So there were a couple of Comms related threads here, but they seemed to have fallen apart and have not had any real use in a long time…
Comms is something that is very important to me, but it just seems that far too many forum posts, videos, etc. are more about “getting into amateur radio” than they are about using comms equipment in a disaster/emergency situation - so I decided to close those old threads and start a new one to talk about EMCOMM, and how it applies to the average person in a less than ideal situation.
Happy to see it consolidated. The impulse to say, “Go get your amateur ticket” is fine- but you actually have to practice doing it. The ticket just lets you legally key the mic, and says nothing about actually learning to communicate well, improvise antennas, or work different modes.
For instance, until I saw it talked about in NC Scout’s book- I hadn’t ever seen an example of a good comms plan and didn’t know you could hook up an Android tablet to a cheap Baofeng UV-5r and work with digital messaging.
I got into comms for my other hobby of off roading, but have only delved into GMRS for that purpose rather than the full dive into HAM. Cheap FCC license good for 10 years for the family.
I’m pleasantly surprised with the number of available repeaters for public use here on GMRS even though my primary use case is vehicle to vehicles comms and would rarely need repeaters. I’m not really interested in talking across the country or the world for fun.
GMRS has also come in very handy for keeping in touch with my kids across the ski resort. FRS is too weak but I can connect with my son quite reliably on the mountain with a full 5 watt GMRS handheld.
I’m a fan of Not a Rubicon Productions on youtube for his excellent reviews and hilarious pontificating on the subject of GMRS: https://youtube.com/@TheNotaRubicon
He lives in commiefornia but does his product reviews on tekmat gun mats that have gun schematics on them.
That is a great book… and it is actually what got me back into instructing EmComm; had a local group ask me if I could come out and help them with the OTP/Cipher stuff
While the editing could be a little tighter, it is a great book and very refreshing to see someone talk about radio hardware as only one part of a good Comms Plan!
The topic of EMCOMM popped onto my radar a bit ago and I’ve been digging into it. I was originally leaning towards getting a Technician license, but to be honest, the situation with HAM seems like it’s largely a bunch of grumpy 70+ year-old white guys with nothing to say gatekeeping “their” channels and bootlicking the FCC. That doesn’t sound like any fun.
SO…New plan is to go GRMS-only and call it a day. It’ll be more than enough for what I need to do, and with the proliferation of repeaters it seems just as flexible as Technician-level HAM, minus all the bullshit. Plus, the overarching goal isn’t to pick up another expensive hobby.
I submitted the license app a bit ago. For radios, I’m probably gonna grab a Radioddity GM-30 and an Baofeng UV-9G to start and then maybe bump up to a Wouxun KG-UV9G down the line after I mess with it a bit. We’ll see how it goes.
GMRS without repeaters is short range comms, lose internet, cell, tv and radio without ham you are totally cut off. I think at the very least it’s a good idea to have a good short wave receiver.
That’s a fair assessment. I also think the digital component of HAM is desirable in that kind of scenario. I am blessed to live in a state with geography that allows for excellent repeater range and smart guys who run them. Mountain peaks at 10,000 feet with vast valleys. We commonly have repeater nets where we talk from the wasatch front to Idaho. The solution doesn’t have to be binary. For regional comms the ease of use aspect for the common man makes GMRS a pragmatic piece of handout gear. But I’m also glad to have my Elmer neighbors even if that part of the hobby isn’t for me.
