The Bugout bag radio - Theory, practice, and whatnot

[@14DFASniper]

Excellent - great idea!!

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you ! Thanks for watching !

[@zimmerking2323]

Another fine video with lots of good info. Please note that the last 6 minutes of it deal with the operation of the VX-3. Great radio, BUT you should get familiar with its operation long before you're sitting in the wilderness at 3 AM and trying to figure it out. This applies to your other family members, too - kids, grandmas, and XYLs, pay attention!

[@survivalcomms]

You are right ! Thats why you train with what you use often. Unfortunately many of the click buy and store types will end up lost in the sauce when the brown backscatters :) Thanks for watching !

[@lowrybrock8272]

I love my VX-3R. Great little radio. Thanks for the video!

[@survivalcomms]

You are welcome ! Thanks for watching !

[@PartisanCommsGroup]

Excellent video. You raise a lot of important points about what a practical loadout with comms equipment looks like.

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you ! Warm, dry, hydrated, fed, and safe . Thanks for watching !

[@markthomas1810]

Wow... Quite a lot of valuable information on the capabilities of this quality radio, and it's features, along with some ways to keep weight and size to a minimum... I have followed your channel for years because you have so much knowledge in this field and are so willing to pass along not only that knowledge but experience in using equipment like this. The One thing I consider that seems to be left by the wayside is the lack of durability in some of the choices made in the Ham community, and the offerings by the manufacturer's equipment. I'm sure you would agree nothing seems to come close to military ruggedness, and waterproofness when it comes to radios. I have several Yaesu VX-6R HT's for some commo needs and some Baofeng GT-3WP radios since they are waterproof and somewhat rugged, I have also found heavy duty PTT's that can interface with a set of Peltors and Bluetooth device to wirelessly connect with other equipment... I take a different approach in this area, I'm less concerned about what I or a member of my family looks like, especially if a movement is necessary at night or in the pouring rain. What good are all the features of your radio if it deadlined because it couldn't handle the rain..? Just a different approach...

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you very much. For durability and utility radio use I use commercial equipment. Be wary of the bargain PTT adapters on the market and headsets as well . Surplus equipment is 90% legit Ebay and amazon stuff is maybe 50% legit. Thanks for watching !

[@Swamp-Fox]

I have a TH-F6A and VX-6R. I wish the VX-3R was still in production. The lightweight, compact form factor makes it very appealing for a bugout kit where weight and size constraints are a huge factor. Lots of good real-world comms considerations to think about in this one! Thanks!

[@survivalcomms]

It really is a shame they stopped its production. Im glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching !

[@theoldhobbit3640]

My VX6 serves me well as my bug out radio 👌

[@survivalcomms]

Cool ! Thanks for watching !

[@rickmaudlin2160]

My typical bug out bag is a 10,000 pound 4x4 comm-van... But I do agree with your lightweight scenario. One additional item that I am always going to make room for, is a compact AM/FM broadcast radio (with it's own wired earpiece, and spare AA batteries). I want to have all the intel that is readily available to me as I make my journey decisions. AM news is quick to find and simultaneously, I will have my portable-transceiver scanning the local public safety channels. I prefer to have both. But just public safety and local ham channels may not have the details available to help me in a national or regional event as fast as AM / EAS will. Here's my real-world example that has happened several times: I'm up in the remote forest of Northern California (with no cell or internet service and very limited radio-comms), I feel a moderate earthquake. I have no idea if it was a local and mild earthquake, or if it was The-Big-One in San Francisco or the Cascadia with Tsunami Warnings imminent. Local public safety my chatter about it, but they typically won't know either for at least several minutes. The fastest way I've heard any incident details is on AM broadcast. (Granted having a couple 24-Hour staffed, all-news , high power stations in the SF Bay Area helps makes this viable. But there are also stations in WA and UT in can hear) Multiple AM broadcasts stations can overlap several states, so they are a redundant resource. AM becomes even more important to me if I'm traveling in an unfamiliar area and I don't have access to public safety channels ie encrypted and until I have have the time (or want ) to try to connect with local operators. Thanks, and keep up the good work challenging us on our comm plans.

[@survivalcomms]

Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching !

[@Intel_8]

I wish I bought one of these circa 2010 or so for the form factor and wide band coverage.

[@survivalcomms]

The power output was poo poo'ed by the "brain trust" back then and really killed the whole micro transceiver market. This is why it pays to read the specifications rather than the reviews . Thanks for watching !

[@bruehlt]

LOVE my TH-D74! But I started carrying a Yaesu VX-6R in my get home bag, with mars mod of course. The VX-6R does it all (except digital modes) but that is why I include a Digirig lite with that setup.

[@survivalcomms]

Thanks for watching !

[@daa3417]

I wasn’t aware of the VX3, it really does appear to be half the size of the VX6… I’d love to see the industry revisit this ultra compact idea and see what modern SDR solutions could make possible. The batteries are also about as compact as is humanly possible you could have 2 or 3 fully charged spares for the weight and space of a few AAs.

[@daa3417]

Got sniped on an eBay VX3 I was bidding on but I see baofeng offers a UV-3r that you could probably call a knock-off, I believe it even uses the same batteries. I think I’ll order one of those until the right VX3 comes along.

[@survivalcomms]

@@daa3417 The Baofeng looks the same but it is a baofeng in a smaller wrapper and has none of the VX3R features.

[@survivalcomms]

It was a cool concept and the small radios generally go for almost as much as new on auction sites. When I go to a hamfest they generally one of the first things I look for. Thanks for watching !

[@daa3417]

@@survivalcommsYeah no doubt a baofeng will always be a baofeng, I guess that’s one more eBay alert I need to set.

[@survivalcomms]

@@daa3417 They come up now and then. Typically I will find them with accessories at a hamfest for 100 - 150 bucks. The little factory antenna is actually pretty decent . You can literrally lose the radio in a jacket pocket lock the keypad and use an earpiece all day long with it. You can direct power it with an old school lantern battery or 6V deer feeder battery for days and it doubles the output power however the radio will get hot during a ragchew. That is why the car adapter I have for it was not a popular item.

[@MrDcholland]

I personally Mars modded my FT-60 and had giga parts Mars mod my VX 6R, I have a VX 3R and cannot find a video showing how to Mars mod this radio. It would be appreciated if you would make a video showing how to Mars mod the VX-3:)

[@survivalcomms]

Its very simple here is a pdf : www.manualslib.com/manual/1413299/Yaesu-Vx-3r.html Thanks for watching !

[@michaelt.9372]

Can you do a video on higher tier equipment like the APX 8k or the BKR9000 type radios? Using them for a similar scenario, encrypted or not.

[@daa3417]

He heavily stressed size and weight, I get the impression he could use any radio on the market and of them all the VX3 was his pick.

[@michaelt.9372]

@@daa3417right. I get that. But that’s not what I was asking lol

[@survivalcomms]

I have an APX8k and for a work radio it is great for that purpose. For this scenario it is too heavy , difficult to recharge in the field, and only has LMR coverage. The same goes for the BKR9000 it is a solid work radio but for this role it lacks many of the key requirements that I find important. I have an APX NXT as well ( its in the outside pocket of the bag) its a good work radio and on network I can reach back to my home network on Wifi and LTE but again for this role It lacks a lot of what I consider important. I hope this helps and thanks for watching !

[@michaelt.9372]

@ I appreciate it!

[@survivalcomms]

@@michaelt.9372 You are welcome !

[@GreekPreparedness]

Hi! I have a question.... What I see on the D74 is the factory supplied antenna. I guess it is the same with the one that came with my Th-F7 (F6). Have you tested it on the NanoVNA? Cos mine was disappointing on the VHF band...

[@survivalcomms]

The only practical triband antenna for the D74A is the factory whip IMHO. They are not cheap to replace either so if you have one don't lose it. The only good aftermarket triband antenna for either is the smiley that is on the F6A IMHO. I have the Diamond SRH320A and it is a good antenna but it is big and inflexible. If you go for one band at a time there are a lot of options as you know. Thanks for watching !

[@GreekPreparedness]

@@survivalcomms Well, I just put my analog dual band TH-F7 antenna on the NanoVNA. (the F7 is the European analog of the F6) It measures around 2 of SWR, in the 220Mhz band!

[@survivalcomms]

@@GreekPreparedness On a portable whip that isn't bad . Thanks for sharing !

[@ecmo2007]

Not always possible, but your base pack weight should be 20% or less of your total body weight.

[@survivalcomms]

Thanks for watching !