SHTF Ham Radio

[usmcveteran]

So let's discuss amateur radio!

What would you all like to know?

Are you interested in local or regional communications? Portable vs fixed?

Let's discuss!

[Cgrutt]

Awesome! I have a lot of questions and some ideas... but it's going to have to wait until tomorrow...

[usmcveteran]

Don't forget about asking how to make a personal repeater.

[Cgrutt]

OK. I'm kinda interested in antennas for SHTF i.e., improvised out of PVC pipe, old tape measures, coffee cans, etc... Anybody else got ideas?

[masterswimmer]

I built a home for a local doctor many years ago. He was heavily into HAM. The property he bought was up at the top of a nice size hill. He had us dig and pour a very substantial slab footing for the sole purpose of erecting a personal 60' antennae. Quite the impressive setup to say the least.

[usmcveteran]

For those improvised antennas your going to need a good antenna tuner and your not going to be very effective but it should still work to a degree.

My favorite easy antenna is the random length wire. I take speaker wire and cut it to the length I want and attach it to a bnc binding post. The longer wire is my antenna and the shorter one is my counterpoise.

On a hill in my area I talked with someone in Colorado who was on a mountain and I was only using 5 watts. That same night I was talking to light houses up and down the east coast because there was some special event going on.

[Ham_Chu]

I recall making a single channel antenna with WD-1 telephone wire back in Signal School. THAT was during the cold war. And it didn't work very well. Well, neither did the PRC-77, anyways

[Meketrefe]

With a Ham radio, can I talk to Cgrutt from Rochester all the way down there?
If not do I need an amplifier?
What are the limitations?
Can I send data? ...like a small private network?

[usmcveteran]

What type of radio? Yes you can send data , I haven't done it personally. With inexpensive radio you can talk to him using repeaters and internet or without If you make your own.

Amateur radio operators also work together so you could send a message to someone with better equipment to get it to him. But if you can it's always better to make direct transmission to ensure he gets it.

[masterswimmer]

Mek, I'll teach you everything you need to know. Just data send me your SS# & birthday.

[Meketrefe]

Mek, I'll teach you everything you need to know. Just data send me your SS# & birthday.

Date of Birth: yesterday
SS: Zero hundred thousand zero thousand zero hundred zero zero.

[masterswimmer]

Date of Birth: yesterday
SS: Zero hundred thousand zero thousand zero hundred zero zero.

Perfect, now the only thing I can scam from you is food stamps, section 8, and welfare.

[Cgrutt]

One of the things that was sort of good about process with FCC was that even though they required your SSN, they obtain it once under a secure connection and then issue an "FRN" number which becomes your FCC registration number. On the app they ask for either SSN or FRN. I gave them the FRN so my SSN is on as few documents as possible.

[thughes]

Perfect, now the only thing I can scam from you is food stamps, section 8, and welfare.

and his vote.

[masterswimmer]

and his vote.

Don't need no stinking SS# to vote