[Editors Note: FCC rules stipulate that Amateur Radio operators may
convert and operate transceivers designed for other services on Amateur Radio
frequencies, but the reverse is not true. Unless a radio has been type accepted
by the FCC for use on other frequencies, those transceivers may not be used for
such purposes. They may, however, be used to listen to other frequencies
(except for cellular frequencies.)]
Purpose
You’ll find the line item “ham
radio” on a variety of prepper, collapse, and bug out bag lists, and for good
reason.
However, for the communications
novice, this item can be difficult to address in a meaningful way without
plunging into electronics and radio theory, forum discussions about the
relative merits of different equipment, a confusing learning curve, licensing,
jargon, and erratic device documentation.
Nevertheless, procuring and using a
basic Ham radio is an important part of being prepared for a crisis. So, a
simple, easy-to-follow recipe for gaining a modest, inexpensive Ham radio
capability is the goal of this article.
If you’re an experienced Ham, this
basic, procedural approach will no doubt fall short of your needs and
sophistication. However, if you’re someone with no radio or electronics
experience who wants to add some rudimentary Ham capability quickly and
cheaply, I hope that these simple steps are as useful to you as they were to
me.
The Wikipedia page for “Ham radio”
is a somewhat overwhelming orientation, but for our purposes it’s just
important to know that Ham radio is amateur, bi-directional, public, radio
communication that is partly infrastructure-independent. This means that Ham
radio will continue to work for person-to-person communications even when the
power grid is out, radio and cell towers have crumbled to ruin, and mutant
zombie squirrels roam the wasteland.
Ham isn’t completely immune to
infrastructure collapse though, as it leverages available repeater towers to
boost range and requires some form of power to run the radio, but it’s far more
enduring than cellular service and the Internet. It is also far more useful
than (uni-directional) broadcast AM and FM radio.
Ham radio is a useful tool during
crisis both as a source of information (since it allows you to listen to the
communications of others) and as a means of communicating (since two Ham radios
within range can talk to each other like walkie-talkies).
Ham frequencies are a common
denominator fallback method of communication for government disaster and aid
agencies that might need to communicate across mutually incompatible systems.
Also, some Ham radios allow you to
listen to FM radio stations– a potentially important source of local news.
What about training, call signs, and
all that? Ham radio technically requires training, licensing, and following
certain etiquette. You might also have heard that Ham licensure used to require
knowing Morse code.
Not to worry. You can skip all that
complexity for the purposes of getting started. In fact, you can obtain,
configure, and (passively) use a Ham radio without worrying about any of it.
You can and should pursue the simple
requirements for licensing, if you’re going to be transmitting on Ham while the
rule of law exists. Regulatory agencies and licensed Ham operators legitimately
complain and penalize you if you pollute their otherwise peaceful airwaves.
However, those complaints become
less important post-collapse and shouldn’t prevent you from obtaining,
configuring, and listening in on Ham right now. Once you get the basics in
hand, you can become more involved as time and interest permits, using the
resources listed at the end of the article.
First, go buy some basic equipment.
You’ll want one each of the following:
This radio is attractive because of
its ruggedness, cost, size, programmability, FM radio, and USB charging. There
are plenty of radios that are more capable in a variety of directions, but the
UV-3R+ is a sweet spot for the novice.
Other brands will work, so long as
they’re dual band 144/430 MHz, and have an SMA female connector. Anything that
works with the Baofeng UV-5R will work with the UV-3R+. You can also skip this
item completely and use the (shorter range and not as good) antenna that comes
with the UV-3R+.
Programming the UV-3R+ isn’t
strictly required to get started, but it makes all subsequent use far easier.
If you intend to program the UV-3R+, you’ll also need access to a computer
running Windows, Mac, or Linux.
The total cost for all three
components will be about $50. You may want to buy more than one radio and antenna
(though perhaps only one programming cable). You can plan to use the UV-3R+
either alone as a listening post link to the outside world, or you can buy
several to use as two-way team communicators. You can also use the UV-3R+ with
FRS/GMRS two-way radios as described below.
You also need to consider how you’ll
recharge the device. This can be any means that can provide either wall (110
volts AC) or USB (5 volts DC) power, including:
- National power grid (the UV-3R+ comes with a wall charger)
- automotive 12 volt to USB adapter
- gas generator
- thermoelectric generator
- solar generator
- solar charger
If you’re using Mac OS X, download
and install Python from the link on the CHIRP download page, too.
The versions of these three components
that I used (with Mac OS X 10.9.5) are:
While you wait for your equipment to
arrive from Amazon, go find local frequencies of interest at RadioReference.com. From the main page, choose Databases > Frequency
Database. Under Retrieve By Location > Retrieve by US zipcode,
enter your zip code and choose Retrieve.
In the results, identify frequencies
that interest you, and log them in a list. I used an Excel spreadsheet, an
example of which is shown below. Be sure to store at least the Frequency,
Tone, and Description from RadioReference.com. Don’t bother with
anything labeled as trunked or encrypted; you won’t be able to listen to or use
those without other, significantly more expensive equipment. Focus instead on
frequencies with either “XXX.X PL” or “CSQ” listed for Tone.
|
UV-3R
|
Frequency
|
Tone
|
Description
|
|
1
|
154.01
|
186.2
PL
|
Lane
14 (County Tactical)
|
|
2
|
154.13
|
186.2
PL
|
Metro
13 (Metro Tactical)
|
|
3
|
154.145
|
186.2
PL
|
Metro
14 (Metro Tactical)
|
|
4
|
154.175
|
186.2
PL
|
Lane
13 (County Tactical)
|
|
5
|
154.19
|
186.2
PL
|
Metro
11 (Metro Tactical)
|
|
6
|
154.205
|
CSQ
|
Lane
15 (County Tactical)
|
|
7
|
154.265
|
186.2
PL
|
Firecom
2 (Metro Tactical)
|
|
8
|
154.295
|
186.2
PL
|
Lane
11 (County Tactical)
|
|
9
|
154.355
|
CSQ
|
Metro
1 (E/S Dispatch)
|
Include in your list the following
FRS and GMRS frequencies (all are “CSQ”). These are the frequencies that a
variety of “two-way radio” walkie-talkies use. By programming your UV-3R+ with these frequencies,
you’ll be able to easily interoperate with those FRS and GMRS radios.
|
FRS/GMRS
Chan.
|
Frequency
|
|
1
|
462.5625
|
|
2
|
462.5875
|
|
3
|
462.6125
|
|
4
|
462.6375
|
|
5
|
462.6625
|
|
6
|
462.6875
|
|
7
|
462.7125
|
|
8
|
467.5625
|
|
9
|
467.5875
|
|
10
|
467.6125
|
|
11
|
467.6375
|
|
12
|
467.6625
|
|
13
|
467.6875
|
|
14
|
467.7125
|
|
15
|
462.55
|
|
16
|
462.575
|
|
17
|
462.6
|
|
18
|
462.625
|
|
19
|
462.65
|
|
20
|
462.675
|
|
21
|
462.7
|
|
22
|
462.725
|
Also identify any local FM radio
stations that you wish to program, using Radio-Locator.com. A news/talk station would be a useful choice.
Once you have the CHIRP software,
driver, and (if necessary) Python installed, have received your purchases, and
have collected a list of local frequencies, you’re ready to program the UV-3R+.
Make sure that the UV-3R+ is
charged.
Open the rubberized cover on the
side of the UV-3R+ and connect the programming cable. Plug the other end of the
cable into your computer.
Press and hold the orange power
button on the front of the UV-3R+ to turn it on.
Launch CHIRP, and choose Radio
> Download From Radio.
Set the port to the correct USB
port, which for me was /dev/cu.usbserial. Set Vendor > Baofeng, and Model
> UV-3R. Choose Okay. Wait while the default factory settings of
the UV-3R+ are loaded into the software.
Back up the default settings by
choosing File > Save As, picking a convenient location and name (for
example “factorydefault”), and choosing Save. This lets you revert to
the factory configuration later, using CHIRP, if you need to. (You can also
reset to factory settings by holding down the UV-3R+ POWER and VOL buttons for
five seconds.)
Choose the Memories tab in
CHIRP.
Edit the frequency list in CHIRP by
double-clicking a location and filling in your previously-collected information
(Frequency and Tone).
If the RadioReference Tone is
listed as “XXX.X PL”, choose “Tone” for the CHIRP Tone Mode, and enter
the numerical value (XXX.X) for the CHIRP Tone.
If the RadioReference Tone is
listed as “CSQ”, choose “(None)” for the CHIRP Tone Mode, and leave the
CHIRP Tone value as it is.
For example, if the information you
gleaned from RadioReference.com looks like this:
|
UV-3R
|
Frequency
|
Tone
|
Description
|
|
1
|
154.01
|
186.2
PL
|
Lane
14 (County Tactical)
|
Then you’d create this line in
CHIRP:
Loc
| Frequency | Tone | Tone | ToneSql | DTCS | DTCS | Cross Mode | Duplex
| Offset | Mode | Power
|
| Mode | | | Code | Pol |
| | |
|
9 |
154.010000 | Tone | 186.2 | 88.5 |
023 | NN | Tone->Tone | (None) |0.000000| FM | High
And if you had this channel
information from RadioReference.com:
|
UV-3R
|
Frequency
|
Tone
|
Description
|
|
9
|
154.355
|
CSQ
|
Metro
1 (E/S Dispatch)
|
Then you’d create this line in
CHIRP:
Loc
| Frequency | Tone | Tone | ToneSql | DTCS | DTCS | Cross Mode | Duplex
| Offset | Mode | Power
|
| Mode | | | Code | Pol |
| | |
|
9 |
154.355000 | none | 88.5 | 88.5 | 023
| NN | Tone->Tone | (None)
|0.000000| FM | High
Don’t forget to enter the FRS/GMRS
frequencies. I started entering these at memory location 71, so that CH 1 = 71,
CH 2 = 72, and so on, to make it easier to remember and directly access them
later.
Choose the Settings tab in
CHIRP, and then choose FM Radio Presets. Enter any desired FM radio
stations, clicking the Enabled checkbox and then entering the station
frequency (for example “102.9”).
Chose File > Save As, and
save your hard work as a second, differently-named backup (for example
“mychannels”).
In CHIRP, choose Radio >
Upload To Radio, using the same settings as for the earlier download.
If you have more than one UV-3R+,
you can do this upload for each unit, thereby quickly cloning your settings to
multiple devices. One interesting way to use this cloning capability is to set
up specific, non-FRS/GMRS frequencies for the use of your UV-3R+-equipped team.
Now you’re ready to use your freshly
programmed UV-3R+. The accompanying manual isn’t so great, so here are
shortcuts for several common tasks:
Note: The dial has to be lifted up
to rotate. Pressing the dial down locks it. Don’t force a locked dial!
Scanning presets
Press and hold U/V to toggle
between frequency and preset modes. You’ll see a small number (the memory
location) in the upper left of the display when you’re in preset mode.
Press F/A, then MENU.
This enters scanning mode.
Twist the dial to keep going
when scanning stops at an undesired signal, or to change scanning direction at
any time.
Press any key to stop scanning when
you find a desired signal.
Navigating to a particular preset
Press and hold U/V to toggle
between frequency and preset modes. You’ll see a small number (the memory
location) in the upper left of the display when you’re in preset mode.
Rotate the dial to choose the
preset.
Scanning frequencies
Press and hold U/V to toggle
between frequency and preset modes. You WON’T see a small number (the memory
location) in the upper left of the display when you’re in frequency mode.
Press U/V to toggle between
UHF and VHF ranges.
Press F/A, then MENU.
This enters scanning mode.
Twist the dial to keep going
when scanning stops at an undesired signal, or to change scanning direction at
any time.
Press any key to stop scanning when
you find a desired signal.
Navigating to a particular frequency
Press and hold U/V to toggle
between frequency and preset modes. You WON’T see a small number (the memory
location) in the upper left of the display when you’re in frequency mode.
Rotate the dial to choose the
frequency.
Press F/A to toggle between
large and small frequency increments.
Press U/V to toggle between
UHF and VHF ranges.
Navigating to a particular FM preset
Enter or leave FM mode by pressing
and holding L/F.
Press and hold U/V to toggle
between frequency and preset modes. You’ll see a small number (the memory
location) in the upper left of the display when you’re in preset mode.
Rotate the dial to choose the
FM preset.
Scanning for an FM signal
Enter or leave FM mode by pressing
and holding L/F.
Press and hold U/V to toggle
between frequency and preset modes. You WON’T see a small number (the memory
location) in the upper left of the display when you’re in frequency mode.
Press F/A, then MENU.
This enters scanning mode.
Scanning stops when it finds a
signal.
Navigating to a particular FM
frequency
Enter or leave FM mode by pressing
and holding L/F.
Rotate the dial to choose the
FM frequency.
Testing FRS/GMRS interoperability
Press and hold U/V to toggle
between frequency and preset modes. You’ll see a small number (the memory
location) in the upper left of the display when you’re in preset mode.
Rotate the dial to choose the
preset for FRS/GMRS channel 1 (in my case, preset 71).
Set the FRM/GMRS radio to channel 1,
and set the channel 1 interference eliminator code to zero.
Hold the FRS/GMRS radio near the
UV-3R+, and press the PTT (talk) button. You should hear a squeal of
feedback from the UV-3R+.
Repeat for all 22 FRS/GMRS channels,
setting the UV-3R+ preset and FRS/GMRS channel, and using zero for the
interference eliminator code for each. For each pairing, listen for a feedback
squeal when you transmit.
After you’ve enjoyed your new Ham
radio for a while, you’ll want to store it with your other preps. When doing
so, remember that the battery will slowly discharge over time. Plan to recharge
the battery and test the unit every three months or so.
Remember to store the user manual
and any other helpful documentation (like your list of frequencies) with the
radio.
Finally, for your radio to be most
useful under the most conditions, consider storing it in an EMP-hardened container,
like a metal ammo can or metal trash can with metal lid. Store it with the
antenna detached, for an extra measure of protection.
This simple, procedural approach to
getting started with Ham radio has only barely touched the surface of possible
Ham radio complexity and knowledge. When you’re ready to know more, there are a
number of additional resources:
From the Survival Blog
Poster’s comments:
1) None of this is rocket science.
2) Much of this post is 9th grade
level stuff which is also very good.
3) Being a listener will allow access to emergency
information, weather information, news, and entertainment.
4) Many of today’s transmissions may cease, and
a whole new list of transmitting stations may arise.
5) Antennas for “listeners” are much less
demanding of design and placement. About any ole wire will do in a pinch. Most
radios already have receiving antennas built it, too.
6) One (really a community) should have a
commercially made “emergency” radio receiver, just in case. Significant weather events alone make such a
possession a good idea for most.
Letter Re: Cheap and Easy Ham for the Communications Novice by TSR
HJL,I am an amateur radio operator, and we have organized and trained many new “hams” in our community. We hold weekly on-air meetings for those new operators to hone emergency communication skills and develop proficiency as well as an emergency network.
It has been our experience that those who start out with the low-powered BaoFeng UV-3R+ “handi-talky” (HT) become discouraged and drop interest in ham radio after a few months. Here are some reasons:
- The BaoFeng UV-3R+ operates at only 4 watts of power, while mobile units range from 15 to 75 watts.
- The BaoFeng UV-3R+ barely connects with local repeaters with signal quality so weak that other operators don’t want to talk with them for long.
- The entry price for the BaoFeng UV-3R+ is so low that users cringe at buying a basic “real” antenna (better quality) for more than their radio cost and a realistic cost for a decent mobile unit seems sky high in comparison.
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