Comms for the common man

[757_Magnum]

I don't know how many of you are affected right now, but as of this writing there are multiple cell service outages nationwide across multiple carriers. It's probably a good time for me to get back to learning how to use the Yaesu radio I semi-panic bought at the beginning of 'Rona, and maybe look into getting family in the area at least set up with Baofengs. With an abnormally active hurricane season predicted this year on top of all the other fun going on, comms and medical skills are two glaring gaps I need to address.

Who else plays with radios on here? Do you keep one with you on a regular basis? I've seen some guys who have them as part of their EDC as well as having a vehicle mounted one.

[Wheeler]

I have a Baofeng BF-F8HP that I was given for Christmas last year. I've been muddling through a self study program to get the Technician license but am suffering from a complete lack of motivation. I need to find a local club and a study partner.

As it sits right now it has a LOS range of 12 miles. That's pretty good for a small handheld but given I'm regularly 50-60 miles away from home and from the spousal unit it doesn't really solve any potential communications issues we might have due to lack of cell service. Like many folks we have ditched the landline so internet and cellular comms are the only options we have at this time.

I don't EDC the Baofeng as I only have the one and it's more of a novelty to me right now. Perhaps that will change if social unrest continues to worsen.

[Snapshot]

In the ham domain the trick to getting range out of handheld or even mobile radios is using repeaters. There are a lot of them but the trick is being able to use one that can reach both parties.

I wonder to what degree the repeaters would be usable for personal comms in any sort of emergency situation - better than nothing perhaps but not something to depend on, especially since not all of them have backup power or at least long term backup power.

[Wheeler]

So according to folks that know more about this stuff than I, the US cellular networks are under a major DDOS attack right now.
https://threatmap.bitdefender.com

[mtnbkr]

Who else plays with radios on here? Do you keep one with you on a regular basis? I've seen some guys who have them as part of their EDC as well as having a vehicle mounted one.

Been a licensed ham for 14 years though I earned my General license and stopped there. I don't keep one with me on a regular basis and only my 4x4 has a mobile mounted. I also have an HT and a portable HF rig.

As it sits right now it has a LOS range of 12 miles. That's pretty good for a small handheld but given I'm regularly 50-60 miles away from home and from the spousal unit it doesn't really solve any potential communications issues we might have due to lack of cell service.

With the factory rubber duck antenna, you're pretty limited. Operating from elevation or with a higher gain antenna (external, not radio-mounted) will give you additional range. I was doing a SOTA activation this weekend and made a contact with a ham in Thurmont, MD, some 50 miles away, with my HT and a "slim jim" antenna I made myself. I was also able to hit all the major 2m repeaters in NoVA (I was on Skyline Drive, on top of one of the summits).

In the ham domain the trick to getting range out of handheld or even mobile radios is using repeaters. There are a lot of them but the trick is being able to use one that can reach both parties.

And having a plan ahead of time to use X repeater when the phones are dead.

As mentioned above, I did a Summits On The Air activation Sunday (there was also a big VHF contest going on). With my 2m FM HT I reached a mobile ham on 2m some 50 miles away. However, on HF (first 14mhz, then 21mhz) I was able to reach New Hampshire, Indiana, and South Carolina...all while relaxing in my hammock at the top of the mountain.

I made some VHF contacts for the contest while hiking down the mountain.

Chris

[ranger]

With cell service down, wife got so bored she did some house cleaning since she could not talk to her daughter for a few hours. I may kick off the modem-router and really get some things accomplished around the house

[ST911]

I was doing a SOTA activation this weekend and made a contact with a ham in Thurmont, MD, some 50 miles away, with my HT and a "slim jim" antenna I made myself. I was also able to hit all the major 2m repeaters in NoVA (I was on Skyline Drive, on top of one of the summits).

Please say more.

[mtnbkr]

Please say more.

Not sure what else there is to say. The radio is my Yaesu VX-7r and the antenna was a Slim Jim made with 300ohm "ladder line". I used some excess coax to wind a common mode choke that sits between the antenna and feedline to the radio. I hung it in a tree next to my hammock and proceeded to call "CQ SOTA...CQ Summits On The Air") until I got a response.

I also had a breakdown 144mhz handheld yagi antenna I built out of PVC and aluminum arrow shafts, but it was tedious to use because it was frankly a bit heavy to hold while managing the radio. I made my one 2m (144mhz) SOTA contact with the Slim Jim. I made the other 2m/144mhz contacts for the VHF contest using my Signal Stick whip antenna.

ETA: I had all this (and my HF rig, batteries, HF antenna and antenna tuner, food, and water) packed up in my daypack. The HT was in an outside pocket with the Signal Stick whip run up through some molle type loops on the side. I made use of the radio in that position by running a handheld speaker mike up to the front of the shoulder strap. This allowed me to work contacts while under way down the trail.

Chris

[mtnbkr]

Things got a bit derailed, so I thought I'd try and steer it back to the emergency comms aspect (though SOTA is good practice for emcomm if you go down the radio rabbit-hole).

So, 2m/144mhz (VHF) FM with repeaters is certainly valid and will give you non-local (greater than 10 miles). Another option that still keeps things "handheld" is Digital. I have no direct experience with digital, but have been reading up on it lately. There are three main choices in Digital: DStar (Icom), Fusion (Yaesu), and DMR (Motorola, but also supported by several cheap Chinese radio brands*). I haven't gotten to the level of knowledge where I would feel comfortable commenting on whether or not one is better than the other and frankly there doesn't seem to be a clear choice. As far as I can tell, you should go with whichever mode has the best support in your area and/or the one your friends and contacts use. Here in NoVA, DMR and Fusion have the best support, with Fusion just barely squeaking ahead.

In terms of performance compared to FM, Digital tends to be more efficient and will provide clear comms when FM is getting scratchy and difficult to copy. However, when digital gets too weak, it drops off a cliff and you lose the guy. FM could still be copyable at that point (but it won't be pleasant or easy).

The biggest benefit to Digital, especially in an emcomm discussion, is the internet-linkable nature of the technology. Repeaters can be linked via the Internet and you can quite easily talk to a ham in another country on a handheld that normally would only reach across town. Even better, you can have your own personal hotspot (little, virtually pocketable, internet-connected digital router/repeater) that will do the same thing without a proper radio repeater. They can either be homebrewed or purchased as complete commercial devices. Of course, if you have Internet access you can just as easily use a VOIP app on your phone, so there's that.

All that being said, the key is to have a plan, communicate that plan with your intended contacts, and practice that plan. Having a radio is not enough. Things won't be as obvious during an outage and people who don't routinely use their radio gear may forget how things work, what they need to do, etc. I would also encourage you to engage in some of the radio activities that simulate emcomm activities to keep your skills up. This would be SOTA (my fav), Traffic/Message handling nets, etc. Whatever you do, don't buy a radio and stick it in your go-bag expecting it, and you, to be ready "when the balloon goes up".

Chris