Radio for preparedness: What lessons can we learn from Hurricane Helene?
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Unless you've been living under a rock, you know about the devastation caused by hurricane Helene. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee have all been impacted by the storm. In the particularly hard hit area near Ashville, NC ham radio has been used to great effect for everything from health and welfare checks to directing supply drops and emergency evacuation requests. While there have been many hams (and non hams) who have been instrumental in the effort radio has played, one in particular stands out. Dan Gitro, K2DMG, has done an amazing job handling an insane amount of traffic. Dan, good on you man. You deserve all of the praise you're receiving.
While listening to the traffic, it occurred to me that there's a lot that people don't consider when looking at radio for emergency preparedness. I figured I'd discuss some of the things I consider when looking at radios for this purpose, and what I'd buy and what I'd skip. This disaster has put radio's role in a whole new light, and I think a lot of people will start to seriously consider their communications plan when preparing for disasters. Thanks as always for watching, and 73!
Evan
K2EJT
buymeacoffee.com/K2EJT
k2ejt@winlink.org
I got stranded in 1998 during an ice storm below a hill at our fishing camp on Christmas day after checking catfish nets. I found an old Cobra CB radio from the 70s in a shed and a mobile antenna with a magnet and shoved it up onto the tin roof and used the truck battery. I had no idea if the radio was transmitting but I called all day for help. Around 4 pm a guy with a 4WD answered and brought me smoked turkey, bread, beer and smokes.
this gave me a tremendous smile!
K2DGM was a rock star! Good on him for saying he didn't care if people had a license or not in this emergency situation. A VFW club just used their club number as their call sign to arrange water with their pre-programmed radio.
Great stuff! The hurricane down there and listening to that net. Has motivated me to get involved in my local club and up my Emergency Comms game at home where its lacking. I HATE doing it in my off time because its what I do and have done for a living in one form or another going on 20 years now. Dan k2dmg is awesome!
Yeah, anything you do for a living becomes a chore. I loathe working on cars for that exact reason.
Great video evan. Your comments about knowing what bands to use when is spot on. I've known hams who have been licensed for 30 years, make regular HF contacts and still don't know when to use 20 M vs 40 m when trying to make a contact with a specific operator in the world. Just turning on the radio and listening throughout the day gives you a sense on where the bands are open based on the time of day.
Yeah, it's vastly more complicated than most people realize, and the only way to figure it out is to use it and see how everything works.
I learned this summer that HF stinks in the summer. I had to have a bunch of busted POTA activations to learn it.
@@toddhowell2299 HF in the summer during the DAY stinks... Hop on 40m in the morning or evening, or 80m at night, and you'll get insane pileups. It all goes back to what I said about really needing to learn how this stuff all works. You put in the effort and learned what DOESN'T work, which is just as important as knowing what does!
Great presentation. All this information is available across many channels but you brought it all together in one shot 👍.
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
POTA is a great learning opportunity. The hands on experience you will gain is priceless. It’s fun too. I just need Alaska for my worked all states (WAS).
Alaska can be a tough nut to crack. It's much easier on CW or digital, but it's doable on SSB if conditions are favorable.
I got my tech license several ears ago and I'm embarrassed to say did nothing with it. I have never been on air one time. This disaster has been the kick in the behind I need to do something about it. Ill go to the local club and get involved and learn what I need. Enjoyed the video.
You're not alone. There are piles of people just like you. Now that you've seen how useful radio can be in a disaster, start playing with stuff and see what works and what doesn't. Good on you for realizing that gap in your skillset and working to fix it!
I subscribed but would also be interested in the other content you mentioned. I'm 61 and always looking for new skills.
The 1985 Mexico City earthquake got me interested in amateur radio. I learned the importance of HF communications.
Excellent presentation, clear, well organized, chock full of useful information. I suggest including links in your comments with the radios you describe.
Yeah, I should have done that. I threw this together fast, and neglected to do that. I'll have to go back and add links in the video description. Thanks for watching!
Your recommendation of G90s and 5Rs is gonna rile up some people, but you're absolutely right if you're not talking to hams who are hams for the hobby's sake. The fact that an everyman can get so much comms for $500 is great and I'm glad the market doesn't have to scramble to get something out that should have already been there.
Yeah, hams can be really snobby about gear (I'm guilty of that myself sometimes), but the reality of it is a G90 or even a G106 and a few Baofengs will do everything you'd need in a disaster situation without causing you to go broke. If it works, it works. Thanks for watching!
Funny you mention that. I have been in the hobby for a few decades, and my go to radios are a G90 and a TidRadio H3. The G90 is set up for JS8, and I can work most of north america on a couple of watts. The H3...I can run as a ham radio, but if I need to go simple and hand a GMRS radio to a family member, a keypad sequence on reboot makes it a pre-programmed GMRS simplex radio. My local GMRS repeater is open squelch, so tone programming is not even needed.
Yeah, I have better and bigger HR rigs, better HT's, and mobile rigs in the vehicles, but the inexpensive and easy to use stuff is much friendlier, I think. And when I'm on the air, no one can tell if I'm on the $30 radio or the $300 radio. That's what matters, right?
Solid overview.
I remember while in Vietnam in 1971 serving in the Army no phones, internet, or cell phones the one time I could call back home was MARS. Government was utilizing civilian Ham radio operators by some method called MARS which we could make a 5 minute call. After each sentence my family and I had to say “Over”, to let the operators know when to work their magic !!
First off, thank you for your service! Yes, radio can fill a role that's hard to replicate any other way. Thanks for watching!
Might have to do it again. Thanks for your service. 💪🇺🇲👍
You give good information. Not just options but why and how each option works. Pros and cons. I am a licensed amateur general and I have a GMRS license. I have an emergency comms plan with my family. We practice comms every day almost. I am in a vehicle and mobile around town all day. My step son is working from home and next to a radio. He’s also a amateur general. My wife has a technician license. As a family we operate under my GMRS license. At least once every 3 months we go out in the field and set up field operations. We have a plan for just about every situation. One thing that’s important is not just for one person. Make it fun and get the whole family involved.
Wow! I'd say you have your comms down to a science! You're better off than 99.9% of the population. I'm impressed!
Great video Evan. I live about 1.5 hrs from Asheville and can hear the Mt. Mitchell repeater from my home. It has been surreal listening to the traffic. I like your new channel idea and am definitely interested. 73, Patrick KF4LMZ
Yeah, the traffic on that repeater has been nuts. I'll probably start another channel for the other stuff. I've been thinking about it for a while.
Excellent job with this video, Evan! I'll echo the need to practice before the emergency event is upon us. No repeaters in my rural county. I have to depend on the repeaters in adjacent counties for 2 M and 70 CM. I had to determine if I could communicate with a weekly 2 M EMCOMM net in an adjacent county. I only have an FT-65 HT with a Signal Stick antenna. I could receive the net fine, but they could not hear me adequately with this set up. I made a homebrew ground plane antenna in order to communicate effectively with the net. I was welcomed to the net and now I know my setup will work if needed. 73 de Gordon
And there you have it. That shows the importance of knowing what works and what doesn't. Thanks for watching and thanks for the helpful comment!
N9TAX makes a great antenna for your HT. 33 dollars.
Exactly! Too many of the GI Joe wannabe crowd really don't have a clue about radio operation. They don't care to know either, which is very sad!
They want to save the world, but don't really want to learn how. Keep in mind, a lot of these folks are paranoid as well! Thus the "I'm not getting a license" attitude. Those are the most worthless kind in a situation! But a lot of them are to stupid to grasp that sadly.
Your exactly right. You need to KNOW what's going work BEFORE you need to use it! Comms is a very wide discussion, with a lot of aspects. But people need to be SMART about it, to get the most out of it! And that's the problem, as most of these kind aren't very smart. Just some thoughts. 73 de kd7cjo
I would be interested in a channel if skills. Especially beginner, friendly, emergency communication set up with recommended links. By the way, I am not a radio operator at all. Yet I understood 90% of what you were presenting here. Appreciate the way you laid out needs and capabilities plus budgetary considerations. New sub.
Thank you and thanks for watching! I'm definitely considering starting a channel dedicated to survival and preparedness skills. It'll be a lot of work, but I think it'd be worth it.
I have been adding to my Quansheng radio collection. Great radio for $30+/-
They're definitely cool little radios for the money......and you can modify them to do all sorts of cool stuff!
Good job, well presented. Yes a series is a great idea.
You might consider setting up an Amazon affiliate store and providing links in the description. I would totally use that. Thanks for the information.
I'll work on getting links in the description. I put this up quick. I don't sell stuff, so it probably won't be affiliate links though.
@@EvanK2EJT Just to throw out there, if you did have affiliate links I also would have bought through you. There is nothing wrong with you high quality UA-camrs making some money if you believe in the product.
Great info. Thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching
Good luck over there. Thanks for the info as well. Regards, ZS4DB.
Thank you. Great compilation and references.
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
Excellent video, Evan. I got my GMRS license about six months ago, and it's been a fun experience learning about different radios and how to program them along with repeaters and experimenting with the radios and different antenna to find out their limitations. In my locations, I can hit about eight different repeaters that range anywhere from twelve to forty-five miles away. Several of my HT's and mobile I use as a base are hooked up to my Ed Fong J Pole antenna, and it works great even receiving 2 meters and 70 cm. I have various ways to power up my radios, using solar and battery packs as well, it came in handy when Helene came through and knocked out the power, internet, and cell service for several days. I was able to communicate with my brother that lives about forty miles away, and he could communicate with my elderly parents that live a couple of mile from him.
Excellent! This is precisely the type of setup I encourage people to get. It's incredible what a 5 watt HT and a J Pole will do! GMRS is a fantastic tool, and if I'm being completely honest, my GMRS HTs get more use than my ham HTs do.
Allegedly, some preparedness folks are using QRZ to find active call signs to use and practice with. QRZ will give you the name and location of who owns the call sign which is needed to not raise any suspicion when making contacts. If you watch a few videos of Hams making contacts you can pick up the lingo easy enough to get on the air and practice. If you raise suspicion and get called out, just change frequencies and use a new call sign. While I personally do not condone this behaviour and advise everyone to be licensed, it does happend all the time and the FCC don't care enough and will do nothing about it.
Yeah, people will do sketchy things. There's not much you can do to stop anyone. Fortunately I'm 99% CW, and people know what my voice sounds like, so if you hear my callsign being used on phone or see it being used on digital, it's most likely not me lol
Lots of good info crammed together (I say that as a complement)
Thank you! Yeah, I know......it was a lot to digest at once. I threw this together on the fly.
Evan thank you for taking the time to make this video, God bless you 🙏👍 maybe add links to some inexpensive stuff for basics!
Thank you! I intend to. I threw this video together pretty quickly, so I didn't have time to get the links in. I'm going to work on that today. Thanks for watching!
Thank you for putting this together. You make a lot of sense. We always also filled up our vehicles with fuel before. You may need it but if you have radios in them make sure they can cross band to get your HT more range. Running a vehicle for a few minutes to get coms out is not much fuel.
Fuel is something that most people definitely don't consider until its too late, and once the power goes out, it's beyond too late. Thanks for watching!
Hawai’i had same issue during hurricane Iniki, and the ham radio operators helped an incredible amount. The tragic thing is there wasn’t a way to try to compensate them - maybe Hurricane Helene recovery could include ham operator support and compensation in some way.
Another benefit of GMRS can get the family use to radio-ing in day to day.
I'm rocking GMRS Pros, 82HP mars w USB C, and Icon 2730 mars (also cross band repeat. But I need to get my channel plan worked out, printed, and everything re programed.
Yep, I honestly use my GMRS HTs a lot more than my ham HTs for that exact reason.
Great video, Evan. Thanks. See you out there. 73 de Bill
Thanks Bill, and thanks for watching!
Thanks Evan!
Thanks for watching Steve!
The roll up J pole is small enough to put in the go bag. And it makes a TONNNNN of difference. It’ll be easier to hang up high with some paracord over a tree branch to hoist it up.
Great information Evan! As you said, don't expect to just pick up a radio when needed and know how to use it. It requires a ton of knowledge and effort to talk to a specific person at a specific time.
Kentucky took a glancing blow from Helene with about 100K without power. I never lost power but had no comms (other than ham radio) for 2 days. I'd been trying to get my family licensed to no avail. So I got my GMRS license so that they can at least learn how to use a radio and be familiar with talking on it, and we'll have some ability to communicate.
And this event showed us that it doesn't take and "end of the world" type scenario to lose the ability to communicate with loved ones through conventional channels...our infrastructure is very fragile!
Yeah, that's where GMRS really shines. One license covers your whole family. That's what I use for family comms as well. If crap really hit the fan though, I'd have them use whatever worked, regardless of what the FCC rules say.
G90 is currently $399 at Radioddity right now (10/5/24). FYI.
Killer deal right there
A tip I use with ALL my radios not
In use (but especially the Baofengs), is to put a small peice of paper between the battery and the contacts. Stored ready to go, never have to separate the radio and battery, and all i need to do is quickly pop the battery and let the paper fall out. Charged battery every time, no surprizes.
Great tip!
Thank you so much for sharing this. As a novice, and very much a beginner, starting from zero I appreciate all of the information that you shared. As a newb, I'd like to ask if anyone can share a good starting point (or points) for me to go to in order to start my journey? Any & all recommendations are appreciated.
I know that I'd appreciate and get a lot from you sharing any emergency/survival information on a channel.
New subscriber.
G90 is a good suggestion. I was going to say X5105 when you were talking about the KX2 and Lab599. Those Xiegu antenna tuners are just incredible. Random wire on BNC/banana jacks and an X5105/KX2 and you're in business.
And great tip about being able to charge HTs. I'm ashamed that I never considered charging them on anything but wall power.
Yeah, the Xiegu tuners are something else. They'll tune damn near anything! As for HT charging, it's not something a lot of people consider, but it is definitely a point to consider.
So, I've been getting a lot of "I'm not getting a license you government bootlicker" comments. Yes, I know where it's coming from....I watch UA-cam also. Now, my question to all of you who say you aren't going to get a license from the government is this: How many of you have a driver's license? Yeah, that's what I thought. If you're going to stand on your principles, that's fine, but if you're going to be selective about what you'll ask permission from the government for you're nothing but a hypocrite.
Cars kill far more people than radio misuse. A driver's license is a useful form of ID to fill out their I9 to get any job, which a ham license doesn't count for. Band plans are important and people should know what they're doing, however not too long ago CB required a license and the radio world didn't collapse when it went public. Even today GMRS requires no demonstration of knowledge, just pay the gov for a license. If VHF UHF is important for the common citizen, shouldn't we want it to be available to the most people?
-Licensed ham
Nice video BTW,
Do you know how many times I've had some guy, with two tax stamps slung over his shoulder from the worst three letter agency, say that to me? 🙄
@@sergeantsilverheart I didn't say anything about killing anybody. I'm simply pointing out that they have no problem ceding their freedom of movement via automobile to the government, but ceding their freedom of speech on certain portions of the RF spectrum.........only certain portions mind you........nope, that's a bridge too far. Keep in mind that a not having a driver's license absolutely does not remove your freedom of movement, just like not having a ham radio license doesn't remove your freedom of speech. You can still travel from place to place freely, and you can still freely speak your mind. You don't need a drivers license for ID. There are various other forms of ID that would work for that purpose (passport, non driver's ID, Sherriff's ID, etc). It's hypocritical and disingenuous, and I'm simply pointing that out. I'm not speaking to the efficacy of the licensing system itself. The selective outrage cracks me up.
@@sergeantsilverheart Thank you. And please note, I'm not trying to be combative.......I'm just pointing out the stupidity of it all.
Evan, this is very helpful as a CW only Op. I keep a Baofeng at work in my office. Emergencies happen while in the big city. You can never over prepare. And you can always learn more and do more. FYI - Location Georgia. Thank you. Bill KG4FXG
Yeah, I'm CW 99% of the time as well.......but you've gotta keep the rest of the skills sharp just in case. Thanks for watching.
Put links to these radios and antennas in description, please.
I intend to today. I threw this video up in a hurry, so I didn't have time to compile all of the info.
Great post for people wanting to make the most of radio for preppers or emergency comms, but on the fence about licencing. It's hard to het much of a network up and running without any kind of license. Hint: Get a P.O. box BEFORE starting the licensing process to leep your address off the radio karen website.
Yeah, if you're worried about public information getting out, a PO box is definitely the option you'd want.
I have been a ham radio operator for many years. I agree, always have on hand extra batteries for each of the radios. Every portable radio I have has at least 2 extra batteries. Why? Because when one is dead, you can switch to another battery while charging any batteries that might need charging. That's another thing; always have a solar panel or two for charging and / or extra power. Solar panels are cheap compared to no power. A generator is good, but remember it will need fuel depending on the generator. The real key is be ready. Something is better than nothing, and communication is a major thing especially with no cellular sites working.
Amen to all of that!
Redodo has 50ah batteries right now for 110 right now. i built a 200ah battery box for under 500 dollars.
I have been listening to that net all week. It certainly has been educational and inspiring. I keep a couple Quansheng ht's around because of the USB-C. I don't usually use VHF or UHF much because I can't hit any repeaters from my house. My ham kids use VHF simplex and my non ham kids use GMRS simplex to keep in touch when in the woods or taking a walk. It's good practice for them. I like having Winlink capability in my home and car, I think it could be helpful. You can use it to get news too. -ne2b
@@stservulus I honestly don't use VHF/UHF much either. Most of the time I'm using GMRS with my family. I always carry an HT with me though, just in case.
Radio disaster response is going to remain hobbled until CB, FRS, and GMRS are integrated into a unified communications system. Most people aren’t going to get a tech license, or even learn how to program a Baofeng, but anyone can buy and use a CB or FRS radio.
FRS and GMRS are already pretty much integrated. They run the same frequencies. GMRS allows more power, replaceable antennas, and repeaters. They're not going to open that stuff up to everyone though for a few reasons. First is the line A and C issue that isn't really a problem on a half watt FRS radio with a tiny antenna. The second is the repeater access thing. If everyone with a Wal Mart radio hops on the local GMRS repeater, it's not going to be able to handle the traffic (they're generally nowhere near the same level of equipment as an average ham repeater). I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't see it happening. CB is a different animal entirely. Again, you have limited frequencies, and no no repeaters. It's SOMETIMES beyond line of sight, but totally unreliable for that use case, and can't really replace HF ham radio. They're all tools to have in the toolbox, but they aren't going to replace the infrastructure and capabilities ham radio affords. Again, you're right most people aren't going to get their Technician license, and that's fine, but they're hobbling themselves....and that's entirely their fault.
You know.........now you've got me thinking. Maybe GMRS, FRS, and CB need to be scrapped entirely and a new service created that gives non-licensed people access to more capable radio equipment. Food for thought!
@@EvanK2EJT you are quite right, of course. I’m thinking more of system more than a hardware. I live in a small rural community surrounded by farms. Our major threat is flooding, as we are at the intersection of two rivers. If there was an event in the mountains to our west out town could easily end up under 15-20 feet of water. Our township office is in a relatively high area with a tall water tower on it. We usually have 24 hours to get ready for flood. I am thinking that 24 hours would give us plenty of time to set up
a comms center with CBs, GMRS/FRS, and ARES capability. The monitored frequencies would be sent out through the usual text system well ahead of time so everyone could be ready.
My concern is that the CB, GMRS, and amateur (and one could argue HF) communities tend to be very insular. In a disaster setting everything should be planned out and integrated ahead of time. Personally I think that 11 meters and GMRS frequencies ought to be (legally) available on HF radios for just such emergencies. I figure that the vast majority of people who hold a General license can be trusted to communicate on all frequencies in an emergency setting in an appropriate manner.
@@clydeosterhout1221 Now I see where you're coming from, and absolutely agree with you!
@@EvanK2EJTDisagree. Not "everything" is about "emergencies". Cb, Frs, Murs are used DAILY by untold number of folks for various applications. No need to reinvent the wheel, ham radio is there and if people are smart they will get the gimme license and become familar with the frequencies before something happens.
Great video. 🤝
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
Great video! Got my subscription. Love my g90 and anytime 878uvii plus. I don't really use digital on the 878, but I like the folder(zone) organization system for organizing repeaters regionally
Yeah, being able to organize repeaters based on geographic location is a great feature for sure. Thanks for watching!
You missed a very a crucial part of the FT5D: it can listen to shortwave. It's a way to gather information if the local stations are out. It'd be great if Yaesu made it able to listen SSB in the next version.
I actually mention it right after AM radio
@@EvanK2EJT I must have missed it and wasn't paying attention to that part. Sorry about that.
@@ke8mattjLOL not a problem at all. I threw a lot of info at people really quickly. I can easily see how you'd miss it. Oh, I talk fast too, so that doesn't help matters. Thanks for watching!
I got an Apache case from harbor freight and put 6 baofengs in it with whip antennas spare long batteries and chargers for each. I programmed all of them identical and top off the batteries from time to time.
This is 1000% how you do it! Good on you for being proactive!
Thanks for being real about how it's gonna go in a disaster. You can buy baofengs by the dozen and I have ready to hand out to the neighbors. Got a repeater for GMRS going in too.
Yeah, at the end of the day, in an emergency any radio is better than no radio, and I could care less if you have a license at that point.
@@EvanK2EJT I have mentioned in some ham circles that I am considering putting a 2M at the radio station I engineer for and wire it to the board. State has already said if there is another emergency that is where the party is at. People are like oh you have to have a license... nah if we are relaying messages to the public we are transmitting as the station call sign and that we are available to relay. I think in that situation nobody would say a word about it. I have a GMRS repeater licensed at the house still setting it up. I can work on a 100,000 watt FM station but I need to take a test to use a 5 watt ham radio. Went to look at the test and figured I had it but it seems they have added a bunch of digital stuff to it I don't really know yet it seems. At least they dropped code. I can't tell a dot from a dash at any speed. That kept me away for a long time that and when I looked into it when I was young it was geriatric guys thumping code books at each other and strict military protocol whatever.. that ain't me. It's gotten better though now that I am looking into it again. I have the radios. There is also 11 meter/CB. I am betting a lot of my fellow hillbillies in the disaster still have a cobra 29 in the trucks that survived.
Great video, Evan! Definitely would watch if you started another channel for other skills.
I think I'll probably do it. It'll be a lot of work, but I think it'd be worth it.
I like my G90 more and more every time I use it, especially now that I'm starting to use random-wires as often as resonant verticals. There are things I wish it did better, but that tuner and 20W is a winner more often than not.
Mike K8MRD just proved the G90'll tune up a shopping cart :-D
Yeah, the G90 tuner really is something else. I wish Xiegu sold a stand alone tuner. That would be killer. Thanks for watching!
It would be great if Xiegu made a more rugged G90. G90 is so great thanks to that internal ATU. VM
Do you want to hear a weird coincidence? I was listening to this video and repairing fence. I moved some grass and there was a hornet nest on the wire. I cleared more grass to see what o was dealing with just as you had the wasp near the camera. I'm listening on headphones so I was running away waving my hands and then i heard your comment. Lol
Okay.........that's awesome! LOL
The G90 uses the same draw for 1 watt as it does for 20 watts.
But its still a low draw and a great radio
The receive draw is the same, but the transmit draw is not.
just happened to buy 5x uv-k5's for 15 bucks each before this. being able to hand off these is going to be super important. noah, am/air band, usb-c charging, the battery lasts like 2-3 days and it comes with a little bit better antena.
Perfect! You're well ahead of a lot of people when it comes to communications preparedness!
ALSO !
You need to get the AA alkaline battery case for whatever radio you have. So yiu can use regular batteries to power it..
I have a portable 120w folding solar panel that actually produces the stated wattage that has a type C 65w power delivery port. Higher wattage folding panels are excellent for powering 3-speed USB fans and Onite light bulbs even in very low light. These are a crucial part of my Louisiana hurricane preps. Always get the best/largest fans with 5 blades and keep the blades clean. The 12 volt port on these panels can be plugged into the 5.5/2.1 barrel plug port of the common larger D battery fans with a cable. I believe this fan port is for 9v but I`ve tested it and it works fine. It also matches the unmarked 12v port on the Universal EBL NiMH battery chargers.
Very nice!
Great vid. Im gonna share the daylights out of this one. W7KAP
Thank you! I really appreciate it.
Living under a rock is preferable these days, but to each their own.
LOL you're not wrong
HF... YESS!! I set up my Xiegu 6100 and Josh you're WRONG! It's zygoo not shagoo. I set up an EFHW 40-10 in NVIS last weekend and talked to stations 20 miles away and hundreds of miles in the afternoon on 7.285!
Yeah, HF is crazy. If propagation is good you can talk around the world on low power.
@@EvanK2EJT 10 meters this afternoon, 80 this morning. I'm in Central Florida and talked to some new contacts this morning that I made a few weeks ago before the storm in NC. Butch and Chris
Even worse than the Baofeng is a CB Radio that would be handy. The CB would get you hyper local and would probably be a first choose for looters. Gotta have a defense plan in there also. 73.
We keep two pre-programmed GMRS radios in each car in case of caravanning.
Perfect!
With a pair of tweezers you can have that FT5 mars modded in seconds. I did it to both that and my FT3
Oh, I know.......I'm just lazy LOL
Icom ID51A(built in Japan, not china) 2 band radio programmed for local repeaters. I have a home right between the Line and Bridge fires in Calif. Got better information over ham than any local news stations(No info from local stations, only sick drama and sensationalism).
Great radio!
Good video, Evan. Ken N9QIL
Great video thanks. Do you have a recommendation for a 13y old kid, so he can start learning about radios? I live in Katy TX. tks
That's a great question! There are lots of places to learn about radio in general. There are piles of great (and some not so great) UA-cam channels and videos. Hamstudy.org is a great if you're trying to study for a test. Ham Radio Prep and Ham Radio School (both online courses) have LOTS of radio related stuff. The ARRL website has lots of resources as well. The sky is the limit really. I guess the first question is, what does he want to learn and be able to do?
@@EvanK2EJT I think at first comunicate with best friend within the neighborhood. something simple. What could be a radio that i can give him to get him started? thanks for the response!!!
The Yaesu FT-60 HT has an optional AA battery adapter. I carry the adapter filled with batteries and if my FT-60 battery dies then I just change to the adapter battery pack.
That's an excellent point, and one I hadn't really considered! Thank you, and thanks for watching!
Evan, what is the dual band model you said was 400-450. And receive on all bands? I could not catch the model in the video.....
That is a Yaesu FT5DR. Ham Radio Outlet currently has them on sale for $369.95: www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-017648
I really need to get links to stuff in the video description. I intended to do it today but I was crazy busy. Thanks for watching!
I have to disagree with your opinion to get licensed. I’ve been learning and practicing for 40 years, all without being licensed. Have a bent a few rules along the way, well yes. But I can and have set up repeaters. I’ve worked P25 and DMR. I’ve done this with the help of those who are and aren’t licensed. Mostly because we all have a 2A mentality and don’t subscribe to asking for permission.
And that's your prerogative. It definitely makes things harder though, but good luck either way
Help me understand HF. Radio waves can't be parabolic, right? So you aim your antenna up at the Ionosphere, the waves hit that, then based on the angle, the waves come down at some other point hundreds of miles away?
Sure. I can do that. There are several layers of the ionosphere. Depending on the frequency, time of day, solar activity, etc. the ionosphere will refract your signal off of it and back down to earth again. Different bands are effected differently, and different layers of the ionosphere will either refract or absorb the signal. That's why it gets so complicated. For example, the 40 meter band (7MHz) will be absorbed by the ionosphere during the day, but at night it will refract off of the F layer and propagate around the world. It's fascinating........and kind of complicated and frustrating LOL.
So question is, okay I have my radio but how do I find help or call to people. There’s way to many frequency to be able to find one people are on.
I’m a total new guy to all this.
In Airsoft we use the uv5-r to communicate and every small squad has their own comms frequency along with a dedicated frequency for staff and what not.
I have no idea in a shtf situation how you’d be able to find other people on a “common” network frequency.
Am I dumb for asking this?
Are we using these like walkie talkies where only those I want to know my frequency will be the ones I give it to?
if you think a license gives you those things, you really give it too much credit. I’ve never needed a license to learn, to work with others, or communicate with respect.
I'm not saying a license gives you anything. You're reading way too far into things, and you clearly have an axe to grind with someone who is simply trying to help people understand radio.
@@EvanK2EJT no axe, far from it. However the post literally started, “A license gives…”, and I firmly disagree that a license gives you anything. It may let you lawfully operate, but I think it goes without saying, we all break the law everyday. Every single one of us. Most of us, just never get caught.
@@MrRobertSpearsJr That's fair, but now I feel you're being a bit pedantic just for the sake of it. Let's just agree to disagree and move on. Like I said, all I'm trying to do is give people information that they may find useful. If you feel I'm incorrect, or that you can do it better, shoot your own video. Who knows, maybe it WILL be better, and maybe I'd learn something from it.
@@EvanK2EJTdeal. As for a video, my life (aka wife) keeps me way too bbusy. But if you are genuinely interested in learning, listen to those that disagree with you. That’s what I do, thank you for the content.
unless youve been living under a rock, or in california
I mean, I can imagine there are lots of places where they have their own major issues to worry about so I can understand some people not being entirely up to speed on the situation.
Start the skills channel
I watched your video and I am left with more questions than answers. First off, where is FT8? I watched your FT8 test video and went to the FCC office and passed it. Why didnt you mention it?
Second, my cat threw up on the floor. I had to clean it up.
Third, why NVIS. Dont you want FVIS? Far... Not near...
First and foremost, may I say QBL OM. Second, I had to stop using FT8, because FT8 nine. My cat threw up too. I wonder if they ate the same thing? FVIS is only for folk who REFUSE to get licensed because "Muh Freedumb!", and you wouldn't want to be seen using a peasant antenna, now would you?
Damn skippy. My free speech requires me to do 2200m because everyone knows that's the freeeeeeeest band.
I thought about getting a license but I think your cat came over and threw up on my floor too, so I have that to deal with now.
Damn FCC, next thing you know the FCC will raise the price of stamps and milk.
@@santiagom9727 Stamps? They've been $200 since 1934. Oh, wait, you meant postage stamps. My bad. Yes, 2200m and 630m are where all of the REAL radio operators hang out. We definitely can't let the unwashed masses in on our little secret. Oh crap. I just did!
PS. Have you seen my cat?
gmrs license lol
I do appreciate the video, but if it begins with, get permission from the Government to practice, or no one will talk to you, you lose a lot of credit in my eyes. Government is good for absolutely nothing, at this point.
That's all well and good.........but if you aren't licensed, it's very difficult to practice any of this stuff....if I guarantee you if you never practice how to use it, you won't be able to, whether you believe me or not. Sure, you can set it up, but unless you have a bunch of buddies you can work with, nobody will be there to talk to (like it or not that's how it is). If I'm being completely honest, if you and five of your friends set up radio comms and did it on frequencies that weren't being used by other things and followed the band plans, my guess is that A: Nobody would notice, and B: Nobody would care. PS. I'm not an idiot and I know this is coming from S2 Underground's video from yesterday. You're literally pissing into the wind because the licensing isn't going to change. Much of it is dictated by international treaty, so like it or not, it's here to stay.
Some links might have been helpful....
Yeah, you're not wrong. I threw this together fast. I'll see if I can collect some and add them to the description. I'll do some more in depth videos on things like comms plans, and definitely link gear in those as well. Thanks for the suggestion, and thanks for watching!
Under a rock.???? Bozo! Show more respect to those who lives right at the hurricane belt, ham radio operators as well. Please be more open mind about it, you are not alone in this world wich revolves around everybody not around you. WP4MOI
What on earth are you talking about? Now, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt since I see you're in Puerto Rico so English may not be your first language so you may not understand the meaning behind some idioms, but what I was trying to say is that unless you're completely uninformed, you know what's going on down in North Carolina right now. You seem to think I was saying the opposite, which isn't the case. The last thing I'll say is that perhaps you should consider your tone when making comments. Calling someone a bozo and chastising them for some perceived slight is childish at best, and troll behavior at worst.
@@EvanK2EJT well thks for the explanation, so soon. I shouldnt call you that! Thnks
@@moisesmoralesberrios Thank you, and I apologize if I was a bit harsh. We all need to work together to try to make things better. Thanks for watching, and I appreciate your feedback.
I don't register my weapons and I will not register my speech what we really need to think about and try to do is eliminate licensing for radio
NEVER
Good luck with that. You aren't going to get rid of licensing. There are international treaties involved, so you're pissing into the wind with that one.
@@clems6989 don't be a sad ham☹️
Great video dude. I have a ton of little HTs but I really don’t use them at all I need to start practicing scenarios with them and just make sure I’m ready.
So far my emergency plan has been keying up my KH1 on 15m: K2EJT de KI7QCF SOS PSE HW?
LOL I mean......if the propagation Gods are smiling in our direction and I happen to be on frequency, that just might work.
A nice straightforward presentation, well organized, well done. Even being a ham for over ten years it gave me things to think about. 73 de VE7WNO.
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
Good balance of overview vs. detail. But, you left out an important (and very common) radio option: CB. Not sexy like NVIS, no repeater capability, but MANY people have CB radios (and nothing else).
Yeah, I did forget to mention it. I don't own any CB stuff, but the considerations would be very similar to the QRP HF stuff. I do have another video where I go over the different radio services, and I discuss CB and the pros and cons there. Thanks for the input as I didn't really consider CB and I should have!