Posted on 10/21/2016 5:22:51 PM PDT by MarchonDC09122009
In light of today's widespread Internet outages, we should discuss contingency plans for FR availability, news updates and emergency communications.
Please share what ham amateur radio shortwave frequencies to monitor for emergencies and news updates, as well as practical ham email on the HF and VHF bands.
There are, of course, digital modes which allow you to squirt messages to other receivers which can be read on a computer screen linked to the radio. PSK31 is one such mode (there are a number of them now).
It's worth learning this stuff, even if you just listen.
Found this information regarding an upcoming emergency communications webinar.
It’s held by Oath Keepers.
Note: I do not know of real issues with the group or its founder, Stewart Rhodes.
SPLC, ADL and liberal MSM call them radical extremists (just like they smear constitutional conservatives here)
Anyway, here’s some info:
Oath Keepers Webinar on Emergency Communications & EMP Protection. 10-24, 8PM Central on Oct 24, 2016 8:00 PM CDT at:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/reg…97781166810625
Join us for a special webinar on Monday night, Oct 24, at 8PM Central, with our national Oath Keepers communications experts who will present critical information on what Americans must do to have critical grid-down (no internet, no cell, no power) emergency communications for their family, for their neighborhood, for their community, and what they must do to protect their critical electronics against the threat of electromagnetic pulse (EMP). We will also have questions and answer periods for each topic. Please sign up ASAP as we have a limit of 500 participants on this webinar.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Brought to you by GoToWebinar®
You are new designated a SME in this body of knowledge.
Please share my thing we should know regarding emergency comma and news sources.
*SME = Subject Matter Expert
To find a ham operator near you, http://www.arrl.org/advanced-call-sign-search
Go see them, make friends, they could be your only connection to the outside world. Plus, if you ever become interested in getting your ham license, it’s recommended that you have an “Elmer”. Basically someone to show you the ropes, someone to hang out with to see things in action, get advice on equipment etc etc.
Ham radio is a great resource but it’s not as simple as getting the license and shelling out some money. To get beyond local comms you’ll need a general ticket for HF. Join a local emergency communications group (ARES and/or RACES) and participate in a state or regional HF traffic (formal communications) net. You’ll learn how to cope with poor propagation and noise as well as learn how to communicate effectively under bad conditions e.g. by using relays.
There are established preparedness oriented nets that cover substantial portions of the country as well as digital systems that span the continent.
Prepper ping
Framingham. That’s where MEMA is located.
If you are two meters do a search for the local repeaters used for RACES and ARES. You can listen to the info, but the nets are controlled during emergencies.
Yes.
Shortwave Radio Resource Guide - SWLing.com
http://swling.com/Resources.htm
Shortwave Listening (SWLing) Resources
ABC QSL Card
QSL from the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Courtesy of Joseph Terwilliger.
Internet Sites
Broadcast listings
ShortwaveSchedule.com - My favorite online source of shortwave broadcasts. Clean, easy interface to find listings by the hour.
Prime Time Shortwave - This site has an extensive listing of English shortwave broadcasts in easy-to-print text listings.
Eike Bierwirth - This website is useful because it contains full, comprehensive, SW broadcast listings in downloadable formats. When I go to this site, I either download the schedules as a PDF of Word document. The site design is a bit distracting and you may find that the text listings come out garbled. This site is mostly in German, but is quite easy to find frequency guides.
DXing.com - This page (sponsored by Universal Radio) has the most comprehensive listing of shortwave bands. Frequency ranges are given for each band increment. They also list what content you can expect to find and best times to listen.
Monitoring Times Hot 1000 HF Frequencies - This list, maintained by Larry Van Horn (N5FPW) of The Monitoring Times, is my favorite frequency guide for military, aviation, government and other utility stations on the SW bands. Note that you will need a radio with Single Sideband capabilities as almost all of these stations broadcast in SSB.
DXing
The DX Zone - This is a very comprehensive site with thousands of links. This link, though, takes you directly to their shorwave section.
Glenn Hauser’s World Of Radio - World of Radio shows are informative and highlight all of the current activity and news reported on the SW bands. Any DXer worth their salt tunes in every week to hear his shows. For those of you who don’t have a radio yet, World of Radio is also available in mp3 form to download and listen to at your leisure. Also, full text versions of his shows are available here.
Only On Shortwave
Spy Numbers Stations
What are Spy Number Stations? - Wikipedia has a nice, concise overview of Spy Numbers Stations. Read this to better understand the history of Spy Numbers.
Black Cat Systems’ Spy Numbers Portal - This website is the best resource for Spy Numbers on the Internet. They have links to forums where users post real-time locations of Spy Number Stations.
Spy Numbers in the Media - There have been several articles written in the past few years that have brought Spy Numbers to the popular press. Follow these links to articles in Esquire, Salon.com and Wired.
American Forces Radio Network - The AFRN broadcasts news, information and entertainment programming to military and government workers across the globe. Though much of their TV and Radio programming has gone to satellite, the AFRN still broadcasts on shortwave. Their programming, though US-centric, has quite a bit of variety including networks like ABC, CNN, AP and even NPR. Check out their schedule, then find the best frequency for your location and time of day. You’ll need to use the single side-band function on your radio in order to hear AFRN broadcasts. Don’t be discouraged if you have trouble hearing the AFRN on your portable radio—try listening at different times on different frequencies. Keep in mind that the AFRN’s broadcasts are targeted for professional, military-grade shortwave receivers.
Shortwave History
Wikipedia - This is the Wikipedia entry for shortwave radio. It briefly touches on many aspects of shortwave listening.
On The Shortwaves - This is my favorite SW nostalgia site. It is loaded with interesting articles and links. Nice site design, too!
Shortwave News
Glenn Hauser’s World Of Radio - World of Radio shows are informative and highlight all of the current activity and news reported on the SW bands. If you listen to his show and seek some of the interesting stations and broadcasts he mentions, you will become addicted to SWLing, I promise you that. This show keeps its finger on the pulse of shortwave radio better than any other. The WOR broadcast schedule highlights where and when you can find shows with your radio. For those of you who don’t have a radio yet, World of Radio is also available in mp3 form to download and listen to at your leisure. Also, full text versions of his shows are available here.
Shortwave & Other Radio Websites
Ears To Our World - a shortwave radio distribution project for classrooms in the developing world.
Radio Intelligencer - this site has tips, excellent reviews and a comprehensive list of links.
RadioReference.com - is a wiki-based site with lots of radio information and links. They also cater to scanner enthusiasts with comprehensive frequency listings based on geographic region. They have a subscription based service, though much of their info is free.
Hong Kong Radioer - this site is maintained by a radio enthusiast in Hong Kong. He has a lot of reviews (though some may need translation—he provides a link) and includes many cool obscure rigs.
Phil’s old Radios - an excellent resource for anyone wishing to purchase an antique radio or simply learn more about one they currently own. Phil’s Radio Beginner articles are simply the best vintage radio resources on the internet.
Clubs
ANARC - The Association of North American Radio Clubs (ANARC), hosts radio pages for radio hobbyists around the world. This is the place to go to find various radio clubs in North America. All of these clubs publish informative newsletters at least quarterly. The following are some ANARC member clubs:
NASWA - The North American Shortwave Association has been active in the business of sharing information about shortwave radio since 1961. They focus on domestic and international broadcasts on shortwave frequencies between 2 and 30 MHz. Their SW Listening Guide is my favorite online. They also sponsor the popular yearly Winter SWL Fest, where monitoring hobbyists of all stripes, from DC to daylight, gather for a weekend of cameraderie and talk about radio. Their club motto is “Unity and Friendship.” Can’t beat that!
LWCA - Want to check out frequencies a little lower down? The Longwave Club of America was organized in January, 1974 to promote monitoring and experimentation on frequencies below the AM broadcast band.
ACE - The Association of Clandestine Radio Enthusiasts (The A*C*E) is an association of individuals who find pirate, clandestine, covert, and micro’casting communications. The primary existence of the Club revolves around the publication of a monthly newsletter called The monthly A*C*E. The newsletter reports on the activities of pirate, clandestine, covert, micro’casting, and other unexplained broadcasts. Readers are also provided with other available materials concerning motives, explanations, and theories behind these various broadcasts and broadcasters. With a good shortwave radio, you can hear many of these broadcasts.
Magazines
The Spectrum Monitor - Launched in 2014, The Spectrum Monitor is a full-spectrum monthly digital magazine for the radio listener—covering scanning, shortwave, ham radio and many other radio topics.
Popular Communications - “Pop Comm” is also a great magazine to enhance SWLing. In 2014, Pop Comm will stop print publication and become a part of CQ Plus—a digital supplement to CQ Amateur Radio magazine.
Thanks for the info.
That’s true. But you need to understand the mechanics and how the radios work. It’s worth getting your lowest level license. It took about a month of practice tests on my iPad.
You are not supposed to. There are data streams that might be better suited. They transmits at snail’s pace.
There are regular nets on most of the bands. There was one used to listen to with RV’ers checking in. There are regional nets. There is probably a list out there. When I monitor the HF bands I just scan around for conversations.
http://www.primetimeshortwave.com/country.txt
Trunews.Com
Christian orientated independent news: Rick Wiles
Country Station hours on air Frequency
U. S. A. TruNews 0000-2400 NA. 9395wr
The attacks today were tested a few weeks (?) back - devices accessible via the internet (cameras, etc.) were hacked in masses and were used together to generate a massive denial of service attack, in the order of TERABYTES/sec on the target. The guess was this will be the new thing. In an “Internet of Things” era what you suggest will become more possible than I’d considered in the past. All devices will need to move toward authenticating connections, only working with trusted sources.
...easier said than done.
Yeah, I tested my 2M once, just a short illicit transmission to see if a photon beam weapon from an NSA satellite would take me out. Nothing. Must not have got a good lock on me. To the other poster: Been reading about this stuff and building electronics for 40 years. I do know the mechanics.
Can anyone make a recommendation on a radio to purchase? What features should I be mainly concerned with?
proton, not photon. Well, could be a LASER, I guess.
Bookmark.
There are some hardcore (fill in the blank) broadcasters at the non ham bands on short wave. There is a big bad world out there.
It’s sad, trying to get kids interested in this stuff is hard because it’s not as cool as other things. But pushing a button in Mass and talking to some guy on St Helena Island on the other side of the planet is pretty damned cool.
For those who may not know, due to bandwidth & signal quality issues, packet data / email is at a snails pace, ie:
300 baud HF band, and 1200+ baud VHF.
Think 1982 Commadore Vic 20 dial-up performance / capability.
Amateur Radio Emergency Services uses short radio data messages to send emergency update information about disaster scene, brief victim family messages.
To the best of my knowledge there is No shortwave radio Internet capability.
Input appreciated...
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