PREPPING 101 - COMMS - A Guide To Grid Down Communication Tools - Ham Radio, Meshtastic, GMRS, Etc

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Prepping 101 - my take on some entry level information to help get you prepared for whatever might happen. The world is pretty weird right now, so it's a great time to start thinking about preparedness. In this video I talk (a lot) about communication - why it's important, the tools that best facilitate it, and just some all around good info to think about. I dive (briefly) into meshtastic, frs radio, gmrs radio, ham radio or amateur radio, cb radio, and a few other tools that you might want to incorporate. Hope you in enjoy the first episode of prepping 101.
0:00 Prepping 101 - COMMS
3:43 Why Should I Care?
5:30 Chinese Hackers
7:23 Why Does Communication Matter?
9:25 Prepping as a Hobby
12:22 Get The Gear Now While You Can
13:37 When The Power Goes Out
14:32 Batteries to Keep You Powered
22:40 Get Some Books Even
25:23 Types of Radios / Comms Compared
28:10 Meshtastic
31:10 Line of Sight
35:08 Radio Frequencies Explained
38:10 FRS/GMRS
41:17 CB Radios
43:20 Ham / Amateur Radio
45:25 How Far Can You Talk?
48:45 Handheld Radios
50:20 Mobile Units
58:10 Repeaters
1:00:50 Antennas
1:01:50 HF Radios
1:07:26 Have Plans
1:14:10 Are You Interested In More?
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[@LastLineOfDefense]

It's a long video, I know. Here's the breakdown: 0:00 Prepping 101 - COMMS 3:43 Why Should I Care? 5:30 Chinese Hackers 7:23 Why Does Communication Matter? 9:25 Prepping as a Hobby 12:22 Get The Gear Now While You Can 13:37 When The Power Goes Out 14:32 Batteries to Keep You Powered 22:40 Get Some Books Even 25:23 Types of Radios / Comms Compared 28:10 Meshtastic 31:10 Line of Sight 35:08 Radio Frequencies Explained 38:10 FRS/GMRS 41:17 CB Radios 43:20 Ham / Amateur Radio 45:25 How Far Can You Talk? 48:45 Handheld Radios 50:20 Mobile Units 58:10 Repeaters 1:00:50 Antennas 1:01:50 HF Radios 1:07:26 Have Plans 1:14:10 Are You Interested In More?

[@joethompson4805]

I hope when society collapses I can tune into a local station every morning and hear “Hey guys how’s it going, hope you’ve been well” as you go on to give updates about the current state of the world

[@LastLineOfDefense]

I will grace everything within range with a daily "hope you've been well"

[@auker96]

Bring The Tech Prepper on!!!! That guy is a humble master on digital comms especially!

[@NorthernMontanaHomestead]

Yes!

[@mavrick561]

Dude, I love the Tech Prepper! Dude is a comms jedi master!

[@EverydayCarryConstitution]

Please continue with these Prepping 101 videos!

[@codychilders8307]

This dude actually went out and bought a rain simulator to make a legitimate point. Dedication. Bravos my friend.

[@LastLineOfDefense]

For the people

[@_RadioMadeEasy]

Great run down, brother! Excited to see how you get it all implemented and put into use.

[@LastLineOfDefense]

Stoked to get everything dialed in!

[@greenlightshooting1]

Dope! I'm in for the Prepping 101 series bro. Keep it going!

[@ahoward2kable]

For new users on HF i strongly recommend a radio with a waterfall display so that you can actually see signals around you and zero in on them easier than trying to do it by ear only

[@LastLineOfDefense]

Yeah i saw the 3d waterfall display and was hooked, haha

[@T0XiCxF4tality]

Definitely would love more videos on the topic! I’m starting to get into the world of HAM myself and would love your take on it and how you’re approaching it. It would be cool if you could talk with HRCC as well!

[@auker96]

I don’t usually interact with videos but I am HERE for this, Mike!!!! Great content! Just got my ham license last month!

[@LastLineOfDefense]

Nice!

[@Kody10538]

Hey buddy. Look into "parks on the air". With all of the camping you do, it might be something fun for you. I'm sure your friend knows what POTA is. When you're out in the national/state parks/forests, etc you set up your HF radio and make contacts all over the country. It's an incredible way to practice emcomm and setting up a portable station. You build skills on deploying equipment that will help you to make contacts in an emergency. As a ham nerd myself, it's fun as hell.

[@HamRadioCrashCourse]

Damn man, you went full Yaesu, good on ya :D Great video. I think the length was was appropriate for all the content you packed in. 73!

[@austin5303]

+1 for the algorithm. Just got my gmrs callsign last night. Took less than 12 hours from start to finish. Good for my families local needs, but will be getting my ham soon. Hope you keep these up even if they are not your most popular videos.

[@gregmacklem]

I got into ham 7 years ago with my Technician license. Like you, am getting into HF now. Have the Yaesu FT-710 and with the Tech license there is a little bit of the 10 meter band you can use. Will get my General license soon to open up the bands. I have converted my mobile and HF rigs to Anderson Powerpole connections. I can run the mobile or HF rig off the Yaesu 12v power supply. I setup my Jeep and pickup for my Yaesu FTM-500 and can swap it between either vehicle. I have it running the Anderson Powerpole for power, a remote head cable and antennas mounted on both vehicles. I will be adding BNC connectors to the antenna cable to make it even quicker to swap.

[@granitebuilt5836]

I'm voting for more of these types of videos.👍

[@user-hd1bn1gu2q]

For the record, really loved this episode for crash course on comms! Sending to my squad…thanks man!

[@VikingCook]

Great content! Recently, got my technicians license….at 62yo….never too late to challenge the mind while building skills to make me a better asset for family and friends. Keep the BETA coming, young man. Especially would like mobile unit install guide/suggestions for LC 100 or 200. BTW, HAM Radio Prep was great learning resource, while HamStudy App, per HAM Radio Made Easy, was great final test prep quizzing/testing resource. 73s

[@BOAZ-MILLER]

I'm stoked you are sharing more preping info. I hope this turns into a series.

[@danconatser8699]

I've said this in the past, but your style of videos are always great. Enough information, but staying away of the super-nerd levels. your videos, on firearms, 4x4, building your house, planting and even VERTX clothes are all fantastic. I am a HAM General and use it most for off-road or hiking. Your video is perfect for sending to my "what do I need to know about radios" type of friends.

[@handsmcneil]

Love it. Studying for my amateur license rn. Will probably get gmrs and murs beforehand since ham is A Lot to understand especially as you get more into the general license stuff.

[@daniellethornton]

Great intro! I love it! I really appreciate you reviewing this information! May God bless you and your family and Congrats on the second baby!😁♥

[@woo1517]

welcome to the world of ham radio brother. Glad to see you going deeper into HF.

[@Wolfpacker]

Nice intro video from someone also not too far from being an amateur like some of us. Pointing out some of the basic stuff that the more experienced guys can sometimes gloss over. Thanks for the @radiomadeeasy mention. I'll check him out as well for mobile. Bravo!

[@korybrown943]

I have been looking for this for months, thank you for posting this information.

[@Eric-lj2nk]

Love this video! I’m such a com’s noob. I want to learn a lot more. I have my GMRS and I’m slowly picking up info as I go.

[@samlewis6314]

YES MIKE! Great points here in your video, working on this stuff in my household too. Very interested in HAM.

[@AndrewiPX]

Thanks man! This was what I needed to get started. Have the two pack of radios coming.

[@carlosfernandez1]

I'm a rookie on the radio world. I have a few Baofeng and CB radios but have very little experience on them. Always looking for videos to acquire more knowledge. I'm on Puerto Rico and not too many people use CB or any other radio equipment. For me it's important.

[@LoganCoutts]

Yesss we love SHtF content. Pairs very well with self sufficiency and overlanding

[@latinohero2012]

Been following you for a while now and I really enjoyed this video. I just upgraded to General and I am working on my Extra. Thanks for another great infotainment video. 👍 👍

[@scottmuessig1819]

That Bluetti is nice! I have several Ecoflow batteries, including two connected to the house main CB panel. But 'waterproof?" wow!

[@trackntrail2869]

Excited for the rest of this series!

[@sreetglidemikej6698]

Thanks for the info,definitely interested in coms. And was thinking about getting a couple of handheld radios ,that will be the next preparedness purchase. Thanks again for the video it helped.

[@27danike]

I'm so here for this series

[@Spynole]

Great series idea Mike, thank you!

[@LastLineOfDefense]

More to come!

[@andresd9146]

Agree 💯. Great info for a newb like myself

[@edenmaldonado117]

Let go!! 🎉 been waiting on this video since the overland comm setup in the tacoma

[@chrisorndorff7305]

Im looking forward to this series! Keep up the great content!

[@diomedes39]

Love this topic! Thanks for the hard work

[@jsm136]

Great video, I has similar thoughts that got me into ham radio. I urge anyone to go for general license on the beginning, use one of the study apps to learn the questions and take the practice test until you can pass on a high score. You can actually take technician, general, and extra at one time if you’re dedicated. Of course there is still a lot to study after getting the license. Just do it and have fun.

[@18wheelerham]

I do have to say getting your general really opens up the capabilities you have on hand from local to International.

[@n8thegreat830]

Great information for beginners, and what could be some very necessary reminders for seasoned preppers and comms guys alike. The 101 series is a great idea, and i hope you can get some content out about your take on comms plans, manpacks, your installs and whatnot. Comms collabs with HRCC, The Tech Prepper, Glover, and whatnot would also be sweet. Glad to hear youre going for your general and dipping into hf. Hope to get you in the log for some POTA here soon! Thanks for everything you do, Mike.

[@wa7jnjradio]

Fun to hear your journey into ham radio, and I'm sure it will encourage others to begin as well! The fun part is when it turns from a preparedness "checklist item", to something that you enjoy and is fun! (-: For me that was hearing someone on a mountain top looking for contacts with a 5watt HT, which brought me down a journey of portable ham radio from summits and parks...all of which is important learning for communication in an emergency. 73 (-:

[@Free_Man_Overland]

Awesome video. Keep making radio videos. Would love to see the home and vehicle setups.

[@j-tibz8299]

I’ve always thought about getting into radios as a hobby, but I felt there was a high learning curve and a deep rabbit hole to fall into. This video solved one of those problems, and reinforced the other! Looking forward to seeing other aspects of your prepping plan

[@LastLineOfDefense]

Yeah the rabbit hole goes wayyyyyy deep - but also I think without going too deep, you can get a pretty solid base level of capabilities pretty quick.

[@DevinAkin]

This is VERY good. Everything he said about HAM and GMRS is right.

[@graylion72]

Thanks for this informative video! I know most on here are gonna talk about the ham aspect of it, but i would love more stuff relating to cb, gmrs, and the prepping side of things. I like ham in its theory but if i open that can of worms, i will be so poor.

[@eschenn1]

Love this new prep series ⚡

[@Catholicguitarist]

I’ve always been curious and interested in comms, but have never really known where to start looking into it. Thanks for putting this out, super helpful video in terms of understanding basic concepts and different platforms to start at and graduate to. I hope to see more on comms! (And more Tundra content! 😅)

[@dan_dul]

Great video. Definitely keep doing COMMS videos!! Looking forward to the home antenna set up. Same boat here!

[@baumrunner]

Great video, love these long rambles. And now my Amazon cart is full. 😂 Time to get into Ham.

[@kevinjohnson1146]

Honestly would like to see more on this. Been looking into adding this to my truck for the remote places I would like to travel. Plus for the sake of our grid going down.

[@musikerro1111]

I have a BAOFENG UV-5R handheld and an absolute newb. Interested in a removeable antenna setup for the car for better reception, in general, during convoys with my overlanding buddies. Mucho thanks for the vid.

[@RobHilgefort]

Good stuff! Thanks for the intro on it. Show us how you install it all once you get done with all that!

[@Incognito_adv]

Very interested in the subject!

[@erikzurko2501]

Would love to see the setup in vehicle. Ie tutorial of antenna selection/location. How you ran power to head unit. Etc…. Note the new Yaesu mobile (300,500) share same mounting base. Great idea for budget friendly use across multiple vehicle

[@miquerto]

I for one am into the radio stuff. Bring that content and I'll watch it.

[@eddiehudson7043]

I love this keep it coming

[@Jay-ff8gf]

I love this series idea and yes please do a gear one

[@eddiehudson7043]

Great great job loved the video

[@lfbd2007]

Keep sharing the COMMS info. Great video!

[@twelve-voltexperimental9829]

Just keep in mind that some radios like the Icom IC-705. Yaesu FT-991A, etc... need 13.8v +-15%. The solar generators usually output 12-12.5v.

[@goldy7135]

Please continue with Ham communications. I just got my Technican in March and hope to get my General this month, But don't have a lot of gear yet.

[@adenrella9109]

Keep the series going dude. Super helpful

[@LastLineOfDefense]

It was my least popular video of my last 10 videos, haha - but we’ll see.

[@Ian_Does_Stuff]

Good stuff Mike. Would love to see more radio-prep content 👍🏻

[@booshwaa2]

Took my test about a month ago and passed the General test. I got a HT. and now looking into HF but know nothing. So I'm down for more comms videos! Bring it on!

[@christopherbattles68]

Dig this. Thanks for giant overview

[@DXJungle]

I started with the mighty Baofeng HT radio. I eventually upgraded to Yaesu radios. POTA helps get “on the air”practice quickly. 🤝

[@tom-uspsa]

Love content like this!

[@Marty48034]

General is a big step up from Tech. SOOOOOOO MUCH MORE useful. SO MUCH. General is worth it. (Tech is meh.) I just got my Extra. LOTS more studying, not much more access. More for "pride" than being useful. General is where it's at.

[@LastLineOfDefense]

Yeah I hear Extra is really just so you can say that you got it, more than anything else.

[@JAT_4321]

I’m hyped. I’m currently also a noob nerding on all this. Currently waiting for meshtastic boards to come in….

[@Just_a_space_cowboy]

I've been putting off getting a license for a while now. I think this video is finally gonna make me do it.

[@scottloesch6808]

Great video thanks

[@FarmersSON55]

Excellent, I'm an extra... comms are important, hf can be alot of fun..working dx

[@cowboy915100]

Need to put a repeater on the top of the mountain.

[@BattalionCoffee]

Great Video sir 😎

[@realcarbon973]

Thank u for this vid

[@16Haverson]

Very recently got interested in getting some GMRS radios (ordered, waiting to be shipped.) Received the email with my call sign this morning in fact. Planning on using it to be in contact with family members about 8 miles away in case we have issues and also when we travel for events that usually involves 4 or 5 trucks/trailers and sometimes gets separated where cell service sucks or non existent.

[@mateo1726]

Meshtastic will be great in your standard suburban neighborhood if you have a group in the neighborhood.

[@elsuperpollo2273]

That's the issue in my area with line of sight, bafeongs are worthless, in my area of rural central Alabama. Mobile uhf/vhf/hf transceivers and a good antenna would work for me.

[@miket067]

Good video. Your HAM nerd friend is teaching you well. He’s teaching me too.

[@alexorcas1]

I'm super curious to see how you get these things mounted in your vehicles, especially on your 3rd gen taco (since I have one also) and I would also enjoy content about using these to communicate to other folks. I have my technician license currently but am also considering going for general as well so I can do more fun things with it. Would love to hear more about your experience transitioning to the frequencies a General license gets and some of the other capabilities it gets you access to (winlink, HF, etc.)

[@WeiseGuy91]

Still watching but as of 40:42 what I’m missing is “do this to get started” now that I have a primer on basics of radio options

[@williammann6859]

I’d love to learn how to install a mobile rig in an LX57O. The ashtray area seems ideal with the exception of the seat heater/cooler dials. What say you - want to teach us how?

[@ericconklin6195]

Good information Thank you

[@tannerthomas4189]

Good stuff.

[@Bob814u]

As a Technician you can use 10 meters (HF). The moon bounce frequencies are in the Technician portion of the band plan. So are the amateur radio Satellites. APRS can send texts and emails. Great presentation. 73! de KE5ES

[@morganw02]

Awesome explanation and overview! Ham Radio Crash Course on here is one of the best resources for getting into, and learning about, all things radio.

[@JoseSanchez-vg6nu]

Love the intro 😎😎

[@N8JLS]

We are in a great solar cycle!

[@SethAndersonActual]

Good video. Minor correction you can get on HF 10M for both voice and digital in a small section of the band with a Technician License.

[@bfed2831]

Great content as always and thank you!Any good HAM Radio Suppliers in the south Denver Colorado Springs Area?

[@needsofnavy5586]

Great video @lastlineofdefense. I’m working on my ham cert. I bought a couple Baofeng and handed them out to my friends that live a couple houses up within 1 mile and programmed them on chirp. Issue is they don’t have hamm liscense.. can we transmit on a walkie channel? Is that programmable on chirp is there a local Chanel for that ?

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Look up FRS & MURS

[@michaelfr]

Throwing in a comment because I think I will like this line of videos. I have a small collection of handhelds and mobile stations. I came to believe that owning one radio is kind of pointless especially if you're thinking emergency use. They can be cheap enough that there's little excuse not to. Even got my neighbors to grab a couple and are on there way to getting licensed.

[@basher2209]

I definitely want to learn more.

[@jg_jgjg]

Been studying on and off for 4 years. I should really just get my technician license

[@slik560]

Great overview. He’s right about the FCC selling off unused or underutilized spectrum. They are salivating at the billions that they’d get for the amateur frequencies. Play the game. Get licensed and USE the amateur bands. I need to get a CB. It’s not heavily used in lesser populated states.

[@elsuperpollo2273]

When I get rich I plan on buying a few ICOM 706MK2g, Icom 7000 or FT100D and storing them in a faraday cage, in my vehicles, travel trailer and house I'd use as a homebase.

[@ahoward2kable]

Ideally study tech and general at the same time if possible, then start working on extra as soon as you pass. At the least pass tech then immediately study for general and extra. If you upgrade you can get registered as a volunteer examiner and help administer the exams to new hams

[@victorygarden556]

Definitely make more

[@2000bobbyteague]

Always nice to have the Good Old CB, SHIT you can never go wrong. Hey Mike I gotta question. Would you use a Tacoma as a daily driver.? I'm conflicted between Tacoma and an F150