From the most common to the more esoteric frequency choices.
Various digital modes
A directional antenna.
DMR is like short text messages (not private, but few set up to recieve)
“Packet Radio” works similar to sending emails.
small hand held set up to receive digital text (similar to text messaging)
Redneck
I recommend consideration of the digital amateur radio mode MT63 because it is very sensitive (dont need as much power to go long distances at 40 meters and above -esp. 30, 20, 17 15 meters wavelengths-) and just fast enough to handle fast typing and text conversation downloads such as the PP podcasts. Some prepper groups are practicing by having weekly check-ins wherein each member contacts the others to see how well their equipment works. I have heard some of these at night and Saturdays on 80 meters (3.5-4 Megahertz) for local communications up to 500 miles, 40 meter (7-7.3 MHz); but suppose that PP might want to consider adding 30 meter (10.1-10.15 MHz), 20 meter (14-14.35MHz) and 17 Meter (18.068-18.168) and 15 meter (21-21.45MHz). Now that sunspot activity is increasing, the higher frequencies (20 meter and shorter) will become more available for intercontinental messages. The amateur radio guys in Japan who want to communicate with America all seem to prefer 20 meters (14-14.15MHz for digital traffic), which seems to be most popular worldwide and more suitable for a world-wide PP community. I think that multiple layers are needed: long distance communications by higher powered (actually more directional and expensive antennas) at certain times of the day to be followed by local transmitting at lower frequencies to local receivers at more reliable and convenient times.
Just my 2 cents to help keep your communication ball rolling. I do expect the fascists in Washington DC to dictate fiat rules forbidding communication that might be used to help people find each other and set up meetings. I think that those dictates may have already started. In that context I suggest that transmitters be located overseas or off shore and receivers can safely be used anywhere. It will probably take 10 years before the fascists go after receivers. I dont want to believe this either, but am just being realistic.
'73s
AK4VO
2 Likes
We’ve done a lot of random things.
-have a ham radio we’re learning to operate
-bought some videos we can watch if tv goes out
-books. Lots and lots of books
-board games
-playing cards
-download pertinent information
We do need to get more maps both locally and regionally; I think everyone could benefit from that.
One of the things that wasn’t addressed was “The Internet of Things.” What happens to EVERY internet connected device that we have when the internet simply stops working?
1 Like
Several years ago my wife and I were driving back to Spokane after visiting my in-laws in Kamloops. I thought I had a decent map until I decided to take a shortcut somewhere east of Kelowna. Our map didn’t cut it and we ended up lost in the mountains with a low tank of gas. We knew we were probably in the wrong place when we came across a sign that read: Restricted Grizzly Protected Area. We turned around and eventually made it to civilization with the gas guage reading empty. I went to the map store in the next day or two – back when Spokane had one of the best in the Pacific Northwest – and bought the Thompson/Okanagan edition of Back Road Maps.
On another B.C. adventure, I found that it pays to ask the locals about the terrain. I spent two memorable days in Youbou as the result of assuming that if the small car I met on the road could drive through the high water, I could too. Turns out they knew that the “old road” was the way to go. The engine in my rental car was toast. I spent two days listening to the B&B owner complain about her ex-husband – the wrecker driver who towed the car into town – who had married a younger woman.
I can highly recommend the Youbou Bar and Grill as an excellent way to immerse yourself in redneck (term not used pejoratively) timber culture. : )
3 Likes
1 Like
Mots wrote:
I recommend consideration of the digital amateur radio mode MT63 because it is very sensitive......and just fast enough to handle fast typing and text conversation downloads such as the PP podcasts.So I gather that MT63 is one of the several digital radio "modes" (which I understand is like a protocol that digital radios use to send text to each other.)
MT63 is an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) digital data mode aimed for use in high noise environments. MT63 was developed by Paweł Jałocha SP9VRC. MT63 is designed for keyboard-to-keyboard conversation modes on HF amateur radio bands. MT63 distributes the encoding of each character over a long time period and over several tones. This code and symbol spreading implementation is key to its robustness under less than ideal conditions.(A noisy environment or imperfect tuning??)
The MT63 mode is very tolerant of mistuning, as most software will handle 120 Hz tuning offsets under normal conditions.So this is a comparatively slow method of communication for those typing to each other. Not a burst communication for when a sender must keep his location hidden. ------- Again Mots suggested:
The amateur radio guys in Japan who want to communicate with America all seem to prefer 20 meters (14-14.15 MHz for digital traffic), which seems to be most popular worldwide and more suitable for a world-wide PP community. I think that multiple layers are needed: long distance communications by higher powered (actually more directional and expensive antennas) at certain times of the day. [like at night?] to be followed by local transmitting at lower frequencies to local receivers at more reliable and convenient times.Are you envisioning local communications hubs situated in various regions with a specified couple of people to receive the communication from Chris, who then forward the essay on to the local community members?
1 Like
https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/how-to-build-a-low-tech-internet.html
I don’t know if a mesh network is the same as long range wifi?
I do love the lowtechmagazine site though, so many great articles there.
1 Like
You will want to buy a radio for neighbors and set them up. They are your eyes from that end of the neighborhood.GMRS walkie talkies are ideal for neighborhood comm. No license. Decent neighborhood coverage. Easy to use. I have been involved in two attempts to do this. Both failed for the same reason. I was disappointed. Even though people like the idea and talk like they are on board, the follow through was dismal. It was not a money matter. Just a concept matter. Like, you gotta know which channel to use. Like you gotta keep the batteries charged. Like you gotta use it to get used to it and figure out where your best operating locations are. etc etc etc. That takes commitment, time, and attention. As with most preps, this falls apart for most people. The details. Its in the details.
5 Likes
fldigi supports most text communications ham modes (including MT63), and it’s free. Linux, Mac, & Windows version are out there. Here’s the Wiki page. It has links to all the different supported modes, along with their descriptions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fldigi It even supports Morse code via keyboard, if you’re lazy like me and haven’t taken time to learn it yet.
PSK31 is a good one for easy, general use. It slices through noise better than most, and sends text at average typing speeds. There are versions for smartphones (PSKer for iOS, about $3; not sure the names of others), and they all interoperate. You don’t even need a computer interface, you can hold a mic to the computer’s speaker (careful, don’t over-modulate, move the mic back and watch the power meter and keep it to about 1/4 of the radio’s maximum setting) (and turn off any speech compressor/processors). This’ll even work over CB. Works best via SSB (or equivalently, a radio’s digital signal input), but it can work on AM mode too. Even FM, though there’s no real gain in doing this. I suppose it could give you a weak layer of “encryption” for a neighborhood FRS or MURS net. Faster versions take more bandwidth and hence are more noise-prone, but they’re still pretty narrow-banded and can be used to burst out text fairly quickly.
Anyway, getting started in digital text with ham radio is easy, once you get your license. Once you get fldigi running and interfaced with your radio (even if it’s only audio-linked with the mic) it’s easy to experiment with any of the supported modes.
3 Likes
As with most preps, this falls apart for most people. The details. Its in the details.Yep. GMRS/FRS walkie-talkies are butt-simple to use. And even this is too much for most people. I have a small box of them for after hurricanes etc. to hand out to only a select few neighbors after the flag flies. Even then, I expect I'll be doing the battery change-outs, etc.
2 Likes
Long range WiFi, esp. mesh WiFi might be something people might want to Google. There are plenty of ad hoc/amateur networks being used with cheap, off the shelf, consumer-level hardware.
… or FRS, or any other of the license-free radio bands:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2lMkf5nmhM
Again, a matter of motivation and practice.
1 Like
There are real maps on a piece of paper. If you have AAA for your car, you can get them for free. After loosing GPS in mountainous areas, I’ve started getting an updated set whenever I go to a rural area.
Also, you can get USGS topographic maps, although they are often out of date as far as infrastructure. Many states have property atlases and plat books that show details. I keep the most recent one in the car every since I came to a road closed sign on a thru-hwy that didn’t mark the detour. No gps. I had to call the local sheriff to get instructions on how to get to the other side of the river. Google still showed the road as open although the locals told me the bridge had washed out months ago.
Hard copy maps in the car - a must for storm emergencies too.
6 Likes
Yes SandKitty
Reliable the-time-and-frequency-you-want long distance is difficult and requires serious experience and equipment, whereas local communications are much easier. On the other hand, the higher level two way communication players should be able to ask questions and act as a conduit to a real discussion between local communities this way. This is just my vision.
Boomer41 has invested much effort starting an amateur radio group and the group there has a better understanding of this. Lets see what he has to say.
I loath in car navigation. Useless most of the time. My vehicle always has a map in it. Always. And saying that I was on a yacht skipper course and a tutor was trying to tell me charts are obsolete. Just get on with the navigation software on board. What a numpty. On board a yacht charts are vital and it doesn’t matter if you’re zoomed out, the reef is still bloody obvious !
1 Like
Good idea in a WROL scenario. It’s illegal to encrypt amateur radio communications, although technically it’s quite feasible.
1 Like
On the subject of security, this is a little disturbing:
The U.S. Government funded smartphones which come with pre-installed malware
https://www.xda-developers.com/us-government-smartphones-pre-installed-malware/ Excerpt: The smartphone in question is the UMX U683CL and is sold as part of Virgin Mobile’s Assurance Wireless program. This is a federal Lifeline Assistance program. Founded by the FCC in 1985, Lifeline is a program intended to make communication services more affordable to low-income consumers. The UMX U683CL costs only $35 through the program, featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210, 1GB of RAM, 5-inch 480p LCD, 2000 mAh battery, and Android Go. It’s certainly not a bad offering, but it seems that the price of affordability comes at the cost of privacy. The team at Malwarebytes found not one, but two instances of pre-installed malware on the UMX 683CL.
2 Likes
Paper maps change. And I don’t mean they simply add new features.
My parents did a LOT of off track bushwalking and search and rescue call outs. They would often go places ‘a good law abiding citizen’ on a bushwalk wouldn’t. They have noticed their older maps (printed by the Aus Government) show permanent features that are now deleted from newer print runs of the same maps. Waterfalls, larger pooled areas of rivers, access tracks deeper into the bush, etc.
There have also been changes whereby some maps are only available now in a larger scale, so, MUCH less detail of terrain and features.
They really lamented it’s a dumbing down of information.
And how many people can actually read a map, and orient it to their compass, and stay the course. Practice makes closer to perfect.
It can be quite handy to have multiple paper maps of the same area. And quite handy to write things on them and photograph them into the pictures file on your phone or camera.
I personally only rely on paper maps when I travel. The rear of my drivers seat is stashed with them. I may use google at home to map an area and print it out to take with me, and I often stop at visitors information centres to pick up their free town/city maps.
I live for books and have never transitioned away from hard copy information there.
Google home etc and other smart devices have been proactively kept out of our home as much as I can. I simply don’t trust them, and have no interest in their ‘features’.
I also avoid the cloud, and print things out like there’s no paper after tomorrow.
Bit of a luddite really…
I know very little about comms, but we have had discussions if we could use our boat’s marine radio to chat to the brother in law in the next town.