Posted on 10/25/2017 10:35:10 PM PDT by ransomnote
Elements of the US Department of Defense (DOD) will conduct a “communications interoperability” training exercise November 4-6, once again simulating a “very bad day” scenario. Amateur Radio and MARS organizations will take part.
“This exercise will begin with a national massive coronal mass ejection event which will impact the national power grid as well as all forms of traditional communication, including landline telephone, cellphone, satellite, and Internet connectivity,” Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, explained in an announcement.
During the exercise, a designated DOD Headquarters entity will request county-by-county status reports for the 3,143 US counties and county equivalents, in order to gain situational awareness and to determine the extent of impact of the scenario. Army and Air Force MARS organizations will work in conjunction with the Amateur Radio community, primarily on the 60-meter interoperability channels as well as on HF NVIS frequencies and local VHF and UHF, non-Internet linked Amateur Radio repeaters.
Again this year, a military station on the east coast and the Fort Huachuca, Arizona, HF station will conduct a high-power broadcast on 60-meter channel 1 (5330.5 kHz) on Saturday from 0300 to 0315 UTC. New this year will be an informational broadcast on Sunday, on 13,483.5 kHz USB from 1600 to 1615 UTC. Amateur Radio operators should monitor these broadcasts for more information about the exercise and how they can participate in this communications exercise, English said.
“We want to continue building on the outstanding cooperative working relationship with the ARRL and the Amateur Radio community,” English said. “We want to expand the use of the 60-meter interop channels between the military and amateur community for emergency communications, and we hope the Amateur Radio community will give us some good feedback on the use of both the 5-MHz interop and the new 13-MHz broadcast channels as a means of information dissemination during a very bad day scenario.
Kind of think it’s because they are having to deal with all the rules and regs of the FCC and gov’t trying to take the Ham Band widths. The few I’ve met at parties have been nice, but this is a rural area and different mind set.
I was thinking a massive take over the world type EMP.
I learn a lot just listening to hubby talk, he likes talking all over the world not just local.
Up until this last year when age caught up with him we did the St. Jude’s Marathon Ham volunteers, to free up ER from the small stuff that a pick up truck could bring in supplies or take in a tired runner. He is part of the national ER team, but since moving to a smaller town, role has been reduced to just the local Hospital, no field work. There are about 30 in the new club, not bad for a tiny berg most are seniors.
Ditto here, no relatives just friends into Ham Radio.
There’s the difference between folks who have Ham Radio equipment on hand to use in the case of an emergency and those who routinely enjoy talking with fellow hobbyists around the world.
I fit firmly in the first category. I have never enjoyed talking to strangers on the Ham Radio or want to learn all about how they work or get more involved in local or national Ham Radio clubs. Conversations are somewhat limited due to the nature of the limitations of using those frequencies. On the other hand I enjoy what we do here on FR because we don’t have those limitations as long as we keep it civil.
It’s great for those who are interested in such things though and if the hobby people didn’t exist; people like me who are basically prepping for the SHTF scenario would not have Ham Radios to use in that scenario because it’s the hobbyists who put in the time and money to maintain and buy the equipment that makes it all work. I’m grateful to those who do enjoy the hobby to make it all possible.
If you are prepping then be sure to keep spare electronics in a Faraday Box. Even bubble wrapped then foil wrapped and tap serves as that purpose. And you can make your own boxes, google has instructions.
>> EMP does NOT destroy all things electronic and electrical. . . . EMP, in effect, needs an antenna <<
I think you may be confusing the effects of EMP with the effects of CME.
CME definitely needs an antenna, specfically one “cut” to extremely long wavelengths.
On the other hand, EMP can destroy certain solid-devices even when no “antenna” is attached.
I don’t know about solar panels. My best guess, however, is that they’d survive a CME, but would not survive a strong direct hit from an EMF. Still, that’s just a “guess” on my part.
>> I keep my emergency radios pack for EMP event. Does not take much to protect your equipment <<
Well, yeah, “protection” is OK. But where are you gonna get juice to recharge your batteries?
And where are you gonna get enough power to run you KW MF rig?
In other words, it ain’t necessarily gonna be all that easy
“On the other hand, EMP can destroy certain solid-devices even when no “antenna” is attached.”
No, it does not. This EMP nerdfest has gotten out of control.
Good advice which is why I bought a batch of different sized Faraday ‘bags’ from Amazon some time back. I even keep an old laptop tucked away and some old cell phones. One never knows what they might be worth after an EMP event.
Solar Panels and an inverter too, even if it will just run fridge/freezer and maybe a radio. Spare parts, gas, guns, and ammo too.
Hide away place in the hills away from fault lines or oceans.
I am setting up deployable Solar Panel solution. I figure if something does happen, their will be gas shortages. Solar Panel can recharge batteries.
I have low power requirements, I am only running a QRP rig (5 watts) and a 45 watt amp when needed.
My station consist of a low power laptop, Flex 1500, 2 meter transverter and a Tokyo Hy-Power 45b. Thinking a 180 watt panel with a 80 amp hour battery might be plenty.
>> I am setting up deployable Solar Panel solution <<
Maybe the only realistic way to get power after an EMP or CME — as long as the pulse doesn’t also disable solar panels.
(I still can’t get an answer from a knowledgeable person on that matter. Even asked an EE who works for a solar company. He didn’t know either!)
There has been some testing on some automobiles made between 1986 and 2002 on some newer autos. They found the car shut off but was able to be restarted. Looks like you have to be right under the pulse to cause damage to the automobile electronics.
Link to one of the articles I have read: https://www.futurescience.com/emp/vehicles.html
I think the front end on a radio connected to an antenna would be damage. The best solution is just store your solar panel and radios disconnected in a medal building or box grounded.
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