If you are serious about prepping for any disaster, you must have off-grid communications squared away.
The only way to guarantee robust post-SHTF communications is amateur radio.
Most preppers will add ham radio into their preps, but as they do, there are many mistakes that will derail their post-SHTF communications plans.
Not Being Licensed
You must get licensed before you start using amateur radios. While many people will push back and say they do not need to be licensed to use these radios in an emergency, that attitude is foolhardy and dangerous.
Amateur radio requires practice, testing, and tweaking to work well.
You must program repeaters into your VHF/UHF radios, which must be confirmed after programming. The only way to do this is to be licensed. You cannot legally transmit on ham radio bands without a license, and you cannot practice, tweak, and set up your equipment without transmitting to test everything.
Also, you will probably want to use your radios on the local repeater network after a disaster. If you do not have a callsign and have not checked into the local nets, no one will want to talk to you, and you will not be able to get any assistance.
Related: How to Get a Ham Radio License for When SHTF
The bottom line is you must be a licensed amateur radio operator first, and this step must not be skipped.
Ignoring Practice
I cannot count the number of times I have tried to use my ham radios only to spend far too much time troubleshooting a host of problems that have popped up.
Sometimes, an antenna was out of tune; other times, a feed line was faulty; other times, it was a programming issue.
Regardless of the problems, if I had to deal with these in a post-SHTF situation, it would be no issue because I practice with my radios regularly.
Related: How to Use a Ham Radio When SHTF (With Pictures)
Practice also allows you a significant amount of knowledge about the capabilities of your equipment, the common issues that come up regularly, and how the radios themselves work.
For example, my IC-705 has a very different menu system and user interface than my FT-818. When I have not used one of these radios in a while because I have been favoring one over the other, I find that the learning curve to get back to proficiently in that radio is quite steep. It is vital to use all our radios regularly to maintain proficiently.
The other part that practice allows for is that we can ensure that all the software for running digital modes is up to date. There have been several times that I have opened my laptop to find that I needed to do some updates to the software that was necessary to run digital modes.
After a SHTF event is the wrong time to realize that all your software needs updating.
Not Protecting From EMP
I know that protecting all our equipment from EMP 24/7 is not practical, but we should always have some radios set aside inside a Faraday cage.
Or you can also use an EMP cloth to shield your ham radios or even areas of your home. The EMP cloth is a conductive fabric you can use to wrap items.
Developed by top-notch U.S. scientists after years of hard work, the EMP cloth outperforms a Faraday cage. It’s not just flexible and portable, but a reliable shield for your electronics during an EMP attack. You can get yours here, before they’re out of stock.
The cloth acts the same way as a Faraday cage and will protect electronics from the damaging effects of EMP.
Depending on your communications needs, some of the things you will want to put into this Faraday cage are:
- HF radio
- VHF/UHF mobile or base station radio
- Several VHF/UHF handheld radios
- Batteries and chargers
- Several GRMS/FRS handheld radios
- Shortwave receiver
- Scanner
- Antennas
- Computer and digital interfaces
- Solar power station
Include everything you need to set these radios up and get on the air right out of the box. The reason for this is that after an EMP, all you need to do is open the cage and start setting up your equipment without looking for anything.
You must periodically re-charge the batteries, update software, and set up and test your equipment.
Not Enough Antennas
Every antenna has advantages and disadvantages, which you need to consider and understand before you use them.
Most ham radio operators have more antennas than radios because every situation is unique and often requires a specific antenna for the best performance. It’s easy to find an antenna that works well for your radio and stick with that, but this error could cost you dearly in a SHTF scenario. You’ll want multiple antennas to cover a variety of situations.
A mix of dipoles, verticals, Yagi’s, EFHW’s and other antenna styles will give you a good amount of versatility and coverage over the amateur bands.
You’ll also need to ensure that every antenna is tuned appropriately and that you check and test them regularly.
I would also suggest you have a collection of connectors, wires, and toroids to build antennas if you need one after SHTF.
Not Having Hard Copies
When the grid goes down, you will no longer have access to the internet and all the information you probably look up regularly. During a SHTF situation, you cannot look up the instruction manuals for any of your radios or equipment. So make sure you keep all the manuals that come with anything you use.
Along with manuals, you’ll need to have some handbooks to help you keep your amateur radio station up and running. I have a copy of the ARRL Antenna Handbook and all volumes of the ARRL Handbook. These give me access to a massive amount of ham radio information at my fingertips.
Amateur radio is essential for any serious prepper, but if you make any of the mistakes I mentioned, you will have massive holes in your SHTF communications plan.
Solid and robust off-grid comms will be in short supply when the grid fails and if you can still communicate, you’ll have a massive advantage. Above all else, get licensed, practice using your radios, and enjoy the ham radio hobby!
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One thing forsure , watch what you say , dont stay on too long , be quick and direct
stay away from giving your position away
power up , power down , disconnect fast so your not tracked
at the rate the crime familys are commiting thier crime s , you wont have much time to hide
cover with fake identies, false addresss , just like the democrat liars, cheets, thieves
they all use fake false , identities
cover your tacks
and be smart about where you go , what you say , what you show
God is always in control , and he never miss,s anything.
Gift is forgiveness , blood of lamb for your sin.
cost is repentance, faith , trusting in the bible , following Jesus Christ , no matter the cost
God has provided a way out , you just have to decide to trust and obey , and seek and pray with out ceasing 2 cronicles 7:14 , John 14:6, whole book of romans , whole book of Hebrews , whole book of galations
with out faith it is imposible to please God ,
Choose to day whom you will serve
Check out the YouTube channel NotaRubicon. I know this not only from this channel but from other people I talk to who are ham operators, people most certainly will talk to you if you don’t use a correct call sign and they suspect you don’t have a license to Karen you to death about how you shouldn’t be transmitting. On that channel that fellow also goes through the statistics that are published by the FCC on their investigations penalties are fines against people operating without licenses and that number is very very low and it usually involves egregious activity. There’s really no data on the FCC finding anyone for talking on licensed on radio frequencies when you probably have to be worried when you are operating a frequencies you’re not supposed to be operating on which are licensed to other organizations agencies or entities.
Ham can be operated in emergency of non-licensed operator. With the current tyrant administration who is running the show?
Who interprets what is an emergency since our country is in shambles already.
God is watching, he will sort out the living and the dead but he wants us to do the right thing while we are above ground and breathing.
The Chinese influence Biden government with the EV AM radio controversy of AM freq interrupting EV electronics is BS! There is a law going around to rid AM radio, FM is short wave distance. AM radio is an emergency radio that is badly needed and part of talk radio.
The weekend assignation attempt may have been averted by the Bidenomics administration hiring DEI hires and lax standards to get lower applicants into an important agency. Time to clean house and get a smaller government footprint.
Same thing with DEI, CRT indoctrinated and tranny hires who get special surgery paid for by American taxpayers on the hook.
We still have Clinton, Bush and Obama bureaucrat holdovers that need to be cleaned out of these positions permanently.
There are several layers to Saturday’s Trump rally, something shady going on. Just like several other terrorist plots there is always a face, a front man of the actions. There are really no Lone Wolf types, there are other people involved in these actions.
We got many unvetted illegals and terrorist into our country by way of the southern border. When is the next 911, October 7th coming?
Time to build the border wall, deport Biden’s illegal 2024 election voters, Demoncrats are plotting to cheat this presidential election. Many sanctuary states have illegals on the voter rolls to out vote us again and mail in ballots.
God Bless MAGA and Maganomics!
Besides liberals controlling the FCC and the news media, California nutcases will be wearing their masks and getting their Dr Fauci Covid vaccine shots once more.
Bird flu in Colorado, what else is going on when America has Chinese nationals flooding our southern border and living on Chinese owned farmlands. China Towns, Chinese secret police stations and Chinese secret bio labs around America.
The liberals now say the want unity after this weekend attempt, these were the same useful idiots that demonized Trump. No wonder this rhetoric has inflamed the liberal nutcases to do the liberals bidding on us American taxpayer. As Trump said he is standing in the way, they are coming for us Americans.
24/7 liberal news media helped encourage liberal’s to do crazy stuff.
God bless America!
Democrats don’t want Trump killed since they are sure they can beat him in the election. Such might not be the case with a replacement.
In an extreme disaster (there is no infrastructure) your best option will be sure to have access to or set up a network. This is where your information and mutual aid will come from.
In a hostile environment, portable is the way to go. Transmit and move. Insure you are no closer to your base than 1KM. Packet burst transmissions (APRS) are possible with most models of vhf/uhf hand held transceivers. If at all possible never transmit from your base, if you must short coded message (code set up ahead of time with your network) If you are referring to a geographic point. Establish, ahead of time, what each location will be using Point Alpha as one location or any other nomenclature you wish to use. Above all else antenna up, antenna down don’t advertise you location. Set up a contact schedule, Ham Wilderness protocol is a good example.
KF6VDY IS OFF THE AIR (SINCE Y2K) PENDING UPGRADES.
One manufacturer has created a disconnect apparatus that you can put where your roof mounted antenna attaches to your Ham Radio. EMP bursts will travel down your antenna and destroy whatever it is connected to, so even your insulating Faraday cloth, (or cage), around your electronics won’t be enough .
GMRS is a great alternative to HAM. There is a license fee but no test. The license covers your immediate family members. GMRS also has repeaters you can use to get out farther. GMRS band overlaps FRS so you could be of help to someone who only has limited range FRS walkies. Amazon has good prices on decent powered base and mobile units.
I am the GMRS in my area.
No repeaters, no action.
GMRS is a full function in some areas, but not mine.
Still, the bofangs operate on this channel and offer limited range communication.
I can’t get PrepperWebsite to come up anywhere.
Idea’s???
THE CHAIR IS AGAINST THE WALL ……THE CHAIR IS AGAINST THE WALL….JOHN HAS A LONG MUSTACHE……JOHN HAS A LONG MUSTACHE
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Interesting topic! But I think there are some misunderstandings about it’s use in a melt down situation. We all understand the benefits of Ham Radio in a local disaster when all other communications are down. But in a SHTF, national grid down, kind of event, one might be better off without it.
Why would one want to talk to another Ham that they probably don’t know? Do you really want to share your location and living conditions? How does that help you? If you need emergency help, no one else can be of any help, particularly if they are 100 miles away, or even 10 miles. And as a previous commenter wrote, you don’t want to give away your location. Maybe after many months or years, when some kind of peace returns, it might be beneficial to start communicating outside your home group again.
In my opinion, the main value of Ham radio here is to just listen. Let others who you may find on the air, talk about their location and condition. That’s where the real value of Ham Radio is. A secondary value of being an active Ham radio operator, is the knowledge that comes with that of understanding electrical & electronics for part of your local maintenance issues.
Yes, radio communications would be very helpful for your local group, where individuals never wander much more than a mile. For those uses, there are legal radios called FRS (Family Radio Service). They are widely available for low cost and no license needed. They are only good for a mile or 2 or 3 depending on conditions. But, that’s all you would normally need, and as far as one should want to be heard. I bought a pack of 4 radios on line for, as I remember, less than $100.
A step up from that would be GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service). These radios are commonly available for low cost too, but do require a license (one per family) for a nominal fee, but no test. Here again, while they do have the potential of communicating further, do you really want to do that?
Another point made was about the person that has no interest in Ham Radio, but wants to buy the equipment just to use when there is a meltdown. Actually, one could do that legally, anytime if used in a genuine emergency. But that is like a prepper who has no interest in flying, but thinks a plane would be useful in a major meltdown when all means of land transportation are too treacherous. So, he buys a small Cessna and stores it in the barn for such an event. Without the knowledge of flying or the skills, he probably would not have a successful trip, even if he got off the ground. Here again, it is legal in a genuine emergency, if you can do that without hurting anyone.
I think that most nonradio operators don’t understand, that Ham Radios are very complicated pieces of equipment, that also needs some continual use just to be able to make them do what you want. One does not just flip a switch and start talking, as is more the case with the very simple FRS walky-talkies.
As previously noted, with any kind of radios, I think one would be better off keeping their communications to a minimum, with the shortest transmissions. You never know who might be listening.