Tag: emcomm

  • What Is ATAK (CivTAK)? Tactical Mapping and Team Awareness Explained for Hams

    Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness guide. If you’ve spent any time in EmComm, SAR, or preparedness circles lately, you’ve probably seen the acronym ATAK thrown around next to phrases like “situational awareness” and “common operating picture.” It sounds military because it is military, but the civilian version has quietly become one of the…

  • Cool HF Nets Worth Checking Into: History, Schedules, and Purpose

    Part of our Clubs and Nets guide. Nets are one of the most underrated parts of HF operating. A lot of newer hams think of HF as either ragchewing on SSB or grinding out FT8 contacts, but there is a whole world of organized, scheduled nets running every single day, some purely social, some handling…

  • Packing an FTX-1 Go-Bag: What I Actually Carry

    My grab-and-go FTX-1 bag, built for showing up ready whether that’s an EmComm callout or a last-minute activation.

  • Building a PACE Communications Plan for Grid-Down Scenarios

    How to build a PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency) radio communications plan combining GMRS, ham radio, and non-radio backups.

  • Setting Up Winlink: RMS Express, VARA, and Sending Your First Message

    Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness guide. I’ve explained what Winlink is and why EmComm operators rely on it, but I’ve never walked through actually setting it up. This is that post: getting Winlink Express and VARA installed and sending a real message through the system for the first time. What You Need A…

  • What Is JS8Call?

    JS8Call takes the weak-signal power of FT8 and turns it into real keyboard-to-keyboard conversation and messaging. Here is what it does.

  • Sample Winter Field Day Planning

    Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness pillar Winter Field Day is approaching quickly, and planning is officially underway. Winter Field Day (WFD) is a prime opportunity to test our emergency communications capabilities, operating skills, and portable gear under challenging conditions. Whether you are planning to operate for a full 24-hour shift, drop by for…

  • NVIS vs. Vertical DX Antennas: Two Completely Different Jobs on the Same Bands

    Same bands, opposite goals. Here’s how NVIS and vertical DX antennas actually differ, and how a low-mounted 40m EFHW can blanket a state like Arizona.

  • The Key Parts of a SHTF Communications Plan: PACE, Rally Points, and Roles

    A SHTF comms plan needs more than a radio and a frequency. Here are the actual components: PACE planning, rally points, defined roles, and a common list everyone can reference.

  • Private, Secure, or Obscure? What Part 97 Actually Lets You Do With Your Comms

    FCC Part 97.113 bans encoding messages to hide their meaning, but that still leaves a lot of legal room for OPSEC, signal obscurity, and data integrity. Here’s how privacy, security, and obscurity actually break down across analog, digital voice, and data modes on the ham bands.

  • 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.

  • 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.

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