HAM Radio + Satellites : Good way to stay in touch post collapse?

Macumazan

Although I'd always believed that HAM Radio was the province of fringe anoraks I found out today that some enthusiasts can use handheld devices to stay in touch over the world via amateur radio satellites, the path of which can be traced fairly easily.

Do you think this could be a good way for Survivalists to stay in touch WTSHTF? It would only be for a few minutes a day and you'd all have to have working and charged up equipment but I imagine it would be more reliable than satellite phones?

Tabnabs

Ham radio is always a decent backup to staying in communication post SHTF. If you're not speaking to family or friends locally to keep communication with them open, (genuine question) why are you looking to speak to people/strangers abroad? Before you think about shelling out hard earned money on a system such as above, how will this help you survive?

spynappels

I would not like to rely on satellites post SHTF, but normal HF equipment can communicate round the world without the satellites, and there is smaller and smaller equipment available. The good thing about the satellite comms is that it can use UHF, for which the equipment is more easily (and cheaply) available.

I've said it before, a little time and money invested in getting a ham license is definitely worth it.

Macumazan

spynappels wrote: »

I would not like to rely on satellites post SHTF, but normal HF equipment can communicate round the world without the satellites, and there is smaller and smaller equipment available. The good thing about the satellite comms is that it can use UHF, for which the equipment is more easily (and cheaply) available.

I've said it before, a little time and money invested in getting a ham license is definitely worth it.

Good man, even staying in touch with people in the same country could be useful but you're right, the time to do it and get in touch with fellow preppers is not now, not WTSHTF.

Can you recommend a good radio to get started with?

Sh1tbag OToole

Macumazan wrote: »

Good man, even staying in touch with people in the same country could be useful but you're right, the time to do it and get in touch with fellow preppers is not now, not WTSHTF.

Can you recommend a good radio to get started with?

Ould fecking solar flares can take out satellites though. Ham radio is a higher maintainance hobby than you would think.. You have to do an exam first. If you just want a means of staying in touch via satellite you should probably get a satelite phone

spynappels

Macumazan wrote: »

Good man, even staying in touch with people in the same country could be useful but you're right, the time to do it and get in touch with fellow preppers is not now, not WTSHTF.

Can you recommend a good radio to get started with?

You will need to get licensed first as Mr O'Toole says, but the basic VHF/UHF handhelds are cheap as chips after that.

Sure, radios can get very expensive, but they don't have to be.

Learning CW (morse code) is fun too and allow you to communicate worldwide on extremely low power.

waterfordham

Using Amateur satellites isn't as easy as you might think. Unless you have a computer controlled base station set up. You will need to:
* Know when the satellite is overhead
* Adjust your frequency to account for doppler shift during the pass
* Change where your antenna is pointing, (possibly needing to rotate it also)
* All while others are trying to use the same FM transponder for the same thing.
All in a 15 minute (or thereabouts) window.

If you went with a linear transponder. You still have to adjust for doppler (adjust your transmit frequency), direction etc., but there is more room on it for more simultaneous voice or morse code contacts, and some are over the horizon for longer.

Mass CME's from the Sun causing blackouts not withstanding. A resonant dipole antenna, low to the ground, would probably be more reliable. Actually I don't know if the sun kills it completely for local (in country) operation, I should really check I guess.

Yes, there are a lot of fringe anoraks in the hobby (technically it is the Amateur and Amateur Satellite Service), but some of us are let out to see daylight now and again.:P

Deerhound

I have some dealings with some of the lads on this forum recently, the they are a great bunch and very helpful for anyone interested in HAM.
Learners are very welcome.

http://www.preparedham.com/

A lot of these guys are preppers too.

Sandals and Shorts

As we've all seen over the years, one of the first things to go in a natural disaster, is the electricity supply. With that goes cell phones, computers, mobile phone masts, (and also tetra radio - emergency services radio), landlines, and email. To co-ordinate anything effectively requires good communications, and off grid communications ability. That's what ham radio is all about. Self sufficient communications. Many ham's have become quite expert at low cost, low power, solar powered, long distance radio comms.
They can send text as well as voice, and it can branch off into all sorts of specialties. Ham radio is a great gateway for learning all sorts of other self sufficient technology from electronics to solar power etc. etc. It's actually a very broad and useful hobby.