Ham Radio Network

Love it. Count me and the Mrs in. I guess it would help if we got a pork radio first (or as the wife says, "Great Canadian Back Bacon Talk Box").

Seriously, we are planning on getting one at some point in the hopefully not too distant future and then we'd love to be part of a network.

10-4 Big Buddy

This is a necessary step. In many respects it already exists. There are over 40,000 armature radio operators in Canada. For many of these operators their location is known by virtue of their call sign. From the prepping point of view this poses opsec issues. I am not sure how you approach this unless you have some members who are both operators and preppers and don't care about revealing their location.

I understand opsec issues completely, however, a call sign can only give away a hams province.
With the exception of the Maritimes, Territories, and a couple of islands, Canadian call signs will be a 6 character assignment and will start with VA or VE.
The number that follows will indicate the province...VA2 or VE2 would be Quebec, VA5 or VE5 would be Saskatchewan, etc.
The last 3 characters have absolutely no location centered information.
Therefore, there is no way anyone can pinpoint your location with any accuracy other than province by looking at your call sign.
Given the size of the provinces, I don't think that opsec really figures into this to any real concern whatsoever.

Hams talk to each other (that's the idea of course) but they also use the internet and discuss their hobby, especially those into DXing. I can find the exact location of just about every ham in my region this way. If we can find a way to do this without using call signs that would be fine and you can count me in. Otherwise just designate a frequency and a recurring time and date for contact. Then those who wish to participate can and the rest can just listen in.

Of course, the details of how it can be done, when, what frequency, etc will have to be worked out.
Instead of concentrating on the negative and possibly killing interest, I would like to see if there is interest from members to try to figure it out.

I am not concentrating on the negative just OPSEC. As I said one approach would be to designate a frequency and a recurring time and date for contact and go from there. The networks already exist we just want to avail ourselves of them for a specific us. We want to hear from any licensed ham who is willing to participate.

As a prepper I do not give out my Amateur Radio Call Signs on any forum/Internet site. There are any number of directories online that will give the street address and a Google map simply by entering the VE or any world wide call sign. In fact Call books (directories) both US and International have been available in print since the early 1930's.

It is now possible to have your call sign unlisted so that a VE3 will only show your name and Ontario when searched. This makes it a little more difficult to trace but not impossible.

Highly recommended to all preppers.

HTP

A “national” network can be either very simple or incredibly complex and expensive. At its simplest, it is simply a chosen frequency to which each interested party tunes at a specific time. This method requires each participant to have equipment capable of transmitting and receiving nationwide, which means HF (shortwave) transceivers and rather large antennas. Communication can be quite variable depending on atmospheric conditions.

A more localized network might consist of a series of VHF repeaters linked to one another, such as the SARA network in Alberta, or various similar networks in other provinces. Although the user only requires a handheld transceiver in most cases, repeaters are expensive to buy, complex to install and costly to maintain. I don’t think it is feasible for a small group to establish their own network.

ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) operates in all provinces, and coordinates disaster-related communication on behalf of various government agencies such as police, fire and rescue when other communication methods have failed. In the aftermath of Edmonton’s 1987 tornado, much of the emergency communication was handled by amateurs. I would highly recommend anyone interested in ham radio to get involved at this level - it’s a good way to learn how the system works.

For communication of a more private nature, a private BBS system is probably best. While no radio transmission can be totally secure, short transmission times and digital signals reduce the chance of interception. Here is a link that might provide some useful information:

http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/rms-express-secure-email-over-amateur-radio/

I would be interested in exploring this application. Any others?

ICRCC, how about a time and frequency this weekend, maybe Sunday evening. My “shack” is in my camper, and since at home it’s parked under a powerline, I will likely drive out of town to make contact. Conditions are supposed to be good this weekend. 40 meters was good last night. PSK31 perhaps? Quietman, are you interested?

I'm not only interested I think this would be a great chance to get some other preppers involved. I am in contact with two others so I will get in touch and see if we can organize a link up. Sunday might be perfect.

I would be interested in HAM if I had the money to build a rig. At this point I'm restricted to Air Band VHF and FRS/GMRS/ExRS communication, which means short range.

H

I would be interested in HAM if I had the money to build a rig. At this point I'm restricted to Air Band VHF and FRS/GMRS/ExRS communication, which means short range.

H

I hope you give ham radio a second thought. Everyone thinks it costs many thousands of dollars to get started and it can if you have the money. You can also get started for around the price of a big screen TV. Learn by building your own antennas and some equipment. You can get on 2 meters for a couple of hundred dollars.

Try contacting a local club and take advantage of all the free information and guidance..

good luck

HTP

Yeah my budget is a lot less at this point. And I have no real time nor place to do anything LOL. I might reconsider in the future when I have some more of all of the above, but til then I'll stick to close range communications.

If anyone's around the coast (horsehoe bay, nanaimo, etc...) with GMRS or similar units, I'd be willing to test these "32 km" statements LOL

H

Hammer,
Get yourself an ancient SSB CB and some speaker wire, and we could probably connect. You can usually find a box full of that stuff at a garage sale for five bucks. SSB is a good start for learning about antennae and radio etiquette (sort of).
I have the same concerns as ICRCC as to OPSEC and privacy. Also, that Industry Canada administers the policies, which can be surprisingly invasive. They can enter your home at any time, sans warrant, to inspect your rig. They can co-opt your services during an emergency so you won't necessarily be free to move as you'd like. By getting your ticket, you're subjecting yourself to Industry Canada's jurisdiction. If you're cool with that then so be it.
I'm not wanting to discourage anyone...just inform.
Personally, I love ham radio, just not the regulation. SSB can be very effective within 60 -80 miles on its own.

I have a vehicle mount CB (old old radioshack one) but why the speaker wire? As for etiquette, I don't know CB/HAM, but I'm well versed in Air Band etiquette.

As for Industry Canada, I'm already in their noose but not for HAM.

As for Opsec, the only way on open channel is callsigns. Simple as that.

H