Emergency Communication

[cmr13]

I have 3 standard Midland/Motorola radios but I don't have them distributed since my family is close by and I could hand them out easily. I know the range isn't as good as advertised for sure. I wouldn't trust them more than a mile apart, but I think they usually say that is the range in the city. I got one of them (a Motorola T480) for free in a contest and it's the nicest one. It has FM radio, a light, NOAA weather channels/alerts, and the FRS/GMRS channels.

What's everyone's opinions on using GMRS channels? I know that most walkie talkies will come with them available, but I think technically you need a license to use them. I think they are higher power as well. Just wondering if it's something that I would actually need to worry about getting in trouble for using a couple times a year.

 

[Mij]

I have 3 standard Midland/Motorola radios but I don't have them distributed since my family is close by and I could hand them out easily. I know the range isn't as good as advertised for sure. I wouldn't trust them more than a mile apart, but I think they usually say that is the range in the city. I got one of them (a Motorola T480) for free in a contest and it's the nicest one. It has FM radio, a light, NOAA weather channels/alerts, and the FRS/GMRS channels.

What's everyone's opinions on using GMRS channels? I know that most walkie talkies will come with them available, but I think technically you need a license to use them. I think they are higher power as well. Just wondering if it's something that I would actually need to worry about getting in trouble for using a couple times a year.

If they are battery operated, don’t store them with batteries in. You may not want a strong signal if things go south. There are much better things for that. JMO

The pro’s will come along and give you better advice. Calling @Cameramonkey

 

[cmr13]

If they are battery operated, don’t store them with batteries in. You may not want a strong signal if things go south. There are much better things for that. JMO

The pro’s will come along and give you better advice. Calling @Cameramonkey

Even if I have them turned off? Or are you saying for the ones that sit on a charging base and are always turned on?

 

[cmr13]

I just did a bit more looking and apparently you don't have to do a test for the GMRS license like I thought you did. You just have to pay for the license. I might have to do that once I have a little spare cash laying around. And it covers your immediate family as well.

 

[Mij]

I just did a bit more looking and apparently you don't have to do a test for the GMRS license like I thought you did. You just have to pay for the license. I might have to do that once I have a little spare cash laying around. And it covers your immediate family as well.

Ya, I’m more of a pirate than a comms pro. But rest assured one of the guy’s that are, will be along soon and give you much better (legitimate) advice.

 

[cmr13]

I really like the look and price of the Midland MicroMobile radios. Occasionally my wife and I have to drive separate vehicles to the same location and they look like a good choice for keeping in touch.

I wonder how police officers would feel about seeing you use one of these. I guess I can answer my own question: https://www.in.gov/indot/files/faqfinalhf.pdf "Amateur radio, two-way radio and citizens band (CB) may be used under the hands-free law, but drivers are required to do so in a safe manner."

https://midlandusa.com/collections/micromobile

 

[Cameramonkey]

Don’t sweat just using GMRS radios. You don’t NEED a license unless you want to use repeaters. Then they expect you to use call signs. (A repeater is a radio system on a high tower that will hear your transmission and repeat it to extend range) others will also be using that repeater and hear you and interact with you.

But to just talk simplex ( direct without a repeater) nobody cares. Don’t cause trouble and you’ll never get in trouble.
Besides, FRS which requires a license shares most channels, so it’s hard to tell what kind of radio it is. Nobody’s getting busted.


A GMRS license is a scam. It’s the fcc selling your rights back to you. Any operators license that requires no demonstration of proficiency is only a tax.

 

[Tomahawkman]

I havent jumped into it yet but I have been following the whole Meshtastic Mesh Networking system. its an interesting offline texting type communication that people are getting pretty creative with. Unless you can get a node up really high its fairly limited distance but still very interesting. Ive seen some guys putting the nodes on drones and sending them up which greatly increased the distance the message was able to be sent.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I havent jumped into it yet but I have been following the whole Meshtastic Mesh Networking system. its an interesting offline texting type communication that people are getting pretty creative with. Unless you can get a node up really high its fairly limited distance but still very interesting. Ive seen some guys putting the nodes on drones and sending them up which greatly increased the distance the message was able to be sent.

Ive seen those too. Only drawback is stupid short range. There are guys that have re-flashed old Linksys WRT-54g wireless APs with external directional antennas that get a bit farther to make them more usable.

Get your ham ticket and look into packet modes like FT-8. I had an amazon gift card given to me so I just pulled the trigger on a Digirig USB for my radio to transmit using my PC in digital modes. Tonight I got the receive setup configured while I wait for the parts to arrive. I was watching FT-8 traffic for fun. Its typically all automated exchanges (not really ham in its purest form unless you consider a bunch of Teslas on a track racing each other racing on auto drive) but you can also do manual text exchanges as well. Basically CW (morse code) without having to know it.

Currently picking up stations in South America and South Africa! (im the yellow rectangle, blue and green rectangles are zones where I've heard the traffic. Too cool.

 

[Sailor]

Yah, I looked at the Meshtastic stuff early on, but decided to pass and focus on JS8CALL, and Winlink. I am partial to JS8CALL because I was in the Alpha test group with Survival Tech Nord as it was developed.

My base weight at about 13lbs back in 2019 before I switched from Yaesu to Icon.

 

[laf]

Ive seen those too. Only drawback is stupid short range. There are guys that have re-flashed old Linksys WRT-54g wireless APs with external directional antennas that get a bit farther to make them more usable.

Get your ham ticket and look into packet modes like FT-8. I had an amazon gift card given to me so I just pulled the trigger on a Digirig USB for my radio to transmit using my PC in digital modes. Tonight I got the receive setup configured while I wait for the parts to arrive. I was watching FT-8 traffic for fun. Its typically all automated exchanges (not really ham in its purest form unless you consider a bunch of Teslas on a track racing each other racing on auto drive) but you can also do manual text exchanges as well. Basically CW (morse code) without having to know it.

Currently picking up stations in South America and South Africa! (im the yellow rectangle, blue and green rectangles are zones where I've heard the traffic. Too cool.

View attachment 321003

If you're getting into FT-8 you'll want to check out PSK Reporter website for actual reports on how your signal is getting out. My report If you change the time frame from 15 or 30 minutes you can see how your day progressed and signals came in and out from around the world.

 

[Cameramonkey]

If you're getting into FT-8 you'll want to check out PSK Reporter website for actual reports on how your signal is getting out. My report If you change the time frame from 15 or 30 minutes you can see how your day progressed and signals came in and out from around the world.

I might have to try that. I was sending CQs and hearing FT-8 on my first go of it, but no actual contacts logged after 15 minutes. Hmmmm. I must have something screwy going on in my setup.

So I switched modes and spent an hour on WSPR just to see how far I can be heard.
When I tried to create my website account it failed. And now that the WSPR site shows my email as a registered account, it wont send me a password reset either. Im going to wait until after the holiday to use the contact form to get it straightened out. Not worth bothering them over a holiday weekend.

On a related note, the Digirig mobile is smaller than it looks.

 

[laf]

I saw the Digirig at Hamvention a couple years back but I already had a Signalink and wasn't willing to change out yet. Since then I changed radios and may be in the market for a Digirig but will wait until May.

If you've got wsjt-x open make sure your DT's are less than 2. Preferably less than 1. That's the delta time and the closer to 0 you are with everyone the better it is. My PC drifts horribly. Maybe 2-6 seconds a day. I have a scheduled task to sync time every hour with NIST just to keep it reasonable.

But I do find PSK reporter super helpful if you're not getting replies. Sometimes it feels like you're yelling into the wind. But there's always people listening and just posting their data so you can at least get a 'radio check' without making a qso.

My old ft-8 setup was a ft-450at, then a ic-7300, and now a ic-7610. One wire makes it so much easier than I was dealing with.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Thanks. my time is showing a bit off at - 1.1 to -1.8. in the software contacts. and -1.9 to the pool servers. I just resynced and it has me down in the sub 100th of a second off to the pool.

And as I typed I just got another hit at .2 sec difference.

 

[Sailor]

I havent jumped into it yet but I have been following the whole Meshtastic Mesh Networking system. its an interesting offline texting type communication that people are getting pretty creative with. Unless you can get a node up really high its fairly limited distance but still very interesting. Ive seen some guys putting the nodes on drones and sending them up which greatly increased the distance the message was able to be sent.

Do you have any links or results with using Lora with drones? I need about 17 miles to the furthest team mate.

 

[Tomahawkman]

Do you have any links or results with using Lora with drones? I need about 17 miles to the furthest team mate.

I dont have a link specifically regarding it. There is a facebook group for the meshstastic users, id check that out as i beleive its the primary spot for discussion on the topic.

 

[nucular]

So where do we stand on grid-down communications? I like the meshtastic concept and think it could be handy in some scenarios but I don't like the idea of being tied to a phone (which most of them are). What are solutions for being able to communicate from an urban location out/in (e.g. downtown indy back and forth to one of the burbs)?

 

[Cameramonkey]

So where do we stand on grid-down communications? I like the meshtastic concept and think it could be handy in some scenarios but I don't like the idea of being tied to a phone (which most of them are). What are solutions for being able to communicate from an urban location out/in (e.g. downtown indy back and forth to one of the burbs)?

For grid down via radio that distance would be ham radio on 40/80 meter in with an antenna in NVIS config. That shoots the signal nearly vertical to come back down nearby.

 

[Sailor]

For grid down via radio that distance would be ham radio on 40/80 meter in with an antenna in NVIS config. That shoots the signal nearly vertical to come back down nearby.

This,

And test which of your antennas do this the best and which stations you can hit reliably. For me, my EFHW does better than my Chameleon MPAS configurations. 5w portable I can reliably hit 40m stations on Winlink Vara/JS8call to the east coast and close to the Rockies.

 

[Cameramonkey]

This,

And test which of your antennas do this the best and which stations you can hit reliably. For me, my EFHW does better than my Chameleon MPAS configurations. 5w portable I can reliably hit 40m stations on Winlink Vara/JS8call to the east coast and close to the Rockies.

I run a hybrid inverted L/sloper and it gets out. It leaves the back of my house and slopes up to a mast I have anchored to the top of my minibarn.

I suspect I could release the support line and lower the far end and run it horizontally at 5' or so and get NVIS.