HF Ham Radios For Preppers

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

Just to clarify a small item - HRD is not a "subscription" per se. You buy a one-time perpetual license, and can install it on up to 5 computers. Updates are free for the feature set in effect at the time your 1-year initial warranty expires. If you want to optionally purchase "maintenance" as a subscription, that's not mandatory, but will entitle you to new features. But your initial purchase gives you a package that will keep working even if you don't buy anything else.

[@hamradiotube]

You make a very good point, Jody. But, as you say, after a certain amount of time, you will need to pay more if you want the latest and greatest. Kinda like the iPhone lol! I do think there is a limit on the customer support though isn't there? Like, if you're not a paid subscriber within X amount of time you won't get that?

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

Yep - that's all true. I've been fortunate I don't need support - so missing out on that is no big deal. So I only renew my maintenance every 3 years or so to get the software "current" - and with the regular discounts offered by the vendor, that's usually only about $40. So that's

[@Jiminico]

@@Jody_VE5SARwhere do you get the initial discount to get it for only $70 instead of $100?

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

@@Jiminico HRD has regular discount codes available - usually through the YT channels or themselves annually. One that appears live right now is "ARC20" for 20% off, so $80 instead of $100. If you're patient, you may be rewarded... or just take the 20% and run. 🙂EDIT: they had a "DEC30" 30% discount offered on NYE last year, so that would be $70 net.

[@Jody_VE5SAR]

There's a cyber-Monday sale on the annual renewal - 35% off if you add 2 years of support to your cart. "cyberbundle23" is the coupon code. Works out to $65 for 2 years of updates and support. I didn't see a deal on the actual product itself for today.

[@MikeN2MAK]

I think you need some merch that just says, "It depends." LOL. Good stuff, as always, Mike. 73

[@hamradiotube]

That would depend on a lot of factors.

[@brianchandler3346]

I want to see JS8 get some love. I see real value in emergency situations with a weak signal mode that is conversational like a normal cellphone text is. If SHTF person, transmissions near or under the noise floor could be a good strategy to decrease odds of tracking during transmission.

[@hamradiotube]

That's a really good point Brian. I would suspect direction finding would be possible regardless of the mode though. Hmm..I don't know the answer but I know people who might.

[@ae4xo]

In 1996, studying for the CW exam and the written exam is what we called normal, not too much to handle

[@hamradiotube]

That normalcy is way too much for us kids to handle now.

[@SteveBerwick]

FYI: Davinci Resolve is totally worth the purchase if you have a decent GPU! Everything is faster. Everything.

[@hamradiotube]

It's pretty darn fast on my M1 MacBook Pro already. I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on the paid version as I'm dipping my toes in the Fusion page. That magic mask feature is pretty awesome.

[@oldmanmarc9181]

Bravo sir! Your wisdom is an inspiration. Incredibly helpful.

[@hamradiotube]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Bootyhunter1971]

Xiegu x5105 fits all your criteria for hf digital and cw. Great little radio. Even the usdr radios are a great option believe it or not. No tuner inside but does have built in battery and covers hf, 5 watts and it absolutely works. I used a homemade random wire antenna made of speaker wire and talked from East Tennessee to Lake Michigan. They just work and if you just want something cheap to use in a have to situation it wouldnt break the bank to buy one for that purpose.

[@pale_2111]

JS8 is made for a keyboard to keyboard conversation and never seen anyone do a POTA or SES with it. Great software, but haven't done it in a while and everyone seems to hang out of either 20 or 40m. I bought the HRD Software over a year ago and been enjoying the other data modes like PSK31, RTTY and Olivia. I've logged for contacts with other data modes than JS8, even though JS8 is the most robust data mode out there. Whenever there's contests going on SSB or some of the data modes, JS8 is where I'm usually at. I've had some nice QSO'S on JS8, but there's not a lot of activity on the mode, especially on the higher bands.

[@nickl3872]

Thank you

[@t.j.speakman7723]

Thanks Mike, Always great stuff on Monday's. Oh and the other days too. lol. Always great stuff.

[@sk8crk]

cool thing about the 705 is the matching tuner, the AH-705 is actually a coupler, which means it will tune a random wire, or just about anything conductive.... so while you do bring alongt the tuner you can bring a 30-90 ft length of wire and be awesome on all bands.

[@cchalfantusa]

I’m so tickled it was your will to answer my JS8Call question on the channel! Thanks for sharing your hamateur wisdom Mike! Linking back to the SHTF question from another viewer, JS8Call caught my attention through the GhostNet concept on S2 Underground’s YT channel.

[@hamradiotube]

Hey man, thanks for writing in. There's a reason I try very hard to NOT include the person or call sign of who wrote the question, lest we be ridiculed by the "experts" We're all just learning here. Myself included.

[@N0LSD]

A bit late to the thread, but I've been a JS8Call user pretty much since it was released and have used it successfully for POTA activations. However.... ...one of the up-sides of JS8Call is what's known as 'asynchronous communications' -- i.e. the ability to store a message on your contacts' computer; as well as the store-and-forward capability. What this means in practice is that many people will leave JS8Call running all the time, providing their periodic heartbeats, but they're not actively monitoring the actual application. For those looking to make POTA contacts, this can be frustrating -- because one will heartbeat, get any number of responses, then try to make contact with those stations, only to finally understand that they're not really monitoring. For the 'prepper' use-case, this makes perfect sense -- because one can set up one's station, heartbeat out at a given interval, and be able to send and receive messages while one is working other tasks. However, because many users are using JS8Call precisely like that, they're often not actively engaged at the radio / computer - so while the number of heartbeat responses one might get may be large, most of those responses are from stations that aren't actively being monitored moment-to-moment. This isn't to say that for some use-cases, that JS8 can't be used to successfully activate a park. I used JS8 exclusively just this last weekend during ARRL Field Day 2024 to successfully activate a two-fer (US-5142 Bully Hill State Park, NY; as well as US-4239 North Country National Scenic Trail). Now, I was by no means swimming in contacts, and one is not going to put up any impressive QSOs per hour numbers in that mode, but I was able to comfortably get the requisite number of contacts for a successful activation during Saturday evening. And, for events like Field Day, where users are actively engaged with the radio, JS8 has been very slowly increasing in usage. But outside of these types of events, it may be difficult to get the requisite 10 contacts because, although you may get 10 or more returns to a heartbeat request, the number of distant-end users actively monitoring doesn't often match very closely to that number of heartbeat request returns. So, if you're interested in using JS8Call for POTA activations, you may find it difficult -- versus more active modes like FT8 -- to get the requisite number of contacts for a successful POTA activation. Don't, however, let this dissuade you: every successful contact helps on an activation attempt, and it's always worth throwing out a heartbeat request and a few CQs in that mode because you probably won't have to wait long to get a response from an active user, especially if you make your CQ message CQ POTA.

[@cchalfantusa]

@@N0LSD thank you! I appreciate the extra information which helps me make sense of how people use JS8Call in practice

[@RFPews]

JS8call is neat but it’s just stations doing HBs. I’ve had just a handful of QSOs on there.

[@hamradiotube]

That's all it seems to be doesn't it?

[@cchalfantusa]

What is an HB? Hi/Bye?

[@Jack-tr1jm]

@@cchalfantusaHB is a heart beat. Basically a brief beacon that others automatically reply to so you see how well/far your signal is reaching.

[@Philip-KA4KOE]

I've had better luck with VARac for chatting

[@Larry-AK0Z]

For the price and you are talking HF, so the FT 710 Field would be a great choice. Has a sound card and tuner.

[@turkeyslayer63]

I remember when HRD was free when they said you were going to have to pay people were up in arms. I haven't used it since it bacame pay to play.

[@BrantleySmithNC]

Gotta put the battery outside the box because the cat pooped in the box

[@Thomas-ZET]

Been looking at the PMR-171, all mode all band with tuner sound card battery and yes DMR, have not seen any reviews yet

[@hamradiotube]

Tech Minds literally just did a review of that radio. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGKvXpKApp2smJYsi=uRtDIcfV6naO87xU It looked cool but it's kind of a dumb design in my opinion. All the ports are on the back and if you put the battery on it covers them up making them unusable.

[@Thomas-ZET]

Thanks, I see there is a cord to take battery off so its still usable so you can use the ports, would be nice if the ports were in a better spot

[@redeyegooner]

​@@hamradiotubeAny thoughts on the Wolf 2 (new version with ATU and 100w)? Although it doesn't have a battery..

[@DonzLockz]

I was keen to try JS8 but didnt know how popular it was. At least I now know, probably the same here but I still want to try it.

[@thuff3207]

Mine is the KX2 with the internal tuner. But that’s me.

[@HAMFunko4pdi]

As far as HRD, I used it and got into it for the Satellite setup. I since have gotten my SAT box and don't need that. What I use it for is logging. Now from what I understand the only cost is for Tech Support. $39.00 a year. To me, that's worth it and I am excited for their future plans when it comes to rig control. Not for everyone sure, but well worth the $39 a year to have great support.

[@HAMFunko4pdi]

correction, it costs $99 to buy and then $39 a year to keep the tech support.

[@DellFargus]

Just to mess with you, the battery guy swapped the power poles around. I've been using Hamrs for POTA logging, but I found out two weeks ago that it isn't compatible with collecting counties in a state QSO party. I ended up copying my Hamrs log into N3FJB (or whatever the pay-to-play software is) by hand, after paying. Digital modes for POTA is like drinking non-alcoholic beer or decaffeinated coffee. Just sayin.

[@hamradiotube]

Yes, he did in fact swap the red for the red. What a rascal!! I've said time and time again, HAMRS is NOT a logging software you should use for anything other than POTA contacts. It is NOT developed for anything else and you should always import your logs into another logging software and export them into LOTW/QRZ etc.

[@jerryKB2GCG]

It’s a great set of programs,…they are working on some major changes and enhancements and their support is grat

[@brad2119]

Dichet the antenna tuner and get a portable screwdriver antenna from wolf river coils.

[@hamradiotube]

Well I only have 4 of them. I like them a lot but when you want to change bands that takes precious time away from the radio.

[@kb5miqbigboy]

Great video!!! Good info!!73!!

[@hamradiotube]

Big Boy!!!! Hey thanks for watching man!

[@dustinhasselbach6378]

Good video Mike. I've been working a lot lately and not had much time to do youtube. What happened to k8mrd radio stuff? Just curious. Like the channel

[@hamradiotube]

Hey Dustin, I changed the name about a month ago. I take about it in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYHbl2CwlN-kncksi=HKOiYJ8S-YXODaBr

[@robertmeyer4744]

well you could try the free version of HRD and give it a try and see if it works for you. try some outher free versions as well. find out what wo0rks well for you . everyone has a different setup and different settings. so give HRD a try. some outers as well. if you do not like just un install it. like that battery. may have only had red wire. has a fuse and looks like # 10 wire. that great. the power pole has a black .great start. once you start budling you get better as you do more. I learned more when it does not work then making it work. havening fun is the best part. for the radio. I say ICOM 705 with tuner and a amp for 100 or more watts. the ease of digital and I like ICOM menu system. but that me. I want to try some un common digital modes for POTA and outher than SSB as well. FM simplex even AM ,some RTTY even FT 4, PSK 31. even SSTV . send a pic of park ! can be fun. 73's

[@KD2YAN]

Throwing mad shade on the x-6100!!!!

[@hamradiotube]

It's not a great radio at all. But it does have a lot of features.

[@joshuacalbick4834]

@@hamradiotube The tuner on the x6100 is not as good as it is on the G90, the radio you receive is hit or miss, there have been issues with FT-8 and the radio, you can't charge and operate at the same time (I made that mistake and had to place some water bottles on the back to help cool it off quickly), The support from Xeigu on the x6100 hasn't been the greatest and lets not talk about the speaker. OMFG the crap audio from the built in speaker. Yet I own it. If FT8 is ran, it's done at a lower power level, the tuner will still tune up what I've randomly thrown at it in the field. It defeats the purpose but I have a small speaker I carry with it that has better audio, earbuds as well. The built in Wifi and bluetooth has it's uses, I've made contacts as far as North Africa on 5 watts and 10 watts. Once you play around with it, the waterfall is great. Winlink has never been an issue, (love the built in sound card) (make sure your tablet power cord and the USB cord has ferrites on it). The number one reason I chose it, you still have noise reduction, width, etc and given I have a D-star HT (TH-D74a) it was a fraction of the cost of the IC-705. In hind sight, another reason is it's hackable with custom firmware and GUI - refer to R1CBU. Oleg still has work to do with it but it HAS come a long ways. I wish there were more out there. There is no clear one size fits all for everyone though. Sorry Mike, a bit of a novel.

[@THESPORTINGCAMP]

HAMRS

[@av3510]

I'm waiting for your take on ham radios for preppies.

[@robert8342-w7x]

I think the 891 is great. Yeah, you have to pay more for a digirig and possibly a tuner if you don't want to run a resonate antenna. I personally would rather just replace those things when they go bad than send in the radio to be fixed. 100w with digirig for digital is working out for me.

[@N2YTA]

A radio for preppies would be any radio, just wear a cardigan sweater when you use it.

[@chublez]

they should just get a cheap bubble packs. Most won't be bothered to learn to use it anyhow. They all think they're just gonna sort it out on the fly in an emergency and talk to mars the first try with a firestick. Atleast in my xp, folks not interested enough to even get tech aren't going to talk any further than some frs/gmrs midlands no matter what untested/tuned kit they have.

[@robert8342-w7x]

@@chublez what do you mean bubble packs?

[@kellyfrigginwilkins]

Now this is a subject I can get behind... Like your mom😂

[@hamradiotube]

Well that's a good way to make friends.

[@laszlokovacs8827]

JS8's lack of further development is disappointing. Been waiting 3 years for something. Anything. Stagnant. But stable is good. So much potential. It's open source so anyone can monkey around with it if inclined. Heard theres some big things coming but IDK. Believe it when I see it. VARAC seems to be all the rage now.

[@hamradiotube]

Yeah, that is something that's been mentioned, the open source thing. I am 100% not a computer guy and wouldn't be be able to help its progression at all, other than say yes, this is good, or no, this is bad, in terms of its user interface. I'm sure we could all do that though.

[@slappomatthew]

there is almost nothing I hate more than subscription based software. I hate paying for software the first time, paying again for the same software I already payed for? get lost with that noise.

[@KeepEvery1Guessing]

Meow

[@hamradiotube]

Ahhhh you caught it!!