R_Bert

Hate to break it to you, but there will never be relief.  Vigilance will always remain, steady and alert. We are the ramparts of freedom.

TTAG reporting that the bill just died (again) in committee

  http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102428 or there should be 102" whips at the next local hamfest.    I have not perused this site, but it looks promising also - http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Manufacturers/Antennas/HF/Mobile_Antennas/     BTW, the 102" whip attached to vehicle is a mobile version of a antenna design commonly known as '1/4 wavelength vertical or 1/4 wave ground-plane)'.  The VHF version is much smaller, for example ~19" at 146 MHz.  The vehicle body effectively acts as a counterpoise or ground plane for the whip (.i.e. the other half of the antenna). 

  sorry :blush: , that was a bad bar joke about "you never buy beer, only just rent it"    I'll try to refrain from humor for a few days.... :down:

I will make a note to add some commentary/websites regarding repeaters, and design,fabrication, and tuning of repeater systems. If you want to write up a paragraph or so of points, I'll add it in to the "basics" .    I have a few Wacom 144 & 440 cans I can show Gordon as an example.   I would guess a fixed location would be low on the list, and also like you not probable until a need and wider funding would arise.

Keep the boilers stoked -   http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01/white-house-nra-gun-victory.php

  If you mailed them after Christmas, they have not seen them yet.  It takes two weeks to even pass through security measures.   Combine your snail-mail letters with efforts including phone calls, email, and fax.

  Actually, I have had received, or seen, a number of comments over the last months that got me thinking we need a short-form guide on this (ala Caster's "lead thread" which is the real inspiration).    Keep an eye on the top four pages where I started.  They will change often.   These will be edited /expanded routinely so check back on them periodically over upcoming weeks.  Once we have a "technical" platform established, we will get in-depth into specific cases in discussions below.    As the discussions evolve, I will also copy the good points up to the top and include them in their relevant sections.   I can tell you up front that the most effective and economical route, will be through ham radio.  It is very easy, no longer requires Morse Code, and is well supported by industry and also well organized over 100+ years of practice. That said, we will also be discussing the other services in detail, because there are important reasons for "defense in depth" by having a capability for using them.   This is a "family" document, so tech support from the other radio Ops is coveted.

  And not on his budget....repeaters and duplexers, and associated equipment are not inexpensive.   But there are a number of existing repeaters that give great coverage in his area (and with backup power), but he also mentioned frequency agility.    BTW, I think I know of at least one TGO member that could cover the entire TN Valley if he put a repeater up. I used to help run a few repeaters near him, and I also operated 6 beacon and digi sites up and down the ridge line from Chattanooga to Johnson City. 

  Yeah, I gathered some info from him also.  Agreed, it *might* be a bit much for smallest HTs. Dolomite also mentioned to me some additional scope that may exceed just one band.   As far as local point-point, 3-4 miles hilly terrain, a cross-banded mobile set on higher ground might be an option to improve copy, or perhaps even just slightly better HTs & antennas (example metal frame & quarterwave BNC).   But, it needs some advance thought for best service in rough terrain.   You may have noted the "basics" thread I am pulling/calling together so newcomers can have a platform to assess their needs. A work in progress.......

PROPAGATION (basics)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_propagation   quick notes (more to come) -   The two primary modes that one will encounter are "direct" (aka "line of sight" or "point-to-point") and "Ionospheric" (aka "skywave" or "skip" - where the signal reflects off of earth's ionosphere).    All radio bands can experience direct mode,  although ionospheric modes generally do not take place on frequencies beyond ~50 Mhz.  .    From Wikipedia     STUFF -   Hand-Crank Emergency Radio with cell charger       OPERATING AND COMMUNICATING -   Using FM Ham Radio “repeaters”

FREQUENCY ALLOCATIONS AND SERVICES -   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_allocation   (I'll expand later on spectrum and services (CB, HAM, etc))   MODES OF OPERATIONS -    There are dozens of types of transmission modes (each has distinct pro's & con's.) Remember that the basic idea of radio communications is to inject or superimpose audio (in the form of voice or data) on to a radio wave carrier.    As technology has evolved over the last hundred years, intelligibility, fidelity/clarity, and efficiency have improved. In the early 1900s Ham Radio operators and later commercial operators used what I will call a “make & break” transmission method known as spark-gap (you can listen here ) to a Morse Code transmission in spark-gap). You can easily imagine straining to decipher this from atmospheric noise while listening with a simple crystal receiver (there were no vacuum tubes, transistors, ICs). In 1900, Reginald Fessenden even tried voice telephony (listen here) using spark-gap(!) proving that voice could be transmitted by radio wave.   Every generation has its technology race.  During my (boomer) generation, it was computers, from a multi-room sized ENIAC to laptop computers, and now mobile devices and applications to nano-technology.  In the early 1900’s, the race was for radio, particularly after the development and commercial production of the hard-vacuum triode tube by GE Laboratories in 1915.   Following the development of the triode tube and subsequent development of the regeneration design by Edwin Armstrong (allowed the weak electromagnetic radio waves to be greatly amplified; Armstrong also invented FM radio ~1935 ), the radio race exploded as developers sought to improve fidelity (listener comfort; i.e. overcome “static”, improve audio quality, etc.) and extend the usable range and applications of radio (and shortly after television grew out of this as well).    Designs, techniques and methodologies of the basic transmission modes  such as AM, FM, and SSB (see below) improved throughout the 1930s-1950s, and then with the advent of IC chips, computer technology, and resulting miniaturization and design capabilities, applications of these techniques have advanced considerably.   As we check out “modes”, while we will largely concentrate on voice telephony, in many situations there are far better solutions using either old technology (Continuous Wave) or modern computer driven digital weak-signal modes based on Digital Signal Processing (DSP) algorithms.  These will generally use radio and computer equipment you already have on hand, and can significantly improve signal-to-noise ratios compared to voice modes (literally detect signals below  the ambient noise floor of your receiver, so don’t arbitrarily exclude these).   The reasons we want to be aware of and understand the different modes include: efficiency (affects battery life) signal to noise ratio (intelligibility) fidelity technical use and popularity (anyone on the other end?), and effective capabilities (will it work for what you need?) Conventional (not spread-spectrum) radio transmissions start with a carrier wave of a discrete frequency and power (amplitude). The “mode” is the method by which information (usually in the form of audio) is “input” onto the wave (this is also called “modulation”). Depending on the technique, one of two things happens as this input signal (i.e. from a microphone) is injected onto the carrier.   Either the frequency remains constant as the power varies (amplitude modulation (AM), or the power stays the same as the frequency varies (frequency modulation (FM). The other techniques are derivatives of these two, and are technically enhanced to improve either efficiency, or fidelity. There are advantages and tradeoffs with each mode (clarity, effective range, power consumption, ease of operations, etc.).   Common communications that you may encounter as you set up your communications capability are:    CW - Continuous Wave (ex. Morse Code language used in Ham Radio) - a carrier wave is keyed on and off to represent the “dits” and “dah’s” of the code elements. The carrier's amplitude and frequency remains constant during each code element. At the receiver, the received signal is mixed with a heterodyne signal from a BFO (beat frequency oscillator) to change the radio frequency impulses to sound (in other words, at the receiving end, the radio produces the tone that you hear (that example is from a Jay Leno exhibition), otherwise all you would hear is a empty /silent AM carrier).    CW and Morse Code is in common use by Ham Radio operators, and was officially used by the US military until discontinued in 2007. Additionally, Morse Code requirements for Ham Radio were dropped by the Federal Communications Commission. Thus some consider it obsolete, but in fact CW is a very simple and effective technique which reliably communicates under adverse operating conditions.    CW is narrow bandwidth – it does not take up much room in the spectrum, thus in SHTF times, *many* more users can occupy the spectrum space (radio band crowding may be a issue when lines are down), particularly when using receiver filters available in modern radios. As a result of the bandwidth and receiver filtration (not to mention the human brain), it also has a very high signal-to-noise ratio (easier to “copy” (hear) the signals when they are weak). During CW operation, the transmitter is turned on only when information (dits & dah’s) is being passed. As a result of these characteristics, less transmitter power is required to communicate by CW over a given distance when compared to voice modes. However, for convenience, Morse code would probably be of best SHTF use in ranges over 50 miles and while under bad communications conditions (poor propagation). It is relatively easy to use (and still legal) with standard Ham Radio equipment.   So, I encourage folks to learn Morse code and become proficient, however computer software and other stand-alone equipment is available to assist an operator in decoding “code”.     Last, CW is used commonly used in ham bands below 50 MHz, but “multi-mode” radio equipment is also available and capable of operating at frequencies throughout the Ham Radio bands (example- 144-148 MHz, 222-225 MHz, 430-450 MHz, 902-928 MHz, 1240-1300 MHz and allocated bands above). While there are better modes for “passing traffic”, on VHF frequencies I have (computer assisted) operated CW in “burst mode” in excess of 300 words-per-minute during contacts via meteor trail over 500+ mile paths. So, CW is far from obsolete, rather, it has significant possibilities using computers and tablets.     AM - Amplitude Modulation is commonly used in Citizens Band (CB) radio or the AM broadcast band on your car radio at 540 – 1610 kHz. AM was the earliest voice mode in common radio use, and is also used in  HF Shortwave commercial broadcasting and VHF Aircraft bands .   It was the primary mode of ham radio operation until the 1950s, when SSB (see below) became popular.  At issue was the fact that it occupies twice the frequency bandwidth (space) of SSB, and eight times the bandwidth of CW.  A full 30% (or more) of AM transmitting power is devoted to carrier, which contains no information (audio). AM has a lower signal to noise ratio than the other modes (and is inherently more sensitive to electronic/electromagnetic interference). Thus, in ham radio, and most commercial and government radio service, the AM mode of operation was abandoned for other more efficient or practical modes.     However, in SHTF situations, a large portion of the population on the air will probably revert to CB radio, and thus, operate primarily in the AM mode. It will be prudent to include this capability in your plans (as a backup).     FM - Frequency Modulation (ex. 88-108 MHz FM commercial broadcast band or FRS radios, Law Enforcement, TV audio channels, and commercial business band) – is by far, the most popular mode of operation in Ham Radio, and is used extensively on allocated Ham Radio frequencies within the 144-148 MHz, 222-225 MHz, and 430-450 MHz bands (note – there are no FM operations on CB radio).     For our purposes, there are two prominent types of FM; narrow-band FM (NBFM) used for communications and wide-band (WBFM) used in commercial radio and television broadcast services.    Your multi-mode receiver may be able to switch between the two, even in the ham radio bands. A notable difference is in how much spectrum space each channel takes and the audio bandwidth that can be transmitted (ex. NBFM is 2.5 kHz deviation from the center frequency and carry audio with up to a 3.5-kHz bandwidth while WBFM is 75 kHz deviation and carries audio with up to a 20-kHz bandwidth).  In simple terms, NBFM provides voice communications quality vs. WBFM’s (stereo) music quality.   Note – in these postings, with the exceptions noted in the previous paragraphs, “FM” will be synonymous with NBFM (that we will use to transmit to each other)   Efficiency (affects battery life) – FM radios are pretty good when stand-alone, and excellent when operated on low power and coupled with range-extending devices known as “repeaters” Signal to noise ratio (intelligibility) – Excellent Fidelity – Very good Technical use and popularity (anyone on the other end?) – Excellent Effective capabilities (will it work for what you need?) – One may consider FM required for an effective communications capability.  The other modes will be useful and purpose driven, but I consider VHF/UHF FM ham radio as essential in SHTF scenarios.  It is where the emergency network action and greater organized population will be (not CB, which will have greater overall population, but more chaos in operations).   The advantage of using FM mode for voice communications (at a sufficient marginal signal level) is generally you hear it, or you don’t; and when you hear it, it is generally clear, understandable, and reliable.     FM is a “quiet” mode, meaning that not much ambient noise is carried along with, or heard along side of the signal.  FM is inherently resistant to electrical interferences (rarely hear power-line noise) due to characteristics of the modulation technique. Also as the signal strength increases at a receiver, the “quieting” effect grows stronger, so that at some level, the signal is strong enough that all one will hear is desirable audio (just the voice or data).  This “quieting” is known as the capture effect.   The capture effect will result in stronger signals being completely favored over weaker signals (in other words, when two signals are competing for attention from a FM receiver, the bigger signal wins, where in other modes the lesser signal might be detected, and even intelligible).  The capture effect is one of the reasons that FM is not used in aircraft control, as the flight controller may not be aware of a pilot in a critical situation needing their immediate attention.   While FM is normally used for “local” communications, use of repeaters allows radio operators to use mobile and hand-held to effectively and clearly communicate for much longer distances, even 100 miles or more.   In addition to repeaters, “web-radio” interfaces are available which allow the FM operator to communicate worldwide (assuming that an internet connection is available to the interface)   Considerations –   FM requires a rather strong signal to make best use (higher power per mile) Occupies more band space than some modes, channelized (and set by band-plan) Capture effect can be used to disrupt communications (malicious interference) FM operations are 30 MHz and higher, with the majority of publically available spectrum residing above 145 MHz.  Because of this (mostly line-of-sight), stand-alone radios will have relatively short range, even when assisted by range extending devices and larger/higher antenna systems. FM ham radio equipment is readily available and economical   Note – On VHF/UHF FM, figure on 50-75 mile ranges with repeater assisted systems, and count longer range as a bonus. With unassisted FM radios, figure on 5-50 miles depending on radio power, antenna systems, and terrain.   Note – VHF / UHF FM communications from East Tennessee to Middle and West Tennessee across the Cumberland Plateau are fairly difficult even with repeater systems, much less stand-alone FM radios.  There are some “linked” systems out there, but I am not aware of extended state-wide systems. For state-wide communications, ham radio operators commonly use SSB (or CW) on the 40 meter band in daylight hours and the 80 meter band in nighttime hours.     Here is some guys talking on a FM handheld radio - (dude needs to cut back on caffeine!)     The SSB mode is also used extensively – described here in Wiki: Single Sideband , and,   The Electronics and Radio Today (ERT) e-zine has a nice explanation of SSB. In simple terms, SSB is a modulation technique that improves over AM by stripping it of nonessential (also power consuming) elements, greatly improving efficiency and effective range.   As ERT explains –   “Single sideband, SSB modulation is basically a derivative of amplitude modulation, AM. By removing some of the components of the ordinary AM signal it is possible to significantly improve its efficiency”   And, “Amplitude modulation is very inefficient from two points. The first is that it occupies twice the bandwidth of the maximum audio frequency, and the second is that it is inefficient in terms of the power used. The carrier is a steady state signal and in itself carries no information, only providing a reference for the demodulation process. Single sideband modulation improves the efficiency of the transmission by removing some unnecessary elements. In the first instance, the carrier is removed – it can be re-introduced in the receiver, and secondly one sideband is removed – both sidebands are mirror images of one another and the carry the same information. This leaves only one sideband – hence the name Single Sideband / SSB.”   SO, what does this mean?   Over 50% reduction in power for the same information transfer (no carrier, only one sideband) compared to AM. 50% reduction in bandwidth, and also an inherent 2x (or 3dB) improvement in signal-to-noise ratio compared to AM (because of the reduced bandwidth). Speech input signals are intermittent (carrier is eliminated, and essentially no power is transmitted between syllables so transmitters run cooler, draw less power) SSB is resistant to distortion caused by selective fading of out of phase (ex. multi-path) signals (see explanation of this effect in comparison of SSB vs AM here) Easier voice copy under weak signal conditions as compared to AM or FM (at the expense of some fidelity, particularly when compared to FM)   Considerations –   SSB operations ranges on HF frequencies are band and propagation dependant.  SSB is commonly used on HF for statewide, countrywide, and worldwide communications. While SSB operations are generally conducted on HF (frequencies below 30 MHz), it can be also be very effective on VHF & UHF as well. Note – On VHF/UHF SSB, figure on 100-200 mile ranges with unassisted (i.e. operations with no repeater systems) radios are not uncommon.  Medium capability stations easily operate in the 400-500 mile range (point-to –point with similar stations). Do not rule out mobile and portable VHF SSB operations if your radio is capable. When FM repeater systems are down, it will be very useful for regional ranges (VHF/UHF at the price of slightly different operations and antennas, and a lower population of operators with the capability compared to FM).   Here is what SSB sounds like (New England station talking to Puerto Rico) with a portable ham rig set up in some guy’s back yard.         Digital - voice or networking (ex. HF Packet, WiMax, Ham Radio satelites, etc) 

GETTING STARTED -    Granted, under SHTF circumstances, all bets are off, however one must start somewhere, and develop their radio communications capability.  There are 5 primary radio services available to the public (excluding commercial business services which are not addressed in this thread).  Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Several of these require license to operate.   Radio services are defined (along with their equipment & antennas), in terms of “bands” or “wavelengths” related to their ‘operating frequency’.   Frequency is expressed in SI terms of ‘kilo-Hertz’/kHz and ‘mega-Hertz’/MHz (i.e. CB radio is the 27 Mhz band).  Some services operate in the ‘giga-Hertz’ / GHz region (for example WiFi routers in your home computer network).   Bands (regions or subsets of radio frequency allocations) are expressed in terms of ‘wavelength’ expressed (and measured by length) in terms of meters, i.e. CB radio also known as the 11 meter band). Understanding wavelength as related to radio is useful in discussing antennas as well as signal propagation (or radio wave path)   The radio frequency spectrum is also divided into groups of bands and wavelengths (example HF (3-30 MHz), VHF (3-300 MHz), or UHF (300 – 3000 MHz)   Note – Some services use “channels”.  A channel is simply a discrete frequency (for example, CB Channel 19 is 27.185 MHz).  Other services allow the operator to vary the operating frequency (and are not channelized); in these cases, the frequency is directly displayed (often in MHz)   The public use services include Citizens Band Radio (CB), Family Radio Service (FRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), and Amateur Radio Service (aka "Ham Radio"), and the Multi-Use Radio System (MURS)    AM Broadcast Bands – (including “shortwave broadcast”, these are receive only, but useful for news & information)   CB - http://en.wikipedia....ens'_band_radio    FRS - http://en.wikipedia....y_Radio_Service is a single band    GMRS - http://en.wikipedia....e_Radio_Service    Ham Radio: - http://www.arrl.org/new-to-ham-radio find a "study for license" class - http://www.arrl.org/...o-license-class find a license exam session - http://www.arrl.org/...sessions/search    MURS - http://en.wikipedia....e_Radio_Service    Glossary of (most) radio terminology - http://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-glossary

INTRODUCTION -   Hey folks,   Looking through the Survival & Preparedness forum index, I do not see too many discussions on entry level radio communications.   One comment up front (stolen from DaveS) -  "Practicing" for SHTF situations still calls for LAWS to be followed.".  So, if it needs a license to operate....get one. Or don't operate the radio equipment described in this thread.   I'll plan on putting some general information together here in this thread, and focusing on the basics of preparing to "get in contact" when the lines are down.     Most of it will be web links to sources that are a lot better than I can do, but will include at least (in no ordained order, yet)  Getting Started in understanding what you can do to prepare, radio waves, frequencies, operating bands & services (HF, VHF, HAM, CB, FRS, GMRS, Commercial, Government, etc), propagation (gets from point-to-point),terrain,distance, TX/RX - transmitters and receivers (a combination of the two are called "transceivers") modes of operation (analog and digital), power (operating sources and transmitting output), Antennas, feedlines (between antenna & radio), and support structures, Operating & Communicating (home, mobile,portable, and use of "repeaters") Thoughts / Sources on Regulatory Guidance (staying out of trouble, minimizing attention to yourself), Reliability, Sustainability, Efficiency, Economy, Resourcefulness  ("Hints & Kinks" - how to do it cheaper and better) Sources and Vendors (places to purchase stuff) "I can Help !"  (identfy your self (w/callsign if able), and any other useful info on how you can help folks) It will not be exhaustive, or even necessarily precise, but will be close enough to get a new-comer started on learning, and identifying folks who can help. It is not meant to act as a all-in-all, but rather as a starter of learning process and a pointer to other resources.   Contributing OPS, please Title Your Post as top of this post (Antennas, Operations, etc and keep it informational as best we can). Lets try to do lengthy sidebar discussions in new threads, not this one. It is not limited to Ham Radio, although it will be a major contributor.

  It *might* be the same trailer.   I used to loan mine out to a club in middle TN for FD. It resided in Lebanon for a number of years. (It was created/fabricated by one of my best friends in the world).   Was it a 2-section Heights Aluma-tower on a old travel-trailer frame, with 4 outriggers with trailer-leveling jacks ?     The footprint of the parked trailer is ~25'x30' (self supporting unhooked from vehicle) It rides horizontal about 12' over the trailer, and tilts, then cranks up.   When in travel mode, it is just under the DOT height limit and ~25' long, and usually extends 6-8' over the hood of the tow-vehicle. If you ever saw it over there, you would not forget it.  It is a thing of beauty, but also incredibly ugly.   The only other homebrew tower-trailer I ever saw was owned by a buddy of mine on Signal Mountain. His rides ~4' off the ground in travel-mode.

heh. WRT beer, I bet it does.  "rent" is always due.

Easy to do with ham radio.   BTW, am I the only one that has a trailer-mounted 50' crankup tower (with genset platform) for SHTF ?

42 states worked here on VHF.   What do you need to know?   Ham, commercial, public?   will pm phone#

      Somehow, I can easier deal with fish innards.  Maybe that also explains the "clunk" in the bottom of a off-shore Guinness.

and it's back -   http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/01/robert-farago/breaking-illinois-modern-firearms-ban-bill-back-in-play-on-sunday/

  You might not want to read the huffpo NRA article I posted.....

What happens when uninformed intelligentsia have access to a keyboard -   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brittney-bullock/not-enough-good-guys_b_2288689.html

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2013/jan/04/harwell-mulls-taking-second-shot-on-campfields/

Maybe one or two  of you Nashville gunny parents can take her out to the range and help her get rid of all the angst. (and teach her kids a bit about gun safety as a bonus)   http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/talking-to-other-parents-about-guns/   Be sure and read the comments

TTAG, report from NRA rep listed below by Mark