You mentioned the possibility of repeaters going down during a power outage. Often, repeater owners will note in Repeaterbook if their repeater has backup power. This is most commonly noted as "e-power" in the Features section. You can use the Keyword Search on Repeaterbook to find repeaters in your state that have "e-power".
Great call out. I should have clicked through one of the repeaters in the RepeaterBook app to demonstrate the additional repeater details such as e-power.
Great presentation. A secondary approach for when your repeater (or repeater system) of choice is down or "crowded" is to have relay system pre-planned within your group. See who you can reach simplex, and who in turn can reach another op in your group simplex that you can not. In this manner, each of you can relay communication between and among your group that normally could not reach each other directly.
Thank you for pointing this out. Our group uses relays a lot when we operate on simplex. Our group is spread out over a 40+ mile radius. We often have to rely traffic (voice and digital) through one ore more operators. We'll explore this when I make the "Ham Radio & Simplex" episode. We relay a ton of traffic these days using NBEMS in our weekly exercises. We'll touch on this again, when we explore HF later in the series. 73's
Yep! Perfectly illustrated the point of why it's so important to have a plan with identified comms windows within your circle of friends for when things go sideways.
Thank you. When we start our HF series, we'll explorer these "activation" plans in more detail. I am trying to take this slow for all the newbies that recently joined the channel. Take care!
As a long time ham, in a ham radio household, we have seen the importance of monitoring a local repeater and simplex frequency. Another big benefit is having that circle of friends who also monitor and can act as message handlers. With the misses and I both commuting in different directions, I would sometimes check in and have a friend tell me my wife was on her way a few minutes ago. While we won't say on the air that someone is out of town, we will tell another friend that we heard from him earlier...he'll be on later... so the message is clear. Thanks for covering these important topics.
Gaston - Love your efforts. My dad was a ham since the early 60's, but I could only muster my novice license while he was around. I just received my general class upgrade, and would like to pursue more modern day prepper activities revolving around ham radio and the meshtastic system. I'm a newly licensed ham, but I've lived and worked for feds or the military for most of the last 40 years, and sincerely appreciate your apparent background. Thanks so much for sharing you knowledge, thoughts, and experiences. This type of education is sorely needed. Hope you can keep it up. I look forward to talking with you on the air. I live in chandler, so maybe I'll run into you in TNF. My son and I train in the four Peaks area (when the BLM allows it), so adding a SIGINT and COMMS pack to our loadout is a new adventure. Again, thanks for your efforts. BIll King - KK7IGZ
Morning, Bill. Glad you're enjoy the direction of this series. Each video is going to get more complex in terms of the mission, gear and techniques. It will be like a buffet of comms goodness. See what's possible, then pick which techniques sound the tastiest. Congratulations on your upgrade ticket. Feel free to look me up on QRZ and shoot me an email if you want to coordinate a QSO. I'd love to demonstrate this as I tackle the "NO RANDOM CONTACTS" for HF. I have a list of people that are willing to help, no worries if you don't have the time or equipment. You and your soon are the perfect candidate for NVIS on 40m/80m given your proximity to me. It's always great to "meet" another local. I am glad you appreciate the experiences. I really struggled at the beginning and almost gave up on the hobby until I met my Elmer. Keep training and be safe. 73 de KT1RUN
@@TheTechPrepper Thanks,, Gaston. We would be honored to participate. Glad you stuck with it. Your skills are sorely needed. Anyway, gimme a week or two to pick up some gear... I'll send an email too. thanks again for the contact. 73
I’m rocking a Baofeng UV-5X3 and after replacing the stock antenna, it has surprised me. Especially when i connected it to an external dual band 1/4 wave antenna outside my car. Even better on cloudy days.
Great point . If you and the people you intend to stay contact with all get the garmin inreach mini satellite communicator that’s the best way to communicate. Send a text messages anywhere in the world and if they are in radio range you plan on set time to reach them with your radio
That's another good option. Over the next few videos we'll be exploring SMS text messaging with ham radio. Stay tuned. I think the it will be three videos out.
Great example. One other thing you may have been thinking about, especially if you have a lot of traffic that needs to be relayed to a specific area, is to have a key station(s) utilize Cross Band Repeat mode. We have used this in difficult terrain for bicycle races. I can also set a radio up as a simplex repeater quickly if needed. Both base and hand held. Even if someone will not commit to monitoring a frequency at a specific time, having a set plan for when there is an emergency is key. I also agree with a Baofeng for a first radio. As cheap as they are, it's no big deal to upgrade if a person finds amateur radio something they want to get more involved in. Having extra radios is always a great thing. For a time, I was buying a couple UV-5R's a month, just to put in my faraday trash can. I have a large supply of them just in case. A Baofeng is not the radio I would bet my life on, but I usually have one with a couple batteries everywhere I go as a back up radio. I just today purchased a TYT 9800 mobile so I would have a cross band repeat radio for my home shack. It will replace a Yaesu FT-7900. It will now go in the faraday can as a back up. I already have a Yaesu FTM-300 in my truck. Having the extra two bands is a plus and the radio was only $220.00 shipped from R&L Electronics. A very good deal for a mobile with extra features. And having GMRS in addition to Amateur.......I'm not odd, but have been called a little twisted...lol One other question, is your linked repeater system part of the "Intermountain Intertie" ? That is the linked system I have available to me. I'm thinking not. The intermountain system goes from Montana to Las Vegas.
Yep. I did a teaser on crossband repeat a month ago when I talked about the FT-8900 manpack. We'll be looking at crossband repeat in this series. For the exercise, I am still debating whether to use Yaesu FT-8900 or the Kenwood D710GA. The latter is a permanent install in the vehicle. We use crossband repeat a lot on our wilderness public service events. Thanks for calling this out.
The Argent Data Systems simplex repeater allows others to leave a message that can be accessed by using a code entered. It is essentially a digital voice recorder. It has many other functions as well.
Something to consider for future videos is purpose based repeaters. Repeaters can be used with access codes to limit the usage. GMRS repeaters are available and don’t require any pre-approval. For the ham bands amateur self regulation standards call for clearing repeater frequency with the regional coordinators. However there are still a lot of ad hoc repeaters out there, and repeater functions are often found on mobile rigs. Repeater or simplex though, you need a plan to make purposeful contacts.
Excellent point. Yes, I will be covering purpose-built or poorman's repeaters very soon in this series. On the ham radio side, I will be covering crossband repeat (voice) and digipeaters (digital). On the GMRS side, I selected the Wouxun KG-1000G specifically so that I could deploy a private GMRS repeater when connecting a pair of them.
Good stuff, Gaston! I can't find fault with anything you said. Buying an inexpensive radio is a very sound decision if you're not sure you're going to want to go very far in the hobby. You can always trade up.
There's nothing wrong with starting out with a UV-5R. An inexpensive way to get into the world of radio. I've been planning a pirate repeater for sometime now. Mostly because not everyone in the group has or wants an amateur license. On the day, ease of operation will be important.
Nothing wrong with the UV-5R at all, especially for those who are just getting into amateur radio and unsure if they will actually enjoy it. I just got my Tech ticket about a week ago and the UV-5R is what I am currently using. The guys on the local repeater are excited to have a new Ham on the air. I haven't received any negative comments about my choice of radio. One guy even suggested I try using low power to save battery since I am about 2 miles from the repeater. As far as simplex I might not be able to reach out too far since all I have are about a half dozen UV-5R handhelds. Although if I put up an antenna on my roof or in my attic I will have more reach until I can get a base station.
The linked repeater system here is pretty neat. There used to be a couple that would use it since the truck driving husband would be in the radio quiet zone at night (which allows low powered transmissions on amateur bands) while his wife was at home and could hit one of the local repeaters. The work location I'm at though no longer has the better repeater present, and it's a bad location to receive the transmissions from the 6m repeater nearby. It's copyable but really bad at receiving even with a 6m resonant antenna. I experimented a bit with APRS in the past week. If there is some infrastructure available, you can text through APRS to REPEAT with certain parameters (e.g. zipcode) which will reply with the closest repeaters. Could be useful if you are stranded somewhere and cell service is out, but people have digipeaters up on backup power.
REPEAT is a new one to me. Looks very handy. I will be covering these APRS gateways in this series: SMSGTE (SMS text messaging), EMAIL-2 (short email messages) and WXBOT (weather reports). Thanks for sharing all that info. Take care.
Baofeng BF-H6 have a PL tone scan that work wonderfully. When repeater is active go into tone scan and it will find the code immediately. This is great for like GMRS repeaters that like to hide their tone unless you're licensed.
I would not be without MURS, GMRS and also Citizen Band as alternatives for sharing and gathering information during emergency situations, though the "HAM" bands are my go to due to the vast community of people monitoring and the diversity of bands and modes.
The APP that I use to find repeaters is called "RFinder". I prefer it because it includes a map of the area so that one can better visualize their locations in reference to where I am located. It does cost a nominal amount each year as a subscription.
You get what you pay for. I have a software suite (EmComm Tools) that does the same, but I have not released it yet. My tool supports offline maps (topos, open street maps and satellite), but will also give you the distance, bearing, grid square, elevation and an estimated line-of-sight calculation. I actually used it when I showed the map visual. I have to check out RFinder. Thanks for sharing.
@@TheTechPrepper Definitely intrigued and I'm going to explore EmComm Tools! I got RFinder about 6 years ago and it's been "okay", but always open to new things! Love your channel! Although I'm an OT and have been dormant for years, your channel has got me excited about radio again! Thanks for all you do! - WK4AB
@@W1KAB-9 Glad to hear that you're getting back in the saddle. Enjoy! Here's a video I made very earlier in the year on the what, why and how of EmComm Tools. The timeline for the private and public release was completely inaccurate (wishful thinking on my part). It should give you an idea of where I am going with the project. The new version includes chat capabilities as well as a number of other features. ruclips.net/video/HFdXTk8Zp5c/видео.html
AREDN is definitely the pinnacle of Tech license stuff. It's a mesh network using the 5.8Ghz amateur band and higher power than normal wifi. It's blindingly fast compared to any packet radio mode and doesn't require rebroadcasting like winlink because every node knows the radio path to every other node ahead of time. It's great for streaming remote video cameras, doing video conferencing, etc. You can even walk around with a mesh radio, a battery, and an IP phone in a bag and make and take calls.
Hello. Where did you find your solar panel please ? I am looking for one to charge my windcamp battery pack for my TX-500 and the anytone AT-D878 UV+ battery (and why not my phonecell) during my trekkings.
As always great walk through. I have a follow-up question or two. How do you identify linked repeaters and the repeaters they are linked to? Given the first contact (with your Elmer) relied on three repeaters to make the connection which repeaters are each of you actually connecting to? I assume it is the closest repeater to each of you and then you are receiving the message on that repeater and not really concerned where it originated from. Is that correct? Again as a relatively new and inexperienced technician interested in mobile and emergency comms, your channel has been very very helpful. I love the details you go into, especially the actual scenario coverage. It turns book theory into practical radio use.
Great questions. 1 I should have clicked through on one of the repeaters in the RepeaterBook app demo. In most cases, when you click into one of the repeaters you will see additional details. Look for a mention of "link". I believe these notes are non-standard in the RepeaterBook app, but they will typically describe details like this. Another thing to try, is to ask the question on the repeater. For example, "This is [YOURCALL]. I am a new ham and wonder if anyone knows about linked repeaters in the area? [YOURCALL]". I use the repeaters in my area to ask for advice. Most hams live to help elmer (mentor) new hams. 2. Yes, we each had our radio programmed to talk to our closest repeaters, respectively. Mine was less than 5 miles for me and my Elmer's was less than 8 miles from him. The path in blue (the blue line in the map I showed) indicates that path of the transmissions. I hope this helps. Enjoy the airwaves. 73 de KT1RUN
How are the Rim link reporters and the metro link repeaters linked? Do they link through the internet or are they linked via some other separate repeater frequencies working in the background? I ask because I’d it through the internet, it would seem to me that backup power would matter much if the internet went down as well because the link would then be lost.
I am not fully up-to-speed on the links between the repeaters, but I have been told that they use a separate frequency for intra-link communication. It's not through the Internet.
I'll second using the UV-5R series, preferably the GT-5R due to fewer spurious emissions. The strength of Baofengs is that not only are they inexpensive, you don't feel particularly bad if you lose it over a cliff/into a lake/into the gaping maw of a creature from beyond space and time/whatever. They're not my preferred radio because they're kind of meh on power (I get 3.8-4 watts instead of the advertised 5) but they're good for fast replacement.
The baofeng BF-H6 gets 9w average. As high as 11w it all depends on the antenna. But wattage doesn't really mean much. You have to quadruple wattage to get 1 bar more. (1 S unit). What matters far far more is antenna and antenna height. Get a 25ft retractable fishing rod and a 50ft coax cable and that UV-5R will become 10x more powerful.
Is there still the Arizona Repeater Association there as it was when I lived in Phoenix in 1976? I remember someone putting a repeater up with 10 when then, on Mingus Mountain around Phoenix, Ray W2CH, formerly WB7EGN.
You bet there is, Ray. the ARA is alive and well. In fact, the three repeaters that I showed in this video (Daisy Mountain, Shaw Butte, and Mount Ord) are all operated by the ARA. Cheers to a former AZ local.
Great question. Two reasons: 1. It's easier to attach/detach the antenna or coax using the relocated mount point. 2. It's less stress on the connector attached to the radio. It's easier to replace a $3 bulk head BNC connector rather than one on the head unit.
This may be outside the intent of your No Random Contacts project, but it's my understanding that linking repeaters has an Achilles heel. If all repeaters are linked and I key up for whatever purpose, nobody else in the linked area can talk. I've heard of clubs that refused to link their repeaters to the wider network for the reason that it stifles conversation. Nobody wants to be "that guy" having a ragchew on the Very Official Emergency Repeater Network. I will argue that non-official repeaters play a vital strategic role in the future of our endeavors. People need to practice by talking as much as possible. Could you address that in the future, please? Thanks for your dedication!
Well Gallup nm lost cell phone and internet yesterday and the ability to pay with plastic. Everyone so use to it that no one called for e-comms to be activated. The 857d should be delivered today!
@@TheTechPrepper Also consider setting up your own totally off grid duplex repeater for GMRS. This might be a way to avoid over crowded Amateur repeaters as well. There is a 10 watt model available that is plug and play. Not a Rubicon Productions, and KB9VBR demonstrated the unit on their respective YT channels. A high gain antenna will help, yet the cost is much higher than the ADS-1 simplex repeater allowing one to purchase several spares for the long term. The ADS repeater can also be operated with a full powered mobile transceiver. For GMRS, that would be a maximum of 50 watts. I would certainly have an open banded mobile capable of cross band repeat as well.
@@tunnelrabbit2625 My Wouxun KG-1000G arrived yesterday. I purchased that rig as my first GMRS radio for a number of reasons. One of the being the ability to pair it with a second KG-1000G for the purpose of running it as a repeater. Thanks for the note.
Don’t discount GMRS. You get up to 50 watts, removable antennas and repeaters. My wife has no interest in getting her ham license but she all use a GMRS radio
I'm getting my license in October and I'm building a couple of GMRS manpacks (2x Wouxun KG-1000G's) that can be transitioned into our vehicles as needed. My wife does not want anything permanently installed in her vehicle, so this will work well with a mag mount. It's great that your wife is into GMRS. Cheers!
So as a licensed gmrs operator, I'm a odd person and on Notarubicon's site I'm a licensed SAD HAM operator 😲I'm starting to feel like Rodney Dangerfield.........just kidding
No offense. I only mentioned the GMRS folks in good fun because my last video on MURS was hijacked by all the GMRS operators. I guess every group in radio is very loyal to their tribe. There are tons of radio services (MURS, FRS, GMRS, amateur radio, LMR, marine radio, military, MARS, CAP, etc.) each with its own merits, limitations, benefits and applications. Cheers!
Nice video! I found your RUclips channel following the link on your QRZ page when I looked you up after hearing you chatting on the 146.860 repeater this morning. 73 KI7OOZ
Morning, David! Welcome to the channel. I have been unusually active the last few mornings on the Metrolink system. I've been coordinating local HF contacts. Cheers.
You mentioned the possibility of repeaters going down during a power outage. Often, repeater owners will note in Repeaterbook if their repeater has backup power. This is most commonly noted as "e-power" in the Features section. You can use the Keyword Search on Repeaterbook to find repeaters in your state that have "e-power".
Great call out. I should have clicked through one of the repeaters in the RepeaterBook app to demonstrate the additional repeater details such as e-power.
@@TheTechPrepper No worries. This is great content you're putting out there. Thanks for what you do!
In Florida we have SARNET which is not only battery backed up by the owner, it's backed up by the State using microwave linking the whole state.
Great presentation. A secondary approach for when your repeater (or repeater system) of choice is down or "crowded" is to have relay system pre-planned within your group. See who you can reach simplex, and who in turn can reach another op in your group simplex that you can not. In this manner, each of you can relay communication between and among your group that normally could not reach each other directly.
Thank you for pointing this out. Our group uses relays a lot when we operate on simplex. Our group is spread out over a 40+ mile radius. We often have to rely traffic (voice and digital) through one ore more operators. We'll explore this when I make the "Ham Radio & Simplex" episode. We relay a ton of traffic these days using NBEMS in our weekly exercises. We'll touch on this again, when we explore HF later in the series. 73's
Yep! Perfectly illustrated the point of why it's so important to have a plan with identified comms windows within your circle of friends for when things go sideways.
Thank you. When we start our HF series, we'll explorer these "activation" plans in more detail. I am trying to take this slow for all the newbies that recently joined the channel. Take care!
3-3-3 plan. Check it out!
A very realistic view about the capabilities and limitations of radio communications! Well done, and point well made.
Glad you liked it.
As a long time ham, in a ham radio household, we have seen the importance of monitoring a local repeater and simplex frequency.
Another big benefit is having that circle of friends who also monitor and can act as message handlers.
With the misses and I both commuting in different directions, I would sometimes check in and have a friend tell me my wife was on her way a few minutes ago.
While we won't say on the air that someone is out of town, we will tell another friend that we heard from him earlier...he'll be on later... so the message is clear.
Thanks for covering these important topics.
Spot on again Gaston!! Great content! The e-power comment from Racerveza was a big eye opener for me
Yep. That was a good call out. Glad you liked this installment. Next week--simplex for long range communication. Stay tuned.
Gaston - Love your efforts. My dad was a ham since the early 60's, but I could only muster my novice license while he was around. I just received my general class upgrade, and would like to pursue more modern day prepper activities revolving around ham radio and the meshtastic system. I'm a newly licensed ham, but I've lived and worked for feds or the military for most of the last 40 years, and sincerely appreciate your apparent background. Thanks so much for sharing you knowledge, thoughts, and experiences. This type of education is sorely needed. Hope you can keep it up. I look forward to talking with you on the air. I live in chandler, so maybe I'll run into you in TNF. My son and I train in the four Peaks area (when the BLM allows it), so adding a SIGINT and COMMS pack to our loadout is a new adventure.
Again, thanks for your efforts. BIll King - KK7IGZ
Morning, Bill. Glad you're enjoy the direction of this series. Each video is going to get more complex in terms of the mission, gear and techniques. It will be like a buffet of comms goodness. See what's possible, then pick which techniques sound the tastiest.
Congratulations on your upgrade ticket. Feel free to look me up on QRZ and shoot me an email if you want to coordinate a QSO. I'd love to demonstrate this as I tackle the "NO RANDOM CONTACTS" for HF. I have a list of people that are willing to help, no worries if you don't have the time or equipment. You and your soon are the perfect candidate for NVIS on 40m/80m given your proximity to me. It's always great to "meet" another local.
I am glad you appreciate the experiences. I really struggled at the beginning and almost gave up on the hobby until I met my Elmer.
Keep training and be safe.
73 de KT1RUN
@@TheTechPrepper Thanks,, Gaston. We would be honored to participate. Glad you stuck with it. Your skills are sorely needed. Anyway, gimme a week or two to pick up some gear...
I'll send an email too.
thanks again for the contact. 73
I’m rocking a Baofeng UV-5X3 and after replacing the stock antenna, it has surprised me. Especially when i connected it to an external dual band 1/4 wave antenna outside my car. Even better on cloudy days.
I love your radio bag. Totally practical
Thank you. That's exactly what the bag was designed to be practical for field expedient operations. Take care.
I don't have a ham license or gmrs but I love your channel ! Semper fi
Thank you. That is very humbling. I hope you'll stick with the channel and this series. My goal is to show people what's possible.
Great point . If you and the people you intend to stay contact with all get the garmin inreach mini satellite communicator that’s the best way to communicate. Send a text messages anywhere in the world and if they are in radio range you plan on set time to reach them with your radio
That's another good option. Over the next few videos we'll be exploring SMS text messaging with ham radio. Stay tuned. I think the it will be three videos out.
Great example. One other thing you may have been thinking about, especially if you have a lot of traffic that needs to be relayed to a specific area, is to have a key station(s) utilize Cross Band Repeat mode. We have used this in difficult terrain for bicycle races. I can also set a radio up as a simplex repeater quickly if needed. Both base and hand held.
Even if someone will not commit to monitoring a frequency at a specific time, having a set plan for when there is an emergency is key. I also agree with a Baofeng for a first radio. As cheap as they are, it's no big deal to upgrade if a person finds amateur radio something they want to get more involved in. Having extra radios is always a great thing. For a time, I was buying a couple UV-5R's a month, just to put in my faraday trash can. I have a large supply of them just in case. A Baofeng is not the radio I would bet my life on, but I usually have one with a couple batteries everywhere I go as a back up radio.
I just today purchased a TYT 9800 mobile so I would have a cross band repeat radio for my home shack. It will replace a Yaesu FT-7900. It will now go in the faraday can as a back up. I already have a Yaesu FTM-300 in my truck. Having the extra two bands is a plus and the radio was only $220.00 shipped from R&L Electronics. A very good deal for a mobile with extra features.
And having GMRS in addition to Amateur.......I'm not odd, but have been called a little twisted...lol
One other question, is your linked repeater system part of the "Intermountain Intertie" ? That is the linked system I have available to me. I'm thinking not. The intermountain system goes from Montana to Las Vegas.
Yep. I did a teaser on crossband repeat a month ago when I talked about the FT-8900 manpack. We'll be looking at crossband repeat in this series. For the exercise, I am still debating whether to use Yaesu FT-8900 or the Kenwood D710GA. The latter is a permanent install in the vehicle. We use crossband repeat a lot on our wilderness public service events. Thanks for calling this out.
The Argent Data Systems simplex repeater allows others to leave a message that can be accessed by using a code entered. It is essentially a digital voice recorder. It has many other functions as well.
That's really handy. I have couple of accessories from Argent Data Systems. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for sharing.
Man I love your videos, keep up the great work.
Thanks you! I appreciate the support.
Something to consider for future videos is purpose based repeaters.
Repeaters can be used with access codes to limit the usage.
GMRS repeaters are available and don’t require any pre-approval.
For the ham bands amateur self regulation standards call for clearing repeater frequency with the regional coordinators. However there are still a lot of ad hoc repeaters out there, and repeater functions are often found on mobile rigs.
Repeater or simplex though, you need a plan to make purposeful contacts.
Excellent point. Yes, I will be covering purpose-built or poorman's repeaters very soon in this series. On the ham radio side, I will be covering crossband repeat (voice) and digipeaters (digital). On the GMRS side, I selected the Wouxun KG-1000G specifically so that I could deploy a private GMRS repeater when connecting a pair of them.
Good stuff, Gaston! I can't find fault with anything you said. Buying an inexpensive radio is a very sound decision if you're not sure you're going to want to go very far in the hobby. You can always trade up.
Thanks for stopping by, Richard! It is always a pleasure. Take care.
There's nothing wrong with starting out with a UV-5R. An inexpensive way to get into the world of radio.
I've been planning a pirate repeater for sometime now. Mostly because not everyone in the group has or wants an amateur license. On the day, ease of operation will be important.
You got that. Easy of use is critical for adoption. Good luck!
Nothing wrong with the UV-5R at all, especially for those who are just getting into amateur radio and unsure if they will actually enjoy it. I just got my Tech ticket about a week ago and the UV-5R is what I am currently using. The guys on the local repeater are excited to have a new Ham on the air. I haven't received any negative comments about my choice of radio. One guy even suggested I try using low power to save battery since I am about 2 miles from the repeater. As far as simplex I might not be able to reach out too far since all I have are about a half dozen UV-5R handhelds. Although if I put up an antenna on my roof or in my attic I will have more reach until I can get a base station.
Glad to hear that you are having positive experiences on the air. Welcome to the hobby! I started with UV-5R, too. It's a good starter radio.
The linked repeater system here is pretty neat. There used to be a couple that would use it since the truck driving husband would be in the radio quiet zone at night (which allows low powered transmissions on amateur bands) while his wife was at home and could hit one of the local repeaters. The work location I'm at though no longer has the better repeater present, and it's a bad location to receive the transmissions from the 6m repeater nearby. It's copyable but really bad at receiving even with a 6m resonant antenna.
I experimented a bit with APRS in the past week. If there is some infrastructure available, you can text through APRS to REPEAT with certain parameters (e.g. zipcode) which will reply with the closest repeaters. Could be useful if you are stranded somewhere and cell service is out, but people have digipeaters up on backup power.
REPEAT is a new one to me. Looks very handy. I will be covering these APRS gateways in this series: SMSGTE (SMS text messaging), EMAIL-2 (short email messages) and WXBOT (weather reports). Thanks for sharing all that info. Take care.
Great videos as usual!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Baofeng BF-H6 have a PL tone scan that work wonderfully. When repeater is active go into tone scan and it will find the code immediately. This is great for like GMRS repeaters that like to hide their tone unless you're licensed.
That's a handy feature. Most of the Yaesu radio's have this feature, too.
I would not be without MURS, GMRS and also Citizen Band as alternatives for sharing and gathering information during emergency situations, though the "HAM" bands are my go to due to the vast community of people monitoring and the diversity of bands and modes.
The APP that I use to find repeaters is called "RFinder". I prefer it because it includes a map of the area so that one can better visualize their locations in reference to where I am located. It does cost a nominal amount each year as a subscription.
You get what you pay for. I have a software suite (EmComm Tools) that does the same, but I have not released it yet. My tool supports offline maps (topos, open street maps and satellite), but will also give you the distance, bearing, grid square, elevation and an estimated line-of-sight calculation. I actually used it when I showed the map visual. I have to check out RFinder. Thanks for sharing.
@@TheTechPrepper Definitely intrigued and I'm going to explore EmComm Tools! I got RFinder about 6 years ago and it's been "okay", but always open to new things! Love your channel! Although I'm an OT and have been dormant for years, your channel has got me excited about radio again! Thanks for all you do! - WK4AB
@@W1KAB-9 Glad to hear that you're getting back in the saddle. Enjoy! Here's a video I made very earlier in the year on the what, why and how of EmComm Tools. The timeline for the private and public release was completely inaccurate (wishful thinking on my part). It should give you an idea of where I am going with the project. The new version includes chat capabilities as well as a number of other features. ruclips.net/video/HFdXTk8Zp5c/видео.html
AREDN is definitely the pinnacle of Tech license stuff. It's a mesh network using the 5.8Ghz amateur band and higher power than normal wifi. It's blindingly fast compared to any packet radio mode and doesn't require rebroadcasting like winlink because every node knows the radio path to every other node ahead of time. It's great for streaming remote video cameras, doing video conferencing, etc. You can even walk around with a mesh radio, a battery, and an IP phone in a bag and make and take calls.
It's also great for ATAK
Hello. Where did you find your solar panel please ? I am looking for one to charge my windcamp battery pack for my TX-500 and the anytone AT-D878 UV+ battery (and why not my phonecell) during my trekkings.
I believe I bought mine from the PowerFilm web site. I am running the 20 watt folding panels.
As always great walk through. I have a follow-up question or two. How do you identify linked repeaters and the repeaters they are linked to? Given the first contact (with your Elmer) relied on three repeaters to make the connection which repeaters are each of you actually connecting to? I assume it is the closest repeater to each of you and then you are receiving the message on that repeater and not really concerned where it originated from. Is that correct? Again as a relatively new and inexperienced technician interested in mobile and emergency comms, your channel has been very very helpful. I love the details you go into, especially the actual scenario coverage. It turns book theory into practical radio use.
Great questions.
1 I should have clicked through on one of the repeaters in the RepeaterBook app demo. In most cases, when you click into one of the repeaters you will see additional details. Look for a mention of "link". I believe these notes are non-standard in the RepeaterBook app, but they will typically describe details like this. Another thing to try, is to ask the question on the repeater. For example, "This is [YOURCALL]. I am a new ham and wonder if anyone knows about linked repeaters in the area? [YOURCALL]". I use the repeaters in my area to ask for advice. Most hams live to help elmer (mentor) new hams.
2. Yes, we each had our radio programmed to talk to our closest repeaters, respectively. Mine was less than 5 miles for me and my Elmer's was less than 8 miles from him. The path in blue (the blue line in the map I showed) indicates that path of the transmissions.
I hope this helps. Enjoy the airwaves.
73 de KT1RUN
How are the Rim link reporters and the metro link repeaters linked? Do they link through the internet or are they linked via some other separate repeater frequencies working in the background? I ask because I’d it through the internet, it would seem to me that backup power would matter much if the internet went down as well because the link would then be lost.
I am not fully up-to-speed on the links between the repeaters, but I have been told that they use a separate frequency for intra-link communication. It's not through the Internet.
@@TheTechPrepper that is good to know. Thank you for the info.
I'll second using the UV-5R series, preferably the GT-5R due to fewer spurious emissions. The strength of Baofengs is that not only are they inexpensive, you don't feel particularly bad if you lose it over a cliff/into a lake/into the gaping maw of a creature from beyond space and time/whatever. They're not my preferred radio because they're kind of meh on power (I get 3.8-4 watts instead of the advertised 5) but they're good for fast replacement.
The baofeng BF-H6 gets 9w average. As high as 11w it all depends on the antenna. But wattage doesn't really mean much. You have to quadruple wattage to get 1 bar more. (1 S unit). What matters far far more is antenna and antenna height. Get a 25ft retractable fishing rod and a 50ft coax cable and that UV-5R will become 10x more powerful.
Great video content. Well structured and laid out. Looking forward to your next installment. Any plans for simplex?
Thank you. Simplex the next one in the series. I want to cover simplex in the context of more powerful radios and antennas.
Is there still the Arizona Repeater Association there as it was when
I lived in Phoenix in 1976?
I remember someone putting a
repeater up with 10 when then,
on Mingus Mountain around Phoenix,
Ray W2CH, formerly WB7EGN.
You bet there is, Ray. the ARA is alive and well. In fact, the three repeaters that I showed in this video (Daisy Mountain, Shaw Butte, and Mount Ord) are all operated by the ARA. Cheers to a former AZ local.
Thanks for the video!!
No problem!
Curious KT1RUN, why relocate the front panel BNC connection? Why not use the FP connector on the 818?
Great question. Two reasons:
1. It's easier to attach/detach the antenna or coax using the relocated mount point.
2. It's less stress on the connector attached to the radio. It's easier to replace a $3 bulk head BNC connector rather than one on the head unit.
My guess is it is easier to connect and possible strain relief when using stick style antenna.
@@TheTechPrepper, where do you source those small relocation jumper cables or are they home brewed?
lol, what were the strange comments about GMRS?
You should be getting a package for your CF-20's any day now. I think it went out Monday.
Excellent. Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to it. I'll pick it up on my next trail run. It will be nice to have proper DC covers again. Cheers.
@@TheTechPrepper No problem! Let me know when you get them.
This may be outside the intent of your No Random Contacts project, but it's my understanding that linking repeaters has an Achilles heel. If all repeaters are linked and I key up for whatever purpose, nobody else in the linked area can talk. I've heard of clubs that refused to link their repeaters to the wider network for the reason that it stifles conversation. Nobody wants to be "that guy" having a ragchew on the Very Official Emergency Repeater Network. I will argue that non-official repeaters play a vital strategic role in the future of our endeavors. People need to practice by talking as much as possible. Could you address that in the future, please? Thanks for your dedication!
Well Gallup nm lost cell phone and internet yesterday and the ability to pay with plastic. Everyone so use to it that no one called for e-comms to be activated. The 857d should be delivered today!
Congrats on your FT-857D! We were just in Gallup, NM. Your scenario is very common where we live, so it's always nice to have radio as a backup.
I pray to Xenu you can do a collab with our fearless leader @TheNotARubicon. Only he can guide you through the gates of the GMRS world.
In a collapse, I would not plan to use repeaters as their back up batteries will last only a short while. Some have solar back up.
Yep. We discussed this at the end. Good point. We will be covering simplex next as well as HF NVIS later in the series. No infrastructure is the plan.
@@TheTechPrepper Also consider setting up your own totally off grid duplex repeater for GMRS. This might be a way to avoid over crowded Amateur repeaters as well. There is a 10 watt model available that is plug and play. Not a Rubicon Productions, and KB9VBR demonstrated the unit on their respective YT channels. A high gain antenna will help, yet the cost is much higher than the ADS-1 simplex repeater allowing one to purchase several spares for the long term. The ADS repeater can also be operated with a full powered mobile transceiver. For GMRS, that would be a maximum of 50 watts. I would certainly have an open banded mobile capable of cross band repeat as well.
@@tunnelrabbit2625 My Wouxun KG-1000G arrived yesterday. I purchased that rig as my first GMRS radio for a number of reasons. One of the being the ability to pair it with a second KG-1000G for the purpose of running it as a repeater. Thanks for the note.
GMRS gang gang
Don’t discount GMRS. You get up to 50 watts, removable antennas and repeaters. My wife has no interest in getting her ham license but she all use a GMRS radio
I'm getting my license in October and I'm building a couple of GMRS manpacks (2x Wouxun KG-1000G's) that can be transitioned into our vehicles as needed. My wife does not want anything permanently installed in her vehicle, so this will work well with a mag mount. It's great that your wife is into GMRS. Cheers!
Are your ears burning? WB6MKJ and I are talking about you. Small world! 73 KO4CXD
Did you guys make an HF contact from AZ TO TN? WB6MKJ is a good guy. He was nice enough to fix my FT-60R after I killed with sweat in the desert.
Lots of odd ppl watching prepper channels. Lol
We have AM and FM CB downunder, no GMRS or FRS. 🍻🤓
Agreed. I am one of those odd balls, too. "Hello" from across the pond! That's too bad about GMRS/FRS.
So as a licensed gmrs operator, I'm a odd person and on Notarubicon's site I'm a licensed SAD HAM operator 😲I'm starting to feel like Rodney Dangerfield.........just kidding
No offense. I only mentioned the GMRS folks in good fun because my last video on MURS was hijacked by all the GMRS operators. I guess every group in radio is very loyal to their tribe. There are tons of radio services (MURS, FRS, GMRS, amateur radio, LMR, marine radio, military, MARS, CAP, etc.) each with its own merits, limitations, benefits and applications. Cheers!
Ha... I was thinking the exact same thing!
"Take my wife. Please."
Nice video! I found your RUclips channel following the link on your QRZ page when I looked you up after hearing you chatting on the 146.860 repeater this morning.
73
KI7OOZ
Morning, David! Welcome to the channel. I have been unusually active the last few mornings on the Metrolink system. I've been coordinating local HF contacts. Cheers.
Lol, the ending, Hey great video as always. N8ibz
I had to watch the ending again. Yeah...the GMRS guys sure are passionate. ;-) I am getting my license this month to see what the fuss is all about.
Sorry if I said anything weird to get my comment deleted. Ran into your vids through NotaRubicon. I was thinking of subscribing. Anyways God Bless.
Please repost. I don't delete anything on unless it's hate speech. Thanks for the view and comment. Cheers!
@@TheTechPrepper thanks man. Im a gmrs soon to be ham. Anyways subscribing now. Thanks. 😁
Great content, thank you for sharing with us. KN6PWH..... 73
Much appreciated. Thanks for watching! 73 de KT1RUN.
Hi Gaston appreciate your work. Hoping you will cross paths with youtuber OH8STN. he does great work in emergency communications.