Thoughts About Emergency Communications

(photos of the field radio station at Brocks’ PATCON are posted at end of outline)

1. Communications is a “skills-based” activity

a. Group communications requires tactical and subject-matter experts
b. Plan (agree)

i. What needs to be accomplished
ii. Who is responsible for specific tasks
iii. When the tasks will be accomplished

c. Educate (act)

i. Determine ‘who’ needs to know ‘what’
ii. Establish and deliver the curriculum
iii. Test the knowledge

d. Practice (commit)

i. Use licensed radio services – an existing community
ii. Join local radio clubs – infrastructure, assistance

http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club

iii. Build additional facilities
iv. Attend regularly scheduled “nets”
v. Conduct simulated emergency tests

2. Match technology to group objectives (and vs)

a. Effectiveness of technologies

i. Personal communicators – 49 MHz, 1/8 mi, $30+

http://www.collett.mb.ca/home.htm
https://www.denniskirk.com/409127.sku?utm_source=shopzilla&utm_medium=cse
http://www.rfwiz.com/Maxon/Portables/Maxon_49-FX.htm

ii. FRS (Family Radio Service) – 460 MHz, < 1 mi, $50+

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio_Service
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/frs/5838.html
http://www.buytwowayradios.com/?ad=1489974455
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp;jsessionid=80B86DA70396EBE884690AA02A5303B2.bbolsp-app05-28?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=79803387770493071&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=frs+radio&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960

iii. (L) GMRS (General Mobile Radio) – 460 MHz,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gmrs
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/frs/0615.html
http://www.nationaltwowayradio.com/?gclid=CJLP2K7O4rICFQcGnQodF3AAew
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_4?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=gmrs+radio&sprefix=gmrs%2Celectronics%2C178

iv. MURS (Multi-Use Radio) – 150 MHz,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Use_Radio_Service
http://www.intercomsonline.com/MURS-Radios-s/27.htm
http://www.twowayradiogear.com/menu/motorola-rdx-series/motorola-rdm2080d?gclid=cled4sjo4ricfqfonaodfnwaeq

v. CB (Citizens Band) – 27 MHz, 10’s to 100’s mi, $ 50 +

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CB_radio
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/cb_radio.html
http://www.rightchannelradios.com/
http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2032070&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_term=cb%20radio&utm_content=Exact&utm

vi. (L) Amateur VHF/UHF – various freqs, 10+ mi, $ 100 +

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/fm_txvrs.html
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht.html
http://www.amazon.com/Yaesu-VX-3R-DualBand-Handheld-Tranceiver/sim/B004BFAANC/2

vii. Marine VHF – 150 MHz,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_VHF_radio
http://www.cabelas.com/vhf-handheld-radios.shtml
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/marine.html
http://www.amazon.com/Icom-IC-M88-Handheld-Marine-Radio/dp/B0000AXTDC

viii. (L) Amateur HF – various freqs, 100’s + mi, $500 +

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf.html

ix. OTHER Amateur Radio Equipment Sources (I am not affiliated with Universal Radio)

http://www.aesham.com/
http://www.hamcity.com/Store/pc/home.asp
http://www.hamradio.com/
http://secondhandradio.com/default.aspx?gclid=CJbLwK_M4rICFQTznAodv34AVg
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=ham+radio+equipment

b. Obfuscation and encryption (illegal under ‘rule of law’)

i. Code-phrases in plain text messages
ii. Voice “scramblers”

http://www.hobbytron.com/pdf/Ss70aE.pdf

iii. Ciphers and codes

http://www.braingle.com/brainteasers/codes/index.php
http://www.vectorsite.net/ttcode.html
http://www.thefreecountry.com/sourcecode/encryption.shtml

iv. PGP for text attachments over radio email

3. Be creative in use of your available technology

a. Community / neighborhood solutions

i. Internet – ‘private’ IRC, VoIP, email
ii. Runners, semaphore, optical semaphore

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2007/12/email-in-the-18.html
http://w1tp.com/3475.jpg

iii. Community radio “net” – protocol and scripts
iv. Field radio OPS – protocol and scripts
v. Grid-down SHTF – solar chargers and batteries

b. “Wire” your neighborhood to avoid radiation

i. Copper pairs, coax, optic fiber
ii. Local telegraph or telephone

c. Use radio technology in unexpected ways

i. Perimeter warning systems with VOX operated HT’s, baby monitors

d. Use radio technology to spread mis-information

i. HT’s used with digital voice recorders to simulate field ops

4. Attempt to “hide in plain sight”

a. In the ‘shadow’ of commercial broadcast
b. Use an ‘unexpected’ mode on an ‘unusual’ frequency

i. Cross band operation to extend range of VHF / UHF gear

http://at-communication.com/upload/Image/codan/hf_transceivers/hf_vhf_en_1.jpg

ii. Vintage amateur gear is capable of “out of band” operation (illegal …)

c. Shorten messages with ‘brevity codes’

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Brevity_codes
http://www.n2nov.net/nypdcodes.html
http://www.zerobeat.net/qrp/qsignals.html
http://www.cyberbeach.net/lberta/zcode1.html

d. Digital modes operating “at the noise level”

http://www.oliviamode.com/

5. Acknowledge the existence of very real threats

a. If you ‘radiate’, someone will hear you
b. Many “bad actors” will employ active surveillance

i. Predators will listen with gear like yours

c. ARES (especially RACES) are “in bed” with State EM organizations
d. FedGov will employ electronic triangulation

i. Compass bearing in fraction of a second

6. Realize you will never hear “them” coming

a. Gov and Mil use technology we can’t afford
b. E.g. contemporary battlefield radio

i. Wide-band and spread spectrum equipment
ii. Type1 Encryption (US Top Secret)

7. Licensing for amateur radio

http://offgridsurvival.com/survivalcommunicationshamradio/
http://aa9pw.com/radio/

Field radio station at Brocks’ PATCON, 6 October 2012, Princeville NC

The operating desk:  telegraphy, voice and radio email … HF, VHF, UHF equipment

Improvised mast for all-band HF antenna:  inverted V doublet fed with ladder line

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