Why HF Radio is an Critical Asset

High Frequency (HF) radio should be a top communications priority among Armed Americans. While line of sight (LOS), tactical-level communications usually get most of the focus from those starting out in commo, HF really begins to shine when the need for extended local, regional and even global communications becomes a mission requirement for coordinating the flow of information. Why is that?

The reality of building underground resistance forces is that the coordinating entity is often outside the region in conflict. Cellular structure of that resistance relies upon long distance communications first then local level communications for distribution – in short, HF over regions then VHF / UHF at the local most level. Madman Actual discussed some time back how the Taliban implemented these techniques using the higher end of HF near 30mHz, what we’d call the CB band in the US, in an effort to evade ISAF Signals Intelligence teams. While they were still intercepted, direction finding (DF) of the point of origin was extremely difficult if not impossible. This level of coordination trickled down to the VHF handhelds they used at the tactical level.

The US Army is dusting off the HF skills as well. While it became an afterthought for a long while, the PRC-150 and new 160 maintained that capability in the SOF community despite the fact that Tactical SATCOM (TACSAT) took the forefront in Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications. Anticipating a war with China, those HF skills become critical should the Chinese target the SATCOM constellation – and they will.

The American Partisan in that scenario has an advantage should they be equipped with HF capability and well experienced in its use. The learning curve is already mastered with the task and purpose now given. But for day-to-day situations, an HF radio becomes a pretty handy piece of equipment as well.  It opens the door to shortwave radio, which are international broadcasts of news and entertainment that are often perspectives much different from our controlled corporate media complex. Despite government tyranny, these cannot be shut down or jammed in total. During the last unrest in Cuba the Radio Recon Group used HF to transmit words of encouragement to courageous Cuban people standing up to the tyranny of communism. While the government jammed us, parts of our message got through, and was proof that freedom activism certainly extends to the world of communications.

All of this may sound dramatic to some, but it illustrates the very real role HF radio plays in a signals package and why you need to include it in your own capabilities. The learning is often high – its not exactly a plug and play affair – and sometimes the success is not an instant gratification the same way tactical level communications can be. But that said, many newer radios on the market today are built to make life much easier than in eras of the recent past. One such example is the Xiegu G90. With a built in antenna tuning unit (ATU), antenna analyzer, SDR-style waterfall display, and 20 watts output power, its one of the best units on the market for the beginner in HF or those looking to built covert / clandestine radio kits for distribution over a region. There’s other radios on the market with longer track records, but the G90 has proven itself becoming extremely popular with the parks on the Air (POTA) and Summits on the Air (SOTA) backpacking radio communities. And its for that reason I chose to offer it first to this community as its one of the best options at any price point.

Some of the references I strongly suggest to pair with an HF radio is the Special Forces Antenna Handbook (and the large-print version) for a deep understanding on antennas well suited to this purpose, The Guerrilla Dispatch Volume 1 for an in-depth look at HF operating techniques, and The Guerrilla’s Guide to the Baofeng Radio for a crash course in digital operations, data bursts and encryption which apply to any communications system. Finally, none of this matters without training – get out and put the metal in the meat.

I’ll see you out there. Stay dangerous. -NCS

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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 .

9 Comments

  1. Romeo Foxtrot June 5, 2023 at 11:19

    Timely post…

    Did you do the MARS mod?

    If so, what freqs opened up on it?

    Nifty rig, might need to add it…

    • NC Scout June 5, 2023 at 13:12

      Yes and it opens the entire radio.

  2. The Old Freedom Fighter June 5, 2023 at 13:41

    NC Scout: I’d like to see you publish a Guerilla’s Guide to the Xiegu G-90. I really enjoyed the GG/BaoFeng, Dispatch 1 & the Special Forces Antenna handbook. Researching the G-90 right now. Will try to get to some of the training sessions in the fall.

    • NC Scout June 5, 2023 at 17:50

      I’m working on something along those lines. ;)

  3. Phil June 5, 2023 at 18:08

    Is the G90 MARS mod a hardware fix, a firmware fix, or a mixture of both?

    • NC Scout June 5, 2023 at 21:07

      Hardware – the video to do the simple mod is in the product description on the store.

  4. Virgil June 5, 2023 at 20:03

    I really enjoy HF and building my own antennas for next to nothing is very satisfying. Thank you NC!

  5. John Jacob June 5, 2023 at 22:06

    This is solid info, right on point, as usual. Put down the excuses and get HF capable. If you’re the “comms guy” for your group, you owe it to them to be more than just the team designated Baofeng programmer.
    Keep up the great work Scout.
    -JJS

  6. Bud Green June 6, 2023 at 00:17

    Getting ready to put up a wire for 160 meters this week.

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