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Best Ham band for SHTF?

26K views 76 replies 43 participants last post by  91Z5S 
#1 ·
I am thinking 75/80 meters. I have not been very active so I don't know what is up or not. Last time I listened to 40 it was dead.

It would be nice to have a weekly or monthly net for us on the forum.
 
#5 ·
...Best Ham band for SHTF?...
ALL of them; and MORE???

Get a scanner and open it up if you want to listen... or a SW receiver.

Still, you might want to TX ...

And where you want your transmission to be received ... might be different then where you received the information in your new transmission.


And, if you know as much as you claimed in your post, you already knew this.:sleep:
 
#6 ·
I would also like the answer to this question. I am also a ham but at the bottom of the food chain. I might upgrade someday. I have an HF rig, its not hooked up at the moment. I'm not real active anymore either. My late father was first licensed in 1953 so I was around it all my life, just never found the interest he had. I did enjoy doing public service work. I plan on hooking things back up if not only for SHTF. If Marshal Law were to be implemented and or communication becomes cut off, I will use it for tx. Where would the best band\freq be in this situation? I can't afford a beam, I will need to make something. I do have a 20m dipole.
 
#9 ·
I'm a licensed Ham radio operator and my advice is to have a rig capable of covering all the bands from 20 to 160 meters. Then a separate rig to cover the lower frequencies such as 2 meter. Hard to tell what frequencies are the best due to the changing dynamics of the bands.

To me, the most useful and reliable frequency for local communication will be the 2 meter band since it is so popular among Hams. I would guess there are more repeaters set up across America for 2 meter than any other band.

Also, 2 meter is FM and very quiet, almost as good as talking on the telephone. Clear as a bell and usually without static.
 
#13 ·
I was thinking 2m and 70cm would be useless. If the power is out, no repeaters. A few of us in my hollow use gmrs\frs radios to communicate. They are 5w max. We can usually get around well on 2w and even 1\2w on good days. My Yaesu HT is 5w max, to expensive to play on 4wheelers and hunting with. I figure the HT is not much good without a repeater. Hf will do 100w and make it around the world, on a good day. Am I wrong?:confused:

Now that I think about it. I have done some 2m side band years ago, that was interesting I must say.
 
#10 ·
This actually is a very interesting topic.

To the best of my knowledge their isn't an emergency protocol for ham's to reconnect state, national, and global communication... but if we experience something like solar flares of a disaster that causes prolonged winter... Hammies will be the first line of actually being able to reconnect areas to the rest of the world.

I'd never thought of it before... but if there is a national/international protocol established for ham operators in an emergency... could someone direct me to where I can learn about it?
 
#11 ·
There are national simplex calling frequencies in the VHF 2m (its 146.520mhz)and UHF ham spectrums, I forget what the 70cm freq is at the moment. As for HF, I believe there are national emergency frequencies assigned as well.

There is a national hurricane net on 20m that activates periodically as well as some VHF and UHF repeaters that are active with SKYWARN weather nets that activate during severe weather emergencies.

Best bet is to contact one of your local repeater clubs or repeater owners and ask whats in your area.
 
#12 ·
The MUF or "Maximum Useable Frequency" changes all the time with night and day, solar activity, temperature inversions, ect.

Different spectrum is open at different times of the day or night. Recently, the 80m band goes "long" around 5:30pm EST, which means commo distance goes from a couple of hundred miles to a couple of thousand miles or more depending on skip.

A good indicator or what spectrum is open is WWV National Standard on 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20mhz. If you can hear WWV clearly on any of these freqs, chances are the nearest ham spectrum is open and useable also.

I keep these freqs programmed in memories for quick reference.
 
#14 ·
It depends on where you want to listen to or talk to completely.

Different freq's bounce at different angles. If you are wanting to talk to a place 100 miles away, 40 meters is not going to do much good since its bounce is going to be more like 250 miles.

You also have to remember that bounce and understand that it may be heard 1,000 miles away using fairly low wattage. Using 5 watts on 10 meters can indeed travel several thousand miles, though more power does make that more reliable.

2 meter fm is line of sight and fairly low wattage can have good distances but if stuff is in the way you lose reliability. you also have far less likelihood that you are being monitored from 100 miles away.

So what I am trying to say is you have to define your communication needs and distances and then evaluate which band is most likely to be received there.

My goals are only short distance transmit and scanning all bands for listening.
 
#16 ·
I'm up a little later then I should be on a work night.

This post is meant for the good people that are just trying to understand why HAM radio might a good thing to have in case of SHTF.

About 90% of the above posts contains opposite/wrong/misleading information.

If ANY READER OF THIS THREAD and is new to Ham radio, and did not understand this thread, don't worry! I couldn't understand it myself!.... and I'm not exactly new to this stuff.

Maybe the all the troublemakers will go away in the future.
 
#22 ·
LOL now you might want to back the truck up a few yards.

The band plan is a VOLUNTARY plan and while using the wrong mode on the wrong frequency might be frowned on, it most certainly is not always a violation of the law.

No one has been encouraged to violate the law except you and "opening up" a scanner in many states is a big violation.
 
#26 ·
If anyone cares to build a simple antenna that will cover all the bands, just put up a "long-wire" and you can monitor all the frequencies with ease. A long wire is just a single copper or aluminum wire strung out to some high tree or pole, insulated on both ends and should be at least 80 feet in length. You connect the wire directly to the inside of the coax going into your radio and drive a grounding rod down in the ground to connect to the outside of the coaxial cable.

I've even connected to a bobwire fence........ you just have to remember not to hit the transmit key. Some higher end radios have an automatic tuning feature that will allow you to automatically adjust the SWR to 1:1 and this will enable you to be able to transmit also.

I usually run my long-wire at a 45 degree angle in order to catch both vertical and horizontal radio waves.

If you want to see plans for building a long wire, just google long wire or pay a visit to some ham site, good luck.
 
#28 ·
Ham Radio

Hello All:

I tell people that Ham Radio is not a hobby, but a way of life.
Communicating via HR is a skill that is learned by studying for
license preps. and setting up and operating a station. I have a substantial
home station and lots of equipment in my vehicles that cover frequencies
from 3.5 MHz to 440 MHz. All of my vehicles are 4WD. I am also a 4WD
enthusiast and practical shooter. I enjoy getting ideas from the posters
on this site for disaster preps. Anyone interested in HR should go to our
national organization website arrl.org for a wealth of information and encouragement.
Also seek out your local radio club. Most clubs have a
web site. They will be glad to help new folks into HR.

Best Regards,
Steve
 
#29 ·
I was not the OP but "green eggs and SPAM" made the OP to sound like his question was stupid, it was not. I have quite a bit of Ham experience but knowing all, I do not. I have learned something from all the posters who have made it their time to explain to me and others that one band or one particular freq would not be a solid way of looking at this. MY question has been answered. It was simply, what area\freq\band is or would be a good meeting place if all communication was cut off and had to rely on HAM to reach family and friends for ourselves and others in a SHTF situation. My question has been answered, thanks to all except the green egg guy (I don't want any enemies here...but). Someone or something crapped in his wheaties, or his green eggs as the case is. 90%...well actually 100% of the info here checks out just fine. The info here might be a little over the head of most "new hams" and especially waaay over the average CB'er, but it all makes sense to me.:D:
 
#32 ·
I was not the OP but "green eggs and SPAM" made the OP to sound like his question was stupid, it was not. I have quite a bit of Ham experience but knowing all, I do not. I have learned something from all the posters who have made it their time to explain to me and others that one band or one particular freq would not be a solid way of looking at this...
ALL of them; and MORE???...

Ummm???? Hrmmm??? As I ALREADY said the same .... but YOU changed the question!!

Are you part of the problem?

THIS THREAD HAS BEEN DERAILED BY INACCURATE INFORMATION.


People here come to learn as best they can how to make use of things they do not know about.

This thread is full of crap. If people rely on in the information in this thread, their survival is at stake; because much of the information presented here in this thread is garbage. People relying on this information will not have the information to survive; and they may die.
 
#30 ·
It's really not an answerable question. What time of day did the SHTF? What time of season? What's the Sun spot number? What's the Solar Flux Index? How are the A and K indexes? Is the atmosphere packed with volcanic dust? How much room do you have for an antenna? What kind of antenna? Where are you trying to contact? There are literally thousands of things that can impact the performance of amateur radio at any given moment. The best bet like others have basically said is to have the ability to operate across as much of the spectrum as you can so when the SHTF, you can chose your freq's based on current conditions, band openings and who's listening.
 
#35 ·
Well, I don't know how else to explain your reply to my post (below) other than to believe that you thought I was wrong:

Rather than go on and on saying that 90% of the posts were wrong, point out the post that you thought were in error and correct them.

"Most of the posters in this thread have posted deceptive information; information that may seem to read good but is factually inaccurate.

And, YOU, are now promoting the continuance of this bad information.

Why, if you are a HAM, would you intentionally do that?
"
 
#38 ·
As has been indicated by many before... which band depends on who, when, why, and where you're trying to communicate to. Different bands reach different distances at different times of the day (and 11 year sun cycle). Significantly different spatial requirements for antennas and feedlines exist between bands. Antennas can be cheap to very expensive depending on capabilities you want. You can get multi-band antennas to help support band flexibility. Before dropping a lot of money, try to find the local ham club. Usually there will be plenty who would be happy to mentor you free of charge. K0xxx - Advanced Class
 
#41 ·
At the recent preparedness fair I attended, they had a local Ham representative their, he said they put out daily "tests" of all the local guys and then they have check-ins with other places, Utah, Idaho, Oregon etc. he gave out the freqs etc. I think Ham will be the only way to get news without the govt propaganda. The truth of what is happening will come from citizens on top of it.
 
#50 ·
Hard to say, the crazies will come out of the woodwork. Unlicensed people, jammers, people deliberately giving bad information for one reason or the other, etc. You see it on the blogs all the time. Paid bloggers, bandits, scam artists and so on.

Anyway, probably 2m and 70cm will be the most important if disaster strikes. People hundreds or thousands of miles away will be of no use. I don't know if their news would be of much use either. If an asteroid or nuclear bomb wiped out everyone within a hundred miles, you're gone too.
 
#43 ·
I am very new to Ham. I passed my Tech test a couple of weeks ago and am now trying to study for the General License. I met some Ham radio operators while on my service route. Some of their Ham shacks were impressive! I am a firm believer that SHTF is not a matter of "if" but "when". I am fortunate that my area is loaded with Ham operators. I live in an apartment so I chose to start out with a 2M/70cm radio which a will be purchasing in about a month. Why? Well they are pretty simple to set up. Antennas are cheap and even fairly simple to build should on have to. There are repeaters in my area with emergency power/solar. In a SHTF situation I want to know what is happening around my area. There are a ton of operators in my town with HF shacks that will be able to pick up world wide news and pass it along to me. That all being said you might wonder why I would want to upgrade to a General License.. Well, someday I just may want to use the bands that the upgraded license has to offer. Plus the General license studies brings one more than just the "basics" that was required to pass the Tech License. I also want to join the local radio club and I could use the HF bands on their radios. It's a win-win situation. I was dumber than dumb about anything radio or electrical a month ago. Nobody was prouder than I when the lady examiner told me I had passed with 100%. I was called the next day and given my call sign. Paper license came in the mail in about a week. At 50 years old I finally made it. I had always wanted to be a Ham but thought it would be to technical but with hamtestonline.com study program I learned quickly and tested in a week. The General License study program is harder but I am determined to pass however long it takes. I really recommend that everyone with concerns about SHTF look into getting licensed for Ham. Everyone I have met that was involved in it has been absolutely amazingly helpful. I have a LOT to learn but I have made it over the first hurdle and it's getting a bit easier. When I team up with a good Elmer I think good things are really going to happen.
 
#44 ·
Shtf bands

If I remember right, the 2 meter band was used by CIVIL DEFENCE for shelter to shelter communications, it is line of sight, lower frequencies would be better for skip connections to other countries, etc. If comms are cut, keep your transmissions short, maybe a rig blaster and a computer on a ups or an inverter, run AX.25 and packet communicate, the longer you're on, the easier it is for the signal corps people to zero in on your location.
 
#45 ·
If I remember right, the 2 meter band was used by CIVIL DEFENCE for shelter to shelter communications, it is line of sight, lower frequencies would be better for skip connections to other countries, etc. If comms are cut, keep your transmissions short, maybe a rig blaster and a computer on a ups or an inverter, run AX.25 and packet communicate, the longer you're on, the easier it is for the signal corps people to zero in on your location.

Just asking not trying to start an argument.
Why does everyone think that if the SHTF they need to go into hiding and not be seen or heard?
The only reason I could think of is if another country invaded us and they were (The invading country) shutting down all communications, and this is a very low and non probable situation.
Even if our own government imposed martial law they still do not shut down RF communications, only movement and certain rights.
If it got so bad that the bad guys were looking for people on ham radio I feel that you got bigger fish to fry and other worries besides eavesdroppers by raiders or governments. Just my .02

PS:
Signal corps people, LOL
 
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