Intro to Radio Communications

[QuietShootr]

.....

[firemike]

I might be missing something here - but a universal "emergency radio" would be handy to LISTEN to stuff.

I tend to pursue a pretty passive plan - and broadcasting a "here I am" signal is low on my to-do-list.

FRS, CB & HAM (or other more exotic) are very nice to have around - when you are SURE it won't be used against you.

But I think a simple "if this-than that" plan would be better to get everyone in your "family/group" gets to the right place.

[Charging Handle]

For those wanting a good quality radio that far exceeds that of the cheapo FRS/GMRS "bubble pack" radios, CBs, etc, yet doesn't require a license or testing to use, you do have another viable option.

FRS radios have terrible range and the quality of those radios are generally very poor. CBs can be built with good quality, but the nature of CB radio also makes reliability and usefulness problematic. And not everyone wants to go through the hassle of getting a HAM license when their goal is only very localized communication with family and/or neighbors.

So what is this other option? Get yourself a quality Marine radio and reprogram it to operate on the MURS frequencies (151.xxx range). While it is technically possible to do so with a HAM specific rig, it is illegal. But you can take a marine radio, a business type radio or a public safety VHF capable radio and legally program it for use on the MURS frequencies. And a license is not required to use MURS frequencies.

Interested? Then this is the specific radio I would recommend:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=2834936

Folks, that is a very affordable radio, coming in at $123.00. And it is also loaded with features that makes it very useful for survival situations. In addition to having the normal NiMH type rechargeable battery pack common to portable radios, you also get a battery tray with this radio that holds 6 AA batteries. So if you don't have power to plug in your charger, just add the AA battery tray and you are right back in business. And if you opt to get a solar battery charger and some rechargeable AA batteries, then you are basically set for even long duration situations without power.

Also, the quality of these radios are very high. Unlike FRS/GMRS junk radios you can get at Wal-Mart for $20 per pack, these radios are built to the same sort of standards you would find on a police/fire type radio, or a portable HAM. The quality and performance of these radios completely blow FRS, GMRS and CBs out of the water. Oh, and you can also legally program HAM frequencies into these radios and use them that way, provided you are a HAM of course. While you can't legally use HAM radios outside the HAM bands, you can use LMR type radios on HAM bands.

Now, in order to get everything set up and programmed where you can legally use them, you'll need a couple of accessories. First, you'll need the programming software to add the MURS frequencies. Standard Horizon CE68 programming software can be found at http://www.psicompany.com and only costs about $25. You can actually get it for free online if you know where to look or who to contact. Then you'll also need a programming cable. Cables for the Yaesu VX-6, VX-7, VX-170 radios work really well with the HX370S. Just be sure you get the USB version of the cable so it will work with your computer. These cables are sometimes available with an alternate type of connection that isn't even supported by many recent computers, so be careful of that. Though these cables can be bought from a number of online vendors, the cheapest place to get them is usually ebay.



For the money, you really can't beat these little radios. And the process of programming them really isn't any big deal at all. Actually, it is quite easy to do. I already possess a couple of these radios. My plan is to keep buying one or two here and there as I can, so that I'll ultimately have enough of these on hand to supply my immediate family and my neighbors. I believe the benefits of being able to communicate with everyone in your immediate vicinity are pretty evident when thinking of SHTF situations. Not only does it give everyone on the "net" the ability to alert everyone else to any happenings, but it also gives you the ability to control and coordinate activities among numerous people. That is a BIG tactical advantage!

When used in conjunction with a quality shortwave radio (such as the Sony ICF-SW7600GR), the average person can probably meet his/her basic communication needs. The HX370S gives you the ability to communicate locally. And the shortwave radio allows you to listen to news reports from around the world, as well as monitor HAM radio traffic. That is quite a bit of capability for the minimal investment.

[LonghunterCO]

-For the money, you really can't beat these little radios.
- That is quite a bit of capability for the minimal investment.

This looks very interesting. Thanks for posting.

[alienb1212]

New to posting but have been reading for a good long time.

Currently in the military but want to throw a kit together for tactical two-way communications with the wife should SHTF. Looking for as long a range as possible, but realistically would only need 4-6km LOS.
Want AA-pack as well as rechargable battery pack support. Was looking at MURS bands as currently I don't really have the time or ability to get my amateur license. Looking to spend roughly $150-200 per HT, (one for me one for wife, one spare) Compatibility with fire/police/ems bands, (mostly for monitoring) would be a plus.


Playing with my issue Harris PRC152 I'm just amazed by the overall quality, baby seal-(or bad guy) clubbing ability and the range of options this thing has. Is there any civillian handhelds that even come close to offering 52-512mhz, satcom, 3g, and integrated GPS? Or the huge assortment of hardware accessories? These radios can literally do anything if you know how to use them.

I understand military grade encryption and comsec are an unrealized pipe dream that the non-military can only dream of, but I'd like to have something that would be impossible or difficult for any yahoo to pick up with his scanner.

[500grains]

Thanks for the excellent detail.

For those wanting a good quality radio that far exceeds that of the cheapo FRS/GMRS "bubble pack" radios, CBs, etc, yet doesn't require a license or testing to use, you do have another viable option.

FRS radios have terrible range and the quality of those radios are generally very poor. CBs can be built with good quality, but the nature of CB radio also makes reliability and usefulness problematic. And not everyone wants to go through the hassle of getting a HAM license when their goal is only very localized communication with family and/or neighbors.

So what is this other option? Get yourself a quality Marine radio and reprogram it to operate on the MURS frequencies (151.xxx range). While it is technically possible to do so with a HAM specific rig, it is illegal. But you can take a marine radio, a business type radio or a public safety VHF capable radio and legally program it for use on the MURS frequencies. And a license is not required to use MURS frequencies.

Interested? Then this is the specific radio I would recommend:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...ductId=2834936

Folks, that is a very affordable radio, coming in at $123.00. And it is also loaded with features that makes it very useful for survival situations. In addition to having the normal NiMH type rechargeable battery pack common to portable radios, you also get a battery tray with this radio that holds 6 AA batteries. So if you don't have power to plug in your charger, just add the AA battery tray and you are right back in business. And if you opt to get a solar battery charger and some rechargeable AA batteries, then you are basically set for even long duration situations without power.

Also, the quality of these radios are very high. Unlike FRS/GMRS junk radios you can get at Wal-Mart for $20 per pack, these radios are built to the same sort of standards you would find on a police/fire type radio, or a portable HAM. The quality and performance of these radios completely blow FRS, GMRS and CBs out of the water. Oh, and you can also legally program HAM frequencies into these radios and use them that way, provided you are a HAM of course. While you can't legally use HAM radios outside the HAM bands, you can use LMR type radios on HAM bands.

Now, in order to get everything set up and programmed where you can legally use them, you'll need a couple of accessories. First, you'll need the programming software to add the MURS frequencies. Standard Horizon CE68 programming software can be found at http://www.psicompany.com and only costs about $25. You can actually get it for free online if you know where to look or who to contact. Then you'll also need a programming cable. Cables for the Yaesu VX-6, VX-7, VX-170 radios work really well with the HX370S. Just be sure you get the USB version of the cable so it will work with your computer. These cables are sometimes available with an alternate type of connection that isn't even supported by many recent computers, so be careful of that. Though these cables can be bought from a number of online vendors, the cheapest place to get them is usually ebay.



For the money, you really can't beat these little radios. And the process of programming them really isn't any big deal at all. Actually, it is quite easy to do. I already possess a couple of these radios. My plan is to keep buying one or two here and there as I can, so that I'll ultimately have enough of these on hand to supply my immediate family and my neighbors. I believe the benefits of being able to communicate with everyone in your immediate vicinity are pretty evident when thinking of SHTF situations. Not only does it give everyone on the "net" the ability to alert everyone else to any happenings, but it also gives you the ability to control and coordinate activities among numerous people. That is a BIG tactical advantage!

When used in conjunction with a quality shortwave radio (such as the Sony ICF-SW7600GR), the average person can probably meet his/her basic communication needs. The HX370S gives you the ability to communicate locally. And the shortwave radio allows you to listen to news reports from around the world, as well as monitor HAM radio traffic. That is quite a bit of capability for the minimal investment.

[faithmyeyes]

So what is this other option? Get yourself a quality Marine radio and reprogram it to operate on the MURS frequencies (151.xxx range). While it is technically possible to do so with a HAM specific rig, it is illegal. But you can take a marine radio, a business type radio or a public safety VHF capable radio and legally program it for use on the MURS frequencies. And a license is not required to use MURS frequencies.

It is NOT legal to transmit on MURS frequencies with a marine-band or other land-mobile transceiver. New MURS equipment must be certified, and must not transmit in excess of 2 watts. The marine-band handheld mentioned fails both criteria.

[faithmyeyes]

The farthest I need for a com system is 200miles, from Decatur, IN to Lafayette, IN. Based on that distance and the need to communicate with people there in a troubled time(SHTF, Natural or man-Made disaster situation), what would u recommend com wise. Something that can be vehicle and field mobile is need be

Amateur HF is the only thing I know of available to civilians that will do that distance station-to-station on the ground. You'll need mobile transceivers capable of operation in the 40, 60, 75, or 160 meter bands, an appropriate antenna system, and a General or Extra class Amateur license.

[faithmyeyes]

Looking for as long a range as possible, but realistically would only need 4-6km LOS.

4-6km is easy if it's truly unobstructed LOS. Most folks wind up using radios in cars, in the woods, in buildings, around hills, etc, which is why those "36-mile" bubble-pack buys from Wal-Mart sometimes struggle within one mile. If you can, try some different types of radios around your intended AO and see how reliable they are.

Was looking at MURS bands as currently I don't really have the time or ability to get my amateur license. Looking to spend roughly $150-200 per HT, (one for me one for wife, one spare) Compatibility with fire/police/ems bands, (mostly for monitoring) would be a plus.

MURS is a nice band, but it can be hard to find good gear for. I'd encourage you to take a second look at getting the entry-level Technician-class amateur license... it gives you a whole world's worth of better options.

Is there any civillian handhelds that even come close to offering 52-512mhz, satcom, 3g, and integrated GPS?

There are a couple of amateur handhelds from ICOM and Kenwood that offer two or three bands, digital voice, and integrated GPS, but nothing like the military- grade gear, for sure.

I understand military grade encryption and comsec are an unrealized pipe dream that the non-military can only dream of, but I'd like to have something that would be impossible or difficult for any yahoo to pick up with his scanner.

True encryption is illegal on the amateur bands, but it's legal to use certain digital-voice standards that can't be decoded by common scanners.

In the un-licensed world, you can either look for an FRS or MURS unit that offers inversion scrambling for some limited privacy, or you can check out frequency-hopping units in the 900-MHz ISM band. The two offerings I'm aware of in that category are TriSquare's eXRS and Motorola's DTR series. Frequency-hopping units are not impossible to intercept, but they require a lot more work.

[firemike]

That eXRS is a handy looking option.

Thanks for the info !!