Standards

 

 Standards.  Everyone has standards for everything.  We run into standards issues with amateur radio partly because there are so many ways to communicate within the amateur radio community.  Everyone has their pet mode.  An old joke goes is that if there are 3 amateur radio operators in any given town, there will be two amateur radio operators.  

For those looking for basic standards fro EmComm, here is a short list I compiled.  It is based upon 25 years of experience working in EmComm to include working as a State Section Emergency Coordinator. These should be your daily minimum requirements.

Standard 1.  All emergency Amateur Radio Stations (ARS) have the capability for interstate radio communications without the use of internet, VOIP, or other infrastructure related networks.  Interstate is further defined as the capability to establish two-way radio communications out to approximately 300-400 miles.

Standard 2.  All  emergency ARS be capable of operating with the following modes. 1) Voice /SSB.  2) Digital, using PSK31.  3) Optionally; be able to operate using Winlink and/or CW (morse code) at 10 wpm or above.

 Caveats. Yes, I know there are “better” digital modes than PSK31: however, for the novice/beginner to digital modes the easiest to use is PSK31.  A group I was in tested this. No, I am not interested in FT8, JSCall or any of those other “weak signal” modes, they take too much time, send too little information, and can be finicky to use. Let’s keep it simple. Caveat to the Caveat.  Modes like FT-8 are fun.  If you like them, use them, but do not consider them as a part of your EmComm arsenal.

 Equipment.  This is not about equipment, it’s about results. A 5 watt radio with a good antenna can have a better signal than a 1,000 watt radio and a poor antenna.  Whatever works for you is great.  If you ask me, I’m going to say Icom for HF.  I’ve been doing this for 25 years and that’s what works for me.

Training.  Seek out your local amateur radio clubs to help you get started.  For the most part clubs are generally helpful and fun.  They also offer licensing classes, or you can study online (USA) and recently some are testing online.

 

Welcome

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog as well as my YouTube channel https://bit.ly/2TAcHW0 .  After running a blog for a couple of years and then switching over to YouTube, I have discovered that both media forms have pluses and minuses.  That being said, I will be putting content in both places.

 To start off.  I have been running a newsletter for a group.  I have decided that some of the content contained in the newsletters may have value to everyone in general.  Part of what I do is communications, more specifically, emergency communications.  This first post will be geared to those communicators who are or want to support prepper or other groups.  I am making the assumption that you may be new to being a communicator or comms chief.  Here is a short list to help you get going.

 Training 

My recommendation is members find training opportunities through groups like AmRRon or the ARRL and local Amateur Radio clubs. It is recommended that members become familiar with VHF/UHF/HF operations to include voice and digital modes. For digital modes minimum requirement is to be able to use                      PSK31. 

 Equipment

Typical net operations occur on the 40 and 80/75 meter bands. With band conditions being what they are, you need to put forward the best signal possible. The most bang for the buck, is putting up a good antenna system. Put up the biggest antenna you can.  For 80/75 meters that would mean a dipole about 132 feet long. My preferred antennas are doublets and Off Center Fed (OCF) dipoles. My current antenna is a 270 foot OCF. If you cannot put up a big antenna, adding an amp will help, but not as much as a good antenna.

 Maintenance

Make sure you are checking your equipment. A month or so ago, I had a near lightning strike (hit a tree and not my tower). I am not sure how it got into the house, however it was not through the coax. It took out my computer which I had to replace. I have been busy so it took a while to get my radios interfaced with the new computer. I then discovered that the usb inter- face on my radio doesn’t work (I have a backup). I have to ship that radio off for repair. I normally disconnect my radios from power and antennas when I am not using them, however I did leave it connected to the computer since it was protected by a power surge UPS (which failed). I now unplug everything.

 Priorities

Your first priority is always your family. Do you have enough food? Do you have enough water? Can you maintain sanitary conditions? Can you defend your family? Yep, broken record, but it plays well when things go south.