Many
survivalists are searching for a reliable means of communication
and
thus far have not found the answer. Many others place communications
very
low on the list of priorities. When times are tough and the systems
currently
in place are no longer functioning the survivor must be prepared to
provide
this most basic essential for himself. In my case, a reliable
communication
system is equal in importance to guns, ammo and a years supply
of
food. In this article I sincerely hope to pass on the knowledge and
desire
to provide for this important function.
I
have read many different articles on the subject of survival
communications
and have not yet read one that I consider adequate. Some
stress
the advantages of ham radio, some the advantages of CB. In all
actuality,
neither of these is the perfect solution. I will go out on a limb
and
get everyone mad at me. I have been involved in military communications
for
about ten years and I am here to tell you nothing is 100% reliable all of
the
time. There are ways to approach that mark though. At this point I must
advise
you that the information in this article is presented for
informational
purposes only.
First
let's discuss some problems with ham radio. The entry level
license
(no code technician) allows the licensed operator to communicate on
the
popular "two-meter" band it also allows communication on other band but
two-meters
is the most popular. This band is fantastic for local or distant
communication,
reception is generally clear and reliable. The problem here
is
that we are looking for communications during "bad times". During these
times,
the repeater networks that the "two-meter" band relies upon for
distant
communication will break down from lack of maintenance. The people
who
maintain these repeaters will have much better things to worry about such
as
where the next meal will come from. Another scenario is that the
government
may just decide that they really don't see the "legitimate
purpose"
for people to have access to the repeaters anymore (or for that
matter
any amateur radio). Ham radio operators would become a threat and the
government
will be able to simply go down the list of licenses and shut them
down.
Yet another problem I see with ham radio as a survival tool is simply
that
the average person is not a ham operator. When trying to gather
information
on a national scale, the operator will want to reach as diverse a
group
of people as possible. There are relatively few ham radio operators as
compared
to the population as a whole. If an operator upgrades his license
to
technician plus or general class he will have access to the HF portion of
the
spectrum which is useful to the survivor indeed. Communications of
several
thousand miles on some of the lower HF bands are routine.
Another
option is the CB radio. This over-rated, under-powered means of
communication
in its stock form is best left to the interstates of our great
nation.
During certain atmospheric conditions, a user would be lucky to talk
one
mile. The band is filled with a great number of hopeful Romeo's, filthy
mouthed
lowlife's and too many radio checks. I can't even monitor the AM
channels
when my children are present due to the language and subject matter
common
on the AM frequencies. Some CB radios lend themselves well to
modification.
The Uniden Grant LX and the Cobra 148 GTL are very adaptable
to
upgrade. The power can be turned up and the frequencies can be expanded.
There
are also a multitude of other useful and useless modifications that can
be
made to these radios. These are the only CB radios I can recommend.
There
are many good books available on this subject.
There
is available a type of radio sometimes referred to as an "export"
radio.
They may be somewhat difficult to find due to their illegal status.
My
suggestion is to buy a cheap CB first, get to know who's who in your area.
The
people who can obtain "exports" are there, it is just a matter of finding
them.
These radios are technological marvels. The normal CB is limited to
only
40 channels which covers the frequencies 26.965 to 27.405. They are
also
regulated to 4 watts of output power on AM and 12 watts Single Side Band
(more
on this later). Export radios can operate in several modes of
transmission
over a much greater frequency range. Most are capable of nearly
20
watts AM and 40 watts side band. Many also have the capability to "slide"
between
channels, thus enabling the user to talk "between" channels so to
speak.
There is also another type of radio on the market that is even better
in
some ways. These radios are "10 meter" ham radios that can be internally
modified
to operate from well below the CB band to well above the "10 meter"
ham
band. One of these radio's is the Ranger Communications Incorporated,
RCI
model 2950 or it's more powerful big brother the model 2970. These
radios
have a frequency range of 26 MHz to 31.999 MHz (with a very simple
modification)
although most users stay within 26.000 to 27.999 for safety.
The
"10-meter" ham band begins at 28 MHz, don't mess around up there. Most
of
these radios are mobile radios; in order to use one as a base station a
power
supply is required to convert 120 vac to 13.8 vdc. I would recommend
at
least a 6 Amp power supply for an "export" or Ranger. Good power supplies
cost
about $75.00 or less. There are also some export and 10 meter base
stations
available which plug directly into a wall. I feel that some
versatility
is lost because a mobile radio used as a base can still be a
mobile
if necessary. A walkie-talkie or two would also be useful when on
foot.
Although normally range is limited, when communicating with a base
station
they are capable of a surprising distance. An export walkie-talkie
exists
that can transmit and receive on the same frequencies as the other
export
radios.
Now,
let's get back to that Side Band statement that I made. If you
could
look at the signal generated by the average CB radio it could be
described
as having three layers. The two outside layers are the Single
Side
Bands (SSB) and the middle is the carrier wave. When the microphone is
keyed
on an AM CB radio a carrier wave is emitted from the radio, this
carrier
is there whether you talk or not just wasting power. On a side band
radio,
the carrier and one of the side bands is eliminated thus concentrating
more
power into a narrower signal. These side bands are referred to as the
upper
side band (USB) and the lower side band (LSB). Some CB radios are
capable
of side band communication but, are still restricted to the 40
channels
of the radio. Even with this limitation a CB equipped for side band
in
effect, gives you 80 side band channels and 40 AM channels to choose from.
Within
the CB band, most side band communication is on the LSB of channels
35-40.
Outside the CB band, many people use the frequency 27.5550 USB as a
long
distance call frequency. This frequency is located in the so-called
"freeband"
which extends from 27.4150 to 27.9990, this frequency band is an
area
of spectrum which is used very little by the primary users. Much of the
best
side band long distance communication takes place in this area.
Side-banders
as they are commonly referred to are a different breed
entirely
that the AM operator. They have a protocol for operating that makes
the
side bands a much more pleasant place to communicate. These people are
usually
very knowledgeable about equipment and also sources of "the good
stuff"
especially when talking about free-banders. On the sidebands, the use
of
a "handle" is taboo. They normally identify themselves with a three or
four
digit number. These numbers can be obtained through sideband
organizations
or, if like me you want to stay off the lists, just make one
up.
Having a number will give you credibility so other sidebanders will talk
to
you. Another major difference between SSB operation and AM operation is
the
use of "Q" codes instead of "10" codes. If an operator tries to use the
"10"
codes on SSB he will usually be in for a ribbing and, told to go back to
AM.
A complete listing of the international "Q" codes will be available in
any
book about beginning Ham radio. The best advice I can give is to monitor
the
side bands, see how they operate and when you have it down make your
first
contact. Another good idea is to find a local sidebander or freebander
and
treat him like a brother. This person can guide your decisions and
prevent
some very expensive mistakes. He will also be able to relate to you
information
which is not available in print.
The
antenna is the most important part of the system. Within the
myriad
of mobile antennas, all of my research has led me to one antenna that
is
worthy of consideration. This is the Wilson 1000 antenna. This antenna
can
handle up to 3000 watts of power and can be purchased in three different
configurations;
a magnetic mount, a hardmount (a hole must be drilled in the
vehicle)
and a trunk lip mount. This antenna transmits and receives better
that
any whip antenna I have ever seen or used. Since it is simply a thin,
steel
whip, it is unobtrusive as well. They may seem a little pricey at
first
but, the advantages gained in performance, durability and lack of
maintenance
more than make up for the costs. I have personally talked from
the
Southwestern United States to Alaska from my car with one of these
antennas.
An alternative to the Wilson 1000 is the Wilson Trucker 2000.
This
antenna will handle 3500 watts of power and is essentially the same as
the
1000. The primary difference being the type of mounting hardware
necessary.
It is sometimes a better choice for vehicles where a roof top
mount
is not desired or possible as it will mount to mirrors or the body or
anywhere
that you can fasten a standard 3/8 by 24 pitch antenna mount.
Regarding
base station antennas you have two types to choose from: The
beam
antenna and the vertical element. My choice is to use both through the
use
of a switch box. The vertical element is better for local communications
and,
the beam is better for long distances. Many times an operator is able
to
talk to a distant station that would otherwise be unheard without the use
of
a beam. The beam antenna is mounted on a rotor which is controlled by a
control
box next to the radio. The operator simply rotates the beam until
the
best signal is received. The vertical element antenna is better for
local
communications because the radiation pattern into and out of the
antenna
is omni-directional. The beam will only receive and transmit in the
direction
it is pointed. Beams are designed to multiply the transmit and
receive
strength and are said to have a higher "gain". Whichever type of
antenna
you use, it is important to securely ground the mast. I use a
minimum
of 8 feet of steel or copper ground rod driven into the earth and
connected
to the mast with 8 gauge wire or copper braid. Make sure all
clamps
are tight. Popular brands for base antennas are Maco and Moonraker.
The
Solarcon A-99 is a very good omni-directional as is the V58 by Maco.
Whenever
an Omni is used make sure to include the ground plane radials.
These
extend out from the base of the antenna and increase the efficiency
dramatically.
An
important area of concern for the radio operator is a term called
Standing
Wave Ratio (SWR). This is simply the amount of output power being
reflected
back into the radio. The higher the SWR the less efficiently your
equipment
is functioning. If the SWR is too high you will eventually cook
your
radio. An SWR reading of 2.0 or less is generally considered
acceptable,
this number should be as low as possible. Anything 3.0 or higher
will
eventually damage valuable equipment. The SWR is adjusted with the
antenna,
usually by sliding the radiating element in or out of an adjusting
sleeve
or by trimming the radiating element. In any case, follow the
manufacturers
directions or seek the advice of an experienced operator. The
coax
which connects the radio to the antenna to the radio is very important
and
deserves mention. In order to achieve an efficient system a good quality
coax
should be used at the minimum I would recommend using MINI 8/U or RG-8/U
if
the diameter is not a problem. The very best money can buy is called
RG-213/U.
It is almost a half inch in diameter and well worth the money. It
isn't
too terribly expensive at about $30.00 for 50 feet. The others are
substantially
less. Operators using a linear amplifier need to be unusually
careful
of a high SWR.
A
linear amplifier can significantly increase the operating distance of
a
radio. These amplifiers are used to boost the power of an outgoing signal
as
high as the operator's budget will allow. I have heard it said that
amplifiers
normally cost about a dollar a watt; I think this estimate is too
high.
The average I would recommend for a reliable system is about 500
watts.
This power will increase local reliability by allowing communication
over
the "skip" coming in and also allow you to talk very clearly to out of
state
or even out of country stations when skip conditions are good. When
skip
conditions are favorable Channel 6 (27.0250 MHz) on the CB band is a
very
good example of the benefits of a linear amplifier. Many of these
stations,
even from thousands of miles away, will sound like they are in
your
back seat. Most of the stations on channel 6 are running 1000 watts or
more.
Skip
is an atmospheric condition in which your signal can travel
thousands
of miles and reach a distant station. For the SSB operator, skip
is
pretty reliable. On any given day an operator should be able to talk out
of
state to somewhere. Sometimes this condition will last only a few hours
but,
it happens almost every day. Skip occurs on the AM band as well but, it
fades
in and out so fast that meaningful conversations are almost
nonexistent.
I have had or heard many conversations on side band which lasted
an
hour or more. Atmospheric skip makes the radio a good source of
information
on a national scale. This oversight probably has the FCC fuming
but,
there is an unenforceable law which states that it is illegal to attempt
to
make contact with another station that is over 150 miles away in the
Citizens
Band. Even a totally stock, out of the box CB has the capability to
make
contact with other states occasionally.
There
is currently a government agency called the Federal
Communications
Commission (FCC), which regulates and enforces all forms of
inter-communication
in the United States. These people are to free
communication
what the BATF is to firearms. Two-way communication is only
legal
through strict government guidelines. The very nature of the "ham
license"
only adds to the "law and order" society which the bureaucrats want
to
create. This licensing process is simply a means of keeping tabs on
two-way
communication. Nazi Germany was also interested in controlling
communication
as are all totalitarian regimes. In many countries simply
possessing
a means of two-way communication is as serious of an offense as
possession
of an unauthorized gun. Don't worry though, "it can't happen
here,
the republicans are here to save us".
The
situation we find ourselves in now in the United States is becoming
more
precarious each day. The Republican revolution, for the most part, has
turned
into just another scam on the American people. Our currency is
teetering
on the brink of collapse. The committed survivor must be prepared
to
provide this important asset to his family or group. One day when you
pick
up your "cell-phone" and nothing happens what will you do? Hopefully
you
will just reach down and turn on the radio, but if you don't have one...
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