Internet outage - Comm alternatives Emergency updates, FR contingency ham email & shortwave news

10/21/2016

[mad_as_he$$]

;-)

[usconservative]

Is there an FR ham ping, and/or net freqs?

Not that I'm aware of and I'm a licensed Amateur Radio operator.

FWIW, 6.925 USB is a well known Pirate Radio frequency, I'd add that as a frequency to be listened to in the event other comms go down. Never know what you'll hear on there. (I listen there quite a bit myself.)

[usconservative]

Thanks for the info. It could come in handy.

They're nice little radio's, but by themselves aren't very useful for more than 5-10 miles of coverage on transmit, longer on receive using their included antenna.

If you want to increase that, buy yourself a cheap base station antenna such as a Workman UVS-300 and about thirty feet of mast along with 45 feet of Belden 9913 coax and good PL-259 connectors. Don't forget the antenna adapter to plug it into the Baofeng.

Easy to assemble, will dramatically increase the range of the Baofeng and be much more functional, assuming local repaters are still on the air.

Also get yourself one of these so you can find the local repeaters in your area and out of your area if you need to bug out for any reason.

[Covenantor]

uhh.... meant as fast reference prior to shutdown

good thread,

[knarf]

A milk shake ?

heh heh heh ...

I'm off to church to see if God will forgive me ...

[DocRock]

Adding to your post, a good home brew dual band antenna can be built for about 4 dollars. Here are the PLANS. I have been using one set on chain link top rail about 25 feet in the air with a 5 watt handheld. I get 1.1-1.3 swr following those simple instructions. Chain Link Top Rail makes great home brew antenna mast for about a dollar a foot. With a cheap handheld and that set up, I can easily hit repeaters 20 miles away.

[DocRock]

Good evening, I have friends in the Florida Phone Traffic Net. Traffic is a radiogram which are just like telegrams and Phone means voice. So these are radiograms passed by voice over High Frequency radio and it is part of the decades old NTS... National Traffic System. My state meets every day at 6:55 AM Eastern on 3.940 MHz and they usually pass traffic on 3.924 MHz. The net controller organizes the traffic to individual stations on 3.940 and they jump down to 3.924 to pass the traffic. The radiogram forms are standardized so it is quick to fill in the blanks. Then outgoing and incoming (interstate and international) traffic is handled by liaisons to other nets. There are usually 30 to 60 hams checking in every morning in my state. This has been a bedrock of the Amateur Radio hobby since it's organization over a century ago and explains their name... ARRL, the Amateur Radio Relay League. Here is a link to their site and I'm sure the schedules of traffic nets would be a great addition to this thread. http://www.arrl.org/nts

Here are examples of what Radiogram forms look like LINK

[MarchonDC09122009]

Doc, Outstanding comm idea info.
I read your homepage - you practice what you preach / teach.
Thank you, and looking forward!

[MarchonDC09122009]

You’re right - PSK31 text email is probably a better SHTF email comm protocol to use than WinLink with it’s Internet network dependencies.
That screen shot is very helpful.

Question I have do PSK31 modems that work on HF at 300 baud, also have capabilities to work on VHF at higher baud rate, such as 1200 baud?
And is there a way to use your Android smart phone as the PC terminal with a PSK31 App?

I’m searching around for info on that too.

Thanks, Doc!

[MarchonDC09122009]

Shortwave station for when the SHTF:

The Armchair Survivalist Radio Show

SHORT WAVE   9.475

http://www.armchairsurvivalist.com/

Kurt’s show will help you gain knowledge, it will be informative and is geared for the “urban survivalist” who just wants to keep his little piece of the Earth together.

He can help you stay safe, well fed and healthy. Kurt will help you handle nearly anything that does, or could, lower your ability to survive. If he doesn’t know the answer to your question, he can tell you where to go to get it.
Listen to
The Armchair Survivalist
Sundays

2:00pm-4:00pm PST
3:00pm-5:00pm MST
4:00pm-6:00pm CST
5:00 pm-7:00 pm EST

Listen In My Chatroom
Come joins us to listen and chat!
Global Star 3 Satellite
The Armchair Survivalist, America Tonight, Let’s Play Doctor, Doug Stephan, USA Prepares, Alex Jones, Ted Broer, What Really Happened, Shatter The Darkness, Hagman & Hagman, The Power Hour
Global Star 5 Satellite
The Armchair Survivalist, Alex Jones, The Power Hour, Call To Decision, Nutrimedical Report, Katherine Albrecht, Survive 2 Thrive, Jason Lewis, The Devided Kingdom, Call To Decision
Scriptures For America
The Armchair Survivalist, Coffee w/the Radio Ranch Wranglers, Radio Ranch Messages, Gideons Armory, Scriptures for America Worldwide, McCanney Science Hour, Gods Home Health Care Plan, The Amateur Radio QSO Show
SHORT WAVE
9.475
Listen On Your Phone
(605) 475-8092 (not toll free)
Get the APP for your Smart Phone

Email Kurt at: kw@armchairsurvivalist.com

[DocRock]

I use psk31 on a 30 year old radio which requires an interface with one of These Signalinks. They are radio specific and have a soundcard needed for several different digital modes. It also requires a program such as Ham Radio Deluxe and I haven't run into anyone using pads,tablets or phones... Only laptops and desktops. Sorry I cant answer better than what I've seen. My new radio is the latest, state of the art, digital with touchscreen display, mobile, all band and all mode so it plugs right into the computer with no interface needed. But I still have to run Ham Radio Deluxe on the computer to type text.

[TMSuchman]

The solar storms are gettin worse;

FEMA Daily Ops Brief for October 26, 2016

Significant Events: None

Tropical Activity:
•Atlantic – Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 48 hours
•Eastern Pacific – Hurricane Seymour (CAT 4)
•Central Pacific – No tropical cyclones expected through Thursday morning
•Western Pacific – No activity affecting U.S. interests

Significant Weather:
•Rain and Thunderstorms – Southern Plains, Lower through Upper Mississippi Valley into Great Lakes
•Snow – Northeast
•Space Weather – Past 24 hours – Strong with G3 Geomagnetic Storms; next 24 hours – Moderate with G2 Geomagnetic Storms possible

Earthquake Activity: No significant activity

Declaration Activity:
•Amendment No.5 to FEMA-4286-DR-SC
•Amendment No.6 to FEMA-4286-DR-SC
•Amendment No.1 to FEMA-3377-EM-FL
•Amendment No.4 to FEMA-4283-DR-FL
•Amendment No.5 to FEMA-4283-DR-FL
•Amendment No.9 to FEMA-4285-DR-NC

FEMA Daily Ops Briefing 10-26-2016.pdf

[usconservative]

Thanks for the link, nice little emergency antenna or a nice little antenna for a condo/apartment setup with a balcony a few floors up. Very inconspicuous.

[abigkahuna]

http://media.wix.com/ugd/0cf371_514bfe6a2dec4871ab7da7d50b9be410.pdf

SOunds like a bunch of Larping....

I have heard of all this stuff years back...that is the projecting onto the clouds of some image, whether religious or other-worldly....yatta, yatta, yatta...

as for ham radio...nice route to go. I am currently in the process of getting my license. Bought the radio and the study guides and hope to get the technician license (entry level) next month.

[Drago]

As far as “smart phone apps” go (digital HAM messaging) you might want to also look into “APRS”:

http://www.aprs.org
Smartphone app: http://aprspro.com/v1/

[abigkahuna]

Your list is comprehensive but perhaps out of reach for most FReepers here. Most information is local and the 2 and 70m bands should suffice for local information. And hand held like a Yaesu FT60 should suffice as an entry into the amatuer radio field. Low cost (relatively) and a decent hand held. That and a programming software should be adequate for most uses.

Information can be relayed from one area to another through the repeaters to a local level. You list is a basic nice to have list, but I suggest a more modest list that can easily be expanded once the basics are learned. Let folks get a tech license first and then expand.

For example I was listening to a net call in tonight that orginated in Newport Oregon. I am in Northern California. Call Signs came in from Lake Havesu, Mesa, Orange, Murrietta, Modesto and Canby Oregon that I heard during that short period with my little five watt with a diamond 77 antennae. On a very basic level, that is what people need, to be able to tune in to channels and listen to what is happening where. Not all of us are going to be able to afford big rigs, but most of us can afford a very modest set up.

Anyway, that is my two cents

—73