INGO HAM Radio Club

[Sailor]

Ok, ultimately the problem I have is I don't know how receptive any existing hams will be when I explain that the primary reason I'm interested in amateur radio is for communications and situational awareness during a disaster. I'm Old School in that I still believe survivalism continues to carry a bit of a stigma about it.

So, what I've decided to do is basically just go ahead and take the basic licensing text along with other members of our group and try to move forward with our plans.

I'll go ahead and present what I need (or, at least, think I need) and my original ideas on how to go about it and you guys can shoot it down and/or make other suggestions.

The situation, as I currently see it, is as such:

We have a group of like-minded individuals who have two major needs in the communication portion of our plans. The first is a way to communicate that is not dependent upon externallly-controlled technology such as cell-phones, texting or internet. We have already seen where these methods have been shut down either directly via the disaster (think of a tornado or earthquake) or by those who have the ability to turn it off. In many areas where rioting is currently occurring, the powers-that-be are limiting access to cellphone and internet services. . .so much so that a cottage-industry is rising to create alternate data- and text-sharing networks.

The second need is intelligence-gathering. We know that hams have, in the past, been able to get information out of (and into) an affected area much better than any other form of media or news agency.

Being in an affected area with access to an amateur radio means that members of our group have the ability to communicate with one another to organize assisted extractions or coordinate evacuations with each other without having to worry about Ma Bell flipping a switch.

As a general parameter, the members of our group who live farthest away from each other is just shy of 22 miles. We'd like to be able to maintain some form of secure (not encryption, but ability to guarantee access) radio communications within that distance.

Now, our idea was to use some of the micro-radios such as the Yaesu FT-60. . .something that can be kept in a purse or Get-Home-Bag, but we know that won't reach the full distance of 22 miles (or we assume so), so we'd probably need something along the lines of one or more repeaters. All of us own our homes and BOL's, and the greatest distance we'd have to cover is about 15 miles between two of the homes. We would have no problems (other than city ordinances for those who live in town) with equipment or towers. All of us are already set up with solar and generator power back-ups, so if the grid goes down because of anything short of a super-EMP we will have the ability to power the repeaters and charge batteries for the handhelds.

One discussion was also brought up involving each of our vehicles being set up as mobile repeaters to boost the handhelds when away from the homes or BOL areas since almost all of us live/work/play within a mile of wherever we park. We don't, however, know if this is permitted or feasible.

So, the following questions pop into mind:

1. Is this even possible?

2. Can this be done with the basic Technician's license? Other than the presumable permits necessary for erecting an appropriate-sized tower with antenna (or using alternate, lower-profile antennae), are there any other licensing requirements to accomplish this?

3. What are we missing?

Thank you all for your patience and assistance, of you choose to exercise either.

Step back a little, and get your group using:

Use wire for person to person encrypted texting
Protonmail, for AAR's, training announcements etc.
Zello for encrypted PTT comms. Very low pro in urban areas.
VHF simplex with HT's for field use. Mobile radios for base/mobile. Get commercial license if everyone is not licensed ($260)
Have at least one guy in the group be the HF guy for intel, email over HF
Practice.

Then practice using it all in your training.

22 miles is easy up in N IN flatland here, on a good day I can do 100 miles simplex, with roof top antenna.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

Everything you described is permitted, at tech level and is doable.

All this will take a little internet research and money.

So if you have the time and money a band tech licenses hams could pull it off.

 

[rvb]

If the farthest two guys are 22mi apart, then a crossband repeater With a good, high antenna in the middle, so 11 mi to the out points, should be doable. Probably not with handhelds, but with mobile setups or mobiles used as basestations. Of course, terrain and other factors are always considerations.

I have a friend with a good, high antenna (rooftop) 6 mi away. I cannot work him with Just the handheld, but with my mobile antenna hooked to the handheld, I can (incl control his Fusion node). Using my mobile as a base with my second story attic antenna, we can use low power (5w). The guys farthest out might have to work for it a little more (higher antenna, maybe one with some gain)

 

[rvb]

And look into mesh networks. May not be ideal for your homes, but if you are in an area together. There are phone apps With limited range using Bluetooth. And I’ve got radio dongles that connect to the phone Via Bluetooth for encrypted texts and gps location... I’ve tested them to 1/2 mi point-to-point in suburbia. Work great when We camp in places w.o cell reception.

 

[Cameramonkey]

If the farthest two guys are 22mi apart, then a crossband repeater With a good, high antenna in the middle, so 11 mi to the out points, should be doable. Probably not with handhelds, but with mobile setups or mobiles used as basestations. Of course, terrain and other factors are always considerations.

I have a friend with a good, high antenna (rooftop) 6 mi away. I cannot work him with Just the handheld, but with my mobile antenna hooked to the handheld, I can (incl control his Fusion node). Using my mobile as a base with my second story attic antenna, we can use low power (5w). The guys farthest out might have to work for it a little more (higher antenna, maybe one with some gain)

And if the goal is to ONLY communicate with the repeater, a Yagi on the remote stations might help? Radiating 100% of the signal in the direction you want is better than casting the signal in 359*s you dont and spreading out the power.

 

[ajeandy]

I just got a basic radio off Amazon and downloaded CHIRP...going to attempt to program the thing tonight...seems like the hardest part lol

 

[Gaffer]

It is a bit funky at first, but play around with it and you will figure it out.

Did you also pick up the appropriate cable for your brand of radio? (you may know this, but you can't just use a USB cable).

Ron

 

[rvb]

And if the goal is to ONLY communicate with the repeater, a Yagi on the remote stations might help? Radiating 100% of the signal in the direction you want is better than casting the signal in 359*s you dont and spreading out the power.

right, that’s whT I meant by an antenna with some gain. Though nothing like a yagi is THAT directional ...

 

[fullmetaljesus]

For what it's worth. If you follow the link in my sig.
You will find a couple files that can make life easier.
One file is a chirp file with central indiana repeaters, the other is a .csv of all Indiana repeaters.

 

[Talonap]

Link to thread about FCC wanting to bring back "HAM" radio service fees. Just in case you came straight here. Talonap - K9RND

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...reinstate-amateur-ham-radio-service-fees.html

 

[IndianasFinest]

W9ZAW... Look me up on QRZ.com

 

[PistolBob]

Link to thread about FCC wanting to bring back "HAM" radio service fees. Just in case you came straight here. Talonap - K9RND

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...reinstate-amateur-ham-radio-service-fees.html

The fee will be coming back, per US congress passing the Ray Baum's bill in 2018. The FCC has to start charging but they don't know what the fee will be. They floated $50...it could be less or it could be more. The FCC doesn't even get the money it goes straight to the US Treasury.

 

[Davis0023]

Will there be any fee exempt people other than Congress? lol

 

[skydelta34]

Hello. 10 years of history in this thread. I have the urge to get my technicians license. Located on the north side of Indy. Any good local classes, clubs? What about handheld recommendation other than baofeng? Thanks

 

[rebase]

Hello. 10 years of history in this thread. I have the urge to get my technicians license. Located on the north side of Indy. Any good local classes, clubs? What about handheld recommendation other than baofeng? Thanks

The test is a random selection of 35 questions from the public pool of 428 questions. NCVEC - 2018-2022 Technician Question Pool Release

Anki is a widely used flashcard-style study program available for all platforms including mobile apps. Here is the question pool pre-loaded: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/2113417210

Study that until you can reliably pass practice exams: https://hamexam.org/ , and you should be good to go!

 

[Notalentbum]

Hello. 10 years of history in this thread. I have the urge to get my technicians license. Located on the north side of Indy. Any good local classes, clubs? What about handheld recommendation other than baofeng? Thanks

I like my Yaesu FT-70DR. They run about $170 last I looked.
You can get on the ARRL site and look up where local test sessions are going to be held. There is one about every month at the Salvation Army over off Georgetown road about every month.

Matt, KD9FLZ

 

[Route 45]

Hello. 10 years of history in this thread. I have the urge to get my technicians license. Located on the north side of Indy. Any good local classes, clubs? What about handheld recommendation other than baofeng? Thanks

A good step up from a Baofeng, but still very affordable:

https://www.radioddity.com/products...tery-car-charger-2-antennas-programming-cable

 

[fullmetaljesus]

I'm a fan of the
Yaesu FT-65R

Also for study help check the link in my sig

 

[skydelta34]

Thanks for the great information. As I work through this I am sure I will have more questions.

 

[PistolBob]

Anyone go to the Hoosier Hills hamfest in Bedford on Saturday? I was out doing POTA activations and did not make it. Had a blast though.