Category: Communications & Receivers

HJL, Thought I would give my two cents worth regarding T.K. ‘s question about emergency communication in his valley. About 20 years ago I posed the same question to a ham operator friend of mine. His suggestion was for me to buy a cb with sideband. He claimed that would be the easiest and cheapest way to call for help if needed. He also stated that I may not be able to reach anybody locally due to my remoteness but should find somebody in the country if not the world to respond. I was skeptical at his claim to say …

Hello Sir, In an effort to get our neighbors in the valley to keep in touch in case of emergency, what type of radios would you recommend? We are roughly under five miles apart with hilly, somewhat cliffy topography with a lot of brush at an elevation of just under 7,000′. I used to use Spilsbury “backcountry radios” between outfitters and air taxi services in the Idaho wilderness, but those are fairly spendy set-ups and hard to find. I doubt the neighborhood will opt for hams either. Any other options? You’re recommendations or those of experienced readers would be appreciated. …

There have been many articles written by the prepper community outlining why having a communications plan for a grid down situation is so important.   So we are not going to go in depth about why you need a communications plan, but rather offer concrete suggestions on communications in general and particular products that every prepper should own. I am a licensed ham radio operator and have been participating in Skywarn spotter activities and off grid battery operated events for over ten years.  I am also a pilot and a licensed EMT, both activities in which radio communications are a matter …

Jim, I was impressed by this guy’s threads on basic, old, transistor radio “revival”.  His simple, well illustrated threads at Instructables are written for the novice radio tinkerer.  First, instructions for a GE P780B.  (I have one of these, they’re built like tanks and are worth seeking out.) Second, an American made, Zenith portable. The Zeniths from the 1950s to 1970s are very well made and have audio and DX qualities that place modern portables to shame. Regards, – F.G. JWR Replies: I also recommend the G.E. transistor radios. The technology was improved slightly with the SupeRadio series, which was …

James, I’d like to discuss a couple of low power (“QRP”) ham radio transmitters. The first kit is a 10 Watt 75M SSB transceiver appropriately named The Survivor. For the modest sum of $140 you get all the parts required to build a practical rig with a digital frequency readout capable of making voice contacts at night out to a range of 200 to 300 miles using simple (low to the ground) wire antennas in NVIS mode. Another ham radio operator provided some additional tips and advice on building this kit on his blog. The second kit is a crystal-controlled …

Dear James, I need to respond the the letter “Stuff Hitting the Fan – Part 3”, with regards to communications. I am a ham radio operator holding a Amateur Extra Class license, and have a little CB and shortwave experience.  As such, I want to make some corrections R.L.’s letter and offer some advice. 1. An adequate ham transceiver for the HF bands (160m to 10m), will also cover the non-ham bands as receiver. This includes all of the broadcast shortwave bands, and the AM broadcast bands in the United States. This will not include US broadcast FM, or the …

Introductory Disclaimer: I am not an expert in amateur radio in the sense that I have extensive electronics knowledge, nor am I an expert in prepping. However, I have some experience in disaster and lightweight, portable radio operations and have an interest in being prepared. I have been an amateur radio operator, or “ham,” since 1997 when I was first licensed as a fifteen year old. At that point I was drawn to the hobby because my grandfather has always been very active in the amateur radio community and a stickler for disaster communication readiness. In 2011 I finally upgraded …