# A proper Comm Plan



## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

In a nut shell I will explain what I have and am pursuing as far as Comms go. You Comm O's and Comm Chief's feel free to weigh in.

Team Comms: 
Senior members. 
Boafeng UV-82 VHF/UHF x 3. These handy little radios are amazing. Easy to program and use (I use the CHIP software). I have three Vox/PTT headsets and two HD Milspec throat mics w/PTT. Programmed for all FRS/FMRS Freq's, they also have the local repeaters for as long as those may continue to work. Call Freq's and Team Simplex radio to radio Freq's.

Defenders/Maneuver Element. 6x Boafeng UV-5R VHF/UHF. These radios are programmed with team simplex freq's. Easy to use and program. Each has PTT/Vox headset.

Rally and local Intell Comms: 1 40 Channel CB, 1 Kenwood 2/20/50watt 231A VHF Mobile set up as a small base station. My friends locally on various farms and mountaintop homes have the call and Simplex Freq's.

Planned for:
Yaesu FT-897D HF-VHF-UHF Transceiver. 100 watts out. It is a multi band all in one base. It is also portable/mobile if need be. This is my next purchase and once operational it will allow me to HF worldwide.

Icom/Kenwood/Yaesu multi band Receiver. My plan for this unit is to slave it to a Lap top and run a continuous scan loop program. It will identify the freq's active and allow me to interrogate the signals and determine which to monitor for needed info. 


Local emergency signals.
As I have previously stated I'm the last house on the road. Below my place are small farms and homes for several miles as you travel downhill. Natural choke points abound. Our local "Mutual Aid" signal is by air horn. Every family has one. You have a problem, you stick the horn out the door or window and fire off three blasts. You hear your neighbor you answer with one blast, and on and on. In that way we have a direction to go and neighbors can expect neighbors to be on the way.

OK team, have at it.


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## Rigged for Quiet (Mar 3, 2013)

Great topic, but I'm headed out of the door for work. I'll chime in this evening.


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## SoCal92057 (Apr 12, 2014)

Sounds good. I especially like the use of air horns to sound the need for assistance.

What are you using for an electrical generator? I think that a propane powered generator is best due to the lack of long term storage issues associated with propane.


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## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

Semper Fi my Brother,

I am very lucky to have a full time creek running less that 60 feet from the house.

I am piecing together my Hydro system.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I'm looking forward to this thread. I don't know squat about COMMS but am eying this model of inexpensive Ham Radio;
Amazon.com: Wouxun KG-UV6D VHF/UHF 136-174/420-520 MHz Two Way Radio (Black): Car Electronics


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## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

1st The Air Horns were my idea after listening to some Ol'Jarheads talk about the gongs, whistles and trumpets the N.K, and Chicomms used in Korea.
2nd I am exploring Hydro Pwr and once I decide on a unit or build my own (more likely) I'll start a separate topic thread.

Slippy, the UV6D is a nice little Radideo'. the price is right. I researched all of these ChiHam units and settled on the Beafeng/Wouxun UV-82. It fits the hand better, has a longer lasting battery and the guts are updated. All for a $45.00e package. I added a little better antenna, tho the stock one is better than most. The UV-5's I picked up are just a bit shorter and a little less expensive if you can believe that. LOL

Word of warning. You will not get my Ham Call sign here. Not that I don't trust you folks, but having a Ham license means anyone can find you because it is a published open source list. I am keeping my prep persona and my Ham separate. I would suggest you do the same. 

Comms come in a lot of flavors.

The most common and available is CB. No license required. You have 40 Channels. Anyone and everyone has a CB.
Next up the list is FRS (Family Radio Service) These are 14 low power channels between 462.5625 and 467.5875 Mhz. That is high in the UHF band.
Then there is GMRS Channels 15 through 22. Also low Power and it does require a very inexpensive family license.

These are all great options. Fairly inexpensive. Good little comms that will get you 5/10/20 miles depending on the quality of the units and most importantly the terrain. UHF doesn't bounce very well. Largely it is near line of site. 
The real problem with these comms is you are competing with everyone else. And don't buy into the sales pitch for FRS/GMRS having "Privacy" settings. THEY DO NOT. It is simply a minor shift in the channels frequency, anyone can listen in.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Thanks Maxx! Good info.


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## Rigged for Quiet (Mar 3, 2013)

The Baofeng radios are great bang for the buck and available for around $50 on average, some less some more. The only downside I heard for them is how sturdy they are. The earlier ones were sort of a one drop and done nightmare but the later generations are supposed to be more hearty. The one i have cost me $43 shipped with a hand mic, the table charger, car charger, software, and USB cable. I'll be picking up a better antenna tomorrow. The Wauxon mentioned above is a great deal too, just a few more dollars.


depending on the terrain where you are located their ability to be programmed down in the GMRS freqs is useful if you have good line of site. Line of site is important if your group only has hand helds. Simplex, or radio to radio, will likely be your main mode of comms unless you live in an area without repeater support. The good news if you don't have repeaters is that these little hand helds and around $120 of additional parts make great low power local repeaters if you can position them in high enough areas.

The GMRS radios are usefull for close in comms of around a mile of so. Forget the advertising hype about them being 35 or 30 mile radios. Not gonna happen, especially in urban areas or extremely "hilly" areas. The hand helds metioned so far are VHF "2 meter" radios and limited in range and power. There are mobil radios and base stations that operate at the same freqs, but to really get out there you need HF comms, which require a general license which is the next level up from Technician which is the entry level license.

The one concern with anything that transmits is that it can be found, and it doesn't take sohisticated gear to do so. That doesn't mean it's still not a viable option. The internet, TV, Cell, land lines, mail, etc can all be shut down by Uncle Sugar, but HAM CANNOT not be shut down everywhere at the same time.


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## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

Rigged is right. These little ChiHams are a little light in the protection area. But, for the cost of one ICOM HT I have 3 UV-82's 6 UV-5's spare batteries for each, etc, etc. I will get a few spares as well.
The real Beef as you know is in the Kenwood Mobile VHF at 50 watts max out and the hopefully next month Yaesu FT-897D HF-VHF-UHF Transceiver.

The ChiHams are for tactical comms. If I need three shooters to "Recce by fire" from 12 to 1 oclock in the tree line. I can do so very quietly and without letting the bad guys know that Sh1t is just about to hit the fan.


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

Maxxdad said:


> In a nut shell I will explain what I have and am pursuing as far as Comms go. You Comm O's and Comm Chief's feel free to weigh in.
> 
> Team Comms:
> Senior members.
> ...


Hardware - Check.

How about proficiency (for the team too)? I just got my ham license and am a total noob so not trying to knock you, but has your team of 9+ (count based on radios?) used them?

How about channel/code words to use? This is something I'm putting some work on - book codes are good but tedious, how can you talk to your 9+ without everyone listening in knowing what you are talking about?

I just finished opening up the shipping box that contained my brand new FT-60R, but I think I'm going to have to order a ux-82 just for fun now that yo turned me on to them!


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## Rigged for Quiet (Mar 3, 2013)

Nathan, I'm about a month old HAM and man do I ever understand the tidal wave of knowledge and capabilities I need to swim through. My suggestion is find a local HAM club and join up. I'll be leaving in a few minutes for my clubs once a month informal breakfast at the local 
Denny's which is followed by an hour long "sidewalk sale" where we mostly just stand around and shoot the breeze for an hour or so.

The club I joined has over 200 members and is very active. I have the opportunity to go learn how to "Fox Hunt" after our breakfast get together but may pass on it to go help clean the club's Communications Support Unit, which is a 26 travel trailer that has been converted into a comms hub. It's been sitting over the winter but will be needed for a big charity bike ride that we will be providing comm support for in a couple of weeks, and a Veteran's charity concert expecting 15K folks to attend over Memorial Day Weekend. Hands down, a club and an ELMER are the way to go to figure out this strange world of HAM capabilities beyond just talking to someone.

Nathan, those FT-60R's are awesome, and will likely be my next HT purchase after I come up with a good Mobil unit that I can use as a base as well. I think I'll end up with a Kenwood TS-281A for the bang for the buck if I don't come up with a good used unit. I bought a TS-241A off of Craigs List that ended up needing more repair work than it is worth. At least that lesson only cost me $25...


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## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

Thanks Nathan,

FT-60R? Junk, pure junk. Better box it back up. I'll be happy to take care of it for ya.

Here is the problem with this subject and is why I almost didn't try to tackle it.

IT IS HUGE.

There is so much to consider and to know. I want to tackle it in bites. I want to tackle it in small bites and in a way that everyone can participate and everyone who wants to can start planning their own comm plan.

My Tac Comms. The 82's and 5's are so easy to use and program that I can change freq's daily. Operated on low power keeps the signal local. There is a reason why the 5's only have a few tac freq's and no repeater access. It keeps a little radio discipline built into the plan.

Maxx


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## Nathan Jefferson (May 11, 2013)

Yeah, everyone I talked to said the FT-60r was junk, can't believe I bought it .

After reading your bump on the 82l I put in a purchase for one and think that this little blurb I found on the 82 and 5's might be of some use - test it out if you want, I'll try once I get mine if I find the time:

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From: BaoFengUV-82L Product Reviews

After doing some operation, I found something interesting on this radio with my baofeng uv5r.
I think everyone can try to do this like me.
First I set the uv5r 136.330 in A band and 470.630 in B band. And then as for the uv82L, I set its A band 137.000 and B band 470.630,which it is the same B band with the uv5r.

The two radios are using the A band at the same time. Everybody may know the two radios cannot communicate because they are in the difference frequency. But it is at this time that I used the uv82L, push its down PTT key, and then I found the band of the uv5r was forced to turn to B band automatically( remember, it is in A band in the very beginning). And without doubt, this time , the two radios can communicate because they are in the same frequency 470.630.

I found it interesting to achieve this. And I found if I don't set their B band(UHF band)the same, I cannot make this. So I concluded it, the uv82L can force the uv5r to switch to B band if they have the same frequency in B band. And this might be a good thing for some secret chat. For example, I tell one of my friends to set the same frequency in B band with me, and we can communicate with each other without noticing by other friends. Really cool!

I don't know the reason why the radio can do this, maybe because they have the same firmware, whatever.I think this radio is a perfect match with uv5r. 
----------------------------------


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Don't want to hijack your thread Maxx but below is a link to CommsPrepper's tutorial on Ham Radio. I found it helpful about the basics but like you all have said, there is TONS of stuff to learn.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Something to consider. Y'all are talking about GMRS. Did you know that requires a license? I let mine lapse but it is, or was, $75 for 5 years.


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## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

Yep, Thanks. I did indicate that a lic was required for GMRS and I think it is still 75.00/5yrs.

My feeling is if your going to go the Lic route why not just go HAM. More pwr when ya need it and you wont be bumping up against everybody and their brother on a few limited freq's?


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Maxxdad said:


> Yep, Thanks. I did indicate that a lic was required for GMRS and I think it is still 75.00/5yrs.
> 
> My feeling is if your going to go the Lic route why not just go HAM. More pwr when ya need it and you wont be bumping up against everybody and their brother on a few limited freq's?


I've been a ham for a while. I did the GMRS thing for 1 term just to try it. There is not much there. FRS and GMRS both use the same frequencies. It's just that GMRS has the possibility to use repeaters where FRS is basically line of sight.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

There is a use for radios. That said we use flags lights and Army field phones. We picked up a good sloppy of them and wire.
Wire has long sense been buried in key stops. Even picked up a few switch boards.


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## Rigged for Quiet (Mar 3, 2013)

Was a busy day on the HAM front. I started the day off with the informal monthly club which is followed by parking lot sidewalk sale by members who have stuff to sell and a general gab/bs session. After that some of us headed over to another club's Fox Hunt training session followed by a hunt. Who will be hiding the Fox for the Fall Fox Hunt? This guy! 

After the Fox Hunt it was off to go clean up the Communication Support Unit (Geeked out travel trailer). It's going to see a lot of use over the next couple of months and I can't wait to learn my way around to setting up a totally self supported Comm's hub.

At the moment I only have a Baofeng UV-5RU HT. One of the guys at the sidewalk sale had a lap top and we Chirp loaded a massive file of North Texas repeaters. I also picked up a new Rubber Ducky which rocks. I'm conservatively 15 miles away, as the crow flies, from the club's primary repeater and I can receive a crystal clear signal but my transmissions will ping the repeater but my signal is fuzzy and only partly received. I'm pretty sure a simple j pole antenna on the roof will let this little hand held will have some reach. I'm also really impressed with the battery life.

For around $100 - $120 you can have a viable radio set if you are close enough to a repeater network, so it doesn't take thousands of dollars to get on the air.


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## Maxxdad (Feb 5, 2014)

Rigged,
Thanks buddy. The Chirp Software Rocks! It's free, easy to use and is updated constantly for radio firmware mods. I'm not rich, but I did send those guys a little scratch for their good work.

Repeaters are great, and hopefully the custodians of these repeaters will be able to keep them running for a long time in an emergency.

Once I get everything else sorted out (and the list grows daily), I will be looking at a low pwr out repeater system that can be run off of 12/24 VDC and charged via solar. I am ringed by hilltops here and to get out to some of my friend I rely on the repeaters.


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## woodchipper518 (May 9, 2016)

*Our Comm Plan*

Revitalizing this topic. I am tasked with developing a comm plan with help. Our challenge is that in non-SHTF times we are a large group sprawled out over a HUGE metroplex. Mmost but not all of us are licensed but few are practiced in using and configuring their radios. Repeater selection is key given the large area. Locating everyone at home and work helps ID the primary and secondary overlapping repeaters. Luckily there are 1200 repeaters to consider. Criteria is that it is 1) maintained regularly by a government entity or local HAM club. )2 is used by county EOC which means it will likely cover the entire county 3) has backup power solar and or generator. Secondary repeater selection is a little different but mainly based on traffic or lack thereof.

We are loading a variety of HT and mobile radios so 127 max channels. Looks like for normal comms 6 repeaters will cover the group's needs. We are going to program in 2-3 NOAA channels, all FRS&GMRS channels and a few simplex channels used locally. With all those loaded we still have to load outlying repeaters to cover the counties where folks have property (potential BOLs) that's another 8 repeaters with same criteria. Most frequencies will be in the 2m VHF Range with the backup being either 2m or 70cm UHF ranges.

Because we gave space available we will probably include the MURS frequencies.

The bulk of the open channels will be used for simplex comms. There are 6 locations to consider so each owner should be able to have 6-10 of which 2 will be primary and secondary. The assumption is that the primary will be monitored during SHTF times. A few of the locations are close enough to try FRS/GMRS or MURS. We've left room for some personal frequencies, too.

Normal comms will be text, cell, email, HAM using repeaters, ZELLO and ECHOLINK 
SHTF comms are HAM using repeaters while they last them then HAM simplex, FRS/GMRS

besides a half dozen mobile 25+ watt mobile units, we only gave HTs but base stations will be spec'd out so we can 
Transmit simplex nicely. Our max range between outlying folks is <150 miles and in SHTF is a lot less. Scanners will be purchased too so we can multitask.

This is just what we've done in developing a standard frequency list. Still left are the process and procedures for communicating, tactical operations, distribution, updating, equipment inventory, training, on air musters, etc. thus still doesn't address emergency comms, authentication/challenge, non-radio signaling, etc.

It's a big topic if you are working in a group and harder if you are multi locations. I left out a ton of stuff.

Need to add the bullhorn to the list for intra-property emergency signaling. That's a good one.


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