Radio Free Redoubt: When Ham Radio is Banned and Non-Permissive Comms Environments Part-3

The following recording is from Radio Free Redoubt Episode 22-40 When Ham Radio is Banned and Non-Permissive Comms Environments Part-3.

  • Assessing Communications goals
  • HF Renaissance in the US Army (Review)
  • Introduction to NVIS for HF
  • Antennas and Learning Your Footprint  (are you meeting your goals?) 
    • WSPRNet
    • PSKReporter
    • VOACAP
  • ATAK/CIVTAK battle tracking/incident tracking
  • Polarization of antennas on VHF (vertical vs horizontal)

Assessing your communications goals.  What are you hoping to accomplish?:

In a WROL (Without Rule of Law) environment, what types of communications do you see yourself conducting, out of necessity?

Local:

  • Voice only, for quick coordination with others?  Digital/data mode capabilities for more in-depth intelligence and reports sharing?

Regional (up to 400 miles)

  • To an individual (family member or friends) just to stay in touch and check on their welfare, or supporting regional operations?
  • Welfare vs. Operational vs. Strategic communications
  • Voice vs. Digital modes

Continental (Intermediate to long range / 400 miles and  beyond):

  • To an individual (family member or friends) just to stay in touch and check on their welfare, or supporting regional operations?
  • Welfare vs. Operational vs. Strategic communications
  • Voice vs. Digital modes

Why will you be communicating? 

  • You and a family member (you and your brother), or multiple groups of family members or friends?
  • Mutual support, coordination and sharing of intel and coordination between multiple organizations?
  • Strategic communications supporting command and control for leadership to coordinate supplies.

Ask yourself, and answer these questions: 
– Who is it that I intent to communicate with?
– What is the purpose for our communicaitons?
– Why is this a permissive operating environment?

– Who is establishing the rule that I cannot communicate?
– Enforcement.  Who can stop me and what are their capabilities?  What type of threat do they impose?

  • Is it a local criminal or revolutionary element that’s forcing hams to work for them, or attempting to locate hams to take their equipment for their own use?
  • Is it low-intensity conflict, with skirmishes between rival factions with no RDF (radio direction finding) or jamming capabilities?
  • Is this a civil war, or an invasion, with portions of your country under enemy control?
  • Are you caught in hostile/occupied territory?
  • If you are in friendly territory, does your side have air superiority or air defenses?  Are you within, or outside of, artillery range (close to a border or forward edge of a battle line) ?
  • Is the threat/enemy force technologically advanced with RDF, jamming, or guided weapons capabilities?

All these things have to be factored in to your decision making and risk assessment processes.