DMR ... RTFM ... WTHeck

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50ShadesOfDirt

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Jun 11, 2021
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As I purchase and ponder my way thru Digital Mobile Radio (DMR ... there, the first acronym is free) there's lots to figure out, including a sea of acronyms. As an IT guy, I love acronyms, including the last one in the title, which is invariably my first response to most anything new! I almost think in acronyms ...

As others do, I consider COMMs an important part of the homestead, and it's good to be ready with alternative COMMs *if* things go south (nuclear, biological war ... even "war of the roses" stuff, as in my wife kicks me out). All of these rate as a catastrophe to be ready for to some degree, with some more likely than others.

HAM radio is my answer to COMMs for these catastrophes, and DMR is my current venture into HAM radio. Being rural, it is also my solution for that "last mile" problem ... I can't reach anybody very well over analog radio, and the nearest repeater is many miles away. Physics (trees, foothills of the Rockies, etc.) is *temporarily* in charge in my area ... I'm just not getting on the air. I do have internet, though ...

... lots of reading later, I now have a DMR ID. From here on out, though, it appears that money is required ...

"In theory", it should be as simple as purchasing a DMR HT (I chose a Baofeng DMR-6X2, from BaofengTech) and a DMR Hotspot (multiples to choose from, so much more reading and researching ... I've now got a Pi-Star model), and I should be able to get to the entire world from this rural location! If I've read things right, I don't even need to put up "YAA"!

Everything is lined up in front of me, but no matter how close to each other I push them, nothing's happening. OK, proximity doesn't seem to be enough ... more RTFMing.

While I get through all that reading, I also need to think about what to do with this stuff (my wife always wants these expenditures to be justified ... how silly). My justifications, I think, will be:

1. lurk world-wide, instead of just local ... should be more on the air stuff. The tie-in for her would be "you can facebook, without the facebook phone" or some such.

2. hook up (somehow) with fellow homesteaders or prep-savvy folks. This is always harder to actually do, as one of our prep rules is OP-SEC (don't tell folks what you're doing). So, some kind of code-word is needed. ZR (zombie-ready), CSR (common sense readiness)? Anyone got anything better?

Future posts will hopefully show more progress towards getting on the digital airwaves ... got those acronyms decoded yet? And yes, the censor system changed the last acronym of my thread title ... you'll have to use your imagination for the banned acronym.
 
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Just throwing this out for consideration: get your General license, then, to keep your wife happy, pick up a used HF rig or a new Xiegu G90 (or similarly inexpensive radio). Horizontally-polarized antennas don't care about hills and other line-of-sight obstructions. You can use voice or digital modes (eg: JS8) and keep it purely radio - no internet required.

You can still continue to get DMR working - and maybe set up your hotspot to bridge from DMR to D-Star and/or Fusion. Keep all your options open. :)
 
During a catastrophe, ham radio may indeed be useful. But what will be around is going to be analog simplex, not digital, and not repeaters. Unless your catastrophe is very small in a very limited area. Digital gains you nothing without the internet and required control infrastructure, neither of which will be around in a catastrophe.

With analog VHF/UHF you possibly have the ability to talk to neighbors within a few miles with no infrastructure needed (although a working repeater would be nice). With HF, you possibly have the ability to talk to folks hundreds/thousands of miles away. With good line of sight, VHF/UHF is a pretty reliable communications method. However, HF mostly bounces things off the ionosphere and I would not consider it a reliable way to communicate with any specific person. One day that person may be loud and clear, the next day you can't raise them. You are very dependent on atmospheric conditions.

As far as OPSEC, per FCC rules ham transmissions cannot be encrypted or even obscured (i.e., using code words). You might say, "During a catastrophe I will simply ignore that rule and encrypt/code-word my transmissions anyway." And you could technically do that. But then, you would have had to prearrange encryption keys/code-words for that to work. And even if you did prearrange things, that would leave you with a very limited audience to talk to.
 
During a catastrophe, ham radio may indeed be useful. But what will be around is going to be analog simplex, not digital, and not repeaters. Unless your catastrophe is very small in a very limited area. Digital gains you nothing without the internet and required control infrastructure, neither of which will be around in a catastrophe.

With analog VHF/UHF you possibly have the ability to talk to neighbors within a few miles with no infrastructure needed (although a working repeater would be nice). With HF, you possibly have the ability to talk to folks hundreds/thousands of miles away. With good line of sight, VHF/UHF is a pretty reliable communications method. However, HF mostly bounces things off the ionosphere and I would not consider it a reliable way to communicate with any specific person. One day that person may be loud and clear, the next day you can't raise them. You are very dependent on atmospheric conditions.

As far as OPSEC, per FCC rules ham transmissions cannot be encrypted or even obscured (i.e., using code words). You might say, "During a catastrophe I will simply ignore that rule and encrypt/code-word my transmissions anyway." And you could technically do that. But then, you would have had to prearrange encryption keys/code-words for that to work. And even if you did prearrange things, that would leave you with a very limited audience to talk to.
Come TETWAWKI would the FCC be a factor?

Just asking for a friend.

Ben
 
OPSEC, to me, was the prep rule of "don't reveal your preps, don't give away your address"; not encrypt conversation (although that is interesting).

I personally don't mind some kind of acronym going out that indicates I prep or homestead, as a means of identification to other preppers or homesteaders, but it didn't fly well with others who really wanted to observe that rule.

So, still looking for a way to indicate to similar-minded folks that we homestead/prep ... then there was the whole "community" debate. Gypsy "symbols" seemed reasonable, if we can create a homesteader version of it (vs hobo symbolism).

I agree with UHF/VHF in an emergency, so will never be giving up those older methods, even as I move more digital.

On encryption, planning in advance is a good way to go ... I'd probably just do a pre-exchange of keywords vs actual encryption of some sort. Just enough keywords that I can have a 2nd meaning to the words others hear. This should keep me within the letter of the law ...

Assuming I can find others in my area that are like-minded ...
 
Funny, but it need be nothing so nefarious ... just simple business-like words that everyone on the homestead will understand, and most others won't ... "20 is hugel-one" (if you speak permie). Businesses do this all the time ...
 

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