The American Preparedness Radio Net

Amazingly enough, I am home doing a “pass through” on my way back up to Canada. I did get a chance to listen in on the net on Sunday. Conditions were terrible but Dean did a fine job running things. The discussion was centered around security and from what I could gather, the subject was a good one.

Several of us went to another frequency just to say hello and we discussed a move to another frequency that would get us away from our Spanish friends that have no consideration for our net. 75-80 meter is a tough band but we feel it can be utilized for the net. Werner and Howard are going to try to pin down a frequency before Net time and post up on the chatroom where they are. The default frequency will still be 3.818.
Ray is going full speed ahead with the digital side of things. I finally got a chance to talk to him for a bit and he is definitely a wealth of information and he makes an excellent case for digital and Morse. As I said before, digital will be a part of the setup in the truck. I don’t know if I will ever learn Morse Code. Dyslexia makes that next to impossible.

I am going to be ordering some new QSL cards in a month or so. We have to do a slight redesign since our name change. Keep you posted.

W4DMH is still busy with the job he is working on but has not forgotten about us. I know I have said this many times but we do appreciate everybody that has stepped up recently and kept things going. And we certainly appreciate your patience with the inconsistency form Dave and I!!! But, this project is necessary in today’s world. We have to be prepared for anything. And we have to spread the word. So keep the ideas for topics coming.

Until next time!!!
73
Dave K7DLB
The APRN Roving Reporter
Facebook Bulldog8265@gmail.com
Twitter Mopar840

The Case for Code – pt.2

Easy to learn… Huh?

There really IS a good and often enjoyable way to learn The Code. There are many wrong ways to learn The Code & some of them came from authority figures, such as The Army and etc. were – for years- dead wrong. The Army eventually changed their ways and had MUCH higher percentages of people learning The Code and using it well. Let’s go to the beginning, The Morse Code is best learned as a language – really! When you hear a new word, like Enchilada, don’t count letters, or try to make some picture to match the sound:

Enchilada

All I know when I hear the sound of ‘enchilada’ is that I am conditioned that > it’s time to EAT!< It's the same with learning Morse Code, because you learn it by conditioning yourself to a series of sounds. Do NOT build-up a ‘look-up table’ or a picture or count dits and dahs or any OTHER nonsense. Rather, in your brain brain associate the sound bywriting down the letter. You just hear the sound of a “V” (di-di-di-daaah)and write it.

Enter The Koch Method, invented by German psychologist Ludwig Koch in the 1930′s and it is simply this: listen to the Morse characters at the speed you will likely hear them on the air: about 13-15 words per minute. However, to make it easier to learn, keep the spacing between these characters much longer than normal so that you are actually copying about 3 to 5 WPM when first learning. This makes sense. If you were learning to speak Spanish you would not slooooooow the individual words down to a crawl like:

eeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnccchcchchchchchchchciiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaddddddddaaaaa

Instead you might say:

enchilada……………….y………………………………cerveca,……………………………por………………..favor.
Enchilada……………….and……………………………beer………………………………..please!

By increasing the spacing between words, you get a little extra ‘processing time’ for your brain to understand what has been said: same-same for longer spacing between letters sent a normal speed in Morse code. In the Koch Method, characters are sent at a normal speed with longer spaces between, so that you LEARN HOW THEY REALLY SOUND! Not some slowed down version that is more difficult to understand than the normal sound of a single Morse character.

Fortunately for us, a fine program has been written by a fellow ham G4FON to teach the code using the Koch Method. You can go to his website and download his Morse training program for FREE at the following URL:

http://www.g4fon.net/CW%20Trainer.htm

Thirty minutes per day will have you learning the letters and numbers at greater than 5 WPM in about two weeks, plus or minus – everyone is different. Then you begin to build speed. I’ve had friends who went from no code to Know Code in less than one month – but they are fanatics! Then I dragged them on the air for thirty minutes per night of CW practice with me. (The poor blighters!) IF after a few QSOs with me, they then begin calling CQ and talking with other stations, their code speed and comfort level soar!

Sometimes FICTION Is a good display of Facts!

Please , if you have not done so already, get the book “Survivors” by James Wesley Rawles. IT’s not 100% to my tastes – why you know, he didn’t even send me the manuscript with box of red pencils to make corrections or ANYTHING! WUZZ-UP WI’DAT? //GRIN!// However, because HE is the famous writer and I am totally unknown to him, this may have something to do with his ignoring me (though both sailing and the tiny KX-1 transceiver are mentioned in his novel and I do both ;^) However, the ham radio portion of his book, as used by one of the central characters trying to get home all the way from Afghanistan to the USA, is quite acurate. Having him use the readily available Elecraft KX-1 transceiver, instead of something only a novelist could think-up, added tremendously to the books realism. So, buy it and read it. Because the ham portions are well researched it will serve as ‘fuel’ for your own imagination to consider how you would actually USE radio in a tight situation. I’ll give you a hint: if it’s too difficult to provide power and antennas for your radios, you will not use them. If it is EASY, then you will: plan ahead.

Morse is Quicker Than Computer Modes!

Huh? How is that so? Computer modes are the closest to Morse in the ability to cut through noise – some may even be better – they are surely a good bang-for-the-buck. They do however, have their weakness. For Example: Suppose that we have a referee standing by with his stop watch and as the starting gun sounds, we are to rush into the ham shack and —> from a cold start<— send a 25 word message to the station waiting at the other end of the link.

BANG! GO!!!

We rush in and you will use a great digital mode – Good Thinking! – However, I know that it's a Wednesday morning and that Microsoft Just downloaded their OS updates, so your computer will likely require 3 minutes or more to boot, then even MORE time to digest the updates and maybe require a re-boot before it's ready to use. On the other hand, I hit the switch on my transceiver and have my straight key ready to go – you get my point? Operator to operator I can flip the ON switch and start within one second of power-up. That's pretty fast. Then , if we have to pass a message, well remember:

A message received slowly in Morse Code is faster than walking a thousand miles to deliver it.

Economy and Portability:

By eliminating the PC – or using it only when necessary, you eliminate a lot of hassle and extra power requirement. Furthermore, I've packed laptops and other 'messaging devices' in my rucksack down through the years, and kept them alive in harsh environments as well as supplying their power – I was much back younger then and it was still a pain. These days, The idea of fast marching 25 miles in the Rockies with a rucksack that weighs as much as a yearling calf just doesn't sound like much fun, which is why as a civilian I tended to carry a Morse Only , low power radio transceiver similar to this.

Kits for these hover between $65 to $130 for single band kits, depending upon features and whether you provide the enclosure or they do.

Or you can buy an already assembled, multi-band QRP rig with built-in, general coverage receiver for under $300. (yes – you heard right) Look-up HB-1B at the following website:

http://www.youkits.com/

And remember – if you already have an HF ham rig, it is probably already capable of Morse code. Put it to use! Use the G4FON program and then get on the air. Slow CW is usually found between 7100 to 7125 KHz until well after sundown, so it’s a great place to practice.The “Q” signal that you need to know is “QRS” which means “PLEASE SEND MORE SLOWLY>” and yes- they generally will. IT’s not rude – it’s normal.

BTW – just so that you don’t think that I’m making all this up, here’s my well used QRP rig – and yes, that’s a ‘porthole’ behind me…

73 de Ray …_ ._
W7ASA

Luuuuuuucy, you gotta WHOOOOOLE lotta ‘Lectrons to make!

The Case for Code Pt. 1
-or-
Morse Code as a Survival Skill

When the discussion of ‘prepping’ and emergency communication arises, it invariably divides into a a few categories: short range – with a handi-talkie, longer range in voice using ‘ham radio’ and if the group is REALLY switched ON, it may later include a digital mode discussion as well. These discussions of ‘emergency communications’ usually LEAD with:

1. Equipment (buying TOOLS before defining ‘the problem we’re trying to solve’ always leads to expensive solutions.)
2. ‘Let’s see if we can TALK’ (Woo-Hoo! Now it’s getting Fun!)
3. Then the question: ‘OK, we’re talking – Now What?

I believe that TAPRN is at the ‘Now What? Stage.

There are some excellent discussions on TAPRN HF radio voice nets. Bill, Werner and Skip have really taken the lead in being net control stations, usually on short notice and there are enough stations that it’s grown to the level of critical mass to make it ‘gell’ nicely. The digital net and experiments, while not having as many people, is making the point of being able to make contact on schedule, on frequency and with good reliability. When we say 7073USB Contestia 4/250 that is what happens. It’s just THAT reliable, even with Spanish language QRM. This is for one basic reason, a thing that engineers call ‘system gain’. Basically how much power must be used to have effective communication?
By-the-way, that total SYSTEM power:
receiver ON,
+
transmitter duty cycle percentage at XXX Watts,
+
accessories such as amplifiers,
+
computers…
+ a whole lotta electrons you have to find to run it…

(Luuuuucy! You gotta WHOOOOOLE lotta ‘lektrons to make!)

Remember, in a grid down situation, ALL of those things still require power – but are all those things REALLY required to have effective communications? Let’s see.

If you want to hold a group discussion on the air in real time, then voice is a natural choice, as long as we can all hear each other. The next choice for a discussion is a real-time digital net. It’s a bit slower, but it is VERY reliable, even in weak signal and high noise and because digital can be so much narrower than voice, it’s EASY to set a clear frequency to meet and find each other ‘More wiggle-room with narrower signals like digital and Morse – that’s been demonstrated. But you have to ask yourself whether, during an actual emergency (when all of your electrons will ALL need to be ‘home made’) are you going to be ‘talking’ or will you need to ‘communicate’? By this I mean, are you going to need to have enjoyable conversations, or will you NEED to send and receive information like instructions, messages? In my experience, passing a short message was what really mattered:

This is an actual message that I sent using a simple, home made, pocket sized “QRP” Morse transceiver while on crew for a survival video filmed in the middle of the largest wilderness ares in the lower 48 states:

BUSH PLANE LANDED SAFELY. WE ARE SNOWED IN.
WOLVES ARE HOWLING. RON IS VOMITING. WE ARE
HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME.

The QRP transceiver – including batteries and case, used a light, wire ‘dipole’ antenna and fit into a coat pocket. Cha-Ching! & cost me well less than $100,

Those of you who’ve been on the voice nets with me know that occasionally, I’ll send a few words in Morse code, just to make a point. Even when my voice signal at 100 Watts is ‘weak’ I hear the comment that ‘the CODE was strong”. Sometimes I’ll be using 100 Watts in voice and only 5 Watts in code, yet the code is EASY to hear. Why? Focused Power The typical SSB voice signal is approximately 3 thousand Hertz wide (3KHz). Your 100 Watts is spread across that 3,000 Hz wide signal compared to the SAME 100 Watts in Morse focused into about 60Hz looks like this. Right off the bat, you have about 50 times the ‘peak power’.

Another advantage of Morse is that, compared to voice, it’s easier for your brain to search out and process. “WHAT?!?!? My brain can’t process Morse!” you say? Sure, it can – and I am going to prove it:

Think of this scene from my misspent youth. One of the sillier things I ever did was join the Army. The good news is that I got very well trained to play with radios and Morse code at the taxpayer’s expense: thank you! Picture a crowded party in the 1970′s: music blasting, a crowd of hundreds of ‘twenty-somethings’ all trying to out-shout each other (there MAY have been alcohol involved)… you get the picture. When my Army Buddies wanted to get my attention in a place like THAT, they didn’t yell – everybody ELSE was already doing that. Instead, my friends would softly whistle a ‘call-up’ in Morse code. My head would rotate like a light house beacon and stop when I was looking right at them. Why? Well, think to yourself: which is easier to do, to pick out a VERY complicated jumble of odd sounds that we call speech OR to notice a SINGLE tone and to determine whether it is ON or OFF? Why that’s EASY – On/OFF is much easier than deciphering a voice in a jumble of other voices, noise and what we laughingly called ‘music’. It’s the SAME on the HF radio bands. Morse cuts through the noise and as you know above, it’s average POWER is much higher than the same amount of power spread (like peanut butter) across a wide area.

Group discussions in Morse are difficult at best, but when it comes to communicating: that is, passing a message to friends and family or receiving the same it’s my first choice when I do not have commercial power, like when I have to carry my transceiver and generate my own power.

—— Part II to follow: The BEST way to learn The Code, Examples of Code in action, The Beauty of Simplicity, Morse is FASTER than digital??? (How is this possible?) & Why a little fiction reading can also teach you FACTS…

As we look ahead into the new year, ask yourself, “am I prepared?” Take a bit of time and reflect on the progress you made in 2011. Did you tear a page off of the list? Have you gotten your preps to a point where you are comfortable? Did you sit and make a new list for 2012? One thing I have found in prepping is that you are never “done”. There is always room for improvement. Be it food storage, home defense, garden planning, emergency power, and a plan just in case TSHTF in a big way.

Communications should play a big role in your plans. Here at TAPRN our goal is to bring communications to the forefront. We have our nets that test our ability to have good discussions about our preps, share information among the participants and throw out some great ideas. But communications don’t necessarily stop there. We should focus on getting our family, friends and others involved. Our families can be spread out all over the country. As the search for jobs, schooling, and a better lifestyle moves our families all over, consider what would happen if the grid ever collapses. Ham radio could play a big part in communicating with our families. That is going to be one of my continuing efforts this year among others.

Last night’s net was a great one!!! (1-2-12). We had Werner and Howard as NCS and what a job they did!!! We had operators from all over the country participating. Ruth started a great topic on multi fuel conversions on her generator. She gave some great information for us to look into. The idea was floated about getting a list of topics from our participants that could be dealt with on the Sunday net. If you have anything of interest you would like to have as a topic, please send a message or an e-mail and we will get a list started.
We also had a visit from Dave W4DMH. He has been VERY busy lately and he FINALLY(!) got his new antenna up and gave it a workout. We had several new checkins and a visit from Lonnie, an Emergency Coordinator for several counties in West Virginia.(?) He made us an offer of help with our efforts and we certainly appreciate that!!! There is also going to be a rag-chew group starting on Tuesday evening. So stay tuned here for more info.

One thing that is really new and exciting is our Digital Net. Ray is at the helm at that project and he is a wealth of info on digital communications. I know I have mentioned this before, but once the mobile setup gets installed in the bigtruck, digital will be included. Don’t discount digital communications. It is easier than you think and gets through the noise like Morse Code. Keep an eye here for more!!!!!

So, as a new year is fresh, we here at TAPRN would like to thank everybody for a great 2011. And as always, we are looking for NSC operators to take the Sunday nets. New voices and ideas plus the fact that operators from different parts of the country can get to different stations that may not hear us on a regular basis is an ongoing effort.

And in closing, as Buddie the Roaddog and I get the truck ready to hit the road to start the new year, We want to wish everybody a safe and blessed New Year!!!! Keep on Prepping because it is not “IF” but “WHEN” we are going to need it!!!!

73
Dave K7DLB TAPRN Roving Reporter
FaceBook Bulldog8265@gmail.com
Twitter: mopar840

DigiNet -

What mode do we use and what program do we recommend for the TAPRN DigiNet? We have covered this in the past, but it’s been long enough that I think now would be a good time to bring things-up to date on our present mode(s) and how the DigiNet works. First, the mode.

Recommended Software:
We use a mode called CONTESTIA 4/250. It is a STRONG, forward error correcting mode that is really very good for keyboard-to-keyboard chat and for passing message traffic. We had begun in PSK31 ONLY to get as many people into the net as possible, knowing that PSK31 is the most popular soundcard digital mode for hams today. While PSK31 is good, it’s not as robust in low signal & high interference as the many ‘FEC’ (Forward Error Correcting) modes available. The suggestion to use use CONTESTIA came for one of our TAPRN stations and it is a good one. In short, without going into all the technical gobblyty-gook, CONTESTIA cuts through the interference and works VERY well in weak signal conditions, yet is very easy to use.

The software that I recommend is a very common program called Fldigi. There are several reasons why I advise, this but let’s cover the top four:

1. Simplicity. The program is very simple to set-up and stable to use.
2. It is FREEware, so nobody needs to buy a special program for the DigiNet.
3. It has ‘plug-in’ that is optional sub-programs to ad-in for things like full error correction, message handling and etc. It can even bet set-up to do this 24.7 without an operator present – i/e an on the air mail-box.
4. It is used by MANY emergency communications groups.

Please, go to the following link and download FLdigi, FLarq, FLmsg, Flwrap. To begin with, use Fldigi as a soundcard digital mode program and we’ll cover the other plun-ins like Flarq in time.

http://www.w1hkj.com/download.html

——————-
DigiNet Begins as a Directed Roundtable:

The (NCS) calls for TAPRN stations, in the order calling stations are heard they are assigned a number (1, 2, 3, …) . This number is that stations call-up order in the roundtable. The net control station is always first. It looks like this:

0: W7ASA (NCS)
1: N0DOG
2: K9MUT
3: IH8CAT (rare DX station)

When the DigiNet begins, we are not certain whether everyone hears everyone, so
the net operates as a DIRECTED net. Outstations always hand it back to the NCS:
NCS hands it to N0DOG who hands it back to NCS.
NCS hands it to K9MUT who hands it back to NCS…

If we DO all copy each other, then the NCS will announce that we are changing and that stations can just run down the list in numerical order and do not have to give it back to the NCS until the end of the list is reached. This saves time and let’s everyone contribute to the discussion in a much faster and more inter-active manner. We lave a FIVE SECOND break between transmissions so that a breaking station has opportunity to check-in between transmissions.

Some Experiments on the Side:

What have ‘we’ been doing lately? A coupld of us have been experimenting with some of the FULL “ARQ” modes on HF radio. For those who have not used full ARQ before it stands for Automatic Retransmit reQuest. Meaning that the text the you send is divided into packets and each packet is checked to errors when it is received. If the received packet contains errors, the receiving station transmits a special signal that tells the transmitting station for retransmit that particular packet again. Basically, ARQ is not usable for broadcast or roundtable operation like we use. However, it has at least the following advantages for point-to-point communication.

1. You get essentially 100% error free transmission of data.

2. You type in a specific callsign and link ONLY with that station, even though several stations may be on frequency. Essentially –it is as individual as a telephone number, but on the air! If I want to call Bob/K9MUT I type in that callsign and AQR calls his and only his station. If he is there, his station will ‘handshake’ then link and we’re LOCKED to each other over the air. You KNOW that you are sending to his station.

3. Message transmission is basically error free.

4. You can send compressed files, which while not ‘encryption’ are very, very difficult for anyone who does not work for a three letter agency to read your compressed message.

So, this is only in the experimental stage right now which is why we don’t have more people involved. Best to do the testing in a small group, then get everyone else involved, otherwise it can turn into a mess. We’re trying a few different programs, so that when we ask everyone to jump aboard, it will be stable. That’s The Plan(tm) so let’s so how it works in actual practice.

73 de Ray
W7ASA

Buddie and I want to wish each and every one of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS this year. We have had a wonderful year traveling the highways of the USA and Canada and as we are at home for the Christmas season with family and friends, we hope that this season brings many blessings and hope for the coming new year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Dave K7DLB and Buddie the RoadDog

Well, we had a FINE time with a great net Sunday evening. I was stunned, and excited to have 21 stations check in! We had several new stations, and we sure hope they felt welcomed, and will make it again on Sunday evenings. We had check-ins from the east coast to the west. Our topic was “What do you think of my plan to sneak downstairs, and throw the main breaker OFF, and test some of my back-up systems for a day or so, before I need them”?
MANY great comments were offered, and I urge you to click on the “listen live” link over on the right hand edge of this page, and find the recording of the net from Sunday…. you will probably learn at least one new thing. (Thanks to KD8FDF for the streaming/recording of the net each week!)

Stations checking in were:

KC8HXO (NCS)
KD0MOQ
KJ4PZZ
N1FBF
KK4CZO
KC2UKU
KI4DKS
K8RLC
AC0BG
N3GRH
KJ4ZYL
KB3SSZ
W7ASA
KI4LWA
K2DWB
W4SWS
KD0OFJ
K7PKT
KJ4VDS
KC2AXU
KJ4RQV

WOW!! THANK YOU to all the stations who checked in to the net, and I hope you had fun, and were able to take something from the information presented.

Respectfully submitted,
Greg Schippers, KC8HXO

Ripple Effect
TAPRN is meeting on the air regularly, in both voice and digital modes. It requires a certain ‘critical mass’ before you have enough participation to draw even MORE participants to make a net stable. I am pleased to see that TAPRN is growing and that for last week we had the digital net and then at our voice net ran so long that we had TWO net controls. Now I think you voice guys are just showing-off! (GRIN!)

Back to the ‘ripple effect’. I regularly scour the internet, looking for references to key words like: “survival, prepper, survivalism, ham radio, SHTF, communication” and etc. Lately, I have been throwing the letters “TAPRN” into the search engine as well. Not surprisingly, the word is out in the prepper community that TAPRN has some radio nets operating and parenthetically, those nets are beginning to work! Naturally, there is now increased interest in TAPRN and ham radio in general for emergency communication. An interest has always been there, but there have been a lot of failures and I am certain also some q u i e t successes.

Others are encouraged by TAPRN successes and want to start nets with the groups they already know, which I always encourage and am happy to help if I have time. There are also of course the usual narrow slice of nay-sayers – some with ham radio callsigns who basically declare that ‘it won’t work’, without ever defining what ‘it’ is or under which circumstances ‘it’ is going to be ineffectual. The final category are those who say that ‘it would be better to _____’ and then they list some thoughts.

Let’s look at these basic types of posts I’ve found while searching:

1. Interested in general and might be moved to action with a little assistance.

4. “It would work better if____” or ‘The problem I see is_______’

Groups 1,2 & 4 are the ones who really count for me, because THEY want to take action on solving their communication wants/needs and even to do ‘it’ better – so Good For THEM! They have the right attitude to make something work. My guess is that they’re like this in other areas of their lives and prepping as well. Those who can- do! Let’s concentrate on them here at TAPRN and help where we can.

Remember though: communications wants & needs are not ‘one size fits’ all. (see Communication Layers article here)

For example: If you live in a small, rural valley filled with cattle ranchers and loggers, like I used to, then Army field phones tied to the NON-ELECTRIC cattle fencing that runs from ranch to ranch and all over the mountain sides, could connect much of the entire area with an effective and inexpensive ‘party line’. That’s just one example of solving a communications challenge with simple & robust technology.

I used to live in the mountains of Idaho in an isolated community. On a mountainside overlooking town we had a small ‘village’ of homes who were link to town using short range CB and the same worked mode for SHORT RANGE comms with the logging truck drivers who drove through some very remote areas and passed on greetings when you asked. There was 2 meter simplex and the local ham radio repeaters, some of which had solar/battery as back-up or as their ‘normal’ power, then the NVIS HF SSB radio calling frequencies, both ham and local commercial – yes, commercially available HF is still in use in remote portions of north America (and Australia). NVIS is handy because it gets into all the ‘nooks & cranies of a mountainous area.

For the really long range ‘stuff’ we hams were handy to have around. My e-mail came in either at work, because they had phone lines, or from HF radio WINLINK at the cabin. This is a life style out in the ‘hinter-boonies’ in many areas and it’s nothing new – it works there every day, so believe me, it’s ready if the infrastructure went away.

Now, if someone decided to attack some critical national infrastructure, in the scenario above, unlike living in a major eastern American city, ‘up there’ in those mountains, we’d have to hear about it on the radio to even know there was a ‘problem’ because it just would not have a lot of impact any time soon. In short – ‘it’ works without major infrastructure, commercial power, Internet central facilities or even a single congressman. (Thank God!) OBTW – long range sailors (I used to be a minor one…) communicate in a very similar manner. I just received an e-mail over radio with friends sailing near Tasmania, so I can guarantee that it works from the Tasman Sea, so it’s much easier to talk with friends and family in a three State area.

Let me close with some thoughts:
1. TAPRN is having a good effect, so let’s keep it up.

2. Other nets springing up are not a threat, they are an enhancement.

3. The MOST important net members for YOU are usually those closest to you. Mutual assistance is more difficult with distance. –but-

4. Being able to communicate outside of your area during local/regional infrastructure failure is very handy for exchanging health & welfare messages with friends & families (your own and others) This importance more-then-doubles for those who support county EOC, the Red Cross shelters &etc.

5. If your focus is a ‘Johnny Rambo versus the U.S. Government’ , full-on WAR scenario, I really have nothing encouraging to say about the odds of your survival unless you are a highly experienced Special Forces Communicator. (GOOGLE “18E”) That is a pipe dream, so let’s just hop past that.

6. Privacy in communication is actually easier and more legal than you may know. Many digital ARQ modes use file compression. A station not LINKED in full ARQ sees only garbles. Such a message is very, very difficult for the average radio person to intercept and read because unless they capture every single packet and then decompress it, it looks like garbles. Sending a compressed Word file is perfectly fine, (maybe even as a password protected file?). It’s not really CRYPTO, but then again, what are our actual needs? //Then again, if the world is in total pandemonium then passing cipher text IS like passing any other message or file.//

7. For emergencies, think MESSAGES not ‘talking’. It’s a different mind-set and efficiently passing message traffic is a skill requiring training and practice.  We’ll do some of that in future, I am sure.
For now, let’s meet on air, build the network(s), discuss, test, try, twist wires, operate from field locations with EZ-up antennas, mobile radios (BTDT), adapt, train and learn what suits our needs and generally hope that we never have to use this as more than an enjoyable training tool with radio friends, and remember …

The weakest radio message, slowly received in Morse code beats
walking 500 or a thousand miles in winter, to deliver a note!”

‘See’ You On The Radio.

DE Ray …_ ._
W7ASA

Greetings all!!! It has been awhile since I’ve posted but Buddie the Road Dog and I have been busy supporting the Pringles Potato Chip fans out there!!!! We have been to Idaho, Nevada, and New Brunswick Canada in the last several weeks hauling potato flakes. I managed to get caught up in the seasons first snow storm as I ruptured a water line 60 miles west of Rawlins Wyoming. And I should say 60 miles west of any civilization!!!! Luckily, I was able to fashion a temporary repair and after filling the truck with every last drop of water that I had on board plus some water given to me by a friend that I was running with I was able to get to Rawlins and grab a water line and make the repair correctly. The delay let the snowstorm and wind catch us. It wasn’t bad by western standards but being the first snow we saw of the season, it was interesting never the less.

I have signed up on another of the “wonderful” social media offerings available. I am known as mopar840 on twitter. I am still trying to figure it out on my smartphone as this is written, but I figured, if ya can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. I am just concerned that many will depend on these mediums, like Facebook and other internet based comms that will go away much quicker than radio based comms in times of disaster, or other emergency.

I may be home Sunday for the voice net, and that depends on my schedule. So if anyone can NCS, be sure to post up and make the announcement!!! Once again, THANKS To all that have stepped up and grabbed the reins recently!!!!! It is much appreciated!!!!!!

73
Dave, K7DLB
Facebook Bulldog8265@gmail.com
Twitter mopar840

Well, we had a pretty nice group Sunday evening! We had to slide up to 3.820 so as to not interfere with our neighbors, but the TAPRN folks found us OK. We had a new NCS, and it was Werner, KC2AXU who took the bull by the horns, and did a mighty fine job keeping everyone on topic, and in line. His topic for the evening was “battery powered communications”. Signals started out fairly strong, but in a short time propagation changed, and comms came to an abrupt skid. I believe at least one station was a first time check-in to the APRN, and we hope he received a warm welcome from our group! If you missed the net, you can look along the right side of this page, and click on the listen live button, then try to find recordings that were made on 12-04 on 3.820 MHz, thanks to KD8FDF, you can listen to the net at your leisure!!!!

Check-ins were:

KC2AXU (NCS)
W7ASA
KD0MOQ
KA2DRE
AC0BG
KJ4ZYL
KK4CZO
W0ECM
KI4DKS
KC8HXO

See you next Sunday evening!

respectfully submitted,
Greg Schippers, KC8HXO