74 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
74 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
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Section [4]: Tactical Radio Communication Equipment
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By: Thomas Icom/IIRG/Cybertek
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Reliable communications equipment is essential to any group's
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activities, whether you're doing a simple trashing run, or coordinating the
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defense of an area. Fortunately, there exists a wide range of readily
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available, inexpensive equipment so even "technologically challenged"
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organizations can play.
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All the equipment mentioned is available at your local Radio Shack, so
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procurement won't be a hassle. While not "state of the art" by any means,
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it nevertheless still works. If you need something more advanced, then
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either recruit a commo specialist, or learn yourself.
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We'll start with CBs. CBs have 40 channels available for use, and are
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available anywhere. With a standard 3-5 watt handheld, you can expect a 1-5
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mile range, occasionally reaching out to 20 miles or more. With a better
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antenna (base station), you can expect a maximum reliable range of 20-30
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miles, depending on terrain and interference from other stations.
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The main problem with CBs is that everyone has one. As a result,
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security of unencrypted communications is lacking, and interference can be
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severe. The interference problem can work to your benefit, however, by
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hiding your group's communications. If you use a good code to make your
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group's communications sound like all the other CB'ers in your area, your
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communications will be quite secure. Another advantage of CB's common
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availability is that possessing them raises no eyebrows.
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If you start with some better quality CBs, and then acquire a commo
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specialist or some commo knowledge, you can modify your equipment for higher
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power output and more channels. This will increase your range and security.
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Another good-entry commo unit, suitable for intra-group communication
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while on a "run", are the 49 Mhz. headset/"hands-free" units. They are
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inexpensive, and typically have a 1/4-1/2 mile range. These are good to
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give to each member of the team so you all stay in touch should you loose
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visual contact of each other. Their short range offers good security for
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tactical purposes, but you might have interference problems in suburban or
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urban areas because they use the same frequencies as cordless phones and
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wireless "baby monitors". If you decide to purchase some of these units,
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make sure you get the ones with multiple channel capability, such as the
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Radio Shack #21-407.
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Taking a step into more professional equipment, there are the VHF and
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UHF business band handheld radios. These radios have anywhere from one to
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six (or more) channels, and put out one to five watts. With a five watt
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radio and a decent antenna, you can easily achieve a 50 mile range under the
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right conditions. They also use FM transmission as opposed to CB's AM mode,
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resulting in a clearer signal.
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They are not without their disadvantages. For starters they are
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expensive. Low end units start at $100 apiece. The off-the-shelf units are
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also equipped with common low-power frequencies called "garbage channels" by
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certain individuals in the industry. In a lot of areas these frequencies
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are as bad as CB. One such frequency, 154.6 Mhz, (Which incidentally is
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also the frequency that comes with The Radio Shack VHF Handheld.) is
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commonly used by McDonalds for their order windows. While one can change
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frequencies, this does take some electronics knowledge, or the assistance of
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a technician. Again unless you have a cool friend in the industry, this
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might be a problem, as most shops won't change crystals unless you are
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licensed for the frequency.
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If you spend more money, you can get user-programmable radios that are
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more versatile. You'll then be able to find a nice quiet channel somewhere
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for your activities. Programmable radios start at about $300 a piece.
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One thing you should definitely NOT DO is get some ham rigs and start
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operating on ham frequencies. Hams are a territorial lot, and if they
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suspect unlicensed operation on their frequencies they will track it down
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just for the hell of it.
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One thing you should definitely do is use a verbal code system when
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transmitting. This will greatly improve your security no matter what type of
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communications you use. Avoid using things like Pig Latin, or words that
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realistically describe your group.
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This article just barely scratches the surface of this topic.
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If you're interested in further info, send us mail on the Rune Stone.
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I also suggest getting a copy of the ARRL Amateur Radio Handbook from the
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American Radio Relay League, Newington, CT. It contains a wealth of
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information; although you'll need some electronics knowledge to understand
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the material.
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