Radio Communications Systems During Crisis Situations (Radios)

This is part 3 in an ongoing series on radio communications during a crisis event.

What type(s) of radio should I have?

• Just like tools certain radio types work better than others in different situations.  You should use a hammer to pound nails rather than a shovel. It just works better.  Also different hammers work better at certain types of hammering jobs likewise different modes of operation work better in some circumstances than others.  You wouldn’t use a sledgehammer to drive a finish nail in a piece of skirting board.

• While it would be nice to have one of each radio system available plus spares it just isn’t feasible or cost efficient nor is it necessary in a crisis situation.
• Instead of having several radios it would be better to have an all mode/all bands (or at least the popular bands) radio and one spare. That will help keep your comm. gear footprint in check.  Older radio systems and some home built systems have a separate transmitter and receiver box.  I don’t recommend using the big sets that take up precious space. The reason I don’t recommend them is not only do they increase your comm. footprint, they are not readily portable, and consume more power than a single transmitter/receiver (transceiver) box.  When considering a comm. system for emergency crisis situations you’ll want a radio that is small yet puts put decent power (preferably adjustable output power) and one that uses minimal power consumption (especially in receive, squelch, or standby mode).  Most modern transceivers made today meet these requirements. Small is better for spare(s) storage and also for hiding your in-use equipment in case of visitors.  It’s quite hard to hide in plain sight separate large transmitter and receiver as together they would take up most of the top of the average sized dining table.  Also small is better for portability reasons in case you have to bug out.  Just unhook the antenna cable(s) and the power wire and shove the small radio in your BOB.

• If you can’t afford a new radio system and are forced to look on the used market, try to get an all mode all band radio that at least has 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Try for 6 meters and if possible 2 meters VHF also.  Having these bands available will cover most if not all your communications requirements.  Having 160 meter band is not critical and the problem will be the antenna size.  We’ll cover antenna sizes in a later session. Having 6 meters available is also nice but long haul communications may not be possible especially during periods of low solar activity.  If I were to skip a band it would be 6 meters since that band is not open for reliable communications all the time. In a crunch you’ll get by with just 40 and 20 meters in the HF bands.  You may find small 40 and 20 meter SSB/CW radios that were built from kits.  Since these aren’t commercial rigs you can probably get them for a song.  Being built from kits you may be able to stock up on some of the major components as spare parts and repair the radios if they ever fail. That's a viable option even if only for a spare radio.
• For the VHF bands a 2 meter FM radio will cover most of your local communications needs.  If the local repeater is powered by alternate power source (most are) all the better, it will greatly extend the communications range of a low power radio.  A UHF radio in the 70cm band is nice to have but not essential.  Dual band VHF/UHF radios are abundant but usually cost at least twice as much as a single band radio.  These radio packages come in mobile sized packages the size of a CB (or smaller) and hand held walkie-talkie types that range in size from an Altoids mint can to the size of a multi-function TV remote.  If I were to only get one VHF radio it would be the 2 meter FM 50 or 75 watt mobile if I was any distance from the local repeater or a smaller handheld in the 5 to 7 watt range if the local repeater is close by. With an external antenna such as a J-Pole (discussed later) handhelds go quite a distance. From my location I can hit the repeater about 80 miles away with the J-Pole at ground level. The repeater is on a high mountain (10,000ft) and in clear sight of my location so don’t expect that range between two radios at ground level. We’ll discuss antenna height in a bit.  A 2 meter all-mode would be better but there are none on the new radio market and on the used market they are scarce.
• You’re going to need a base station and as many portable radios (not necessarily amateur frequencies though) as you can muster or think you could possibly use.  The portable radios are indispensable for anyone working or traveling outside the protected areas.  While I recommend personnel travel in pairs (buddy system) it’s not always possible or warranted in certain times but having a means to communicate back to base in the event of an emergency goes a long ways in being prepared. 
• For local use around the community I highly recommend purchasing Part 15 (no license) devices such as Family Radio Service FRS or CB walkie-talkies. They are cheaper than amateur radio gear and don’t require a license to use.  They are usually low power so they are only good for up to a mile or so depending on terrain.  Don’t pay attention to the wild claims of 20 plus miles of range.  You might get that kind of range if both parties were standing on top of a mountain top with clear line of sight.  At ground level with trees and terrain obstacles your range will be much less.  Leaves and ground obstacles eat up a lot of RF energy at these frequencies. Also since these radios are to be used for short distance around your block communications, high power (or long range) radios are not required and will use up your batteries faster.  Keep the power levels low for this type of use and your battery life will be longer.  Remember FRS radios will not work with you Amateur radio so in addition to portable FRS radios you’ll also need a FRS radio for a base station.  There are modifications (illegal) that can be done to the radio so you can hook the base radio up to an external antenna.  This will extend the range of even the portable radios as the base station now has better ears and a better mouth. Another radio type is General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). These radios require a license which extends to immediate family members but requires no test.  These radios can output up to 50 watts and can have external antennas.  They cost more that FRS radios but a base station with a high external antenna on flat ground will reach out 20 plus miles if needed.
• For more private/secure communications there are several choices.  However remember no radio frequency communications are secure unless some sort of encryption device is used.  Use obscure frequencies that are not normally used by the general populous. A marine VHF radio makes a good radio for inland communications so long as you are a fair distance from the coast and any major river transportation routes (Mississippi/Missouri rivers/Great Lakes).  Low power handhelds are good options, stay away from the high power radios used onboard ships unless they are capable of reduced power modes.  You don’t want your signals to go much further than around your retreat.  Commercial fleet radios are another good option for a SHTF radio.  These do require an FCC license to operate but when the worst of it is upon us that won’t matter.  Most fleet radios have programmed channels and only a few will be programmed. If you can try to get the programming software along with the radios so you can program your own frequencies.  The problem with fleet radios is they are higher powered and may not have the ability to reduce power.  Some radios, especially portable walkie-talkie types can operate on different voltage levels and this has the added feature of being able to increase or decrease the output power.  Check for a radio that has a wide operable voltage range.  To reduce the power of a 3 cell AA battery system, just remove one of the batteries and short the space where the battery was with some wire or metal (tinfoil wrapped in tape with the ends uncovered). You have now just reduced transmit power to 2/3 of what full power was and saved a battery in the process.  If more power is needed just put the 3^rd battery back in the radio.  No physical modifications. These systems are suited for around the retreat or convoy operations where low-power more secure communications are warranted.  GMRS radios are also a viable option as they are more expensive than FRS and may not be as popular in the community.  They are usually more powerful so make sure the power can be reduced.
• For handheld amateur VHF FM radios any model you can get your hands on is a good model; especially the newer ones.  Yes some will be better than others but for what you are going to use them for any model is going to do the job.  Features to look for on a handheld VHF FM radio are a removable antenna so you can connect an external antenna for better range, one that uses readily available batteries, AA or AAA. Stay away from proprietary battery packs as when they fail, and they will, you will have to rig some alternate power source and possibly damage the radio.  A lot of radios may also have a AA or AAA accessory pack that can be used in lieu of the proprietary battery pack, so pick one of those up also. Radios with a standby mode are great on conserving power consumption.  In standby mode the radio basically goes to sleep for a second or two, then wakes up and listens to the frequency it’s monitoring and if silent goes back to sleep.  This can cut power consumption by 2/3.  The radio will not scan frequencies in standby mode so it’s only a viable power saving method if you are monitoring one frequency. Another feature that could be useful is a cross band repeater. This will only be available on some of the higher end dual band radios.  Only one of your dual-band (2meter/70cm) hand held/mobile radios needs to have this capability.  What this allows is the ability for the radios on 2 meters to communicate with the radios on 70cm.  By having one radio with this capability set in repeater mode you have greatly widened your community/neighborhood communications system.  This radio will be set as a base radio and can’t be used by a person in this configuration. So make sure if you sacrifice a radio for this purpose you have another you can use for operations.
• If you are purchasing new and can spend about $1600 (for just the main radios, primary and spare), the base/mobile radio that I recommend is the YAESU - FT-857D. At about $800 each this radio is small, covers all the HF bands + VHF 6 meters and 2 meters and UHF 70 cm.  It is an all-mode radio and has the 3 main modes CW/SSB(LSB-USB)/FM that you will need to communicate. It also has AM and WFM in case you are in contact with a station with only those modes. Current consumption in squelch mode is 550mA (there is no standby mode), 1A in receive (squelch open), and 22A when transmitting at 100W.  You may not need 100W for most communications especially low power modes such as CW and PSK31.  More on required power and operating modes later.  The cost of this radio is about the same cost (or less) than if you bought 3 different radios on the used market to cover HF/VHF/UHF (good deals not withstanding). 
• The FT-857D is a fairly rugged design and will withstand some moderate abuse in a portable environment.  It is not advertized as MIL-SPEC but most reputable manufacturers these days do conform to some electronics construction specifications/standards. I wouldn’t subject the radio to copious amounts of water but a light splashing should not cause any problems especially away from the front panel. If you are going portable with a radio a water proof wrapper/sleeve is a must-have.
• There is the FT-857 model that is older and is exactly the same radio except the D model has the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) filter built in. The 857 (non D) model does not have DSP but it can be installed if you buy the module.  DSP is not required it just helps filter the signal you are trying to receive better.  If you find a deal on an older FT-857 (non D) model don’t hesitate to snatch it up.
• Also the FT-897 and 897D (DSP) models are the bigger brothers to the 857.  It is virtually the same guts in a different (much larger) package that allows installation of internal power supply (requires 120V AC) or battery pack(s) that operate the radio on reduced power (20W max). It’s receive and transmit power consumption is the same (1A/22A respectively) however the squelched power consumption is 50mA more (600mA) than the 857 model.  It costs about $130 more per radio and to me for a SHTF radio it’s not worth the extra cost. 
• However if the radio is to be used more for hobby/enjoyment in a fixed location (that's why I'm getting this model)  and the extra $130 is not a deal breaker, I recommend the 897D due to its larger face panel/display screen and larger knobs.  There are more buttons available on the front panel so less menu access is required to change the more common settings.  If a good deal can be found on a used model don’t hesitate to snatch it up either. 
• All four of these models also have a very useful feature called a spectrum scope. This allows one to visually see if a frequency has a signal on it without having to scan the entire band. A quick visual for a few seconds will reveal if anyone is transmitting or not.  This is a great feature to quickly scan all the bands for activity and thus reduce power consumption.  Most of the older used radios don’t have this feature and is a factor in considering whether to buy new or older used equipment. Some of the more expensive base style radios have a better spectrum scope with more resolution and can even display out to a computer monitor for easy viewing.  I’m not sure the added expense in equipment and power consumption is worth it though.
• Either one of these four radios will work just fine for the intended purposes and if you can find one on the used market for a few hundred bucks then grab any of them.
• Other manufacturers have similar models with similar features however an all-mode/all-band radio in this price range is not available. The closest one is the ICOM IC-7000 at $1240 each retail. The added features and specifications are better but the added cost and a whopping 1.2A (double the 897D) squelched mode power consumption don’t make it the best SHTF radio in my book. The transmit consumption on all the 12V 100W radios is about the same, it’s the squelch and receive consumption that will chew up your battery.  A more feature rich radio will cost more and chew up more power in idle mode.
• Since this section has a lot of material I’ll summarize here:
• What I'm going to have in my kit:
• New FT 897D with a used FT 857 or 857D for a spare or mobile rig. Still need to purchase.
• Icom 2100H 2 meter FM rig. Purchased 2004. Great solid reliable rig!
• Icom W32A 2 meter/70cm dualband portable. Another solid performer with dual band repeater mode.  This is my in the house scanner to monitor the local repeaters. Its a true dual band where I can scan both bands at the same time and hear both transmissions. Awesome. It's hooked to my copper J-Pole mounted at 20'.
• Older Kenwood TS180 HF 160 - 10 M 100 W. My HF backup backup. It's huge but it's already in the inventory. Great radio that's over 30 years old and still running strong! Don't buy one for SHTF preparedness but any radio you currently own keep or trade for 2 of another type you do need. I'd trade this in a heartbeat for two more 2 meter/70cm 5W+ dualband handhelds of any brand.
• Radio Shack 2 meter FM radio that works 50/50. I'll keep for spare or trade during SHTF times.
• Radios that you need (minimum):
•  One HF at least 80 through 10 meters. 40 and 20 meters are a must! 100W output power (the standard for base/mobile amateur radios) and capable of power reduction to at least 5 watts.
• One 2 meter VHF FM mobile (50 to 75Watt) with adjustable output power settings.
• 1 spare for each type (if you can afford it)
• Alternate radios that use obscure frequencies (marine bands/fleet radios etc) or low power GMRS radios for more secure personal communications.
• Radios that you may want to consider:
• HF/UHF/VHF all mode all band transceiver. (base station) Highly recommend the FT 857 or FT 897 (D or non D models) as they contain all you need in one package.
•  One 2 meter/70cm dualband VHF/UHF FM mobile (50 to 75Watt) with adjustable output power settings. (vehicle/mobile operations)
• Portable 2 meter/70cm VHF/UHF FM handheld w/ removable antenna the more watts the better. Adjustable power output even if by removing battery cells.  Standard AA or AAA battery packs or accessory packs.
• 1 Spare of each of the above or combination of different spares to cover all the band segments. Band coverage is more important that same brand spares.
• As many FRS and/or mobile/base/walkie talkie CB radios as you can afford for neighborhood/community communications (good barter items also). These can be picked up at yard sales for a few dollars.  Keep one base station CB with SSB capabilities for yourself as this can be used for long distance communications with a beam antenna.
• Remember it is important to store all unused radios with silica gel desiccant packs in sealed/grounded metal boxes that the radios will fit in. FRS and walkie talkie radios can be stored multiple to a box. Foam padding or bubble wrap will help absorb shock in the event a box is dropped. Do not store batteries in the same boxes as the radios! Make sure all batteries are removed from the radios before they are put in storage!
• If you can only buy one radio and have $800 in your budget get the FT-857D!

Stay tuned for the next post in the series in which I will discuss radio power.