Minding my own business, not harming anyone, and I thought “Hmmm..I haven’t been on Facebook Marketplace for a while, let’s see what’s there.”
And then it just escalated quickly. End result:
Along with an antenna, various power cables to run off household, cig lighter, or battery terminals, spare fuses, lotsa docs, and a pelican case with cut foam to hold it all.
This thing is strictly a receiver and has some basic scanner functions. It picks up a rather wide swath of frequencies, including stuff my 7300 doesn’t pick up.
Price seemed reasonable. Heck, the Pelican case would have been a hundred bucks all on its own. The extras that it came with also made it a sweeter deal.
Now I just need to RTFM and learn the operations.
That might make a good article for your site?
I’ve been looking into the HAM thing for ages, because… But haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Economically I believe I can find a used setup for less than 300 bucks, complete w/ everything from some old timer getting out of the hobby. But I don’t know WTF to do w/ it.
I mean, I know you supply power, hang the antenna, and… that’s where it ends. I know there are local freq’s I should program/write-down, but I hear many are now digital/encrypted. There is a HAM club locally, I’ve gone to their open-house: not interested frankly, they’re ummm, not my cup of tea (mostly pro-government boomers who think they’re backup for when EMS goes titsup after a solar flare or EMP). I don’t want to get my license, don’t want to ‘listen’ to the radio on a Friday night, though admittedly I probably would if I had it setup in my shed….
But I _DO_ want to invest in my prep’s, and communications is one area I’m lacking. A simple HAM setup w/ Solar panels to listen to the End of the World communications is really all I’m looking for. A used scanner like the one in this article would probably fit the bill to a ‘T’… but I don’t know enough, and aren’t motivated enough to learn about it.
Even though it’s not something that interests me, it’s a topic I believe I need to get a handle on before things get too spicy. Every time I try however, I’m bored stupid w/in minutes. I want a set-it-and-forget-it setup I can invest a couple hours and couple hundred bucks into and store in a metal trash can to pull out after the canned sunshine.
If you only want to listen, there are some inexpensive ways to dip your toes in the water.
One is a software defined radio (SDR) that is a USB dongle that you plug into a computer (can also be done with an android device with a bit of extra work). You can then listen to a variety of radio, including some HAM frequencies. You can get a setup on Amazon for under $50:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BMKB3L47/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Or you can get a Baofeng radio (free to listen, license required to talk on HAM) for cheap. They are under $20 on amazon, a 2-pack is $30.
Ham radio crash course on youtube has a video that will get you up and running with the basics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uJOXJt8BT4&pp=ygUjaGFtIHJhZGlvIGNyYXNoIGNvdXJzZSBiYW9mZW5nIGhlcm8%3D
Joe, while I appreciate your viewpoint, I would argue that having a radio in a SHTF situation is worthless without sufficient time learning the ins and outs of being a radio operator. Running a HF radio is a skill that takes practice. Learning the buttons to push on a radio is just the beginning. Understanding propagation of radio signals, properties of the various antennas, rudimentary knowledge if the electrical theory is all important to make that radio your purchased useful. There if lots of knowledge out on the internet to here you learn to become proficient operating a HF radio.
Knowledge is power, just knowing where to avoid and who is operating in what location is a big advantage for only $100. Since I get all my how-to information from YT videos now, guess it’s time to start boning up on the radio stuff. Maybe I’ll start off with a CB and work my way up, then at least I can talk to some friends, family or LMIs if the time comes.
@JoeBlow- I would say you should get the ham license. You can do that yourself, several different ways. Tthe multiple guess question bank for the license exam is on the FCC’s website and you only have to get a 70% or 75% to pass, just memorizing the questions and answers is a serious option anyone can do. There are also study guides like Gordon West’s guide or (my recommendation) the ARRL one.
If say you get the ARRL guide, you can read it and either again just memorize the Q&A or even learn it from the guide, the ARRL guide is pretty good at just explaining it. If you do that and take the license test and get your license, great, you can set that aside and you don’t have to change anything.
I think if you read the Gordon West guide or the ARRL guide on your own schedule and learn from the practice questions they put in the guides, you’ll find answers to most of the things you don’t know that you mentioned.
I’m kind of with you on the typical amateur radio operator, I’ve seen generally similar attitudes from many of them. But the license thing you can do yourself on your own time, and learn a lot and that would give you enough to start trying to use the radio with some knowledge. That approach worked for me, might be something to consider.
You’d be surprised at how many municipalities are still on old analog FM frequencies. It costs lots of time and money to upgrade radio systems. And the government is slow to change as we all know.
I would use the Radio Reference website to see what’s being broadcasted in your area before getting a scanner:
https://www.radioreference.com/db/browse/
You want to pay attention to the “mode” column in the list of frequencies being broadcasted in your area. Anything showing “FM” or “FMN” can be picked up by your most basic of analog VHF/UHF scanner. DMR and DMRE are the digital modes that will cost a lot more to get a rig capable of listening to. DMRE is encrypted, so you’ll never have access to those frequencies.
For scanners, I would suggest a basic Uniden Bearcat handheld analog scanner like the Uniden Bearcat BC75XLT that can be has for well under $100 used. The Uniden scanners have the “close call” function that will automatically alert you to nearby transmissions. This alone is an invaluable security feature I use often.
Multiple libraries have been written on the subject of ham radio, scanners, grid down comms, etc.
Short version.
Getting a ham General Class license isn’t too hard if you are of average intelligence, and are willing to try. Use a free online test prep site that uses the actual questions and answers, keep taking the tests until you can pass the first level (Tech or Technician Class) all the time. Tech class lets you use short range voice primarily, like the baofangs, and local repeaters – some of which are tied into regional or national and international networks over the internet, or radio links. Once you can pass the Tech exam, do the same for the General Class test.
When you go to take the tests (generally locally and in person) once you pass the Tech, you can take the General test. Same session, same fee. General Class lets you do voice, code, and data on HF which is the regional and international range of frequencies. Think ‘shortwave’ distances. You will want to use the General class frequencies for point to point comms in the event of a world wide event, or even a big national event, or a regional event that takes down all local infrastructure.
There is a class above General, but the test is much harder and the benefits are limited.
Why get the ham license? Because you need to practice if you intend to use the stuff. No practical person buys a gun and a box of ammo and puts them in a case without ever having fired a gun. Why would you do that with radio, especially when you have the cost of a nice rifle and pistol into it?
Local VHF and UHF equipment is cheap. HF (shortwave freqs) equipment that transmits is generally NOT cheap, but can be had for about the price of a rifle or pistol.
LISTENING doesn’t require a license in the US, and the gear isn’t crazy. Shortwave receivers are available used, and some are worth buying. I currently like my Eton Executive Elite. It is a great shortwave receiver, and does a good job on the ham bands too. Most cheap shortwaves, and any of the analog ones with a dial, do a poor job of covering ham bands.
A general purpose receiver like the one Zero got is very handy and I have the Yaesu version of that radio sitting on my desk.
I listen to my shortwave a couple of nights a month to get a feel for what is reasonable distance wise, who is out there, and what they talk about. Most commercial shortwave is government funded propaganda, or church funded. WRMI out of Miami has several great music programs to listen to, and some ham radio shows. I routinely listen to hams across the Texas and surrounding states area, hams in NZ and Australia, and commercial stations all over the world.
For local situational awareness, a good digital scanner, preferably one that is “object oriented” (which means it has a built in database of agencies and frequencies) is what you want. Good ones like the Uniden Home Patrol II are about $400. They work with modern digital systems. ENCRYPTED traffic is a different story, but in most places, only SWAT or similar is encrypted. Digital isn’t necessarily encrypted and encrypted can be analog…
I leave my scanner running in my office all the time, and I mostly listen to the INTEROP channels that local LEOs use for undercover work. That’s the most interesting to me. I don’t listen to general dispatch channels because there is constant traffic in Houston. 90% of the time, I don’t hear anything, but when I do, it’s interesting and informative.
School bus channels have a lot of info, especially if they are using the busses during an emergency like a hurricane. They are never encrypted and the drivers can be chatty.
I have and use my old analog scanners for air, ham frequencies, GMRS and FRS, and some other agencies that still use analog (like the energy company).
To truly monitor during a big event, you need a scanner per agency. And you need practice listening to multiple radios.
You also need to learn which channels your local agencies use to talk officer to officer, or as group chats. You are much more likely to hear interesting stuff there, than on a dispatch channel.
One hard truth about scanner listening is that you almost never learn the outcome of something you hear on the radio. I heard a Deputy call for Lifeflight for a domestic call, and could tell from his voice it was serious and disturbing, but I had to watch the news later to find out it was a mother who went nuts and cut up her toddler with scissors “to get the demons out of him.”
I’ve learned about drug and human trafficking in my area, about the capabilities and limitations of the surveillance teams. I’ve heard the initial traffic for an active shooter, the Travis Whatever concert stampede, a search for a wanted and barricaded fugitive (involved drones and robots), and other stuff.
Initially I got the license just to tick a prepper box on my list, but got more interested in ham radio in general, and have several ham radio friends. I got the scanners for the same reason- general preparedness, but I also like hearing the stuff that’s going on around me. Ham radio is a gigantic hobby with hundreds of areas of interest and different aspects to concentrate on. And there are other hams besides the radio equivalent of FUDs in the gun community, but you won’t find them sitting at home.
Like most things in the prepperverse, you actually have to DO IT to find out where your shortcomings are, what you don’t know, and what you know that isn’t true.
The time to learn about radio isn’t when you need it to save your life, just like the time to learn about making a fire with a ferro rod isn’t in the freezing rain, on the side of a mountain, after your car crash…
nick
“LISTENING doesn’t require a license in the US”
Yet.
Which is Exactly why you have to be a gov toady to advocate for licensing,
I swear, it slays me when someone rants how they “will do as they gdwell please with their guns, raw milk, and whatever” and then berate people that use ham without goobermint permission. (and if youre dumb enough to get caught, you probably dont really know enough about radio to waste your money on it– or drink and transmit regularly).
Of all the reasons I have to be on a government list, HAM radio is way at the bottom
Military Veteran
Medical Doctor, with DEA license
College graduate
High school graduate
FAA Certificated (not licensed) Pilot
Taxpayer
US Passport holder
Drivers licenses from SEVERAL states
CCW holder from several states
Gun owner
Registered disaster worker – FEMA and several states
Commercial radiotelephone licensee
Coast Guard Masters ticket (<500 tons ocean)
[Probably several more]
Ham radio operator?
Yeah, “yet”. The FCC does what it wants, it’s an independent agency with executive, legislative, and judicial powers. The regulations, written by them, enforced by them, and judged by them, all have the power of Federal law. Read Parts 15, 95, and 97 and understand what limits they impose on communications between private citizens, read their FAQs on what they believe their powers of searches and seizures include, and read their MOU with the ARRL that sets up a federally sanctioned group of citizen snitches. This is how the FCC operates in a nutshell, and what you’re agreeing with if you obtain an individual license from them:
“The Commission promulgates substantive rules of conduct. The Commission then considers whether to authorize investigations into whether the Commission’s rules have been violated. If the Commission authorizes an investigation, the investigation is conducted by the Commission, which reports its findings to the Commission. If the Commission thinks that the Commission’s findings warrant an enforcement action, the Commission issues a complaint. The Commission’s complaint that a Commission rule has been violated is then prosecuted by the Commission and adjudicated by the Commission. The Commission adjudication can either take place before the full Commission or before a semi-autonomous administrative law judge. If the Commission chooses to adjudicate before an administrative law judge rather than before the Commission and the decision is adverse to the Commission, the Commission can appeal to the Commission.”
Hams are collaborators, and most are happy and proud of it. Don’t join them, but do be sure to include them in your area study.
Skipped the driving license? Homemade plates on the truck? How about not paying property taxes? Maybe don’t care about cutting that extra inch off a shotty? Don’t declare your income? Cook up some m e t h in your spare time “just because”? Sex with minors?
Following the laws as they exist doesn’t make you a collaborator. It makes you a realist. Minimizing the number of “handles” you give .gov to grab onto and punish you isn’t collaborating. Security people call it “minimizing your attack surface”.
Some people are full of reasons not to do something. Get out and do, stop finding reasons to not do.
nick
“Now I just need to RTFM and learn the operations.” That will help, but usually leaves a lot of questions. There are videos online that will help, and dedicated groups like the IcomR7000RX group on Groups.io that have lots of good information (and some bad) dedicated to that specific model. The variation from maker to maker and model to model is huge – so specific information for your make and model is a big help.
You bought a Ferrari………..and barely have a learner’s Permit…
Need to fix that….
Old ham here….
The 7000 is a VERY good receiver. Some will not receive the old cellular analog band but lots do. Neighbors with baby monitors that are on all day are a constant source of entertainment. The 7000 will receive all analog signals. It’s big, kinda heavy and will make some heat when being used. The were $1k when new, by now I’d guess $200 will buy a decent example.
Recently I saw an article that said the number of ham operators has been severely diminished. Because the the active hurricane season and for a variety of other reasons. Ham radios aren’t as popular as they once were.
Maybe the incoming FEMA director can initiate some changes to make HAM radio as popular as it once was.
I’m old enough to remember that God awful earthquake in Alaska. The only com’s that worked was Ham radios. And they have served in many disasters before and since. Shame to see it die out. I thought once the requirement to learn Morse code was eliminated it would spur interest again. Guess not. Video games might be more fun. But I doubt thry can save your life.
Never got past the idea that participating in licensed amateur radio is somewhat akin to dialing a phone number at random and talking to whoever picks up (yes, I’m old school … and in the profession: ISM bands)
Here’s a link that might be useful:
https://www.mods.dk/index.php?ModelId=352&RadioId=1-icom&ModelRec=ic-r7000
Also, there are several glass fuses in that box: I’d get spares while you can.
That is a VERY nice receiver. A piece of wire up in the trees will be a great first antenna, just to get your feet wet. And who knows, you may discover it’s enough: Don’t let better be the enemy of good. And the dirty secret of antennas is there is no ‘best’, and almost anything will work well enough within a few very broad parameters – long enough, grounded? GTG.
@michigan prepper, ham radio isn’t dying out but it is changing and the demographic does tend toward older men, who die with greater frequency than young men…
https://sites.google.com/site/amateurradiodata/home
https://www.clearskyinstitute.com/ham/stats/index.html
There has been a small recent decline, but the line looks pretty steady long term. As a percentage per capita it is decreasing, but the per capita is filled with people that were never a candidate for a license- like illegals or “hyphen Americans”.
The main issue is that the old fogies don’t actually WANT new members and don’t recognize potential new members when they see them. Witness the rejection of Baofangs, preppers just getting their ticket and not going to club meetings, etc in the early to mid 2000s. They liked the elmer/mentor system and contesting, or being a special snowflake for disaster prep, and want everyone to come to ham radio thru the same path.
It’s a lot like the NRA and the FUDs with their wooden stocked hunting guns vs Gun Culture 2.0 and its emphasis on pistols, carry, and self defense.
Fortunately for hams, and gun enthusiasts, the internet is the biggest club of all, and you don’t have to join anything to participate. If the clubs in your area are moribund, find a community online. Lots of guys doing innovative and fun stuff there.
nick