There's a LOT of stuff on the evening news that I wouldn't broadcast....

Same can be said for social media....

You mean censorship???

Your almost certainly right. 🤔 Most military or diplomatic services refer to “crypto leakage rates.” 🤷with enough time and determination almost anything can be broken. The most effective defense is to be doing the right thing!

You mean, as the regs require us to? Wacky ;)

Look up Millennium Challenge 2002

great idea!

we use packet stations for our local hospital net. It uses tnc and radio and we can send each other email, text back and forth, send files, etc. You would have to know the frequency and have all the equipment to do so. We cover 6 counties with the users that are on it. We have our stations to beacon only every 20 mins so its a very short packet burst of data and not that often.

Super interested in the potential of Mesh networks. I have a larger set of GoTenna Mesh and always looking at the modification pages. Very excited to see how the Amateur radio community integrates that tech into our systems.

Anyone have anywhere good to start on "mesh coms" for someone who has no clue about it, how it works, and whats involved, but trying to create his own communications net?

As I cleared high-school. I found a CB club. And one of the practices was to skip channels ie 1-3-5-7ect the other was having a xtal rig it was cool to swap xtals. A kind of encoding. Quite effective if you wanted to reserve. Chanel# 1 and# 2. For such. The rest as normal. On a xtal set.

What is am

Mr. Rodriguez A1A - amplitude modulation, in contrast to FM - frequency modulation.

i can hear am on fm just fine and vise versa...

john vradenburg yes that is exactly the point! If you have a radio capable of transmitting AM on frequencies traditionally used just for FM no one will hear you except another ham with that same capability. If you are on part of a band that allows voice then you can use either. Sometimes there are band plans you need to adhere to. But two meter AM is permissible and can’t be understood with an inexpensive handheld FM ham radio.

@@m005kennedy What vradenburg is saying is that many FM receivers will actually demodulate AM signals, especially if the FM receiver is actually a phase-shift receiver. The sound may be a bit distorted, but it will be intelligible. It always amazes me the number of folks who spout theory but have never tried it. I was amazed the first time I did this accidentally and found that I was receiving a signal I thought I wasn't supposed to be able to hear.

security through obscurity :D

33cm is another option.

Do splits inside 220, on rotating frequencies.

There are Baofengs that work on 222mhz, but thankfully they're not as popular.

@@RonOverdrive Yes but none work on 900 MHz

You've hit the nail on the head there. I've unsubscribed from several ham channels for just that reason. They have a tip or hack that is worth probably a ten minute video, and do a 2 hour live stream with mostly nonsense, no editing, just rambling stream of concious, and you're lucky if you can find the signal among all the noise. I don't care what beer you're drinking, folks!

He's talking to the HAM ops on how to evade comm breaches between (evil baofeng) users and their trailer radios. But today's world is full of people that have (baofang) radios for EXACTLY SHTF situations because of the flexibility in send/receive. I get the wrong vibe from this guy. If me and my family are trying to make it out of the city in an apocalypse, and we've got baofengs tuned to each other and HAM freq's, we'd LOVE to hear from someone.

6M would be another great option. CW for those that know it already. I am not in that camp :-(

@@KM4ACK re CW neither am I, as probably most non-licensed users. I have problems with my English and German (2nd language) sometimes. Hah! Trying poorly to learn Greek now. Learn CW is on my To-Do list, but very far down. 73! SV0SGS

The interesting thing about CW is that once you learn it, it stays with you. I was, at one time, a 28 WPM CW op ,which isn't particularly fast. I even operated CW mobile (/M). I made many a QSO where QTH was mile marker xx speed 70 mph. It was the original texting while driving before cell phones with that feature were available. Today? I can copy around 10 WPM and send a bit faster but it's a challenge. There's a slow code net every Sunday, actually there are quite a few slow code nets around now but this one: facebook.com/groups/1837508229866752/ is one I have checked into before. It's hard to slow down to 5 WPM or less but it's good practice for speed control. They use Net Logger. I haven't been able to check in lately but it's worth checking in and trying your hand. If prop is good the speed is so slow that there is time to look the character up. HOWEVER, you are better off connecting the sound to the letter (some will argue that point but whatever, that's what worked for me). I used Code Quick and that system used mnemonics, visuals, and of course the sound. Y = Why Did I Die _ . _ _ (drag the word I out) ; Dog Did It _ . . ; Catch It Catch It _ . _ . ; etc. That got me into the 6-7 WPM range and then a Ham in Minnesota set up a SKED with me a couple of times a week and worked me up to 28 WPM. Keep it all in your head and you don't have to write it down, which saves time and doesn't distract you. CW punches through when nothing else (but FT8 and a few other digital modes) will. It also requires the least amount of equipment. 73 NE5U PS - if you check me on QRZ'ed you'll see that I have a lot of FT8 contacts. I do this for fun and that means whatever we can do legally, I want to do

CW would be great for a more secure comms. I've heard guys say that anyone can use a cw decoder. I have yet to find a reliable decoder, especially when its sent via straight key. Slightly speeding up or slowing down will result in a lot of E's and T's on the decoder screen. Besides,. your entire rig can fit in your pocket and easily under $100!! 73 de KF7VUT.

I'm hoping to work some 6 meter comms at my next mountain top adventure. Another informative video, thanks Jason.

David Patrick agreed. 220 is very underused in amateur radio. Around here (metro Atlanta) it’s mostly used for repeater control and linking.

@@KI4ASK this is good info. I'm near the metro. Trying to get my tech right now

hmmm PLAY SDR with spectrum mode / 2nd for pouncing fixes that issue. if it's transmitted and received it can be tracked.

Bob Ross I have a D74 and never thought of that. Good suggestion!

Is the D74 literally the only radio that does D-Star on 220? There are no base station radios?

does this mean nobody else can hear you?

I hear that same argument all the time about radio/internet. Funny thing is, I was running simplex digital this past Saturday with a 14yo ham on the other end. No internet involved. Just because it's digital doesn't mean it's not radio. I find the new generation of hams are embracing the digital side :-)

My wife is a ham too. When the kids were younger and she was hauling them around in the mini-van, we had a special simplex frequency we used to talk from home-to-van or car-to-van. This was before SDR and spectrum scopes were popular. We had 7 pre-selected VHF channels and would QSY as needed. 73 de KI4ASK & KI4HHI

Just FYI, you can use a po box.

no one argues against the license because its hard, they don't like it because it requires you to put your personal information out to the world.

you kinda don't....

I just haven't gotten it because I've time. My work load has doubled since covid. Dont have time for myself but I dont plan on getting it when I do have time. Just hope covid restrictions go away before the SHTF. Also its not that many people dont want the license but they never thought about it before the shit started to fly

Without a license means your radio won't work.

@@johnvradenburg192 Which is code foe "You kinda do."

And be sure to check the frequency allocation in your region. Im in Region 1 and ours is 144.300 (SSB) and 145.500 FM calling. 73 ZS6KB

Where can I go to learn more about setting up frequency hopping?

Great suggestion!

I have a couple D74’s in my collection. Someone with just a SDR could easily decode 220 D-Star.

That won't prevent someone not using the tone from hearing your conversation. It only prevents your radio from breaking squelch if they don't tx the tone.

@@KM4ACK yes, I agree with that. Might not be enough obscurity, but was wondering. I know all of this is not really secure communications but just keeping ahead of the average guy. Good content and something to think about. All the best, 73 de KI5HXM

go MARS or a SHARES license (near impossible to get though) and use government frequencies. Not sure how well their encryption works with HIPAA, it is an issue for EMCOMM.

A LMR Business Itinerant license will let you digitally encrypt transmissions. Most of the DMR radios are Part 90 and have digital encryption settings.

Amateurs are NOT covered by HIPPA rules, it's up to your served agency to be aware of that before they hand you a message.

Didn't think of that but it would limit those that hear the signal outside of the path of the antenna. Couple it with JS8Call and you could use some VERY low power setting.

Stuart, I like that idea as well. Depending on your location etc, but that's another option

@@KM4ACK Great Review! I'm receiving today a GM-30 GMRS Radio by Radioddity. I don't have my license yet and I'm waiting for the price to go down before I get the license in order to communicate with other GMRS or Ham users!

If encryption is that important than you should look in to other forms of radio like C.B. where you can use whatever codewords you like as for public databases check out www.thatsthem.com and www.haveibeenpowned.com but I don't wana spit fire

I have a license but don't really transmit. My address will be going to a PO box for privacy but I'm not concerned. One thing I have learned however is that while you have to give your callsign every 10 minutes, no one actually does this. Another thing I've noticed is that a lot of people talking on phone bands will send out their callsign in CW (morse code). This is completely legal. Most people however do not understand morse code, so you add a bit of privacy to your callsign. As was mentioned CB is great because you don't have to identify yourself. CB also has the ability to potentially have a global or long distance reach as it is an 11 meter wavelength. Finally, there are digital modes of communication that allow you to send information that is only between two people.

@@daytonasixty-eight1354 A PO box is about as secure as a corporate funded VPN these days meaning anyone who is persistent can locate you if they really want to. It's all about the name and information trail. CW is not allowed on part 95 bands (CB, MURS, GMRS , FRS) but people break the rules all the time on those bands.. So do it at your own risk..

Spread spectrum inside amateur bands is very restricted. Outside those bands, including optical, encryption is legal.

That is awesome! It reminds me of the Code Talkers utilized in WW2 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_talker

@@KM4ACK I'm old enough to rember transition from am to ssb. My step dad and my selfe felt left out. Circa 1950s He used to to call them square mouths. Beg borrow or steal I had a good listening post. At 8 years old

@@hughjorgan3115 I found an on-line language course for Klingon - and Navajo....

@@keithballinger8558 ka- hutt.

I can listen to P25 on my $10 RTL/SDR and a laptop.

i used to hear our local police conversation old time ago , But .. Now they upgrade to Motorolla Encrypted P25 which still no way to find any known Scanner to decode it ..

Suhail Abdulaziz you never will.. it’s 256 AES

You cannot use encryption. Having the ability to decode readily available does not make it legal. If you want to use it you will have to apply to the FCC for a temporary permit. Assuming they grant it you will have to go to great lengths to advertise the code and announce it in the clear before using it. The exact same procedure applies to Hams using spread spectrum.

AX.25 Packet Radio does use a form of scrambling to pseudorandomize bits so the entire allotted bandwidth is used. Every packet encoder and decoder must use the same pseudorandom number sequence to communicate. (If you were to change the pseudorandom sequence or use another sequence it would be encryption.)

@@RB9522 Ridiculous. You CAN use encryption on several ham bands but NOT operating as a ham. For instance the 902 to 928 MHz ISM Band which is also a ham band. As long as you transmit 1 Watt or less in the 902-928 MHz ISM band your radio is considered an unintentional radiator by the FCC. Motorola and several other manufactures sell 1 Watt HTs in that band that use digital modes WITH ENCRYPTION and are market as nonlicensed business radios. Hook a couple up to Yagis and point at each other and with the right antennas and height you can do about 10 miles on 900 with 1 Watt LEGALLY and with ENCRYPTION when you choose to. Ask me how I know. All you need to do is read up on the legalities of using the ISM band and the plethora of digital with encryption radios that are being market and sold everyday. Read up and get informed before you speak. Several ham bands coincide with ISM bands and you CAN legally run encryption on them, people do every day and these radios are sold every day.

@@Starbuckin of course I was speaking as a Ham Radio user. But, I hadn't considered operating there under a different authorization. It would be nice if Hams were allowed to use open encryption so we could take advantage of the significant technical advantages of spread spectrum.

@@RB9522 A buddy and me talk there as hams and use ham protocol but we can always legally hit the orange button and go encrypted because since we are doing 1 Watt or less anything goes on ISM band we don't even have to ID. Happy Thanksgiving!

600 BPS? I have never tried it. Time for some research.

Spread spectrum, with a few prescribed exceptions, falls under obscuring communications when used on amateur radio frequencies. But those allowed exceptions are still fairly uncommon modulation methods that a casual listened won'r pick up. Move over to unlicensed spectrum and spread spectrum is encouraged, even legally required in some cases at higher transmitter powers.

@@hanelyp1 Very true and a good point to make others aware of! I mention the TriSquare devices specifically because it is one of the few that are(were) allowed to be used without any licensing by amateurs.

You are correct about your choice of digital. Fusion happens to be the most popular in my area. I think we only have one DSTAR repeater in the area but probably 10 Fusion repeaters. Winlink for Linux has been around for several years now. Check out getpat.io/

KM4ACK Thanks. Obviously I’m out of touch, I’ll check the winlink for Linux. 73.

Everything I've been hearing is that D-STAR is on the decline. Maybe that's incorrect, but it's what I've been hearing, and that steered me away from it. I went to YSF. I already liked their radios and I found the easy learning curve/plug and play aspects of it appealing... especially if I wanted to get friends on board.

DMR is extremely popular though. Fusion or D-STAR would probably be best if you wanted to limit who can actually demodulate your signal.

I like the combination of split frequencies in a digital mode. Ideally, yes frequency jumping would be nice too, but I agree that it's probably pushing it when it comes to legality.

How would we pass a message using WSPR or ft8?

@@KM4ACK Over FT8 you could use FT8CALL will give you keyboard to keyboard comms Over WSPR you could use WSJT-X I believe now offers keyboard to keyboard comms There are others I just tossed these two out there off the top of my head.

Pair this with a 578 and use the simplex TDMA timeslice based repeater for voice comms and it very secure. DMR Ids are still. Broadcast but the its easy to setup. Coordinating with others to use digital functionality in DMR can be a pain though.

Those don't hide anything.

The pi can be used with a boafeng with limitations in both function and range.

No clue if it's legal but a very interesting concept.

US Federal law specifically prohibits the use of encryption to obscure communication on amateur radio in the US.... Not all countries laws are the same though.

Historically this was to prevent spies from broadcasting back to the home base. Of course now it is routinely done on the internet, ie every https connection.

@@TimMonk1911 I understand that is legally restricted but that doesn't make it right. The FCC as a government entity should not be allowed to limit the use of that technology based on it non-existence in the past. My communication being mandated to be in the clear appears to be a violation of privacy. If police/military can encrypt traffic the citizenry should be able to as well. The government derives its authority from the people not the other way around.

@@mac333iii That is understandable but spies exists with or without encryption being allowed. It's the old security or liberty argument, right? The risks we take as a nation for the freedoms we wish to preserve. As far ethernet and other wireless traffic, we can encrypt that all we want with no ramifications. My entire wireless network is encrypted via AES but we can't do end to end encryption on a radio wave? This is something the amateur radio community should seriously debate with the FCC going forward.

Who cares the fcc doesn't