Recent Posts

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21
Propagation / Re: Sun finally playing nice: SFI =121
« Last post by Quiet1 on December 23, 2021, 07:58:25 AM »
Indeed they are.  Might have to do some QRP field portable over the Christmas weekend.  THEN get that @#!$%! HF antenna up at home.
22
Receivers / Re: a (slightly) contrarian take on scanners
« Last post by Quiet1 on December 23, 2021, 07:57:13 AM »
Other folks are thinking along the "cheap scanner good" line.  Here's a recent three-parter:
https://survivalblog.com/2021/12/21/a-scanner-for-teotwawki-part-1-by-tunnel-rabbit-tue-dec-21-is/
https://survivalblog.com/2021/12/22/scanner-teotwawki-part-2-tunnel-rabbit/
https://survivalblog.com/2021/12/23/scanner-teotwawki-part-3-tunnel-rabbit/

Lots of the same ideas as here, with some interesting new twists.  I like his idea to use a Yagi and/or Moxon to DF signals.  It's cool that the author draws much the same conclusion, that if incoming people are using radios at all, they'll probably be using FRS.
23
Propagation / Re: Sun finally playing nice: SFI =121
« Last post by AD on December 21, 2021, 08:24:21 PM »
They are getting better as we speak

:Product: Geophysical Alert Message wwv.txt
:Issued: 2021 Dec 22 0000 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
#
#          Geophysical Alert Message
#
Solar-terrestrial indices for 21 December follow.
Solar flux 137 and estimated planetary A-index 10.
The estimated planetary K-index at 0000 UTC on 22 December was 1.

Space weather for the past 24 hours has been minor.
Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level occurred.

No space weather storms are predicted for the next 24 hours.
24
Propagation / Re: Sun finally playing nice: SFI =121
« Last post by Quiet1 on December 19, 2021, 09:04:34 PM »
I. Must. Get. My. HF. Antenna. Up.

Especially now that things are improving.
25
Propagation / Sun finally playing nice: SFI =121
« Last post by AD on December 17, 2021, 07:25:58 PM »
Great report tonight.

Product: Geophysical Alert Message wwv.txt
:Issued: 2021 Dec 18 0000 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
#
#          Geophysical Alert Message
#
Solar-terrestrial indices for 17 December follow.
Solar flux 121 and estimated planetary A-index 3.
The estimated planetary K-index at 0000 UTC on 18 December was 0.

Space weather for the past 24 hours has been minor.
Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level occurred.

No space weather storms are predicted for the next 24 hours.



26
Receivers / Re: a (slightly) contrarian take on scanners
« Last post by Quiet1 on December 07, 2021, 08:10:41 PM »
Interesting.  I like scanning my DB750 (same freqs as ChiComms) and it covers most of what you are reporting.
You hearing anything worth noting?

Some of the GMRS traffic from the RV park is pretty funny.  A while back they were referring to the couple in one camper as "the botox people."  After that it's mostly just the daily maintenance blues.

Quote
Pretty much give up on local gov channels.
Same here, other than the ambulance dispatch, which is loosely tied to the county emergency services.  That Federally-agreed-upon interoperability VHF channel might get interesting if there's outside assistance, say after a hurricane.  (Don't want to hear that one though.)

Quote
And thanks for posting this
Thanks.  Maybe it's time for these real content forums to get active again.
27
Receivers / Re: a (slightly) contrarian take on scanners
« Last post by AD on December 07, 2021, 05:47:37 PM »
And thanks for posting this
28
Receivers / Re: a (slightly) contrarian take on scanners
« Last post by AD on December 07, 2021, 05:47:10 PM »
Interesting.  I like scanning my DB750 (same freqs as ChiComms) and it covers most of what you are reporting.

Pretty much give up on local gov channels.
29
Receivers / a (slightly) contrarian take on scanners
« Last post by Quiet1 on November 28, 2021, 09:50:12 AM »
There are all kinds of cool scanners out there, particularly the Home Patrol II.  They’re mostly useless to me, and here’s why.

A quick look at the Radio Reference scanner frequency database (https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/) came back with:
“The [redacted] County Sheriff's Office has moved to the State of [redacted] Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS) and cannot be monitored by any scanner on the market.”

Alrighty then, no need for me to buy a high-zoot scanner.  That changes things to a new question: Is it worth it to get a relatively cheap (and maybe sorta obsolete) scanner?  I think so, read on.

OK, so scanning local law enforcement is out.  What else does Radio Reference show?  A short list of county medical and fire dispatch frequencies, and a longer list of Sheriff’s office backup frequencies.  There’re also a couple of local utilities frequencies.

What else is worth scanning?  FEMA’s NIFOG document lists a “when everything else is either incompatible or broken” interoperability frequency, 155.16 MHz.  In a regional disaster where help comes from many states – remember Katrina – that’s going to see some use, so it went on the scan list.  There are other interop frequencies given in NIFOG, but that’s the main one.  (Come to think of it, I need to put 155.16 on my FT-60 as a receive-only too.)

Last years’ rioters were reportedly using FRS/GMRS, so that’s worth listening in on.  Throw in MURS too, somebody *might* be using it.  If a civilian group is savy enough to use MURS, you’ll probably want to listen, be they friendly, hostile, or indifferent.  I found a list of the pre-programmed frequencies for the Baofeng 888 walkie-talkies.  It’s a mishmash of commercial and sometimes allocated frequencies.  Somebody *could* be using those, not knowing anything about programming them.

Throw in the 2m and 70cm ham calling and local repeater frequencies, and it totals up to quite a lot to listen in on.

So I bought a relatively cheap Uniden BC 355N scanner, just to hear what was out there.  They're around $95 lately, though I lucked into a sale for $78 a couple of years back.  So far I’m just using the little suction-cup-to-window wire antenna.  It works for nearby listening, and I don’t care about scanning anything else.  Might upgrade to a discone sometime though.

For a bonus, it’ll scan CB in AM as well.  Definitely worth having.  If the southeast US ever has a home-grown version of Lord Humungous, he and his army will be using CBs.  Probably will want to hear that one coming.

Since getting this bargain basement scanner, it’s been interesting.  Through last past winter I heard a trickle of ambulance dispatches with “difficulty breathing, possible covid case” tacked on.  Some nearby restaurants and RV parks are using GMRS, and the behind the scenes commentary is occasionally interesting.  Heard some kids playing with their new FRSs.  There is always some CB traffic around deer season, and I occasionally hear passing truck traffic on CB as well.

Is it worth it?  I think so.  It lets me know what’s going on nearby now, and in groovy times it’d be one more source of situational awareness data.  Scanners like the Home Patrol II are truly amazing, but give that even that can’t scan local law enforcement, it’s still worthwhile to jump on what’s easily scanned and what will most likely be used.

So what do y’all think?  Anybody else doing something like this?

[side note: Will new content help get the board rolling again?  I hope so.]
30
Announcements / Re: Preparedham has been down thanks for godaddy AGAIN Rat Bastards
« Last post by DragoSapien on November 27, 2021, 11:54:58 AM »
Happy Thanksgiving all. Hope we can get this board going again
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