Dear Hugh:
Regarding the captioned article posted 23 September 2014, I call your attention to the following quote, pulled from near the middle of the second paragraph:
“These radios do have ‘Privacy Codes’, but anyone can switch around until they find the code you are on, as they all use the same codes and scanners will hear them, coded or not. Switching codes every hour or time you decide will help not being discovered by other FRS/GMRS radio users, but others will scan the codes. It may help but will get you found if others find which code channel you are on”
Please take note of the fact that, when you enable the “privacy codes” on your murs/frs/gmrs/ham/other radio, you are ONLY suppressing YOUR ability to hear other folks, on the same frequency, but employing a different “privacy code”. Anybody listening to the frequency you are utilizing, and who has disabled the “privacy code”, will hear your signal clearly, if they are in range. Do not in any way think for a second that YOUR COMMUNICATIONS have any “privacy”, when you employ “privacy codes”. – Skyrat
o o o
Hello,
A very important 2 meter freq. left off your list is 146.00. It is the national simplex, which will most likely be used quite a bit
with grid down scenario when all the backup power for repeaters dwindle out. – H.R.
o o o
Hugh,
JK has a good grasp of some types of covert communications. However I would avoid the “CB” type radios and to also avoid the GMRS/FRS at all costs for sending communications. These types are way too easy to triangulate and spot during a fox and hound type situation. Not even for squad type operations or inter-squad operations. It has been discussed before, and I will not beat that dead horse.
The ideology for Post-SHTF communications is to be able to “hear” first, plain and simple. My shack consists of the following:
- HF (Shortwave), all ham bands with auxiliary 1.6-30 MHz. coverage
- 6 meter ham band, with auxiliary VHF-Low band (30-50 MHz.) coverage
- 2 meter ham band, with auxiliary VHF-High band (138-174 MHz.) coverage
- 27 MHz. Citizens Band (CB), with auxiliary “freeband” (25-28 MHz.) coverage
- MURS
- FRS/GMRS
Like I said this is my shack, and I have the sufficient antenna’s for these, but I also have an antenna set up for NVIS. It’s nearly impossible to track, due to its “near vertical” take off angle. The rest I can use to listen in from anywhere on the globe, or even talk to anywhere on the globe.
Additionally, I also have another person in our group that operates the Listening post for COMINT. They monitor local and nearby radio emmisions for certain indicator freqs associated with those less desireable types. We have done an assessment and know for certain who is operating in our retreat area AO, and we know their patterns and their schedule, not to mention their location, because we can fox and hound as well.
I sat for my tech, general, and amateur extra at one sitting, and for $14, I passed all three one after the other. Yes, it was hard; yes, it took studying, and it was worth it. Trust me, if I can do this, so can you.
Good luck in the future. I believe someone is making a giant garbage sandwich that we are all going to have to take a bite out of shortly. – W.B.