For some time I’ve enviously admired The Tech Prepper’s fleet of HF manpacks. The whole concept of a self contained rig that is ready to go and can be used in a variety of situations, is fascinating in itself, but its distracted me from an even more important project – Handout Communications Kits.
The Concept
Whether coordinating carpools or emergency services, our modern world runs on communication and SHTF shouldn’t change that. Unfortunately even within the preparedness community, not everyone puts much thought into emergency communications – but they should.
As with many in our community, not everyone I know is as prepared as I am for ‘worst-case’ scenarios, but that doesn’t mean I want to cut them off in an emergency. It would be much easier if everyone were on the same page when it comes to preparedness, but the reality is that we have a duty to our friends and families to fill in the gaps in their preparedness planning. Sometimes this means storing away a few extra rations in your own stockpile, other times it means keeping a few extra radios on the charger.
But what’s better than just a spare radio? All the things that go with operating one, of course. I put these kits together with the idea of passing them out to those I need to stay in contact with during an emergency, not already equipped and trained radio operators. With that in mind, I kept things pretty basic and intuitive, but made sure to include all the things a layman might not think to grab and put it all in one place.
The Pouch
The pouch I went with is comprised of two main components: a Maxpedition Fatty Pocket Organizer and a Spiritus Systems Mutant Pouch (though I went off-brand for the latter). Starting with the Mutant Pouch, there is of course a radio pocket which holds my Baofeng UV-17R quite well, along with a generous GP pocket. This GP is a great spot to throw a battery pack for extended operations, or even a charging cradle and other gear to keep your radio going.
I originally intended for the Maxpedition Fatty Organizer to fit in the GP, but it was a bit too wide. The Skinny Pocket Organizer would fit, but wasn’t the ideal size for my reference cards. Instead, I strapped the two pouches together via the MOLLE webbing, which turned out to be a perfect match.
The Hardware
For the radio, I settled on the Baofeng UV-17R.
In the past I had used UV-5Rs on occasion and was really unhappy with them. The UV-17R is at the end of the day a cheap Chinese radio, however it is a night and day improvement over the old model at an even lower cost.
Technical Specs
RX Range (MHz): 144-148, 420-450
TX Range (MHz): 144-148, 420-450
Channels: 999
Type: Analog
Battery: Type-C, 1,800mAh
While a fleet of Yeasu radios is still a dream of mine, it’s hard to ignore the difference in price compared to the budget radios…especially at scale. Besides, the point of these is to be handed out in an emergency, so having several at a low cost better fits this role.
In addition to a radio, I wanted to include a mesh networking component that would not only allow digital signals to be relayed among the users of my network, but also facilitate the use of ATAK without additional infrastructure. For this I went with an ESP32 LoRa module in a 3D printed case.
These boards are small, light, and battery efficient, making them great for my use case.
I plan on creating a fairly vast network of LoRa and other digital RF devices with communications, SigInt and situational awareness in mind and will be making more in-depth articles on the subject. For now, lets focus on how they fit into these kits.
For this application I went with USB-C ESP32 V3 boards from Hel-Tec using SX1262 chips. I then added a holder for 18650 rechargeable batteries, and fit the assembly into a simple 3D printed case. These can then be accessed via a smartphone via the Meshtastic app, or configured to run ATAK, even without WiFi or cell service.
Reference Guides
Ideally, before passing out these kits, I would ensure the recipients are fully trained in how to use them, but life doesn’t always work out like that. Should these kits need to be deployed quickly to people of various skill levels, they each contain rather extensive user guides for the radios and guides on best practices.
These were pretty easy to make. I simply made a template in Google Docs for the card size, then populated, printed, and laminated the references I thought best to include before trimming them to size. A couple hole punches and zip-ties later, and I wound up with some pretty nice looking cheat sheets that were bound together to prevent losing any.
Some of the guides I included were:
- Radio User Manual and Shortcut Cards
- Radiogram Template
- Winlink References
- APRS References
- Morse Code, CW Abbreviations, & Q-Codes
- How to Use One-Time-Pads
- How to Use FreeTAKServer
- ATAK Quick Start Guide
- And Others
Other Equipment
- Waterproof Notebooks
A waterproof notepad is an essential piece of kit, especially for the radio operator. I used to use Rite-in-the-Rain brand notebooks, but my only complaint was the price. A quick search on Amazon yielded several to choose from from cheaper brands. While I haven’t been using these long, I have no complaints so far, and feel they will hold up just as well as the name brand.
- Writing Utensils
Pencils and Sharpies may be commonplace, but map markers are not. Besides, what would be the point of throwing a kit like this together if it didn’t have everything you need to dictate and relay a message?
- Local Maps
Along with the other reference materials, I keep an assortment of laminated maps in my handout kits – most of which I made using QGIS. These maps not only show roads, waterways, trails, and topography, but also grid squares which can streamline locating emergency events or landmarks.
- Micro SD Card
The Micro SD card in my kit is primarily a backup for my raspberry pi server, but there are other reasons you may want to add a Micro SD card to yours. Medical records and emergency contacts are important to have on hand in an emergency, as are digital maps, field manuals and other reference materials.
Speaking of offline reference materials, you can use programs such as Kiwix to download entire websites for free, offline access.
- TAILS OS Bootable USB
You don’t have to be paranoid to appreciate layer security though TAILS might push that envelope. TAILS alone won’t make you invisible, but it won’t leave any trace of your communications on the device you are using. Securing your traffic itself is another discussion entirely, but having a pre-configured bootable USB with TAILS is a good start. Plus, it’ll allow you to use a computer with a damaged hard drive, assuming it is otherwise working.
- Chemlights
While the primary goal of these kits is to pass along more complex messages, chemlights can be invaluable and aren’t something everyone thinks to stock up on outside of the tactical world. By including a few chemlights of various colors with these provides a means for visual identification and communication.
- Signal Panel
As with the chemlights, signal panels aren’t something everyone has around the house, but these brightly colored pieces of fabric certainly have their place when it comes to visual communication. Flag based communication has been used for thousands of years at sea and by land armies alike with great success. In modern times, we don’t use flags as often, but a small signal panel is cheap insurance to ensure you always have a way to pass traffic. Even if in a limited capacity.
Conclusion
While a cheap ham radio can be sourced for under $30, you probably need a bit more gear to be an effective communicator in an emergency. For under $125 (or under $100 without the LoRa device), you can throw together a kit like mine that provides the layman with all the tools they need to receive or relay your emergency traffic.
Of course if you really want to be a communications asset, you should seek further training, which almost certainly starts with getting your FCC Amateur Radio Operator Licence.