Category: Communications & Receivers

The 20% Solution, by Redoubting Thomas

Get. Out. Now. Or as soon as reasonable. To the many who are reading this and working outside the Redoubt waiting on “something” before they sell their house and move, that is a mistake. This ongoing chronicle lists just one person’s challenges in moving. A Radical Proposal Even if much goes to hell (I’m not swearing but only using the proper word for an origin and destination), much won’t, and it will vary. Multiple nuclear bombs is a tiny possibility, like a major earthquake or volcano. It is also unlikely that it will happen suddenly. Most likely it will be …


Building a Simple Multiband Antenna That Works, by The Consultant

I consider the ability to communicate in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, and being able to obtain information outside the immediate area, critical. HF communication best fills this need. I had the radios but needed an antenna that would work on most amateur bands and others if needed. Having recently relocated to a more free state, I had all the real estate to put up whatever antenna I wanted. I wanted an antenna that fit into the space of a dipole, is relatively invisible, easy to build, and can be coax fed. The need to bury the cable ruled out a ladder …


Letter Re: How to Obtain Your Amateur Radio License, by N.M.

Hello, I recently read author N.M’s article regarding how to obtain an Amateur Radio license. The article was well-written and provided a wealth of information for prospective Hams. I have been a licensed Amateur Radio operator since the early 1990s and have seen a lot of changes in the hobby. Some were good and some not so good, but that is a discussion better left to a lazy chair and a pot of coffee. The reason I am writing is I noticed something that is potentially problematic in N.M’s article. When discussing what radio to select, N.M. mentions the Yaesu …


Jade Helm Reporting From Leakey, Texas, by S.

[Editor’s Note: This letter is run in its entirety; however, it is important to note that there are several assumptions made in the letter. A basic tenet of research is the understanding that “correlation does not necessarily mean causation.” Just because two things happen at the same time does not mean one has caused the other. Internet and telephone communications go out all of the time and providers are often reluctant to accept responsibility, especially if it is only a temporary disruption. There are also many reasons that Internet can go out, from work crews replacing amplifier modules to overheating …


How to Obtain Your Amateur Radio License, by N.M.

This article will provide you with some information on how to study for and obtain your Ham/amateur radio license and what to look for in your first radio. License Classes The amateur radio (aka “Ham”) licenses issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are issued in three classes– Technician, General, Amateur Extra (usually just called Extra). Each license class brings increasing privileges of frequencies that can be used. There are three grandfathered licenses classes called Novice, Technician Plus, and Advanced. The Novice license was issued to those who passed the old five word per minute (wpm) Morse code test but …


Letter Re: Tails for MacBook Users

HJL, Regarding “Tails for MacBook Users: Anonymity for the Survivalist, by Losttribe”, almost every Mac made, since around 2006, has been Intel-based. From a name perspective, the products were renamed with the shift. Earlier product names were PowerMac, iBook, or PowerBook. Intel-based product names are: Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, et cetera. The only two devices that didn’t get a name shift were the Mac Mini and the iMac. You can see full details at these wikipedia links, and to figure out which mac you have, you can go under the Apple Menu to “About this Mac” and …


Letter Re: Regarding the Tails for Mac Users article

HJL, Almost every “Mac” made since around 2006 has been Intel-based. From a name perspective, the products were renamed with the shift. Earlier product names included PowerMac, iBook, and PowerBook. Intel-based product names include: Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, etc The only two devices that didn’t get a name shift were the Mac Mini and the iMac. You can see full details at these wikipedia links, and to figure out which mac you have, you can go under the Apple Menu to “About this Mac” and it will tell you both the model as well as the processor …


Tails for MacBook Users: Anonymity for the Survivalist, by Losttribe

Since the exposures of details regarding the NSA’s communication capture and domestic spying programs, many Patriots wish to keep their identities as anonymous as possible. Examples would be avoiding the tracking of us (who read online blogs, search for articles and information applicable in TEOTWAWKI, and make certain purchases that we feel are not the business of the powers that be) by those who wish to capture and store all of this detail for use against particular individuals and groups, whether it be in our current “big brother” era or future TEOTWAWKI. For many users, reducing your cyber footprint is …


The Cycle Express, by W.N.

Food? Check. Water? Check. Tools and other supplies? Check. Do you have the entire rest of the list? Check. You are prepared and ready for an economic collapse, a catastrophic natural disaster, a terrorist attack, martial law, and a host of other scenarios. In fact, you have even convinced your family and friends to get prepared and they have totally bought in. Then that day arrives, and the power is out. The banks are closed. Water and gasoline are being hoarded. There is no phone, no tv and no Internet. On the radio, there are only official broadcasts, but these …


Letter Re: Radio Basics Presentation

Hugh, This is in reference to the “Radio Basics Presentation” and the follow-up information from “W.A.” A few points of clarification on a CB myth that just will not go away. CB radio actually has 40 channels. That’s it; there are just 40 channels. There are two modes of transmission authorized on CB radio: Amplitude Modulation (AM) and Single Sideband (SSB). On any given channel you can select between the two modes of transmission. You can select AM mode or SSB. With SSB operation, you can select either the Lower Sideband (LSB) or the Upper Sideband (USB) mode. While this …


Letter Re: Radio Basics Presentation

Hugh, This was a great, quick “down and dirty” presentation on “Radio”. I would like to offer a few additions to his list. Section 3 Tactical Radios CB – Citizens Band CB actually can have 120 channels; if you include upper and lower “sidebands” in SSB radios, there are 120 total. Channels from 26.965 to 27.405 MHz are not the only ones used. There are also “free band” frequencies above and below these that “pirate” operators use. During a solar maximum, I have talked all over the world on CB SSB, but yes, the normal range is 4-5 miles. “Channel …


Radio Basics Presentation, by Saratoga

My purpose in writing this article is to focus attention on an area that is lacking for too many people. Having been in a group that did a lot of training, it became clear that this was an area that needed attention. We used email and cell phones to coordinate training location and times, but the thought was always in the back of my mind; what if there was no Internet or cell phones? How would we form up as a group? I have compiled the information into a simple, bullet-point scenario to make it easier to grasp and to …


Timeless World War 2 Lessons, by T.W.

After recently reading a number of books on intelligence, subterfuge, spying, and survival in World War 2, I have been led to compile a list of lessons that we can draw on today. Preparation is Key The best spy masters and espionage groups built up networks of contacts around strategic areas before the invasion or war. This allowed one to gain information without being seen as suspicious. If your spy doesn’t know the language thoroughly, errors in translation lead to disaster. A few weeks in language school is rarely enough, but that’s what many operatives received during World War 2 …


Inexpensive and Simple Mono- or Multi-Band HF Ham Radio Antennas, by PrepperDoc

One of the distinguishing features of traditional Ham radio, particularly shortwave (high frequency or “HF”) Ham radio, was that you generally had to literally make your own antenna. You could purchase transmitters, receivers, transceivers, microphones, and even Morse code keys, but you likely had fabricated at least one wire antenna. In the event of a national disaster, many people may wish to have effective HF communications for medium- or long-range communications, and they may be faced with the need to construct an antenna. Other forward-thinking preppers may wish to gain Ham radio licenses and experience in HF communications and need …


Two Letters Re: Ham Radio Conspiracy?

Hugh, Your post was a very good assessment of amateur radio (AR) as it is today. I am 60 years old and have wanted to get my Amateur radio license since I was 10 years old. However, with what I now know was an Attention Deficit Disorder mind, I didn’t have the patience to learn the code. My grandfather (a Radio Operator on a “Tramp Steamer” in 1921) encouraged me to get my ticket, but…. (fast forward to 2002) I was a big CB op back in the middle to late 70’s and gave it up when the airways became …