Tag: nvis
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SHTF Scenario: The Road Ends Before the Journey Does
A 140-mile bug-out scenario where trucks stop at 100 miles and two-wheelers at 135. What’s your movement plan, primary, and comms package? Here’s mine.
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3 HF Antennas the Military Uses (and What Hams Can Learn From Them)
A look at three HF antennas from the AN/PRC-150 application guide: the RF-1940 spooled dipole, the SB-V16B vehicle whip, and the RF-1944-AT150 no-tuner inverted vee.
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The Pentagon Wants Bases to Last 90 Days Off-Grid. What’s Your Plan?
The Pentagon’s FORTRESS initiative reportedly wants bases able to run 90 days without the grid. Here’s what that means for civilians, and why a neighborhood comms plan built on GMRS, VHF/UHF, and HF matters more than another case of MREs.
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Fox Hunting in Ham Radio: How It Works, and How to Be Harder to Find
A deep look at radio fox hunting: what it is, what it isn’t, the gear and techniques hunters use, why HF NVIS is so hard to direction find, and practical EMCON habits that make your station harder to locate.
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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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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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The One HF Setup I’d Recommend If You Want Capability Without Breaking the Bank
If someone asked me to recommend one HF setup that covers almost everything a ham could need without draining the bank account, here’s exactly what I’d point them to.
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When the Repeater Goes Silent: Your Backup Plan for Grid-Down Comms
Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness guide. Repeaters are one of the best parts of this hobby. Stick a repeater on a tower or a mountain and suddenly two handhelds that couldn’t hear each other across town can talk clearly across a whole metro area. Under normal conditions, this is exactly what GMRS and…
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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.
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What Handheld Radio Should I Get for Emergency Comms?
GMRS, ham VHF/UHF, repeaters, and HF, compared for emergency comms with real-world vs best-case range expectations, plus my actual pick by scenario.
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40 Meters: The Band Many Hams Live On
Part of our Getting On The Air: Modes, Operations, and Making Contacts guide. If I had to give up every HF band but one, 40 meters is the one I would keep. It is not the flashiest band, it does not have the wide open DX magic of 20 or 10 meters on a good…