Author: Kris – KZ7K
-
A Comms Plan for Apartment or Multi-Family Housing Renters
You can’t assume a yard, a roof, or even a balcony. Here’s a comms plan sized to what renters actually have.
-
Should You Upgrade from the Original IC-7300 to the Mark II?
Honest thoughts on whether the Mark II’s improvements are worth the upgrade cost if you already own a working original IC-7300.
-
Shack Ergonomics: Desk Layout for Long Operating Sessions
This post is part of Building Your First Ham Radio Station. A shack that works fine for a quick 20-minute session can be genuinely uncomfortable during a full day of contesting or a long DX chase. Ergonomics matters more the longer you’re actually sitting at the desk, and it’s worth designing for your longest sessions,…
-
GMRS Scanning and Monitoring: What You Can (and Can’t) Legally Do
People get confused surprisingly often about what’s legal when it comes to GMRS scanning versus GMRS transmitting, and the confusion is understandable, since the two activities are regulated completely differently. Listening is unrestricted You do not need a GMRS license, or any license at all, to listen to GMRS frequencies. Scanners, dedicated receivers, and radios…
-
Emergency Communications and Preparedness
A practical roadmap to EmComm capability, covering ARES and RACES, message formats, digital tools like Winlink, and what actually holds up when it matters.
-
Yaesu FT-891: One Radio for the Shack, the Truck, and the Field
The FT-891 is built to be compact enough for a dashboard yet capable enough for a full base station. Here’s how it actually holds up in all three roles.
-
Tactical Team Comms vs. SHTF Comms: Why You Can’t Copy-Paste the Playbook
Why the PACE-driven, locked-down comms plan of a tactical team doesn’t hold up in a grid-down scenario, and what your radio setup actually needs instead.
-
Weekly Nets Are Stuck in the Past, and They’re Not Preparing Anyone for SHTF
Most weekly nets have become a comfortable check-in ritual that teaches nothing and tests nothing. Here’s why that’s a problem for preparedness-minded hams.
-
Getting Started with Yaesu System Fusion and Wires-X
System Fusion is Yaesu’s digital voice ecosystem, and Wires-X is the network that links its repeaters and rooms together over the internet. Here is how to actually get on it.
-
SkyWarn and Weather Spotting: How Ham Radio Ties Into Storm Reporting
Long before radar could see everything, ham radio operators were the eyes on the ground reporting severe weather in real time. SkyWarn still relies on that today, and it is one of the most genuinely useful volunteer roles in the hobby.