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.
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Huh. Gotta get my radio shack back up before the snow flies. Got enough room for quarter wave dipoles running north-south and east west.
KG7PCC comin’ atcha...
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I’m just a Technician level operator and have no desire to invest in more equipment but I do have 4 hand held HT’s and a roof antenna that allows me some distance to receive and transmit.
I’ll have to tune in to the ARRL frequency at the local level during that time frame.
Thanks for the heads up. Oh; and I keep at least 2 of these HT’s in a Faraday bag just in case we get hit with an EMP. It would be nice if there was a way to harden the expensive base units against such an attack.
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You could keep it in a faraday cage. Along with a generator and batteries. And an antenna.
I am not being facetious. In the event they are describing the entire grid would be shot. In a CME event whatever side of the earth is pointed towards the sun would get fried.
If a CME event happen, the gas supplies will run out quickly. I am setting up an additional Solar panel system that will power all my HF/UHF/VHF Comms and Laptops.
I am off the grid more than half the year when I am boating. With lithium batteries NOW starting to become a reasonably priced alternative, the RV will be added to the list of Li batteries needed.
I am assuming that some of my flexible solar panels (and associated spare electronics) will survive as they are normally stored away (not connected but NOT in a Faraday shield). I could be unpleasantly surprised..... I don't think from what I have read that any CME event will be strong enough to get the not connected spares. The results from the N. Koreans may be different. And with any CME event, we should get plenty of warning. If you really like your electronics, then disconnect them before the event arrives.
Except for air conditioning and heat, solar works for someone who is electrically knowledgeable. I just took a set of AGM batteries off the sail boat that were 8 years old so if you don't abuse them, they will last.
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Pfl
>> I am setting up an additional Solar panel system <<
I guess solar panels wouldn’t be affected by a CME, unless maybe they happened to be attached in some fashion to the grid.
But what about an EMP? Wouldn’t it fry the panels just the way it would fry transistors and other solid-state devices?
For later.
Why not go for your EXTRA LICENSE? Most clubs have Saturday classes, takes a few weeks, lots of additional privileges and bands.
Hubby has been a Ham/Extra since he was teaching electronics/math a Math Major, in Jr. College in the mid 80’s. After his 20 yr career in the Navy. Still teaches the math portion of the Extra class.
Just think if the S like a EMP hits the fan only older equipment stored in Faraday boxes will function. Gov’t will control all the rest of communications. Same goes for your old cell phone, you will still have GPS. Or store a GPS unit in a Faraday box, same goes for all these fancy computer smart cars, they won’t work.
The quick answer is I have no intention of buying more equipment. I have around $550 invested in what I have which allows for 2 meter and 70 cm frequencies which are plenty for keeping in contact locally and with the Tech license I can talk on those frequencies. This isn’t a hobby for me; it’s a part of my prepper plan for the SHTF scenario. I can get info from those who do treat Ham Radios as a hobby and have long distance equipment. They will get that info and pass it along locally and long distance. I don’t have relatives long distance that I have been able to talk into getting their license or equipment so there’s really no need for me personally to have it.
In a major emergency when power is lost on the grid; the repeaters are usually on a battery backup system so they should still work. I’m not sure what the scenario is for an EMP hit or how direct the hit needs to be to affect things like cars and plugged in repeaters. Obviously the best thing is to unplug everything electronic.
The fact is we really don’t know what will happen in the event of an EMP attack. I guess it depends on what causes that EMP and how close it hits. The big problem is transformers in the grid. They are expensive and difficult to replace quickly. Common thinking is a lot of things will still work but maybe have some problems like windows not working in cars or something.
Bookmark
“But what about an EMP? Wouldn’t it fry the panels just the way it would fry transistors and other solid-state devices?”
No, because EMP does NOT destroy all things electronic and electrical, contrary to Internet rumors. EMP relies on long wires to generate the energy needed to harm those things attaches to such wires. EMP, in effect, needs an antenna to generate its electrical signal strong enough to harm anything. Your radio just sitting there isn’t going to be harmed.
I keep my emergency radios pack for EMP event. Doe not take much to protect your equipment.
Also, because I didn’t think about at the time I wrote the last response to your question, the fact is during an emergency no one needs a license to talk on a ham radio.
However, because there are protocols and some language things to learn to talk on Ham Frequencies correctly, it is advised to at least get the Technician license to get to know the basics.
One other thing worth noting from my personal experience with “some” in the ham radio world; many are radio snobs. Most are not but those who are in leadership positions seem to be the worst of the bunch. Why this is I don’t know.
In their world apparently you ain’t shit if you aren’t doing this or that. In my world I look at them and think what small and petty people they are for even thinking that way.
Like I said; I don’t know why they have this attitude. I can only guess it’s because they had to study and learn knowledge most people don’t know which somehow makes some of them feel superior to those who don’t know what they know about a hobby most people couldn’t care less about.
I was very disappointed to find this caliber of people in this hobby. Very disappointed.
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