Short wave for a diaster? Please help

[tbirdclassic]

After talking to some Katrina guys I figured I need some Comm ability. Without info you SOL and not have any idea whats going on. I need a way to get info in a diaster. Short wave seems to be the solution. What other short wave forums have tons of info other than this one?

AM/FM is locally based and is only as good as the battery back up or generators allow. I figure satalite radio wont help me. its US based and subject to the battery and other limitarions of AM/FM.

Who is the top notch shortwave company? How far will a smaller portable one transmit? I live in Pa so where could I hear broad casts from? Do amatures transmit to give info on these as well?

How much can I expect out of a portable one? How much more reception will the CCrane have than the ETON? Will either get me to Canada from Pa or oversees?

This is nice but its not hand crank and relies on batteries.
C. Crane Company - CCRadio-SWPocket - Toll Free (800) 522-8863

Product Card

LOW-558 - Kaito VOYAGER Radio with Solar and Crank Weather Alert Multiband Radio with Cellphone and MP3-IPOD Charger

Should I get an AM/FM like this eton and get a seperate short wave? The eton combo is twice as heavy so maybe I will get better signal if I have one of each.
Product Card

Finally, if its worth it im willing to mount a larger unit in my vehicle. I am on the road alot and travel so I like to have info. Im spending time to up my comm ability. Just got a CB with an Antenna.
C. Crane Company - CCRadio-SW - Toll Free (800) 522-8863

Who makes the best short wave base station antenna and portable?
C. Crane Company - Kaito KA-33 Shortwave Active Loop Antenna - Toll Free (800) 522-8863

 

[ka3jjz]

tbird, let's split the thinking here along 2 distinct lines; getting local information, and listening in an emergency comm situation.

You are correct in saying that AM/FM stations may be compromised due to lack of power and equipment damage; however keep in mind that HF as a rule is more world wide in nature. You would be looking for local information sources, and with local broadcast stations compromised or completely knocked out, you need another source of information. HF broadcast stations would not be a prime source of information, as they are not concentrating on the disaster in one corner of the world.

Certainly having a AM/FM emergency radio at the ready is a prudent move, particularly if you are in tornado alley or in an area that's prone to other natural disasters. Do as your local law enforcement officials instruct, if you are unlucky enough to be involved in one. If you are just wanting to listen, there are many very good HF portables that run off batteries and are capable of sideband reception (where hams are very likely to be using it), and handheld scanners will easily cover almost any frequency a ham is likely to handle. We have LOTS of information on both in our wiki on these and many other subjects. For example...(anything in blue is a link)

http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Category:Receiver_Reviews

Most HF portables also cover AM and FM; you won't find many portables these days that cover only HF; the market for such radios simply doesn't exist in the US

73 (best regards) Mike

 

[tbirdclassic]

What is the top of the line scanner? Is the one I put of the best one possibe? What cant a scanner listen to thats close by? Can a scanner scan CB's and any form of radio communications other than cell phones?

 

[ridgescan]

I remember they set up a station on shortwave during Katrina-I am not sure if the AFRN did it but I listened ro it daily for a while-it was transmitting from New Orleans. Anyone else remember this? Anyways those CCranes are decent portables if you don't want to get too deepbut you are here inquiring so IMO you could get a nice communications receiver that does it all-they have some handhelds that cover the whole spectrum.

this is one example^^and this forum can get you hooked up with frequencies for it

 

[ka3jjz]

I would recommend against a receiver such as that. It's not a trunktracker, and in many areas, that's where public safety systems are going to be found. Granted that the system might not be on the air due to storm damage, but why limit yourself to another potential source of information if it is active? During the blizzard last year, our trunking system was up and running.

It greatly depends on the setup before the incident occurs, and what is being used during the incident. If it were me, a handheld digital trunktracker and a battery powered receiver such as the ICFSW6700G would be the tickets. As for antennas, I would not depend on a battery powered active antenna - anything to reduce the weight of what you are carrying along with you in a go bag is desirable, at least from the folks I've talked to on the subject. 20 or 30 foot or wire with an appropriate plug or a clip lead is simple and effective.

Besides separate radios for each app will usually perform a lot better than an all in one radio, unless you start getting up around the R7000 class radios.

73 Mike

 

[scanchs]

...Besides separate radios for each app will usually perform a lot better than an all in one radio, unless you start getting up around the R7000 class radios.

73 Mike

+1

...and even the R7000 isn't a trunktracker. I know because I have one. I agree with Mike that you're better off with separate radios if you want the best receiver for a given service. That's why you'll find that most "radio" people here have multiple radios of different types. They know that each one has it's own special value when a disaster strikes. Good luck on your search...

ScanCHS

 

[SCPD]

You know, this is a very interesting topic. I get a few mail order catalogues and inevitably they have some type of emergency radio, usually a hand-cranked job with a flashlight, cell phone charging jack, and AM/FM/WB/SW coverage.

Seeing these radios, I've often wondered why the manufacturers even bother to include Shortwave. Are you really going to get pertainent local disaster information over SW? How often have you heard any traffic on a portable Shortwave radio with a telescoptic antenna recently? I had a portable SW radio as recently as a few years ago and I rarely heard anything in the SW bands. I used it exclusively for AM/FM.

I've always felt the manufacturers of these emergency radios would be better to include VHF High rather than SW.

Most people who buy these radios aren't into the hobby like we are, but by giving them VHF high they could tune into their local 2 Meter HAM band at the very least and get decent local information should the AM/FM broadcasters be knocked off the air. They always say that HAMs are the last line of communications should everything else fail.

So do like they did on the old multiband radios back in the '60s and print on the dial "Amateur" in the 144-148 area, "Police/Fire" in the 153-156 area, "Marine" in the 156-157 area, etc. And in the owners manual, talk about these different frequencies and what the listener "might" be able hear in an emergency.

Obviously, with digital/encrypted, and depending on the area of the nation, you might hear a lot or very little on this type of a radio. But I guarantee, you'd hear a lot more pertainent local information with a radio of this type than with a SW receiver.

Dave
KA6TJF

 

[ridgescan]

I agree with Mike too I never thought about trunking. Maybe this would be a good candidate for the OP?
http://www.bearcatwarehouse.com/uniden-home-patrol.aspx
One thing I am glad about is having the IcomR75 in a disaster because I have been listening to milcom nets and they do practice training with state and local services for emergencies and that R75 just may come in handy.

 

[RadioDaze]

I've heard ads on the radio for the "CCRadio" and it's mentioned that you can tune in 2-meter VHF.

Based on some of the OP's other similar postings, I suggest that he get himself a Tech ham license and a nice HF/VHF/UHF rig. A lot of his questions will be answered in the course of that pursuit.

 

[k9rzz]

Obviously, if you're thinking disaster preparedness then, you'll want to cover all your bases. The disaster might not be weather, or earthquake. What if it's nuclear? or other war /' terrorist related and widespread? Certainly the US government is going to tell you only what they want you to know, so you may as well have a source of information from outside the walls as well. I would suggest a rock solid HF receiver like the Icom R75 that would allow you to hear AM broadcast, all the HF ham nets (international, national, and regional or state), shortwave broadcasts from Canada and around the world, and the CB bands which might be a great source of local information. In addition, you'd want a truck tracking VHF/UHF scanner (and maybe even digital too depending on whats used in your area) as well to get the public service side of things as well as VHF/UHF ham comms, weather broadcasts, and hopefully the FM broadcast too.

You _could_ do it with one broad spectrum radio, but I think you'll be better off with two pieces of equipment that would do a super job, rather than one piece of gear that does a so-so job all over.

Two radios and you'd have it all covered (except TV).

All battery power is nice, but be sure to have a way to recharge them without mainline AC, or I suppose gas generators. Wind? Solar? Bicycle?

All good stuff to think about!

 

[RadioDaze]

...you'd want a truck tracking VHF/UHF scanner ...

Cool, they make those?

Can you set it for the type of truck you're looking for? In a big emergency, I might want to hijack myself a beer truck. Gotta keep stocked, you know.

 

[ka3jjz]

That is way off topic for this forum, but yes, trunktrackers (not 'trucktrackers'...) are easy to get; however the digital trunktrackers are quite expensive. See this wiki article for more;

Scanning 101 - The RadioReference Wiki

Now back to HF topics...73 Mike

 

[ridgescan]

I think he was making a joke Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

Yeah, but RZZ wasn't - obvious typo 73 Mike

 

[jackj]

I don't think you will be able to find one radio that does it all (digital, trunk tracker, AM, FM, TV, etc.). With the advent of digital TV in the US of A, you might as well forget getting any info from TV during an emergency. Around 90% of the country will not have TV if their cable/satellite service is out. The type of emergency will dictate what you need to hear to get info as follows:

1. Local emergencies like hurricanes, tornadoes or earth quake will require a scanner to pick up police and fire departments. As others have said, the type of communication systems you want to monitor will determine what type of scanner you need. You will also need a good AM/FM radio for mass-market emergency info. These radios should be battery operated or be able to operate on batteries. You will also need either a large supply of dry cells for your radios or a method of recharging their batteries.

Almost all AM and FM stations have backup power generators so, if their antennas are still up, they will be broadcasting during an emergency.

2. Area-wide or national disasters will require all the items in 1. above plus a source of country-wide or world-wide info. This means a good shortwave receiver that will receive AM as well as Single Sideband. A portable will work well in this situation as it will give the best battery life. I have an old Radio Shack DX-390 that I still use for shortwave. It works pretty good with the built-in telescoping antenna and it has a BFO for CW/SSB reception. Don't worry about frequency coverage below the AM broadcast band, you won't get any info down there anyway.

Restoration of services will take a very long time in the case of area / country wide disasters. The ice storm in northern Kentucky a few years ago resulted in 10's of thousands of people without electric power for months. If you are planning on this type of emergency, you might want to plan on personal survival first and then how to obtain information.

 

[SCPD]

Cool, they make those?

Can you set it for the type of truck you're looking for? In a big emergency, I might want to hijack myself a beer truck. Gotta keep stocked, you know.

Oh Captain Oveur, you slay me!

Dave
KA6TJF

P.S. By the way, do you like movies about gladiators?

 

[RadioDaze]

Dave, have you ever been in a... in a Turkish prison?