Son of Thunder: 2 Meter Radio: A Primary Tool

Originally appeared on Signal Corps Ministry. – NCS

2 meter band radio (referring to the electro-magnetic wavelength) for amateur radio operators are the frequencies between 144.000 mhz and 148.000 mhz. The modulation most commonly used today is FM. and packet (data). There are amateur radios that are capable of SSB which is permitted but not as widely used. The band (part of the VHF range of bands) is divided into segments for different uses phone (voice), packet, and repeaters being the most common. In emergency radio communications (referred to as ECOM) the 2 meter band is often called the ‘first mile/last mile’ band, meaning it is the communication link between local events and personnel on the ground to their command and control centers (2 meter band for public safety and first responders is more commonly referred to as the public safety spectrum, starting where the amateur radio band ends at the top end) . For local amateur radio operators and first responders, it is probably the most used and most valuable resource for communications in the community. It is also the one of the primary bands you get access to with the easiest and entry level Amateur Radio Technicians license. Most 2 meter amateur radios available today include the public safety spectrum along with the amateur portion but without the ability to transmit on the public safety spectrum unless the radio is modified for use by authorized persons. For situational awareness in your community, having public safety frequencies programmed in the radio’s memory allows one to monitor events, especially using the scan setting most radios today have. While a strictly 2 meter/public safety spectrum radio is highly useful, many people get radios that also include the 70cm band (in the UHF range, also typically used with FM and phone signals). These radios typically add a broader range of frequencies that can be received and monitored but not transmitted on, such the AM airband and other agencies and utilities that use the remainder of the upper VHF range and the lower end of the UHF, sometimes including the 1.25 meter amateur band which a small segment of frequencies from 222Mhz to 225Mhz. Radios that have 2m and 70cm capability are commonly called ‘dual banders’; less popular are ‘tri banders that include 2m, 1.25m, and 70cm.

Having a 2m radio in your vehicle is a must, a dual bander is even better. It is extremely popular and versatile. You can communicate and move in real time, an essential capability in responding to your community’s needs. Having one in your home is almost as important, to be able to make calls for assistance, and to be the reciprocal base station to the mobile stations. In fact I would highly recommend having 3 radios to fully take advantage of 2m and 70cm bands: a home/base dual bander radio, a mobile dual bander, and a HT dual bander (HT is short for handheld transceiver, also more well known as a walkie talkie.) With each household having a base station, mobile vehicle, and a handheld for each individual, you are more prepared to handle any situation by magnitudes. Repeaters for the 2 meter band and 70cm bands are quite literally everywhere (see the Repeater Directories entry on the resource library page of this site). If your interest in this site’s articles were to stop after reading this article, you would have awareness of one the most important communications tools available for maintaining safety, security, community interdependence and cohesion there is, one that is strictly maintained by the community and will work in a grid down situation which would deny cell or internet traffic.

Generally speaking, the 2 meter frequencies are a ‘line-of-site’ radio wave which means exactly as it sounds: a FM 2 meter signal will propagate through clear air until topography interferes or it goes out into space. If you imagine a tangential line from a point on a circle, that point being your antenna and the circle being the surface of the earth, that is how this signal basically works. A FM signal can, potentially, follow the curve of the earth over the horizon by as much as 15% as the bottom of the radiowave drags on the surface of the earth. Transmitter height, signal strength and atmospheric conditions are always a factor as well. 70cm signals have less range, but do have a particular advantage of being more viable inside building and structures. They are a good choice for shorter range communications (shorter than 2 meter) which can be used for the advantages of security and privacy in conjunction with other practices. Antenna polarization plays an important role in FM transmissions: the vertical antenna transmitting a signal is best received by a vertical antenna. Although there is a significant loss in power, a horizontal antenna will better picked up by another horizontal antenna. It is not commonly done, but this technique also can create a security advantage. In an area with a lot of topographical changes, a 2 meter FM radio wave will drag, reflect, and bounce; this can result in an elliptically polarized wave. This can be best observed when holding a HT radio: while receiving a transmission, slowly rotate (up and down, left and right) your antenna to see if your reception improves. Also requesting the transmitting party to ‘better their position’ can improve how well their signal is getting out, the major adjustment is holding up the HT higher. A HT held directly in front of your body restricts transmission and reception by 180 degrees; this could be desirable, but if you’re trying to get help from anyone available, holding your HT high and using a speaker/mic can incredibly increase the reception of your signal.

Quick recommendations: the Yaesu FT-2980R is an incredibly robust and powerful radio. See my field deployment radio ‘Go’ Box:

It also has a packet TNC and USB interface but more on that later. It is a great mobile unit and base unit. Kenwood also makes a great 2 meter only radio: TM-281A

I also use the FT-60R and in my truck a FT-8900R Quadbander as well as the FT-7900R in my shack. Again, there are many good models out there, I just have used these mostly and can recommend them based on my use of them, not for any other reason.

As a member of the Body of Christ in your community, a person whose role is to acquire the skills and capabilities to serve, lead, and minister to your church, it is imperative to get the licensage and radios necessary. Action item: lead your community by studying for your Technicians license, get your license, and budget your resources to get radios. Then help others to do the same. Train and use these tools regularly. When you train, do not just chat on the radio; practice all the skills you would use in a very bad day scenario. As an autonomous communication infrastructure in your community, any member may have to respond to an urgent need, and so everyone needs to have the complete skillset at their fingertips and be able to use it competently. This is no light matter as radio use and net discipline (to be discussed further in another article) can be the difference between life or death, no joke.

If you are called to serve then let nothing stand in your way of being a proficient and professional radio operator (this applies to any role and function in your community; this is the fallen world and corruption abounds, the great opposer is always working to deceive and mislead. We must be out front. Put on the Armor of God and stand!). It is incumbent on each of us to acquire the skills and hardware, learn and train how to use it, and teach and train others how to use it. Then continue training regularly.

COMING SOON: Running a 2 meter net in your community and using APRS and packet radio on 2 meter

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

13 Comments

  1. Anonymous December 9, 2020 at 07:08

    5

  2. wwes December 9, 2020 at 08:58

    Thanks for the 2m info. And I second that the Kenwood TM-281A is a great radio for 2m only, I bought one on deep discount to put in one of my trucks, and it is a great little radio.

  3. Johnny Paratrooper December 9, 2020 at 09:39

    Guns are cool. Radios are MUCH cooler. Nice mobile setup. Has anyone made a manpack?

    • Quietus December 9, 2020 at 10:45

      I’ve rucked an Icom IC-7200 some, it’s a 100w HF radio. It fits in a Molle radio pouch inside the main compartment of a Molle II ruck. I’ve got two 33 amp gel cells, sometimes connected in parallel and sometimes just one battery. Drain on full power transmit is real significant, about 22 amps. Going down to 25w transmit power is still a 13 amp draw and going lower yields no further lessening of draw. It’s a Pig in that regard.

      I don’t have an antenna which allows using the radio while foot mobile (there’s a need to stop and put up wire), but then again those HF bands don’t lend themselves to that sort of chit-chat. I do have a dogbone speaker mic for that radio (H-250). It’s audio is not the greatest.

  4. GK December 9, 2020 at 09:39

    Nice go-box. Clean!
    Bought the HYS version of the FT8900R about 8 months ago. It’s sitting next to the shack radio (TS440) still to this day, but I love it. It’s going in my motorhome. Funny thing-Just ordered the Diamond mobile antenna for that radio, and a switch. Am going to use the Diamond for mobile, and put a fan dipole on the motorhome for stationary. As luck would have it my motorhome is 32ft.

    If it works out (does IT ever?), will use 2 lawnmower pull cord retraction pulleys to tension the end of the fan. Coupled with a windup center mast, it should work. If it don’t, am going to stack a yagi on the tv antenna wind up mast.

  5. Romeo Foxtrot December 9, 2020 at 15:25

    Timely article…

    I run kenwood 281’s vhf and tm-v71’s uhf/vhf, all modified for wider tx/rx..I also run the btech 25×2 and 50×2, both uhf/vhf rigs, and they have wide tx/rx on both bands…They are also my field rigs, run off agm batteries and solar panels, w roll up j poles and yagi’s….

    My home unit is a v71 to j pole in attic, great radio…I have it programmed for all amateur freqs, and frs/gmrs/murs/marine and many .gov/.mil freqs too, so i can listen in if need be…

    I have great simplex performance, this is my tac/neighborhood/local rig, i can reach out to folks running HT’s and those bubble pack frs/gmrs rigs..

    Hitting repeaters is no problem either..

    I run a v71 in suv, to a diamond hi gain dual band antenna, and when off to the mountains to stalk trout, have it set up as a x-band repeater, so i keep a uv82 ht on my person, and i can hit my kenwood, then hit a 2m or local gmrs repeater too, they are everywhere. This way if i need to get emergency help, i have the ability.

    I encourage folks to get there gmrs license, then you’ll have access to those repeaters, one license covers the “family” and no test required, just another option for commo…

    All my vhf/uhf rigs can access amateur and gmrs/frs/murs/et al bands…

    the other great thing about vhf/uhf is that in a widescale event, agencies will flip to the national interoperability plan, and most of that uses analog hvf/uhf bands/freqs…useful info to have..

    For the life of me i can not find that damn document, i’d post a link to it, but it lists all the agencies and their various freqs…if i find i’ll post it up.

  6. Romeo Foxtrot December 9, 2020 at 16:00

    Found it…

    This is a treasure trove of useful information, a must have in your library of reference material.

    National Interoperability Field Operations Guide
    U.S. Department of Homeland Security
    Office of Emergency Communications
    Version 1.4

    https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/nifog-v1-4-resized-for-pda-viewing.pdf

    download, print and save in 3 ring binder with all the other manuals and such..

    this version has been optimized for mobile device usage too…

  7. LKS December 10, 2020 at 06:44

    Don’t forget GMRS/FRS. A GMRS license requires no test and covers your family. Propagation is similar to 70cm and it supports repeaters.

    There is a repeater at the old Warrenton Training Center (Nova area) that I’ve hit with a BaoFeng 5R from 50 miles away.

    I also have a cache of cheap UHF radios programmed on the MURS and FRS frequencies to hand out to neighbors in an emergency. That provides some opportunities for interop.

  8. Tim December 20, 2020 at 11:49

    I’m late to the sermon you guys have been preaching for years but I finally bought a Baofeng (knock-off apparently, a TIDRadio but visually identical) 5R and am scurrying for info and printing same. Thanks for all the intel and news in the past. God Bless.

  9. MidwestKev December 20, 2020 at 18:02

    Question for NC Scout – for HTs I have baofengs but I want to upgrade my mobile kit. What would be the next best units? I’ve been looking at FT-60 and FT-70’s. I liked the VX-8r but they’ve discontinued those. Is the VX-6r worth getting? How useful is digital to our needs?

    • NC Scout December 20, 2020 at 19:05

      All of those are essentially the same. Pick up some DM-1701s. They’re DMR and analog, which when used properly makes you a tough nut to crack.

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