Ham Radio For SHTF Communication | This Will Work When Everything Else Fails 

If you want to have reliable communication during an emergency, the only service that will be 100% is amateur radio/ham radio. Let me know if you have further questions.

I am a General ham liscense holder. You did an absolutely terrific job of explaining ham/amateur radio, its uses, and capabilities in the event of SHTF. Great video!

Also, I’m a new Ham operator in Idaho USA. I bought a Yaesu FT-991A and a piece of wire from Lowe’s. I made a dipole antenna for 20m and talked to a guy in North Carolina. Amazing and simple.

I am a trade qualified electronics engineer. I am also a prepper. Your video has convinced me to get my foundation licence in the UK. I had been watching bits on ham radio, but your summary was bang on the money. They have just raised this to 25 watts. With 25 watts I can reach other and probably get around the world at night. Went back and tried CB radio and have been disappointed with it. Last time I used it was in the 70s. CB seems dead in the UK. Just a great video simply put great job.

Some folks might wonder why they'd want to talk around the world when the SHTF... I want to say that during Covid, I was playing Scrabble on my phone with random opponents, of which a good share of them lived beyond the US, primarily in the UK and SW Pacific. It was really interesting to hear how they were enduring the pandemic... most of their countries were far more restrictive than ours. I can imagine in a SHTF situation that reaches far beyond our borders; it will be helpful to reach out with HF radio from deep within our borders to find out what the true reality is.... rather than just what we perceive reality to be based upon our local sources. I suppose if I lived in the northern or southern states, I could even reach Mexico or Canada with VHF. This is another way in which the pandemic experience was a dry run... in that case, for SHTF comms. Thank you for your thoughtful presentation, Swede.

The great thing about getting your HAM license and meeting other HAMs is that you'll learn how to use these radios and understand how they work. Many people think they will just buy one of these things, turn it on and it just works, are in for a big surprise.

Excellent video, I just passed my tech and general still learned a lot from video thank you.

I'm a brand new ham, love getting into the hobby, and this is yet another reason to get into the hobby! 73 from KF8AGU!

Just payed the fee to the FCC and waiting for my paperwork after passing my Tech&Gen. I appreciate your content. Looking forward to more HF & SHTF videos.

As I’ve told you Glen’s grandpa was a ham radio operator for decades. He was also a communication technician during WWII stationed on a north west location in Canada. Life long friendships were made world wide. So fun. This seems to be a hit for you Rich!

I am studying for my ham lics in a few weeks. I am only a low-level prepper but I enjoyed your presentation just for general knowledge. I think you did a great job. It was not disjointed at all. I visuals on the antennas along with the frequency info were great. THANKS!

Noobie here. Learned more basics in the last 23 minutes than I've gleaned from most SW channels (NPI) in the last 23 weeks. Thanx. Am subbing right after I post this.

I hold both a GMRS and amateur radio licenses. The GMRS license requires no testing, apply and pay the fee. The Baofeng UV5R HT is an excellent place to start for a ham radio, I have two of them. BTW, I am a Yeasu fan, I just picked up an FTM500 and love it! 73!

Yep. What you say. One of the first questions I had when working on getting my tickets was how are we really supposed to use this radio for real emergencies. How are we to know which frequencies and what time to be on the radio with friends, families and pertinent others. From the answers, or lack of I quickly realized we would suffer from our lack of preparedness. This is the time to practice and know how to utilize our resources. Thank you sir.

I’ve learned more during this video than I have in watching 200 others. You’ve answered the questions I have had for a long time and generally not had them explained. BASIC stuff was what I needed. Many thanks.

Best basics ham video much more eloquent than what others put out, you kept it at the perfect level of depth without overwhelming the viewer, something others fail at miserably, these videos need to be explained like we’re five years old.

I have been a radio amateur (extra class) since 2015 as one of about a dozen hobbies, half of which include prepping of some sort. It is a great distraction that you can do in your home and has a lot of activities both on the air and with clubs and hamfests. After getting the 3 amateur exams out of the way, I took the 6 FCC Commercial (GROL, GMDSS, T, Radar) within 6 months just to see how deep the rabbit hole went. I started in CB and REACT in the 70's but now I enjoy HF the most since it is good for very long distance. It may have helped a bit that I was Comm/Nav in the USAF in the early 80's. 73 de KI1Y, Central Florida.

Great video. You hit all the points needed to explain this hobby. Not too deep but not shallow by any means. You also drove home the concept “Its too late to start reading the book on how to swim when the ship is going down.” Well done sir. 73 de KD3E

What a great video! You answered a lot of questions that I had about ham radio!

Nice explanation Rich! You’ve been a great resource for me on this subject! 73

Good job keeping it simple. I’ve noticed a big uptick of people on social media wanting radios for prepping reasons. Most have limited or no radio knowledge. The availability of cheap Chinese radios and their deceptive marketing is at least partially fueling this. The good thing is that at least some of them can be recruited into the hobby with some exposure to it. The more people we can get licensed , the bigger pool of resources we will have should an emergency occur or even just for the betterment of the hobby in general. Keep stressing that getting licensed and actually using the radio is how you will become better prepared should an emergency actually arise. There’s a mindset among some that they don’t need a license, since they will only operate under emergency rules. If you truly want to be prepared, you need to practice your skills and a license is how you get on the air when there’s no emergency and practice. For future videos you could show some simple ideas for very basic antennas and radios. Maybe a beginners set up that’s portable? Any way keep up the good work. 73’s!!!

thanks! good info on ham radio..more power!

Thank you very much for this video. Very helpful to me!

Going for my ham. Love this video, learned mo more in this video then the the last 20 ham vids I've watched. Please make more thank you.

Thank you- most information to get someone going!!!

Thanks! Excellent video for general information about HAM radios.

Thank you so much for this video, direct. and to the point!

Excellent info. Thank you. 73!

This is fantastic Rich! Yes sharing out!

Thank you for the introduction to ham radio. I may have to watch again (and again).

Great video! Thanks for for all the information!

Thank you !!! I know now what I really need.

Thank you! I’m retired, been a prepper since 1972 to mitigate job loss. Since retiring, a prepper for SHTF. Early in career, a sales guy for Motorola C&E division (business 2-way). Much knowledge lost. Trying to remember. Your video was very helpful, bringing back some knowledge. I need more info to revive my knowledge base, but don’t k ow what I don’t know. I need time to contemplate scenarios for my wife and myself. Much appreciated! God bless.

Great video! Very cool! THANK YOU!

I just got my technician license. Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

I've had a good comment from someone in a State Forest (MN) about my setup for POTA (Parks on the Air) for emergency communication. I use a small radio that can do about 5 watts on 3 or more HF bands and a portable vertical antenna or simply a wire in a tree. If one runs CW (Morse Code) then the radio can be even smaller. It is amazing the amount of information that can be shared. For POTA I typically make about 11 contacts all over the US in about 30 minutes. The last time for me included a station in a park in Poland.

Excellent information. Thank you Sir!

extra class here and love. your vids

In my church there has been an occasional push to get a HAM license... then folks just buy an HT, and they tune in but seldom if ever hear or talk to anyone. They soon give up and assume it is a dead hobby. Yet so many people have thousands of dollars invested in guns & ammo, food supplies, bunkers, etc. But they're only willing to spend $40 for a pair of Baofengs. HTs have their place... in a crowded event in a small area, like a festival or amusement park... or searching the mall or park for a lost kid... or going door to door checking on flood victims. SOMEBODY has got to have a 25 to 50w mobile or base-station. "Might as well be me!" But there needs to be a network of activists willing to put down $500 for the equipment. To me, good comms is a lot more important than guns and ammo. I expect we'll be coordinating relief efforts in the community long before we need to hunt for food or shoot looters. Besides, in urban America the wild life won't last a week. Queue Aesop's story of the ants and the grasshopper.

Thumbs up and a new subscriber! Found your channel from this video. I’m a relatively new amateur technician and have been on the GMRS side for a while. Comfortable with what I can do, who I can reach, and nearby repeaters on 2 meter / 70cm.. now just looking more into HF. Would love additional videos. I’m also a homesteader, so I’ll watch some of your chicken and gardening videos as well.. we do both of those too. 73s!

You did a very good job. That gives anyone a general understanding of how amateur radio works and what you need to do. Thanks for the video.

You’re absolutely a great job describing and appreciating your words s h t f ! Thanks looking for more videos 🦿🇺🇸

Thank you, by the way you have a great location for this hobby , greetings from the Netherlands !

This was awesome tutorial I wish I had you around when I was looking for my radio. I did get a Wouxun KG-UV7D and a Abbree 34in gooseneck antenna for it and I also have a pair of Midlands GMSR I would use more for close quarters. I was one of those ones who thought that all I had to do was get the radio I was set but I did know I had to get the license. Thanks for showing your set up and what each equipment is used for that was very helpful. Well done Rich! 👍🏾 I would love to see more ham videos thanks.

Thank you for this wonderful information.Just going through the learning process to get my license.You solved several questions i had.Thanks again and waiting for more.God bless.

Amazing! It sounds like a lot of fun. But the people you would want to get in touch with in an emergency, would have to have access to a radio, too.

Thanks for the video! I’m a newb to amateur radio technician and I enjoyed your summary. Been thinking about the next step and I also like yaesu

good job, I really enjoyed this and learned a few things

The detail here was wonderful. I now know the basic differences between radios and antenna options. Please make more videos on ham radio 😊

Great info! Thanks much!

thank you ... great video

Thanks for the video. If the SHTF having a license (or not) won’t matter . . .

Well done Sir! Very inspiring, I'm studying for my Technician license since retirement... purchased my first Wouxun HT, obtained my GMRS license and testing soon for my Technician license here in Washington state. Thanks again for the inspiring video for this rookie... WSAW777.....73

very good video, professional yet understandable. 73's.

You did a great job! Getting ready to take my technician license soon. Thanks

Thanx....you kept it pretty simple and to the point. Studying for Technician now. Yep, SHTF

Thanks. I am impressed.

Very informative, and explained everything well. I've been really thinking about getting into ham / ameture radio.

Great job of summarizing amateur radio for communication. 73, K1MLG

Excellent video thanks for making it I have been wanting a ham for along time now after watching this you sold me and I followed you I also have chickens and small garden on 5 acres in Michigan middle of the thumb area thanks again

Great and very helpful video!!

great video, thank you

73's from the UK , Im just doing my foundation training and hope to be on the air soon , i had ssb lsb am fm back in the 80's and 90's and made some great contacts , Great hobby for the right people...Great Video sir i have subbed and i will check your other videos to aquire more info 👍73

Nice video wanting to get into ham, learned. a lot thank you

After listening to this I would love to know why gmrs instead of FRS also, Id love to know more about CB's I think that CB's and FRS radios have the advantage of being able to be distributed to the neighbors in an emergency. It seems like hams can probably better communicate with the military or first responders better. Love the channel.

thank you, pretty interesting, yes more info would be great, new sub here. nicely explained. 73

Out of the videos on here your made more sense to me than 20 other ppl put together!!! I love learning about ham , but it's over my head at this point in time I'm learning slowly!!!!! I have the home protection down !!!! I just wanted to say u done a good job and I respect that !!!!! I can tell win a man knows what he's talking about !!!!

Very good, thank you sir!

Well done. You should do a series on this topic.

Outstanding job! It amazes me the number of experienced Ham Radio operators trying to make an "introduction" video who start out talking about "making QSO's on the 20 meter band" (or some similar nonsense) while clueless to the fact the people they're talking to have no idea what a QSO or a 20 meter band are. So good job for recognizing that, and for not trying to explain a month's worth of learning in ten minutes. One thing I would like to add is that with the 991A radio you showed, it can also be programed to communicate on GMRS and Family Radio Service (FRS) frequencies/channels. FRS is the radio you might have played with as a kid. (I'm still new to this so don't know the capabilities of other base-station type radios and if they can be programmed like this also.) I live halfway down a street one mile long street that's several miles outside of town - and though I haven't done it yet, I plan to tell my neighbors that if they want to pick up a cheap FRS radio to have in case of emergency (like the "snowpocalypse" we had in Texas a couple of years ago) we can work out a system for checking in with each other at designated times. They might not be able to all talk with each other, but I'm sure they can all reach me via the antenna I have mounted on a 30 foot high pole.

I hold an extra class license, I beg to differ, on those radios. Because I've talked all over the world with handhelds. But when I was a technician class, I to worked stations. But I do agree with you one hundred percent . On what you explained. 😅😅

I want one of these! No idea how to use them or even what to buy. Love that you’re sharing this info! 😊👍❤️

Just great exp and video.

Wow that's very informative and interesting 👏

Excellent! You introduced amateur radio in a non-threatening and not overly techie manner. Bet you're an amazing Elmer.

Great video, I just subscribed. I am trying to work with others here in Hawaii who say they want to be prepared, but they only have their Baofeng radios, to try to teach them about how effective radio communications work and that their little HT just isn't going to cut it, lol.

Thank you for this info!!! I am currently exploring the world of ham and possible int'l TX options, and yes the licensing to accompany

Thanks, great job from one who's preparing to buy something. I almost got into Ham radio when I was ~15 (now I'm 83). My older brother was an operator then (W5ISZ)

Ham is the way to go. Agree. Start simple. Go get your Technician license. Get a dirt cheap Baofang to carry around and 50w VHF/UHF mobile and set it up in your home with an antenna at least 25 ft up. Learn when and where the local nets are on. Get used to talking to other hams. They will help you along. After about 6-12 months, go get your General license. Then it really opens up for you. Get an FT-990 or an ICOM 7300 which is what I prefer for HF. I put up a simple 40m HWEF antenna. It can do 40, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 and 6m. 30m with an external tuner. Very easy to put up. I can talk around the world when conditions are good. Then get another VHF/UHF mobile for the vehicle and a better hand held 😂. By then, it is time to upgrade the antennas. Then, add a tuner and amplifier. Ha, it never ends. 😂😂😂

Great video. It was enough to make me both subscribe and start looking into getting my license.

Thanks for the reminder, I need to renew my license (general class). I moved a couple of years ago and I haven't set up anything yet. 73!

Great video!!! I just got my general on April 10 after being a tech for 20 years. I deployed a dipole on my front yard and used my tail gate on my truck for a table and BAM, I was on the air in about 15 minutes on 20 meters. Simple antenna are great!!!

Great video. General license here for about 3 years and just getting rolling with things. A video on how you set up and grounded that nice antenna farm would be awesome.

Really great vid for someone with renewed interest in HAM radio.

Fantastic!

As a Ham, and just finding this video, Very Well Done! 73!

I am a novice! Great information. Thank you!!!

I thought your video was an excellent introduction to Amateur radio! Just the right level of detail and simplicity for people new to the topic. Just recently I became an annual member of The American Radio Relay League AARL which gives you year long privilages for educational videos to use in conjunction with the AARL books you mention to study for your HAM license. There are also educational videos on ARRL to learn more about electronics, antennas and many other subject areas beyond just getting licensed. I have the AARL Technicians study book, Fifth Edition now, will study, take the test and pass the Technician level licensing test. It is then needed to move on to the General book and licence to have High Frequency "HF" Shortwave Radio band privilages allowing for worldwide communication. I'm really looking forward to the human connections and friendships that can be made. Fantastic job with this video as an introduction to this wonderfull hobby!

Thanks

I'm a long time prepper since about 1990. I have bought a lot of radios... Yaseu, Icom, Beofeng and others (about 12) .Earlier this year I bit the bullet and got my Tech in March, General in May and Extra in June. I have yet to make a call on those radios. I am a good test taker but need experience now. Thank you for your presentation. Well done ! Do more of these ! I just subbed ....73's from KN6ZAQ

I'm excited to see the HAM community growing rapidly at the moment. The 'tactical' and 'prepping' communities are currently getting on board with licensing and learning, and encouraging people not to wait until something happens before learning what needs to be learned. Excellent video. I thank you for making it and encourage all to at least get their Technician level license and then actually begin using the information. Don't let it sit. A great place to get started is Parks on the Air (POTA). Cheers to all.

Ive never considered this Rich. Like you said it's good to be prepared. Not very techy myself but something to look into !! As usual, great info. Cheers J&C 🌱🤞👍🇸🇪🇺🇸

Excellent video! Down to earth approach, attitude and explanations. Nice to get an overview by an 'old hand' who clearly is more interested in sharing knowledge than trying to impress others. As you indicated, this great hobby is simple yet complex, but very do-able. Sharing knowledge from your many years of experience is appreciated and will really benefit those of us who are just getting started. This is what the world needs. Subbed. Thanks. Edit: and by 'old hand', I meant no insult, only that you have some time-honored, valuable years of experience that I can put stock in- nothing to do with age! Just wanted to be clear on that!

Well explained. You are correct, I think most preppers have Baofengs that they dont even know how to use. Thanks for the video and your great setup. Cheers 73

Great job for newbies to get it... I have the crushcraft ma5b can't wait to put up my tower summer 24 with ftdx5000.

General here. Great vid!

Well done! The gear AND at least some experience running it. Have to learn how it works, and the trickery of nature too. :D

Wonderful job of explaining this in a very short time. I've been licensed for +20 years and get overwhelmed trying to explain to "preppers" the difference between ham radio and other services; especially with the recent explosion of the Baofeng radios everywhere.

I wish I would’ve ran into this vid two years ago. Thanks for the info.

In 1957 I went down to the Cincinnati FCC office and was a reader for my older blind brother. He passed his Gen. on the first try. I got my Tech in 1977 in San Dieo and in 1979 I got my Advanced Ham License. I liked your explaining the handhelds have a limited range. You should also mention that Most HF rigs use 12vdc not 120vac. 73 W6CEF