Tag: emcomm
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FEMA ICS Courses for Hams: IS-100, 200, 700, and 800 Explained
Served agencies keep asking hams for IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800. Here’s what each course covers, which ones actually matter, and why the paperwork is worth a weekend.
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Human Relay Networks: Moving Traffic Across Town on Simplex
When the repeater goes down, your club becomes the repeater. How to set up and run a simplex human relay network before you need one.
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What Is CommStat? The Complete Guide to JS8Call’s Group Status Board
What CommStat is, how it works with JS8Call, why StatReps matter for emergency comms, how groups use it, what you need to run it, and how the versions differ.
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My Updated Yaesu FTX-1 Optima Go-Box: What I Changed and Why
My updated FTX-1 Optima go-box: the same watertight case, now with MOLLE pouches on the lid and both sides carrying the antennas, coax, power cables, and speaker.
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Why Ham Radio Matters: A Hobby, a Lifeline, and a Century of Proof
Why ham radio still matters: the hobby, what it does for you, your family, and your town, and a century of times it kept people alive when everything else failed.
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Why HF Radio Matters Most When the Grid Goes Down
Why HF radio is critical when the grid goes down: NVIS keeps you connected to your region, and HF DX lets you poll other states and continents for news.
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Your Repeater Is Not a Plan: Why HF NVIS Matters Just as Much
Without the repeater, VHF/UHF is line of sight. Here’s why HF NVIS matters as much, and how I’d layer both into a real SHTF comms plan.
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My Yaesu FTX-1 Go-Box: 100 Watts, HF Through UHF, in One Watertight Case
My FTX-1 Optima go-box: a watertight hard case holding the radio and the SPA-1 amp for HF through UHF, with antennas in a bag alongside. 16.5 lbs, 12 x 12 x 7 inches.
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What Is an HF NVIS Regional Net?
What an HF NVIS regional net is, why it beats a repeater net as a regional comms test, plus modes, antennas, radios, and four station builds.
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Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts: How They Work, and Ham Radio’s Role
EAS and WEA are not the same system, and understanding both tells you exactly where ham radio actually fits in.
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CERT and Amateur Radio: How the Programs Overlap
Part of our Clubs and Nets guide. CERT and ARES get confused for each other constantly, and while they are separate programs with different scopes, they overlap enough that many hams find real value in doing both. What CERT Actually Is Community Emergency Response Team training is a FEMA-backed program that teaches civilians basic disaster…
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The FT-857D as a Shack in a Box: Why It’s One of My Favorite SHTF Radios
Part of our The Yaesu FT-857D: The Complete Guide. One Box, Every Band You’d Actually Need When I think through what a grab-and-go radio needs to do in an actual SHTF scenario, the list is short: reach the local repeater network, monitor and work HF for anything past line of sight, and do it all…