Great Off-Grid Radio Reference Solution!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Website updated! It’s performs much better now. offgridweather.com/

[@silverlego2]

I had to come back here to see what was up because the old website has been down for days! Thanks for the update!! --KC1RFJ

[@BrandonNMRogue]

Hey quick question. Have you heard anything from Austin lately? I ordered one of these 2 months ago and he completely stopped responding to my emails about a month ago. The new website looks great, but even when I tried to reach out there I received an automated response saying that they would respond in 3 days and that was two weeks ago. I know that you aren’t responsible or associated with his company, but I’m hoping that you can help or at least be aware that he’s taking money then ghosting people.

[@angelscomputers]

Gosh, I like it a lot and probably will get one anyways but the $100 is kind of hard to swallow...

[@Cryo_Gen]

Yeh jesus christ. give us a 25$ pdf and we can bind it how we like it

[@gunny2444]

yeah!!! I've got the same system... Another option if you don't want to laminate is to use a Flight Crew Checklist "book". It is the old school plastic pouches you can change up or modify as you go. Thanks... Gunny

[@HolyPerformance]

HOLY MOLY $100...LOL

[@fredkantzer7638]

I looked at the guide when he was setting up his instagram page and wasn't sure how inclusive it was going to be. 18 (approximate) minutes of you flipping through the pages convinced me. I just ordered one. I've compiled field guides on rite-in-the-rain paper for other "hobbies" of mine and I have an idea of how much work this was.

[@jimdolson825]

The website was up for another dozen orders or so, but has crashed again. Tech-support is bumping the server up to the next level of capacity. If you try to get in and you can’t, please try again in about 15 minutes.

[@SNAFU_73]

Looks like the site is still down but I'll keep trying...definitely interested

[@jimdolson825]

@@SNAFU_73 The company that hosts the store has been less than stellar in resolving the issue. It is being worked on. It had been running fine for months. It was the extreme amount of traffic.

[@scottm6125]

I just tried to order and when I place my order i keep getting "Error: Sorry, you cannot access this resource. "

[@jimdolson825]

@@scottm6125 Tech Support from his store’s hosting company has been less than stellar :-(

[@tomklein3718]

It is back online this morning

[@nimcohen]

Nice product. This type of 6 ring binder is called ‘Filofax’. Used to be ubiquitous 30 years ago until everything went digital. 2:06

[@angelscomputers]

I don’t think is as low as $30 but not $100 either. Maybe between $50-$75 sounds more comfortable. Because you have to add shipping and tax too. Not everyone lives in California where a $100 it’s pretty much a $20 in the other states lol

[@angelscomputers]

ahhh, website cant handle all the traffic, no way to place an order, website crashing, everyone please slow down, one at a time! LOL

[@kevin-pk6hd]

Im honestly surprised this isnt an existing digital project in the ham community

[@NA12495]

Might be something out there, but my lunch my cell phone batter would be out and can't charge it fast enough when needed.

[@RyanMercer]

That's a bit spendy.

[@jrwjryan]

Great reference. I would scan the pages into a pdf and put on a gorilla usb for emergency reference. Or maybe austin could do that as a separate product?

[@kb9liq]

He will sell a bunch, just not to me

[@michaelmeadows5142]

I definitely feel that's a great concept as it's something I'd done when I 1st got my ticket (minus the different modules that I didn't think of at the time). Pricey, but I understand what goes into making such a project and wanting to pay yourself back for time invested. I'd suggest adding a package without the binder pricing (for individuals who already have a six ring binder), as well as a down-loadable package for similar cost. I didn't see a weather/SKYWARN reference module, so I'd suggest that as well.

[@angelscomputers]

Cmon, how about a coupon code for this community at $75 shipped? I’m in for one!!!!

[@jameslee522]

dangit josh, I think you broke his website!

[@Rusted_Link]

I've been working on this. I'm going to stop and buy this kit. Definitely worth my time to spend $100 instead of the hours and hours it would take. Thank you Austin

[@vicmiller7191]

I like the concept, but that price tag is a bit steep. $30 to $35 would be more affordable for many of us out in the field. Thanks for the info and report.

[@Rusted_Link]

This isn't just tacticool. This is TACTIPRACTICAL!

[@jakep5121]

How does this comment not have more likes?

[@Rusted_Link]

Thanks, I've been trying to buy it but the site is bogged. I've been working on this same set up but in a year of dabbling I only have frequencies for Florida 😢 Definitely worth my $100

[@oldsoldier181]

Oddly, was just discussing the old CEOI from when I was in the Army. This would, essentially, be the same thing....

[@shagitup]

Love the concept and appreciate the amount of work that went into it, but a $100 bucks? Maybe it’s just me, but that’s s pricey.

[@M0RMY]

This is really useful - very reminiscent of a TAM (Tactical Aid Memoire) we use in the military all the time. There is a market for a European version I am sure.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Very similar to that!

[@shellmaker10]

I think you crashed his website...funny. I tried to get one and it said server temporarily unavailable. Will try later.

[@jmac217x]

the TXT-to-EMAIL numbers you can use are sometimes blocked by the carrier, or by an application on the carrier phone. Get together with your family to ensure this method DOES work, or is turned off if you don't require it--spammers will often use this vector is the explanation to why it's typically switched off.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Good call, please test out all your comms options.

[@rrounds]

Can affirm it can be blocked or inconsistent- even with the same carrier.

[@tmo7734]

Josh, thank you for all your informative videos. You are clearly good at what you do and have a deep passion for amateur radio. Keep up the good work. 73.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Wow, thanks!

[@waynegodfrey4117]

For anyone hoping to buy this, beware. I placed an order on 8/7/24. I got an order receipt email and it's been radio silence ever since (2 weeks). I've tried three different emails with no response. I'm still hoping that it will show up, but that hope is fading.

[@BrandonNMRogue]

I just had to request a refund from my CC company on an order from 8/5/24. It’s starting to seem like he may be out of business? It really sucks because I did get my first order from April and it’s a damn fine product.

[@castle5711]

Definitely a good deal, for anyone that places any sort of value on their time.

[@marcdowns8347]

It appears the web site is still having issues. I'm getting "You can not access this resource" at checkout

[@StanDrumz]

Outstanding episode on the best piece of radio kit I have ever seen. Given the amount of time it would take to create something like this, it is a bargain.

[@SheepDog229]

I really like the idea. My only thought is to add tabs to it to easily find and turn to the section you want (but that is very minor). I will have to add this to the acquisition list.

[@brianwilliams8620]

Oh my god $100 no thanks keep it

[@veganaaron]

The amount of time it takes to complie something like this is not small. Think about it this way, what's your hourly rate at work? How many hours do you think it took to make this? Don't buy it fine, but don't complain about the price because this is a huge amount of info here and the time it took to compile it, proof read for mistakes then physically produce it. 100 bucks seems reasonable.

[@Aramalas]

I don’t have one, nor have I ordered one, but I look at things like this in terms of “how much is my time worth.” How long would it take me to build the templates, find the information, and make it easily accessible? I’m a perfectionist, so building this would take me a lot of time. I’d rather spend $100 because my time is a finite resource. I can always get more money.

[@brianwilliams8620]

Well its your own free time to do it don't charge people for your free time

[@Aramalas]

@@brianwilliams8620 I think you missed the point. I could use my free time actually playing with radios, skiing, or both. Or I could sit at a computer typing and compiling data. I’m going to go skiing right now so I can stay healthy and not die at a desk like most people inevitably will.

[@brianwilliams8620]

@@Aramalas I'm not going to pay for your free time am I

[@Blazerboyk9]

I can understand the price, I wouldnt buy it, but the time on a personal project and investment from the creator, the price does make sense.

[@UnfilteredHues]

Does anyone know a cheap budget version of blank sheets of rite-in-the-rain quality paper? It doesn't have to be that brand and I'd prefer it if it wasn't as their paper can be pretty pricy for just a couple notebooks. Thanks in advance.

[@RobertDurden]

Just looking at the Binder and 1 pack of the printer paper to fit it (Same/Same Material wise) is over $75 US at Amazon. so yeah the Value is there, even if its a little hard to splurge to that level.

[@ChaplainDaveSparks]

Interesting ... So if you are out in the boonies, QRP, and you need to get help during a contest, do you call *_"CQ MAYDAY"?_* As for printing on that _Rite in the Rain_ paper, I didn't know you could buy it in various sizes. Also, if you use an inkjet/laser printer, is *THAT* water resistant?

[@FerriteCrowe]

Less than $1/page? I've spent far more on far lesser products.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Good point!

[@UnfilteredHues]

I'm super new to the whole amateur radio world, what type of radio would someone need to be able to send Winlink requests?

[@emilydain919]

Has anyone actually received theirs? I ordered back in May and nothing. No response to emails either

[@Michaelebills]

I use 11x8.5 color laser Write in the Rain paper... I print as booklet and cut in half...

[@shawnstimson239]

Mine just came in the mail. Great to see it on HRCC. It’s very nice, he’s thought of things to reference that I hadn’t thought of. A well made product. Worth the money if you look at the obviously large amount of time that went into making it.

[@heatherryan9820]

When you were going through all of those pages, and then showed how big it was. I thought it was going to be a lot thicker than it is, that seems really compact.

[@tchambers807]

outsourcing the majority of this task for $100 doesn't seem terrible

[@ScottyD]

Great guide but not for $100.00. If it were more affordable it would sell better. It's way overpriced in my humble opinion.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Are you in printing? Or is this your feeling?

[@ScottyD]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse I realize and appreciate it takes time to correlate the info in this guide (but once done it's done) and to manufacture the guide (binder+printing, etc) however $100 per guide has to be generating a pretty steep profit margin. In my humble opinion, it's overpriced. I did make my own similar guide about 6 months ago and it only took a few hours worth of work to collect and format the publicly available data to my liking and put it in a binder. So I am not just giving an opinion, I am giving my experience too.

[@ninja5672]

DON'T USE A RITE-IN-THE-RAIN PEN!!! Use a pencil. Then you can erase and change it later, if you need to and it is still waterproof.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Good call. Unless you want it to stick.

[@nxesr]

Would be way better if the writing on the left side of the binder was in white easier on the eyes and readable in low light.

[@mattstosh6960]

Always use PENCIL when writing on rite-In-the-rain paper. Never use Ink because it will bleed.

[@JimmyNewCakes]

The rite-in-the-rain pens don't, as well as other industrial pens.

[@kf7bws]

Cool, Expensive but probably worth it.

[@BRADH-xw8sw]

This is nice but over-priced. I have other things to drop $100 on - will wait until I win Lotto.

[@dougdukes1039]

What are the size of the pages? Is that a 5X7 ? Or different?

[@Ammed_KN6STX]

I purchased one a couple weeks ago. Very nicely made. Detailed video as always Josh!!!👍🏻

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@superhtml9463]

Where do I order it

[@EuropaChronicles]

I guess I should’ve be surprised by the amount of people complaining about the price, but I am. I already have too many projects and not enough time. For me to create something comparable to this would take me dozens of hours. That’s dozens of hours not shooting guns, hiking, mountain biking, taking photos, or learning new radio modes. $100 is absolutely worth it to me. If you’re a person that has way more time than money, then it probably makes sense for you to make your own.

[@EssexCountyPhoto]

For that money, I'd want it in A4 size!!!

[@Dirty_D_VBCE]

I’m a broke joke and cannot add this purchase to my budget, but I am willing accept one or two as a donation. Let me know.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Just make your own then.

[@joshua511]

Looks like a great product. My only request is that you kids stop saying "neesh". Niche is pronounced "nitch".

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Good choice in field manuals, bad choice in pronunciation, because you’re wrong. It’s Neeeeesh 🤣

[@justawfulgamer7738]

Thats like $30 cool, Not $100 cool.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

You can get the material for $30 but not collection of info or the backend systems. It’s easily $100 in value.

[@EuropaChronicles]

There’s definitely a time vs. money component to items like this. Sure, you could make this for cheaper than $100, but I think it would take up a lot of free time gathering all the info, typing it up, formatting it, printing, laminating, and putting it in a binder. Personally, I’ve got way too many irons in the fire already, so the $100 is absolutely worth it to me. If you’ve got tons of free time then go for it.

[@BenjaminHeyser]

​@@EuropaChroniclesI agree. It's a good value at $100, but if someone has the time and wants to do it on their own, go at it.

[@AlbertRasch-ev8uc]

Then go make one to sell for $30. You ought to be able to clean house!

[@garylanders1470]

My thoughts exactly.

[@bucksfer7039]

I got mine in last week and I agree 100% with everything you said. Well worth the $100 and I also got the Anytone radio condensed manual, with three other radio manuals requested. Highly recommend!

[@himesjon]

how many pages are in the anytone guide? was it helpful?

[@bucksfer7039]

@@himesjon There are 20 pages covering everything that's in the OEM manual. No pictures of course! The RITR paper is great and you can scribble all you want. Yes, helpful.

[@randlecarr3257]

Love my laminator!!!

[@catherinenoakes245]

Great Idea, does not work for me. Why, the print is too small, it needs to be at least 14 point.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Contact him. I believe he can do whatever you need.

[@kokohenker9439]

And now we need one for Germany.🤣

[@petermarin]

is there something like this for other regions? (other than us e.g. UK, other parts of Europe)

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Link is in the description. Reach out and ask the creator.

[@KeepEvery1Guessing]

The Dangerous Book for Hams?

[@angelscomputers]

Joke: is this Chameleon Brand? Gosh, between Chameleon stuff, the TH75 and this book I’m going to have to get rid of my 401k

[@buddydill5763]

@HamRadioCrashCourse have you heard of the AIOC cable? Thing looks neat, maybe fragile but useful none the less

[@warvamp2]

Hopefully the cost wi come down some. Maybe sell just the paper inside without the notebook. Or sell some of the chapters separate to make it a little cheaper. Or you buy it and if you have a prepper group or family they chip in to save a few $$ and you make a few copies for them but not to sell. Just my thoughts cool project though

[@buddyadelsberger5083]

99.00 for this NOPE

[@Jeff_369]

Wow!!! Nicely done.

[@johnclark2149]

Short Wave standards would be an awesome addition. I’ll check to see if that’s already a thing!

[@lerchmane]

Man your channel has changed my life, much love from MD! Also this product is amazing and im going to order one Friday if you didnt sell him out! Thanks for what you do! *Callsign incoming*

[@mstrickk1]

Saw a vague post about this on X earlier, site was down. Tried again a few times through the hour, not even knowing what it was. This is absolutely the coolest field book. Tons of great addons as well, and easy to replace what might be damaged or misplaced. Med stuff is nice too.

[@jayceew2j202]

My car my bug out my portable radio bag all have print outs on most things I would need and maybe forget. Good stuff

[@Sgt2881]

Josh, thanks for the video! Have you a way to communicate with Austin? His site is crashing and email is returning as non-deliverable.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Contact to let him know his website is crashing and email box is full? He knows. It’ll be back up.

[@Sgt2881]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse Thanks Josh!

[@kchaney56]

Just tried the link and got "Error 503. Service Unavailable"

[@CpuFixrMan]

Well, I tried to buy one. You all crashed the site. LOL I'll have to try later I guess.

[@WR3ND]

Yeah dude, pretty much any phone number with text messages can be e-mailed to and from with a standard e-mail address. Been messing with it for many years. Pretty neat. 73

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Ok 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@WR3ND]

I thought that's what you were talking about near the beginning of the video, that you hadn't heard of that. I was sharing in the excitement of it being neat.Cheers.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Guess it was the “yeah dude”. Thanks for sharing the excitement! I’ll give it a shot.

[@WR3ND]

I see. Yeah, It was more like a Ninja Turtle's "yeah dude" than a strung out stoner. 😅73

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Lmao. Context is lost on KZbin. 🤙

[@justaguy9496]

Hey whats up. So I'm going to a little island beach offshore for spring break and I'm taking comms for family members in case cells don't work. I'm thinking Baofeng UV-S9 Pro with some upgraded 15" whip antennas and a gmrs license for 10 years and we will be set while traveling. Thoughts?

[@jakep5121]

Usb c charging is a must. Also. Consider MURS. It's liscense fewer and only 5 channels. So if one of the kids bumps it, it's easy to find the right one.

[@scottforbes0]

This is great. One for the SHTF kit and one for the go bag.

[@kg4gav]

As someone that has done typesetting for commercial printing before, there is a LOT of hours that went into the formatting and design of these pages to get them to look the way they do, not to mention the information gathering. The Rite in the Rain paper for this size binder comes as 2 perforated pages on a carrier so the printer can feed it. That means each page has to be separated out and put in the binder by hand. It is also worth noting that for 110 pages and the binder, you are looking at about $35 in material, not counting the expendables for printing (toner, drum, printer wear and tear). So yeah, $100 is a bargain when you consider what all goes into this.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

I AGREE!

[@andrewkling-it3ho]

I'm buying too. It is great for the new guys

[@fm71450]

Thank You, Josh. The value vs cost is ok for me. For those who cannot see enough value to spend the $$$, each to their own. Again, thank you for what you do for hams. KQ4IXD

[@wx0mik]

Damnit Josh, you just cost me more money!

[@Ezzell_]

Every thing is expensive in Ham....even notes.

[@bendeleted9155]

You can buy PVC books too. Just write in sharpie and erase with alcohol wipes. Mainly for keeping what you already wrote nice and readable in the weather.

[@bendeleted9155]

Doh! Looks like only Magpul did those for rifle logs. I don't see any other PVC logbooks on the market.

[@SFJF26]

Definitely worth the price. I have one in yellow.

[@sgthoskins]

Website must be run on a raspberry pi, jeez

[@B.Murphy]

Purchased after hearing about this on the podcast!!

[@KG6NLWMotoRadio]

Definitely something everyone should have!

[@countryranger83]

Some of that info is in the NIFOG from the Dept. of Homeland Security

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Yep

[@VA7LFD]

Would be nice if there was a Canadian version of this. Very cool project!

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Contact Austin via his website.

[@jasonolivar2518]

Your hand gestures while talking are awesome lol, thank you for all that you do

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

lol, thanks.

[@ubergeek318]

@the 7min mark tell me you are running ft8 without tell me you are running ft8

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

It was my phone.

[@ggggg4030]

Wasn’t APRS to SMS shut down by the fcc a year ago?

[@EuropaChronicles]

There’s a new APRS SMS gate. I can’t remember the name off hand, but several of the HamTubers have made recent videos about it.

[@mysteryham4065]

Very nice system to have. Great idea!

[@Camcolito]

Internet: Exists Guy on internet: Here's how you avoid using the internet for communications.

[@EuropaChronicles]

You’re right, the internet can’t go down. I guess we shouldn’t bother learning grid-down comms.

[@thecoffeez]

This is totally awesome!

[@MaryBrownForFreedom]

Heads up for 6 meter ops... with the solar flux so high watch for DX! I snagged Trinidad and Tobago yesterday afternoon on SSB. EN24ho to FK90fr... 3,100 miles. Other MN stations on FT8 also worked into South America, Curaco, Galapagos and others... I think yesterday was e-skip coupled into TEP... but some F2 has been worked recently.

[@robocop4200]

I need one too have

[@kevin-pk6hd]

How do you manage all the other stuff, manuals, settings guides, battery info etc. I have a stack as thick as a phonebook and i don't much overlap with this reference guide

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Print an laminate? Save to an ebook reeder?

[@kevin-pk6hd]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse I'm going to have to look at an e book reader of some kind. Do you have a recommendation? I have been keeping the paper guides and manuals in a pelican case but it's a ton of space and weight

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Most of the used kindles are still great.

[@jerryKB2GCG]

got one, great resource

[@TechKnowFool]

Hey Josh, great video as usual. Got a link for that laminator?

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

This is the cheap and good one I recommend. amzn.to/3vr7qoH

[@TechKnowFool]

@@HamRadioCrashCourse awesome, thank you!

[@mathewringle8444]

Soo cool