Field Ops is in the Bag

Operating into the night...

Being ready for the unexpected can be daunting, and in prepping a "Bug-Out-Bag" for excursions into the wild, acquiring proper communication hardware may just be one of several steps on a long list of provisions. It's not just a radio that's needed, but an operational plan, and a laundry list of support gear.
But ask any Ham who's worked a Ham Radio Field Day or two, operating a radio under field conditions is a far-ranging topic as well. Much depends on what your comm needs will be, from simple tactical communication in a remote setting, or an extensive communication base of operations, each has it's own. However, there are some items common to most settings, which often get overlooked. Let's run through a grocery list of items to make room for in your BOB, just as important as your radio, in maintaining proper communications.

YOUR FIELD LOG
Most field communications is the spoken word, but what's being spoken needs to be written down, hard to do when you haven't packed writing material. A Radio Log Book is an invaluable way to put "message traffic" on paper, all the better when it's waterproof.

Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern

PUSH BACK THE NIGHT
You can operate a radio any time of day out in the field, but it gets a bit difficult in the dark. A handy flashlight helps, but even better is a couple of these inflatable solar powered lanterns.

ALPS Mountaineering Weekender Seat 

MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE
Sure you can do radio standing up, leaning, or in a crouch, but it's just more comfortable to have a place to rest your weary bones. Take along portable seating.

Throw Weight & Line Combo

THAT FANCY ANTENNA WON'T HANG ITSELF 

A simple wire antenna can be a godsend in getting a good signal out as well as in, but getting it up in yonder tree can be a totally unattainable task. You're smart to have a way to toss a line over a branch.  Carrying a Throw Weight & Line Combo makes that task a snap.

3800mAh 7.4V Li ion Battery

WHEN YOU NEED TO KEEP GOING, GOING, GOING...
You wouldn't think of packing for a few days in the field without packing enough food & drink to sustain you, it's the same thing to have on hand enough batteries to keep your gear juiced up. While you can consider packing additional recharging equipment, it's often not feasible to tote a generator, solar panel, or a very long extension cord. Pack fully charged batteries, ideally, one for each day of field ops.

Military Tactical Shoulder/Waist Bag

STOW IT & PACK IT
Mobility means portability. Meaning, you're packing in what you use. You need a bag made to pack it all, so you can carry it all. This Military Tactical Shoulder/Waist Bag can hold it all & more.

Me. 3 field days ago.

Packing for field ops will come down to how you need to communicate. Whatever you pack, will make your communications happen, one way or the other.
'73 DE KI4HEE

Pick up the beat of Morse Code

Here's a toe-tapper that teaches the code. Rock on!

And if you need help, here's some handy free software, and how to learn it in 1 minute.

Satellite Communication with a $35 Handheld Radio

900 Mile coverage on a small handheld? Very doable...

Check out the products available to get you working SatCom using your Handheld Radio.

goTenna™ A Magic Wand Enabling Smartphone Texting

Had the pleasure to check out some new technology that enables you to send & receive text messages on a smartphone, without need of cell towers or a wifi hotspot. I used a magic wand... a goTenna. In the race to develop additional communication capability for smartphones, goTenna has taken a simple approach, and has crossed the finish line with a winner.

Here's the problem... smartphones turn to dumb bricks when cell & wifi service is gone.  While a bunch of products have attempted to marry alternative communication like two-way radio to the smartphone platform, trying to add an additional layer of technology is problematic. We've seen prototypes of handheld radios glommed onto backs of smartphones, only to see them fall victim to ever changing smartphone technology, falling short in keeping up with the endless parade of new models & new hardware.

Magic Wand?

But goTenna took a different tack... make a simple device to establish an independent peer to peer communication mode. Instead of adding something new to smartphones, goTenna simply enables smartphones to do what does already... send & receive text...and enables it to do so when it can't be done through normal means.

A goTenna is a cognitive digital radio combined with an app that generates its own signal and automatically coordinates with other units within range. It does all the heavy-lifting, so you can chat 1-to-1, with a group, or even broadcast openly to anyone nearby. Distance is it's only limitation. The goTenna has a VHF signal in the unlicensed portion of the MURS band, transmitting 2 watts, so location, elevation, & surroundings are the only unknown variables where range is concerned. Still, you may count on 1 to 3 miles as typical. In my case, out on the bike trail I got just over 2 miles away before I lost connectivity to my other goTenna, although it was more due to terrain than distance. If I was on flat ground I would have likely got further.

Couldn't be any simpler...

Being a text only device, goTenna is not hamstrung by bandwidth & power needs that voice and imagery require.  And since the link between goTenna & smartphone is via bluetooth, any bluetooth equipped smartphone can use a goTenna. You install the free goTenna app available for Android or iOS, pair with the goTenna device, and you're sending & receiving text with other goTenna equipped smartphones.

The goTenna is packaged in pairs, so you have an alternative text communication method for you and one other right out of the box. You're not limited to just that pair of goTennas, you can broadcast to any goTenna within range. There's future potential with the technology to establish a mesh network, and goTenna maintains the capability lies in further development. In the meantime, this magic wand device offers you a way to stay in contact using your smartphone, when everyone else is carrying bricks seeking a cell signal or wifi hotspot.