much deck real-estate, that will be a challenge. I'll see about that after getting back. For now the inboard Volvo Penta 10hp single-cylinder diesel will serve as generator for the two batteries.

I should leave Spain on May 1st for a ten-day trip back to Antibes. Frequencies will be posted here, along with a link to my inReach satellite tracking map. Contacts should be reported here.

After what happened last time I am a bit stressed out, having to bring an unknown boat back over such a long distance (around 400nm). I will follow the coast of course, but still... I am sure radio contacts will be great morale boosters. Most likely, I will stop at night if time permits. Hopefully I won't have to hunker down in some port for days because of bad weather. There is an autopilot on board, but of the electric/tiller type, and although it is a RayMarine, I don't trust these gizmos. Nothing better that a mechanical wind-vane.

Stay tuned...

Gil.

Hello.

Great news (for me), I found a Norcal 40A kit on Ebay! It isn't sold as a kit but as a PCB with a bag of components. I call that a kit, but oh well. The Norcal 40, precursor of the Elecraft K1, was designed by our member Wayne, co-founder of Elecraft; or was it K8IQY? I can't remember. The PCB files were released in the wild and some people made runs of the board. A club in England put a kit together for its members and apparently had some left over... I don't know if they have more but a quick search on Ebay for "Norcal 40" will answer that question.

The Norcal 40 is a single band CW transceiver with the amazing receive current of 15mA! Power output is around 2.5W, drawing around 200mA. It will run seemingly forever on most battery packs. It is in the same category as the Small Wonder Labs SW+ from Dave Benson.

There will be a video of course, if it works, and I don't see why not...
Anyone here has used one before?

Gil.

Hello, I have updated the site to a new branch of the SMF software. Please post in this thread if you encounter glitches, things that annoy you, or things you like better...
Due to spamming, I have re-implemented verification via radio related questions for signing-up and also verification of the first few posts for new members. I did try admin-approved-only sign-ups for two weeks, but there are too many (mostly spammers) and I do not have the time. Hopefully they won't bother answering the registration questions...

Gil.

Hello,

I can't help but share an interesting experience I had recently, operating my PRC-320 at a local park. I used the 2.5m whip with a counterpoise wire on the ground. Using the internal tuner I tuned for best output and got the needle on the meter at 12-O'Clock... That is a so-so match, and usually doesn't lead to a lot of contacts. A great match puts the needle at the 3-O'Clock position. Then I remembered the stream running nearby... Standing water really, home to quite a few rats and infested with mosquitoes but water nevertheless... Some connection must have been made between my remaining neurons because I threw the wire in the water... Bingo! 2:30 needle position on the dial! I got an immediate contact to Ukraine from the South on France using 25W into a short whip on 20m.

It's one thing to hear about the importance of grounding short verticals, but quite another to see the result before your eyes.

Gil.

Hello. Since I started making 3D printed parts, I decided to publish my designs and some sent to me, on Thingiverse. The link is on the top of this page, on the right, bottom of the list.  :)

Gil.

Hello guys, and girls I guess, if any. I hope you all had a merry Christmas. I have only been lurking in the shadows lately and removing spam, a lot of spam lately... Someone must have added the site to a bot list... I upped the security, and involuntarily the complexity to sign-up, but it was hard to avoid. The Radio Prepper channel is keeping me pretty busy, not to mention my move to the south of France. I brought very little radio gear with me but I do have plans, some of which involve vehicle radio setups, starting with CB! Living now in a tiny apartment I will also need to assess that issue, probably with a new magnetic loop.

I am now waiting for a VRM-5080 VHF tank radio and a President Grant II CB for my newly acquired Toyota Land Cruiser 1989 LJ-70. The antenna I picked is the Sirio 5000. Stay tuned for upcoming videos...

BTW I was watching a B series movie on Netflix the other night with Sandra Bulloch... No, I don't mean she was with me, only in the movie ;-) It was a story about evil entities you could not look at or you'd go crazy and kill yourself... Two hours of my life I won't get back, but it got me thinking about the necessity to educate people.

In the movie, after the SHTF, a group of survivors scavenges a bunch of FRSS/GMRS radios from a store. They call every day hoping to hear someone, and eventually they do... Someone who is presumably at least  48hrs away by river boat... Which in reality is very  unlikely to happen given the distance. I have seen the same thing happen in other series like "The Walking Dead." Walkie-Talkies as soon as they appear on the screen become quasi-sat-phones or super-duper NVIS HF handhelds... We know it's BS, but most people probably believe those lies, the same way they believe Hollywood guns hype. They think you just find a radio, any kind, and the world is at your fingertips. I would not be surprised if many preppers held similar beliefs. Many will only learn enough to use an SWR meter and make sure they don't fry their radio. No thought is given to antenna design and polarization, propagation modes, modulation modes or bands to use at different times or seasons. Sure, they might get lucky, but not always... You break down somewhere and try to call on a CB frequency during the solar-cycle low, as now, you probably won't cover but a 20 mile radius, if you're lucky. You can forget about your FRS or PMR little handheld...

It is our responsibility to educate, and not just other HAM operators... CBers, preppers, outdoor enthusiasts, can all benefit. We can do this without coming across as elitist pricks, which to my dismay is a reputation a few bad apples have brought upon the HAM community in some places.

On a more personal note, I am just coming out of a bad cold, and three weeks of moving, paperwork, new job, settling down hell I hope not to have to repeat too soon, and it's not quite over yet. That said, the region is beautiful, and much warmer than the north of France!

Gil.

Hello,

Here is an interesting document on a portable station using a ground tuning unit...
If someone could turn it into a PDF and email it to me: gil@thisdomain.com (switch thisdomain.com for radiopreppers.com). I can only open it on my phone but not my Mac...
Have anyone here used a ground tuner? Comments?
Thanks to Alex, VK2PRC for sending me this file.

Thank you!

Gil.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/developer-completes-proof-of-life-off-grid-crypto-transaction-primed-for-post-apocalypse

Cryptocurrency and blockchain meet amateur radio. Not quite sure what to think of this one. I am always worried about the increasing level of complexity in disaster radio. It is nevertheless interesting to see new experiments involving radio.

Gil.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/radiopreppers/

Gil.

Hello,

Here is a great PDF file I found on wire antennas. They forgot the W3EDP, but otherwise, it is quite informative. The file is attached to this message.

Gil.

Hello.

We have a new board! I need to say that for prepping purposes DMR might and probably should not be very high on your priority list. We assume that during SHTF there would be no grid power, let alone any Internet service. That said, it does allow encryption, which is however illegal in normal times...

DMR has taken the amateur bands by storm, and for good reasons. It is an open source mode. Everyone can implement it into their radios. Although it was designed for commercial radio use, it does work well for amateurs, well enough anyway. There is a learning curve, but honestly, once you learn the vocabulary, it is pretty simple. What's the advantage? It is worldwide... You can talk to anyone anywhere there is a repeater connected to the Internet. Is it real radio? Well, only between the repeater and your handheld, otherwise, no. It's still better than network radio, which isn't radio at all and should be called something else.

In any case, it is hard to ignore DMR today. My take on it is that if you buy an analog radio, you might as well get a DMR/analog radio, since they all do both. So I decided to start this new board. Ya'll have fun now and keep it civil  ;)

Gil.