I look forward to where this channel goes. For too long, laymen like myself have had to attempt to bridge the gap between the tactical world and the ham world with little time available to us. Having an expert for advice on this is going to be huge.
You really nailed it here. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here again: 2022 is gonna be the year that our community starts talking comms seriously and it becomes “cool”.
It’s 2024 and there are still zero introduction videos on DMR and trying to figure out how to program them feels like a scavenger hunt. Still waiting on these to be “cool” so someone can upload some tutorials
Just found your channel. I love the message and 100% agree with you regarding the importance of selecting your comms gear the same way you would your other kit. The ear pro and carbine analogy are spot on. The Baofeng has a place as a good starter radio, but is not the tool to depend your life on. Keep up the good work. Cheers and thanks for your service! You have a new sub.
As a volunteer sar guy you will be amazed how many of us are running around with the fengs.... so many of us are still on the Low end of the scale. The anytone is one of the few radios on the market that can do both dmr and analog. A must capability for intergraded communications. Also the problem starts that us sar guys do a lot of these things on our own dime. For people who actively want to learn coms you can learn alot by Joining your local sar team! If you like videos like this, trust me you are gonna like sar and you are going to help people to!
I'm certainly aware of the shortfall in terms of funding for you guys. I am very grateful for what you do, especially on your own dime, but can't help but think about how much more effective you can be with some more capable equipment. For that reason, I have been wanting to volunteer some time, resources, training, consulting, etc. in any way that I can help out with SAR teams. If you're interested in this and we can make it work out, we should discuss: operations@mojaverepeater.com
You will also meet many great people and have much if not all your medical and other certifications as well as national search and rescue certificates. And possibly learn mountain or other rescue as swift water rescue. Again the training may all be free from state hunting license or other grants . And the science of SAR is wide from search to radio to managing search operations is just to wide to write about . And your community experts add to the quality of the higher technology that is what builds the local SAR teams ability to teach future SAR teams and SAR dog and horse teams .
Excellent breakdown. I would argue that ham is getting less fuddy but they still are definitely out there. I land in all three of your columns. VHF/UHF handhelds are great for team level comm on whatever chosen service. Ham is still wildly useful for long range on HF. Joining your local search and rescue or other public service organization is a great way to become more proficient with radio communications. It's also very rewarding.
I’m liking and subscribing just for the garand thumb intro. I’ve been getting deeper down the rabbit hole of tactical gear and finding like minded people to train with. Finally got a plate carrier and plates this year and now I need to work on some ifak classes and upgrading from my uv5r. Thanks for the video
This series looks really promising and is greatly needed. I think the reality is that 99% of people will show up with Baofengs, or walkie talkies. In fact, you're really luck if most people could even come up with a pair of walkie talkies. In doing a threat assessment, I realized I (currently) need mostly short rang comms. Like something that lets 2 people talk to each other at different entrances to the subdivision. Or from the front gate to the back of 50 acres. Maybe a baofeng in a bucket up in a tree for a repeater. I think even FRS walkie talkies might have a place in a safety plan. The economics come into it when I have to buy radios for 5 or more people... hard to do that at $100 each. Plus batteries/pouches etc.
Excellent video! 11C30 (retired) and retired LEO and now Ham+GMRS operator for emergency comms. You are very good at explaining what is available, and why low budget equipment may not be the best option for preparedness.
Hate to say you just sound like someone else because you don’t, but definitely get some Garand Thumb vibes. Just discovered this video and channel after searching forever for a comprehensive explanation of tactical comms and their civ equivalents. Thank you for putting in the work to make this video and I’ll definitely be delving more into your channel if you’ve got more similar content.
Thanks and I appreciate the comments! I agree I think there are a lot of folks in your position who got into the hobby for that reason but aren’t fulfilled by what it has to offer. No shade, it’s certainly a great place to learn lots of good radio skills
Great video. Really liked the pacing and presentation style. There's a Ham Fest coming locally in 2 months, and I think I might try for the 'cram exam' tests they do there and see if I can just crank out he license for $15. The radio fest is 2 days, so I think I can even retest until I pass. That seems like the easiest way to get a license.
Baofeng makes the DM-1801 is DMR. It does all of the analog stuff, plus the dmr stuff in both VHF and UHF. They are under $100. They accept Kenwood plug accessories.
This is great information, thank you. Comms have to be the single most confusing and misunderstood aspect of a prepared citizen. Reason being, I feel, is no one can really just break it down and relay simple direct info.
Respectfully, this video addresses some key considerations for using Baofeng in “high-intensity” situations, but it doesn’t address arguably the most important reasons for why Baofeng radios aren’t suitable for those situations and in fact incredibly dangerous. It’s not about analog vs. digital, encryption vs. codespeak. It’s about gear that is reliable in emergency situations or is not. Baofeng radios are so cheap, in part, because they don’t have key electronics that filter unrelated RF into the receiver. That means that ANY form of RF around the radio, on any frequency or modulation, can leave it completely deaf to the communications you need to hear at any point in time. What are RF sources that can cause this to happen? Car alternators. Generators. Power transformers. WiFi transmitters. Playing this out, you could be hundreds of yards from a power substation, a malfunctioning transformer on a utility pole, or even a mile or more from a repeater site, you could have a completely useless radio and have no idea that’s happening. You could even be in a truck with a high-output or malfunctioning alternator and have a dead radio with no warning. You could be standing next to a commercial portable generator with your team yelling at you into their radios and have no idea what’s going on. I’m not making this up; I’m an Extra-class ham and one of the comms specialists in our SAR unit in Idaho and we, like most credible SAR units in the US, have banned Baofengs because we’ve seen these happen many times. Imagine being with a critical patient coordinating an evac and all of a sudden you can’t hear anything your base operation or helo crew is trying to tell you, only because your subject’s location is two miles from a repeater site. This happened to us on a live mission. It’s very real, and very scary. Fortunately there was another team member with a unit-issued radio that was working just fine and we didn’t have an impact. The other issue with Baofengs is you never know what you actually have in your hands. Baofengs are super-easy to counterfeit, and a significant percentage of them out there are fake. Even if it’s a real Baofeng, Baofeng has zero quality controls in their build processes and you may have one of the 10-20% of them that was just built wrong at the factory. That bad quality mostly comes in the form of incredibly low power output that doesn’t even come close to the rated power. The good news is there’s a really good solution and it’s not that much more expensive. Yaesu makes high-quality, entry-level radios that are under $90 and don’t suffer from either of these issues above. They’ve got proper receiver filter electronics and have a high quality control process, being a reputable Japanese company. The FT-65 from Yaesu is a great radio that does everything the UV-5R does. In summary, if you had a guy that showed up to training who could have bought a Glock 19 but decided to buy a Hi-Point to save $50, you’d be very rightly concerned about that person’s intelligence and sanity. Same thing if you heard from a buddy that he found some slick-looking Chinese vehicle recovery gear with dubious-looking WLL labels and no test data on Amazon and was showing it off to you. Or heaven forbid he brings you a box of counterfeit TQs he got cheap online. This really is the same thing. In the community of people who actually know comms, the images of the Russians in Ukraine carrying Baofengs was all anyone needed to know to be certain that those Russians were going to die, and quickly. For those of you reading this that may want to say “I’ve been using my Baofeng for years and never had a problem”, that’s just the point. You never know when you’re having a problem, and unless you’re an RF engineer with a spectrum analyzer and a $5,000 test bench in the field, you won’t know. You will think everything is fine and won’t have any idea things aren’t fine. In summary, there’s a lot of great information in this video that’s spot on. Just don’t choose Baofeng specifically and find an inexpensive radio from Yaesu or a real manufacturer and don’t put your life or someone else’s at risk. Hope that helps.
You are 100% spot on here. Thank you for weighing in. I generally only support the baofeng as a toy to get people interested in comms for that $30ish price point but you are totally justified in presenting a Yaesu as a cheap but much higher quality analog alternative! Great anecdote with experience to back it up. Thanks again 👍
From a SIGINT perspective, i would stay away from P25. It requires less energy to jam than it does to transmit(you can do it with a literal child's toy with a bit of hacking) and stations are pingable by default, meaning an adversary can induce your station to transmit so that they can DF you.
Your perspective is technically correct, however, it’s a fools game to self-deny capabilities. By doing so, you are playing right into the adversary’s hand, by drawing yourself into a narrower corridor for them to fix you in. Your assessment bears the assumption that an adversary already has some information about you/knows what they are looking for. Rather than self-deny, I would challenge you to maintain a diverse arsenal of communications equipment, thoroughly plan for every scenario, and know how and when to react to adversary actions. Your P25 might be compromised but it can be useful for deception, etc. EW is a cat/mouse game. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by throwing out capabilities.
I dig it, Extra class ham here, but man are there a ton of fudds in the ham community... great vid and looking forward to seeing where the channel goes in the future.
I think that there is a movement that is bringing a lot of new interest to the hobby and modernizing the way we think about emergency and preparedness communications! Thanks for your comment 🙏
@@MojaveRepeater Most certainly, even the steps of modernizing testing to allow for remote VE sessions was long overdue. For a hobby that's been the cutting edge of tech in the past it's become stagnant due to obstinate "we've always done it that way" thinking. Far cry when I had to wait two years to upgrade because my local club only tested on days I was stuck on base haha. Now as a VE I log into Zoom and we test folks all over the US, Mon-Sat with two avail times a day. Surprised I haven't seen Zoom based Hamcrams too.
@@Terribleguitarist89 the thing to remember is that, just like in the 2A community, the Fudds are old and falling out. We are in a unique position to change what the ham community is. The same way we are taking over 2A issues and making things better, we can take over amateur radio and utilize this powerful tool to strengthen our community. We need to be that change, or even better-get our friends to help us be that change. I live in a metropolitan area with probably 40ish repeaters. About three of them see any use. I know that conventional repeaters aren't shtf solid, but it illustrates my point. The airwaves are dead. They are there, just waiting for the right group of folks to utilize them. Plus talking on radios with your buddies is fun👍🏼 KC1GZR
Had a 152 fall out a 7 ton window because they issued a short antenna that was not punching through the cab. It came apart partly. Used a air hose to dust it off and technically borrowed a SKL to reprogram and cover the junior enlisted warrior’s ass
Informative video, would like to share services available to the Las Vegas area, Meridian Communications. They share similar goals in what you mentioned here. Thank you again!
HAM=FUD? That’s gonna get people talking. As a HAM, I feel like it helped me learn the basics of amateur radio, and better prepared me for emergency comm’s situations. Just my opinion. Good video.
Sure is! Thank you for weighing in. I think there is great benefit in HAM to educate masses on technical info, but people should not get comfortable and rest on their laurels in the HAM community. There is so much more to learn and we need to continue to evolve the community in the right direction. I am also a general HAM
@@MojaveRepeater I agree. I may be comfortable in the HAM bands, but in all reality, GMRS and even FRS would probably be more widely used in a SHTF event. Gotta keep the mind and possibilities open when preparing.
@@trevabbie Don't forget the commercial (Part 90, LMR ) band operations too and 'encryption' is legal there also. Fairly simple to attain a license in the UHF LMR band.
Just found your channel since getting into radios. Exactly what I’ve been looking for, subscribed. One topic I would love for you to discuss is about the MPU5 from Persistent Systems. From what I read, top of the line available for civilians. Though the price is out there, $13,000+ (ouch). Interesting tech, though, so I would love to hear your thoughts.
Shoot, move and communicate. You have to be able to do all three or you will fail. Hump 20 miles, assault an objective, and then run full speed for two miles to make the PZ, with full ruck and gear, in time or you get left behind to find your own way home. This is a very common occurrence in light infantry. Comms is a must but don’t forget the other two guys and gals. My main handheld is a modified Yaesu VX-6R. Given where I live, I do not plan on hangin around if shtf so no base station here. It’s middle of the road as far as price but a very capable transceiver. I have a couple of UV-5Rs to play with to keep me busy when I’m bored. I am licensed but don’t forget that in an emergency you don’t need one.
Yea its one of those things where if you spend the money its well worth it. I have purchased a full Motorola XPR radio setup for everyone in the family with both non encrypted and encrypted channels and its so much better than the cheap beofengs. And all the APX radio accessories work with em as well so that's a plus.
I would be considered at the high end of intermediate users. I have moved to DMR due to encryption, I use the Ailunce HD-1 with GPS. I have also started using Meshtastic with LoRa. I have started with ATAK through LoRa for "secured" tactical comms. I have found it to be very hard to get people to move away from the fengs because they dont want to spend the money for better quality radios. Guns are sexy, radios are not.
We were staged on the FOB in afghaniland for one of the largest multi-national operations that year. We were all staged in our convoy about to head out the gate and on the last radio check, almost every radio we had dropped fill. It was great (for us, not the comm guys).
I’ve been doing some digging and have run across the BK Technologies KNG/KNG2. These are a favorite of wild land firefighters, are P25, VHF or UHF depending on the model, are easier to program and have better customer service than Motorola, can use AA battery packs and seem to be a better price than most of what is out there. Is there a reason these seem to be slept on in the “Tactical Civilian” circle? I feel like I must be missing something. Can you give me any info?
Can you tell me about this FCC Part 90 Itinerant Frequency License, Your website states sold out?? Does that mean no more frequencies available? or??? This sounds like EXACTLY what my business needs. Can you tell me more about it. I have looked it up on the fcc site, but for business owners that are not Hams its a mess to understand. I need at least one vhf and one uhf frequency and be able to use digital comms possibly encrypted due to ppl around here that enjoy nothing more than messing with business comms while our techs are in the field.
Great info, but a bit overwhelming for a total newbie. Perhaps for now I might familiarize myself by using a GMRS radio. Have watched several videos on GMRS units and somewhat confused. In your opinion what is the best GMRS radio?
I buy Baofengs because I'm not just buying radios for myself. I'm buying radios for myself and all my family and friends and people who have a gun or two and some food and water etc but don't understand the value of radios. So I'm bankrolling for everyone else until they decide it's a valuable tool.
I think that's the perfect use case for baofengs. They're cheap and you can get a ton of them. I would not encourage anyone to toss out their fengs but keep them just in case. Over time, you can also built out a fleet of encrypted DMR or P25 radios to hand out. There is plenty used on ebay for a low price especially if you're looking for "featureless" radios (no screen/keypad) which are great to hand out!
As someone who has used the anytone 878, its great radio UNTIL you expose it to rain. I was at a gravel pit running shooting drills and I kept my radio out because there was no service in my area. Well, it started to rain and the rain got into my radio and killed it. Its a great radio otherwise.
Hytera HP6 & HP7 series and HM782 mobile radio, are excellent performance for the money with IP ratings of 67 and 68. Those series have a very sensitive receiver and selectivity. I see ranges of +50% farther over all other DMR units!!!
the Btech DMR--6X2 and the Pro version use the same architecture, but different software. These three would be decent options except for that fact....they are just IP54 sand NOT waterproof. If my life is going to depend on a radio (as it has in my public service career) it needs to be waterproof.
Kudos to you guys. This is something very needed. No disrespect to them but the HAMs are gatekeepers who insist on maintaining and preserving their "culture" first and foremost. I dont blame them per se but its a lot of chaff to dig thru
Great video. Came here way of HPG instagram. Like to see a city use setup for the prepper crowd. Comms still scare me. Seems overcomplicated but I guess that's where training comes into play. Think most non profession types are looking for information & want to be told "use this exact model" and this is how its used. Cheers.
Over here people are not into TWR's and always say what do you want TWR's for when we have cell phones? I keep hording TWR's and accessories, maybe I'm just crazy. I bought a UHF repeater and it seems to work but there's a lot of b/g noise, not sure what the problem is, had an expensive antenna built for it, bitofa dissapointment. Annyway i have a lot of amature repeaters on my radios as well. Recently got my 1st ever set of Baofeng radios (UV-21 Pro V2) which is a nice radio overall. I never bought Baofeng before because their radios looked seriously outdated but they turned a new page and their radios look really nice now.
I understand getting a better radio is good, but no one I care to talk to is willing to upgrade beyond FRS/GMRS. My concern is getting the $3k radio but then no one can run the same standard, so it's useless.
One of my fellow soldiers illegally and stupidity took an IPhone out on an operation in Afghanistan and lost it. We had go on another operation to go and find it. Does that count.
I'd recommend getting a technician amateur radio license. It's cheap and the test is easy if you go over the material. It opens up tons of radios on 70cm and 2m bands that you can then use legally.
Went front a Baofeng uv-82 to a TYT MD-UV390 but I CANNOT get the usb/serial cable driver to work with my laptop. Any tips for this? Tried downloading older drivers and other things but just can't get it to communicate so I can program the radio.
Great video. This content is critical. I’ve pushed my teams to upper intermediate. Sadly, Motorola and Hytera programming and encryption is expensive. We love the D878 for that reason.
FCC Part 90/Business Band radio, I’m not sure if it has encryption but know that it does have a weaker software “scrambler” feature. DMR/TRBO so it does digital comms, also a plus. Limited keypad meaning you cannot make meaningful adjustments to the programming on the fly. It’s also not the most durable or well protected for water resistance. I would call it a low intermediate tier radio, useful for learning the ropes of DMR/MOTOTRBO, but for your personal radio, look to upgrade in the future to something with AES-256 encryption and better durability.
Mojave Repeater wow thank you for the quick response! I’m getting into ham now, a bunch of people I work with have these radios so I thought in case of emergency we have radios that are all programmed to the same channels already. Thank you for the feedback will look into your suggestion.
well made video, but You made it seem like you dont need a license depending on what radio you use. When you need a license depending what frequencies you use. Isnt the easiest thing to promote people to get both their HAM and GMRS license ?
Anyone who states that is misinformed. Here’s what you need to know: the MURS/FRS service are unlicensed but require “type accepted” radios to transmit. Meaning that your radio should be rated for Part 95 compliance. Amateur (commonly known as HAM radio) similarly requires Part 97 compliance (plus a license). The baofeng is rated for neither Part 97 nor 95. It is actually a Part 15 device in a weird loophole way to get around the rules to be able to sell it in the US. The FCC has NEVER pursued an enforcement action against someone for using a Baofeng. Do with this information what you will, but understand the risks associated.
The XTS5000 radios are certainly beyond EOL with Motorola so that is a risk you have to accept if you choose to go with that radio (meaning no support or software updates from Motorola). Refurbishing won’t get around EOL, but you will at least have a capable radio that you can reasonably rely on for a long time to come.
There's still quite a bit in the way of spares available for the Astro25 line. In the next couple of years, we should start seeing more and more early APX units available as surplus.
Love the baofang bashing. If you’re a kid and you want to talk through a can..don’t talk through a great value can,get the Campbell Soup can. I trust my life to a $500 Glock. Not my $4000 Wilson combat. People will make their own financial decisions.
![Megan Thee Stallion - Mamushi (Remix) [feat. TWICE] [Official Audio]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5c0_u9PsrsQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I look forward to where this channel goes. For too long, laymen like myself have had to attempt to bridge the gap between the tactical world and the ham world with little time available to us. Having an expert for advice on this is going to be huge.
Me too. I think of him as the garand thumb of radios
You really nailed it here. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here again: 2022 is gonna be the year that our community starts talking comms seriously and it becomes “cool”.
Did it happen?
@@bradywassam5232 yes.
Now here we are in 2024 and comms is imperative to learn ASAP.
It’s 2024 and there are still zero introduction videos on DMR and trying to figure out how to program them feels like a scavenger hunt. Still waiting on these to be “cool” so someone can upload some tutorials
No, YOU really nailed it my dude.
You have cemented yourself as the GarandThumb of radios with that first comment you made LOL. But sweet video. Just got my lunchbox today.
Just found your channel. I love the message and 100% agree with you regarding the importance of selecting your comms gear the same way you would your other kit. The ear pro and carbine analogy are spot on. The Baofeng has a place as a good starter radio, but is not the tool to depend your life on. Keep up the good work. Cheers and thanks for your service! You have a new sub.
Thank you and I am a big fan of what you do! I have been following your Instagram for a while. Cheers!
@@MojaveRepeater great video man. Important question though - where did you get the sick shirt?
@@tomwinkworth2358 I got it at the Marine Corps Exchange on base lol
As a volunteer sar guy you will be amazed how many of us are running around with the fengs.... so many of us are still on the Low end of the scale. The anytone is one of the few radios on the market that can do both dmr and analog. A must capability for intergraded communications. Also the problem starts that us sar guys do a lot of these things on our own dime. For people who actively want to learn coms you can learn alot by Joining your local sar team! If you like videos like this, trust me you are gonna like sar and you are going to help people to!
I'm certainly aware of the shortfall in terms of funding for you guys. I am very grateful for what you do, especially on your own dime, but can't help but think about how much more effective you can be with some more capable equipment. For that reason, I have been wanting to volunteer some time, resources, training, consulting, etc. in any way that I can help out with SAR teams. If you're interested in this and we can make it work out, we should discuss: operations@mojaverepeater.com
@@MojaveRepeater thank you for your support, I'll send an email to you with a screenshot attached from this conversation.
You will also meet many great people and have much if not all your medical and other certifications as well as national search and rescue certificates. And possibly learn mountain or other rescue as swift water rescue. Again the training may all be free from state hunting license or other grants . And the science of SAR is wide from search to radio to managing search operations is just to wide to write about . And your community experts add to the quality of the higher technology that is what builds the local SAR teams ability to teach future SAR teams and SAR dog and horse teams .
Excellent breakdown. I would argue that ham is getting less fuddy but they still are definitely out there.
I land in all three of your columns. VHF/UHF handhelds are great for team level comm on whatever chosen service. Ham is still wildly useful for long range on HF.
Joining your local search and rescue or other public service organization is a great way to become more proficient with radio communications. It's also very rewarding.
As a sar guy I agree!
I’m liking and subscribing just for the garand thumb intro. I’ve been getting deeper down the rabbit hole of tactical gear and finding like minded people to train with. Finally got a plate carrier and plates this year and now I need to work on some ifak classes and upgrading from my uv5r. Thanks for the video
The intro music and camera work caught my attention, and your breakdown was very informative. Two thumbs up.
I’ve watched this video multiple times. More of this please. Well done my friend. Thank you
This series looks really promising and is greatly needed. I think the reality is that 99% of people will show up with Baofengs, or walkie talkies. In fact, you're really luck if most people could even come up with a pair of walkie talkies. In doing a threat assessment, I realized I (currently) need mostly short rang comms. Like something that lets 2 people talk to each other at different entrances to the subdivision. Or from the front gate to the back of 50 acres. Maybe a baofeng in a bucket up in a tree for a repeater. I think even FRS walkie talkies might have a place in a safety plan. The economics come into it when I have to buy radios for 5 or more people... hard to do that at $100 each. Plus batteries/pouches etc.
Excellent video! 11C30 (retired) and retired LEO and now Ham+GMRS operator for emergency comms. You are very good at explaining what is available, and why low budget equipment may not be the best option for preparedness.
Thank you sir! I appreciate the comments.
Hate to say you just sound like someone else because you don’t, but definitely get some Garand Thumb vibes. Just discovered this video and channel after searching forever for a comprehensive explanation of tactical comms and their civ equivalents. Thank you for putting in the work to make this video and I’ll definitely be delving more into your channel if you’ve got more similar content.
This great stuff. Greatly appreciated as this is why I got my General ticket in the first place.
Appreciate the Garandthumbesque intro!
Thanks and I appreciate the comments! I agree I think there are a lot of folks in your position who got into the hobby for that reason but aren’t fulfilled by what it has to offer. No shade, it’s certainly a great place to learn lots of good radio skills
I have learned more on radio in this video that in hours watching other, yet instructive video. thanks! aaaaand subbed!
Great video. Really liked the pacing and presentation style. There's a Ham Fest coming locally in 2 months, and I think I might try for the 'cram exam' tests they do there and see if I can just crank out he license for $15. The radio fest is 2 days, so I think I can even retest until I pass. That seems like the easiest way to get a license.
Baofeng makes the DM-1801 is DMR. It does all of the analog stuff, plus the dmr stuff in both VHF and UHF. They are under $100. They accept Kenwood plug accessories.
I told my buddies that I refuse to get a more expensive radio until they commit to practicing with our cheap Fengs.
Very fair point! I dig it!
Great video. This is the best comms video I've seen yet
Ham radio is the square range of the radio world. 100% has it's place and provides a foundation of knowledge to build on
I’m looking to get into radio comms and I really appreciate the high quality content
This is great information, thank you. Comms have to be the single most confusing and misunderstood aspect of a prepared citizen. Reason being, I feel, is no one can really just break it down and relay simple direct info.
Thank you for your comment! I hope to do that here on this channel
Respectfully, this video addresses some key considerations for using Baofeng in “high-intensity” situations, but it doesn’t address arguably the most important reasons for why Baofeng radios aren’t suitable for those situations and in fact incredibly dangerous. It’s not about analog vs. digital, encryption vs. codespeak. It’s about gear that is reliable in emergency situations or is not.
Baofeng radios are so cheap, in part, because they don’t have key electronics that filter unrelated RF into the receiver. That means that ANY form of RF around the radio, on any frequency or modulation, can leave it completely deaf to the communications you need to hear at any point in time. What are RF sources that can cause this to happen? Car alternators. Generators. Power transformers. WiFi transmitters.
Playing this out, you could be hundreds of yards from a power substation, a malfunctioning transformer on a utility pole, or even a mile or more from a repeater site, you could have a completely useless radio and have no idea that’s happening. You could even be in a truck with a high-output or malfunctioning alternator and have a dead radio with no warning. You could be standing next to a commercial portable generator with your team yelling at you into their radios and have no idea what’s going on.
I’m not making this up; I’m an Extra-class ham and one of the comms specialists in our SAR unit in Idaho and we, like most credible SAR units in the US, have banned Baofengs because we’ve seen these happen many times. Imagine being with a critical patient coordinating an evac and all of a sudden you can’t hear anything your base operation or helo crew is trying to tell you, only because your subject’s location is two miles from a repeater site. This happened to us on a live mission. It’s very real, and very scary. Fortunately there was another team member with a unit-issued radio that was working just fine and we didn’t have an impact.
The other issue with Baofengs is you never know what you actually have in your hands. Baofengs are super-easy to counterfeit, and a significant percentage of them out there are fake. Even if it’s a real Baofeng, Baofeng has zero quality controls in their build processes and you may have one of the 10-20% of them that was just built wrong at the factory. That bad quality mostly comes in the form of incredibly low power output that doesn’t even come close to the rated power.
The good news is there’s a really good solution and it’s not that much more expensive. Yaesu makes high-quality, entry-level radios that are under $90 and don’t suffer from either of these issues above. They’ve got proper receiver filter electronics and have a high quality control process, being a reputable Japanese company. The FT-65 from Yaesu is a great radio that does everything the UV-5R does.
In summary, if you had a guy that showed up to training who could have bought a Glock 19 but decided to buy a Hi-Point to save $50, you’d be very rightly concerned about that person’s intelligence and sanity. Same thing if you heard from a buddy that he found some slick-looking Chinese vehicle recovery gear with dubious-looking WLL labels and no test data on Amazon and was showing it off to you. Or heaven forbid he brings you a box of counterfeit TQs he got cheap online. This really is the same thing. In the community of people who actually know comms, the images of the Russians in Ukraine carrying Baofengs was all anyone needed to know to be certain that those Russians were going to die, and quickly.
For those of you reading this that may want to say “I’ve been using my Baofeng for years and never had a problem”, that’s just the point. You never know when you’re having a problem, and unless you’re an RF engineer with a spectrum analyzer and a $5,000 test bench in the field, you won’t know. You will think everything is fine and won’t have any idea things aren’t fine.
In summary, there’s a lot of great information in this video that’s spot on. Just don’t choose Baofeng specifically and find an inexpensive radio from Yaesu or a real manufacturer and don’t put your life or someone else’s at risk.
Hope that helps.
You are 100% spot on here. Thank you for weighing in. I generally only support the baofeng as a toy to get people interested in comms for that $30ish price point but you are totally justified in presenting a Yaesu as a cheap but much higher quality analog alternative! Great anecdote with experience to back it up. Thanks again 👍
Thank you for making a straight forward video about tactical civvy comms. This is exactly what I needed. Liked and Sub'd. Please keep it up
This is the exact topic I was looking to learn more about! Very informative. I look forward to coming back to this page to learn more. Thanks Alex
Glad to hear it! Thanks man
Very helpful, this is a whole new world for me. I look forward to taking a course one day!
From a SIGINT perspective, i would stay away from P25. It requires less energy to jam than it does to transmit(you can do it with a literal child's toy with a bit of hacking) and stations are pingable by default, meaning an adversary can induce your station to transmit so that they can DF you.
Your perspective is technically correct, however, it’s a fools game to self-deny capabilities. By doing so, you are playing right into the adversary’s hand, by drawing yourself into a narrower corridor for them to fix you in. Your assessment bears the assumption that an adversary already has some information about you/knows what they are looking for. Rather than self-deny, I would challenge you to maintain a diverse arsenal of communications equipment, thoroughly plan for every scenario, and know how and when to react to adversary actions. Your P25 might be compromised but it can be useful for deception, etc. EW is a cat/mouse game. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by throwing out capabilities.
I dig it, Extra class ham here, but man are there a ton of fudds in the ham community... great vid and looking forward to seeing where the channel goes in the future.
I think that there is a movement that is bringing a lot of new interest to the hobby and modernizing the way we think about emergency and preparedness communications! Thanks for your comment 🙏
@@MojaveRepeater Most certainly, even the steps of modernizing testing to allow for remote VE sessions was long overdue. For a hobby that's been the cutting edge of tech in the past it's become stagnant due to obstinate "we've always done it that way" thinking.
Far cry when I had to wait two years to upgrade because my local club only tested on days I was stuck on base haha. Now as a VE I log into Zoom and we test folks all over the US, Mon-Sat with two avail times a day. Surprised I haven't seen Zoom based Hamcrams too.
@@Terribleguitarist89 the thing to remember is that, just like in the 2A community, the Fudds are old and falling out. We are in a unique position to change what the ham community is. The same way we are taking over 2A issues and making things better, we can take over amateur radio and utilize this powerful tool to strengthen our community. We need to be that change, or even better-get our friends to help us be that change.
I live in a metropolitan area with probably 40ish repeaters. About three of them see any use. I know that conventional repeaters aren't shtf solid, but it illustrates my point. The airwaves are dead. They are there, just waiting for the right group of folks to utilize them. Plus talking on radios with your buddies is fun👍🏼
KC1GZR
Had a 152 fall out a 7 ton window because they issued a short antenna that was not punching through the cab. It came apart partly. Used a air hose to dust it off and technically borrowed a SKL to reprogram and cover the junior enlisted warrior’s ass
Informative video, would like to share services available to the Las Vegas area, Meridian Communications. They share similar goals in what you mentioned here. Thank you again!
HAM=FUD? That’s gonna get people talking. As a HAM, I feel like it helped me learn the basics of amateur radio, and better prepared me for emergency comm’s situations. Just my opinion. Good video.
Sure is! Thank you for weighing in. I think there is great benefit in HAM to educate masses on technical info, but people should not get comfortable and rest on their laurels in the HAM community. There is so much more to learn and we need to continue to evolve the community in the right direction. I am also a general HAM
@@MojaveRepeater I agree. I may be comfortable in the HAM bands, but in all reality, GMRS and even FRS would probably be more widely used in a SHTF event. Gotta keep the mind and possibilities open when preparing.
@@trevabbie
Don't forget the commercial (Part 90, LMR ) band operations too and 'encryption' is legal there also. Fairly simple to attain a license in the UHF LMR band.
That intro, We’re you trying to be like flannel daddy? Haha😂
Dude thank you. I knew Chinese beofangs were not the way to go!
Good to see that you are branching out from the gram! Godspeed brother
Can you do a video on your Lunchbox repeater? Looking forward to any videos you are putting out.
Love that flannel daddy intro 🤙🏽
Haha glad you caught it
Love this video and your explanation. Can you do an up to date version on 2023. Also please how reliable are these radios!?
Just found your channel since getting into radios. Exactly what I’ve been looking for, subscribed. One topic I would love for you to discuss is about the MPU5 from Persistent Systems. From what I read, top of the line available for civilians. Though the price is out there, $13,000+ (ouch). Interesting tech, though, so I would love to hear your thoughts.
Shoot, move and communicate. You have to be able to do all three or you will fail. Hump 20 miles, assault an objective, and then run full speed for two miles to make the PZ, with full ruck and gear, in time or you get left behind to find your own way home. This is a very common occurrence in light infantry. Comms is a must but don’t forget the other two guys and gals.
My main handheld is a modified Yaesu VX-6R. Given where I live, I do not plan on hangin around if shtf so no base station here. It’s middle of the road as far as price but a very capable transceiver. I have a couple of UV-5Rs to play with to keep me busy when I’m bored. I am licensed but don’t forget that in an emergency you don’t need one.
As far as analogs go, the VX series cant be beat. I have a 7r and I love that thing. Im so lucky I got it for such a great price second hand
Yea its one of those things where if you spend the money its well worth it. I have purchased a full Motorola XPR radio setup for everyone in the family with both non encrypted and encrypted channels and its so much better than the cheap beofengs. And all the APX radio accessories work with em as well so that's a plus.
Very helpful video. Thanks!
Good information. I just had to laugh when saying connecting a 1k headset to a $30 radio. I honestly hope people aren't usokng $1,000 headsets lol
Good base line information!
I would be considered at the high end of intermediate users. I have moved to DMR due to encryption, I use the Ailunce HD-1 with GPS. I have also started using Meshtastic with LoRa. I have started with ATAK through LoRa for "secured" tactical comms.
I have found it to be very hard to get people to move away from the fengs because they dont want to spend the money for better quality radios. Guns are sexy, radios are not.
We were staged on the FOB in afghaniland for one of the largest multi-national operations that year. We were all staged in our convoy about to head out the gate and on the last radio check, almost every radio we had dropped fill. It was great (for us, not the comm guys).
Happens every time! 😂
Loving this channel guys. From UK - ex mil
Thanks man cheers 🍻
I’ve been doing some digging and have run across the BK Technologies KNG/KNG2. These are a favorite of wild land firefighters, are P25, VHF or UHF depending on the model, are easier to program and have better customer service than Motorola, can use AA battery packs and seem to be a better price than most of what is out there. Is there a reason these seem to be slept on in the “Tactical Civilian” circle? I feel like I must be missing something. Can you give me any info?
Can you tell me about this FCC Part 90 Itinerant Frequency License, Your website states sold out?? Does that mean no more frequencies available? or??? This sounds like EXACTLY what my business needs. Can you tell me more about it. I have looked it up on the fcc site, but for business owners that are not Hams its a mess to understand. I need at least one vhf and one uhf frequency and be able to use digital comms possibly encrypted due to ppl around here that enjoy nothing more than messing with business comms while our techs are in the field.
Comment for the algorithm. Video helped me, thanks!
I really wish HAM licences were more accessible in my country. It would make it so much easier to up my comms game
Here its accessible but too long course and a big exam so not really interested. Overkill. If it was a 1 day course and a small test itda been fine.
Great info, but a bit overwhelming for a total newbie. Perhaps for now I might familiarize myself by using a GMRS radio. Have watched several videos on GMRS units and somewhat confused.
In your opinion what is the best GMRS radio?
I think there is another tier above professional. This higher tier is for radios with ECCM(FHSS) and networking(kinda like LoRa) capability.
Keep the knowledge bombs coming! 👊
I buy Baofengs because I'm not just buying radios for myself. I'm buying radios for myself and all my family and friends and people who have a gun or two and some food and water etc but don't understand the value of radios. So I'm bankrolling for everyone else until they decide it's a valuable tool.
I think that's the perfect use case for baofengs. They're cheap and you can get a ton of them. I would not encourage anyone to toss out their fengs but keep them just in case. Over time, you can also built out a fleet of encrypted DMR or P25 radios to hand out. There is plenty used on ebay for a low price especially if you're looking for "featureless" radios (no screen/keypad) which are great to hand out!
@@MojaveRepeater I think the Retevis radios are a good option for basic radios for anyone to use
@@Jkp1321 I am skeptical of their quality and durability as compared with other options on the market
I'd like to see someone make an encryption module out of an arduino that you could pipe audio through.
100%!!!
As someone who has used the anytone 878, its great radio UNTIL you expose it to rain. I was at a gravel pit running shooting drills and I kept my radio out because there was no service in my area. Well, it started to rain and the rain got into my radio and killed it. Its a great radio otherwise.
Find something to replace it that is waterproof?
Hytera HP6 & HP7 series and HM782 mobile radio, are excellent performance for the money with IP ratings of 67 and 68. Those series have a very sensitive receiver and selectivity. I see ranges of +50% farther over all other DMR units!!!
the Btech DMR--6X2 and the Pro version use the same architecture, but different software. These three would be decent options except for that fact....they are just IP54 sand NOT waterproof. If my life is going to depend on a radio (as it has in my public service career) it needs to be waterproof.
Great video!.... have you played with NVIS? Gaston has been toying with it pretty heavy and has me super interested
Absolutely have. Plenty. Great reason to get your General HAM license to be able to practice that skill…
I don't know why they have delayed removing her from the case. They need to do that now.
Subbd. Ive been recently looking for info on how to try out and setup radio comms for shtf.
Kudos to you guys. This is something very needed.
No disrespect to them but the HAMs are gatekeepers who insist on maintaining and preserving their "culture" first and foremost. I dont blame them per se but its a lot of chaff to dig thru
Garand thumb?
This is a banger.
Thanks! 🤘
Thx for the info, it’s crazy how difficult it is to find info/figure out what to get
Thank you
Great video. Came here way of HPG instagram.
Like to see a city use setup for the prepper crowd. Comms still scare me. Seems overcomplicated but I guess that's where training comes into play. Think most non profession types are looking for information & want to be told "use this exact model" and this is how its used.
Cheers.
Was looking into the AnyTone and happened upon the ICOM ID-52. Any recommendations on that particular radio?
My reluctance on spending more money on better radios is the harsh reality of not having the funds to do so. Otherwise I would...
-Make yourself an asset. Fucking well said
What is your opinion on the icom IC-F8101 for ALE over HF
The best thing out there IMO
@@MojaveRepeater thank you!
Over here people are not into TWR's and always say what do you want TWR's for when we have cell phones? I keep hording TWR's and accessories, maybe I'm just crazy. I bought a UHF repeater and it seems to work but there's a lot of b/g noise, not sure what the problem is, had an expensive antenna built for it, bitofa dissapointment. Annyway i have a lot of amature repeaters on my radios as well. Recently got my 1st ever set of Baofeng radios (UV-21 Pro V2) which is a nice radio overall. I never bought Baofeng before because their radios looked seriously outdated but they turned a new page and their radios look really nice now.
where'd he get his shirt? that flannel is 10/10
I understand getting a better radio is good, but no one I care to talk to is willing to upgrade beyond FRS/GMRS. My concern is getting the $3k radio but then no one can run the same standard, so it's useless.
Loved the video! I learned alot honestly!
Awesome video. Very interested in training in the SoCal area.
One of my fellow soldiers illegally and stupidity took an IPhone out on an operation in Afghanistan and lost it. We had go on another operation to go and find it. Does that count.
Great video! Did not know the Anytone can employ AES. Really glad more people are talking about this and moving away from the traditional HAM stuff.
I'd recommend getting a technician amateur radio license. It's cheap and the test is easy if you go over the material. It opens up tons of radios on 70cm and 2m bands that you can then use legally.
Went front a Baofeng uv-82 to a TYT MD-UV390 but I CANNOT get the usb/serial cable driver to work with my laptop. Any tips for this? Tried downloading older drivers and other things but just can't get it to communicate so I can program the radio.
Great info, are you going to try online courses?
Excellent job!
ABSOLUTELY.
Great video. This content is critical. I’ve pushed my teams to upper intermediate. Sadly, Motorola and Hytera programming and encryption is expensive. We love the D878 for that reason.
This answered alot of questions I had about what I should be looking at. Hope you have more content going forward
Are spurious emission with the hytera or any radio for that matter a concern for tactical applications?
more of this stuff thanks man
subbed
What are your thoughts on Beartooth as opposed to gotenna?
Solid info
I have a Motorola XPR 3500 from work, can anyone tell me where this radio fits in? I believe it’s on the business band but not sure.
FCC Part 90/Business Band radio, I’m not sure if it has encryption but know that it does have a weaker software “scrambler” feature. DMR/TRBO so it does digital comms, also a plus. Limited keypad meaning you cannot make meaningful adjustments to the programming on the fly. It’s also not the most durable or well protected for water resistance. I would call it a low intermediate tier radio, useful for learning the ropes of DMR/MOTOTRBO, but for your personal radio, look to upgrade in the future to something with AES-256 encryption and better durability.
Mojave Repeater wow thank you for the quick response! I’m getting into ham now, a bunch of people I work with have these radios so I thought in case of emergency we have radios that are all programmed to the same channels already. Thank you for the feedback will look into your suggestion.
Was there a radio list
well made video, but You made it seem like you dont need a license depending on what radio you use. When you need a license depending what frequencies you use. Isnt the easiest thing to promote people to get both their HAM and GMRS license ?
Just got done with fire season. What do you think of the Bendix King Radios?
Tough as nails
Lol you got me. “Liked”
Never had issues with MY comms.... but I'm running APX's for portables and a mix of XTL5k and Astro Spectra for Mobile/Base stations.
Outstanding video. New to all this and looking forward to more videos.
This is much needed!! Wish I could have taken the class you offered in person
Our next course is Apr 9-10 in GA!
I thought you need a Ham license to use a Baofeng UV5R? Did I miss that in the video?
Anyone who states that is misinformed. Here’s what you need to know: the MURS/FRS service are unlicensed but require “type accepted” radios to transmit. Meaning that your radio should be rated for Part 95 compliance. Amateur (commonly known as HAM radio) similarly requires Part 97 compliance (plus a license). The baofeng is rated for neither Part 97 nor 95. It is actually a Part 15 device in a weird loophole way to get around the rules to be able to sell it in the US. The FCC has NEVER pursued an enforcement action against someone for using a Baofeng. Do with this information what you will, but understand the risks associated.
@@MojaveRepeater So to be safe should just get the license? lol. Thanks for the reply
Exactly what I need, honest to the point overview & options.
What a well structured video. Great job!
Some XTS5000 are quickly reaching end of life. Will refurbishment and reprogramming them get around end of life with no new parts available?
The XTS5000 radios are certainly beyond EOL with Motorola so that is a risk you have to accept if you choose to go with that radio (meaning no support or software updates from Motorola). Refurbishing won’t get around EOL, but you will at least have a capable radio that you can reasonably rely on for a long time to come.
There's still quite a bit in the way of spares available for the Astro25 line. In the next couple of years, we should start seeing more and more early APX units available as surplus.
Love the baofang bashing. If you’re a kid and you want to talk through a can..don’t talk through a great value can,get the Campbell Soup can. I trust my life to a $500 Glock. Not my $4000 Wilson combat. People will make their own financial decisions.