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Survival Ham Radio: Building and Using a Field Communication Kit

Talyn

SAINT
Founding Member
In the wild, beyond the reach of cell service and Wi-Fi, communication is your link to the world; and you’re going to need more than lights and smoke signals. It's not just about staying connected—it's about ensuring rescue and coordination when isolation becomes a threat, or monitoring evolving conditions in the case of an emergency.

Let's patch that hole in your survival game.


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Bonus - A good source of portable gear for monitoring.

 
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In the wild, beyond the reach of cell service and Wi-Fi, communication is your link to the world; and you’re going to need more than lights and smoke signals. It's not just about staying connected—it's about ensuring rescue and coordination when isolation becomes a threat, or monitoring evolving conditions in the case of an emergency.

Let's patch that hole in your survival game.


View attachment 55384

Bonus - A good source of portable gear for monitoring.

Good article, but you will need to take a test to get a license, and depending on what band you want before you can transmit on any ham radio band, entry level license, Technician, covers the 2-meter band, 440 and 220 mhz, if you want to cover world bands, 30 mhz and lower, that would be a General class. Just be warned, amateur radio equipment can be very expensive.
 
Good article, but you will need to take a test to get a license, and depending on what band you want before you can transmit on any ham radio band, entry level license, Technician, covers the 2-meter band, 440 and 220 mhz, if you want to cover world bands, 30 mhz and lower, that would be a General class. Just be warned, amateur radio equipment can be very expensive.
didn't the morse code get eliminated from the test.??


i was going to try for it, but then, as you say, the costs of equipment.
 
Good article, but you will need to take a test to get a license, and depending on what band you want before you can transmit on any ham radio band, entry level license, Technician, covers the 2-meter band, 440 and 220 mhz, if you want to cover world bands, 30 mhz and lower, that would be a General class. Just be warned, amateur radio equipment can be very expensive.
Good grief. I thought about getting into just as an old man hobby. Is there anything an old fart can do with some sort of license? 🤬
 
Annihilator- In case you didn't know, there is a small portion of the 10 meter band, 28.300-28.500 at 200 watts PEP, available for Technician Licensees if interested. Also small spectrum on 15, 40, and 80 meter bands for Morse Code only at @200 watts PEP.
.
Old Me- Yes. No code on the Technician test.

SaltyMonkey- Family Radio Service, no license and no test. Link: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/family-radio-service-frs#:~:text=The FRS is authorized 22,you comply with the rules.

General Mobile Radio Service, license required but no test and more distances and frequencies available.
Link: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs

Citizens Band Radio- No license or test required.
 
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Annihilator- In case you didn't know, there is a small portion of the 10 meter band, 28.300-28.500 at 200 watts PEP, available for Technician Licensees if interested. Also small spectrum on 15, 40, and 80 meter bands for Morse Code only at @200 watts PEP.
.
Old Me- Yes. No code on the Technician test.

SaltyMonkey- Family Radio Service, no license and no test. Link: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/family-radio-service-frs#:~:text=The FRS is authorized 22,you comply with the rules.

General Mobile Radio Service, license required but no test and more distances and frequencies available.
Link: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs

Citizens Band Radio- No license or test required.
Yea, did forget those bands, but since I didn’t do or know Morse code, I just plain forgot them, also @Old_Me no Morse code either for general license
 
Annihilator- You can do Phone (voice) Single Side Band only permitted on the 10 meter frequencies I listed above. Sorry I didn't mention it there. 28.000-28.300 is for code only.
 
Building a field communication kit with a survival ham radio is smart. A reliable way to communicate makes a difference in emergencies. I love the thought of being prepared and staying connected, especially when out in the wild or during unexpected events. Using two way radios is a must for this kind of setup. They are straightforward to use and can reach decent distances without hassle. Plus, they can be a lot of fun for group outings. I’ve had my share of adventures with friends using them, which adds to the experience. It’s great to know you can check in with each other quickly. If you decide to build your kit, I’d love to know what gear you choose!
 
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As I have mentioned before I have all 3 platforms…..
Ham
GMRS
CB
radios in both hand held and units installed in my truck and unfortunately in my current location, “very mountainous” they are USELESS.
My only means of communication is satellite supplied internet and WiFi for WiFi assisted cell calls and texting.
I won’t discount they are useful in many situations however they are severely
hampered by topography.
I do have in my current iPhone the ability to access a satellite for emergency phone calls to connect to emergency services (only) in retrospect
I wish I had invested in a Dedicated satellite phone for communication to family and friends instead of the radios.
 
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As I have mentioned before I have all 3 platforms…..
Ham
GMRS
CB
radios in both hand held and units installed in my truck and unfortunately in my current location, “very mountainous” they are USELESS.
My only means of communication is satellite supplied internet and WiFi for WiFi assisted cell calls and texting.
I won’t discount they are useful in many situations however they are severely
hampered by topography.
I do have in my current iPhone the ability to access a satellite for emergency phone calls to connect to emergency services (only) in retrospect
I wish I had invested in a Dedicated satellite phone for communication to family and friends instead of the radios.
CB radio has a very limited range, they only have 4 watts of RF power on legal unmodified radios, as for ham radio, if using a 2 meter handheld, you have to be within a certain range to hit a repeater if any are close to your location, you best bet is to have a regular antenna up as high as you can, say on a mast, also a handheld has limited power, a 2-meter mobile can have as much as 75watts, as for the GMRS, I don’t know anything about them.
 
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