HAM 101

In Episode 77 of the Kershner Files, I reviewed an article from Ask a Prepper titled ‘HAM Radio Secret Frequencies You Should Know About’. Now, these are not secret frequencies and they’re not inadvertently letting the cat of the bag. These are all known frequencies that just happen to be used by amateur radio enthusiasts and the preparedness minded. During that episode, and in other episodes, I’ve mentioned that we’ve recently started a group at my employers for amateur radio operators so this article was well timed to receive. The following information might prove itself quite useful in a grid down SHTF/TEOTWAWKI situation if you have aspirations for communications when the wheels come off of society.

***LEGAL NOTICE: Unless you have a license, you CANNOT transmit on a HAM radio, handheld or other.***

Definitions and Terminology

First up, what is a HAM? To quote the article: “… a HAM radio (also known as amateur radio) is a two-way radio service where licensed operators around the world experiment and communicate with each other on special frequencies reserved for license holders. To simplify, it’s when you use HAM radios to communicate on a smaller scale, often in situations where other communication methods aren’t available.”

The article contained some useful terminology but I’ve done some additional research and added to the list. Here are a few key terms you’ll hear a lot when working in, on, or around amateur radio:

  • Low Frequency (LF): Ideal for experimental long-range communication, like over land or water (30–300 kHz).

  • Medium Frequency (MF): For regional communication (300 kHz – 3 MHz).

  • High Frequency (HF): Best for long-distance communication (3–30 MHz).

  • Very High Frequency (VHF): Great for local communication, such as with handheld radios (30–300 MHz).

  • Ultra High Frequency (UHF): Best for short-range, urban communication (300 MHz–3 GHz).

  • Frequency Modulation (FM): FM offers better audio quality compared to some other modes like AM. It's widely used and is a popular mode for VHF/UHF voice communications, particularly on repeaters, where it's used to boost and retransmit signals. FM encodes the audio signal by varying the frequency of the radio wave, rather than the amplitude, as in AM.

  • Amplitude Modulation (AM): In AM, the information (audio signal) is modulated onto a carrier wave, creating both an upper and lower sideband. Both the carrier and both sidebands carry information.

  • Single Sideband (SSB): SSB removes the carrier and one of the sidebands in the High Frequency (HF) channels, leaving only one sideband that carries the information. This allows for a narrower bandwidth and more efficient use of transmitter power. SSB is commonly used in long-distance communications, particularly on the High Frequency (HF) bands, as it is more efficient than AM. It's also used in marine radio communication.

  • Upper Side Band (USB): 10-30 MHz of the High Frequency (HF) channels.

  • Lower Side Band (LSB): 3-9 MHZ of the High Frequency (HF) channels.

  • Meter: Refers to the distance between successive crests or troughs of a transmission wave.

Now that we’ve gotten some of the more basic terminology out of the way, let’s talk resources and frequencies.

Resources

If you have aspirations to learn about amateur radio, you going to need books, possibly apps, and gear. First up, books. The following books and devices are included in my Communication collection on the Two Rivers Outfitter website.

Books

  • ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 5th Edition Buy on Amazon

    • This book will help you prepare for the amateur license exam

  • Programming Amateur Radios with CHIRP (Amateur Radio for Beginners) Buy on Amazon

  • The Baofeng Radio Bible: Easy-to-Follow Guerrilla's Guide to Become a Pro Buy on Amazon

  • The Baofeng Radio Guerrilla Tactics: From Beginner to Pro Buy on Amazon

Apps and Websites

  • CHIRP (website) - https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home

  • Radio Reference Forum (website) - https://forums.radioreference.com/

  • Ham Radio Exam - Tech (app) - Designed for iPad, not verified for MacOS

  • Ham Radio Exam Extra (app) - Designed for iPad, not verified for MacOS

  • Ham Radio Exam - General (app) - - Designed for iPad, not verified for MacOS

  • Amateur Radio HAM Exam (app) - Designed for iPhone, not verified for MacOS

From there, you’ll likely need some devices to program and start listening in on broadcasts. No matter how tempting it is, you can NOT transmit without an amateur radio license.

CB Radio - Hand Held

  • Cobra HHRT50 Road Trip CB Radio - 2-Way Handheld Emergency Radio, 40 Channels & NOAA Alerts Buy on Amazon

CB Radio - Vehicle Mounted

  • Cobra 29 LTD Classic AM/FM Professional CB Radio, Instant Channel 9, 40 Channels Buy on Amazon

  • Retevis RT95 Dual Band Mobile Radio, 200 Channels, Rotatable LCD Display Buy on Amazon

  • Uniden PRO505XL 40-Channel CB Radio, Instant Emergency Channel 9, External Speaker Jack, Black Buy on Amazon

Hand Held

Aviation

  • BAOFENG BF-F8HP PRO (UV-5R 7th Gen) 8W Tri Band Two-Way Radio, VHF/1.25M/UHF, IP54, 1000 Channels, GPS, Aviation Band Scanner Buy on Amazon

  • Sporty's PJ2+ COM Aviation Handheld Radio with Easy-to-Read Oversized Screen Buy on Amazon

Emergency Scanner

  • Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Handheld Scanner, 500-Alpha-Tagged Channels, PC Programable, Aviation, Marine, Railroad, and Non-Digital Police/Fire/Public Safety Buy on Amazon

HAM

  • BAOFENG 5RM 10W Ham Radio Long Range UV-5RM Handheld NOAA Weather Receiver Buy on Amazon

  • BAOFENG Radio UV-5R 8W Ham Radio Long Range UV5R Dual Band Handheld Buy on Amazon

  • Kenwood ProTalk NX-P1300AU UHF Two-Way Portable Radio Buy on Amazon

  • Yaesu FT-60R DualBand Handheld 5W VHF/UHF Amateur Radio Transceiver - Dual Band Buy on Amazon

Marine

  • Uniden Atlantis 155 Handheld Two-Way VHF Marine Radio, Floating IPX8 Submersible Waterproof, All USA/International/Canadian Marine Channels Buy on Amazon

  • Uniden Atlantis 275 Handheld Two-Way VHF Marine Radio, Floating IPX8 Submersible Waterproof, 6-Watt, All USA/International/Canadian Marine Channels Buy on Amazon

Transceivers

  • AnyTone Dual Band Mobile Transceiver VHF/UHF Transmitter Vehicle Radio AT-5888UV Buy on Amazon

  • Icom IC-7300 100W HF/50MHz SDR Transceiver Bundle w SM-30 Microphone, SP-38 External Speaker and Intellitron PS-2140A-MBL 40A Linear Power Supply Buy on Amazon

  • Icom IC-705 HF/VHF/UHF All Mode Portable QRP 5W/10W Transceiver Buy on Amazon

  • Icom IC-2730A Dual Band VHF/UHF 50W Mobile Radio Buy on Amazon

  • Yaesu Original FT-891 HF/50 MHz All Mode Analog Ultra Compact Mobile/Base Transceiver - 100 Watts Buy on Amazon

  • Yaesu Original FT-991A HF/50/140/430 MHz All Mode - 100 Watts (50 Watts on 140/430MHz) Buy on Amazon

Now that you know what to study and where to get resource material and devices, let’s have a look at some of those frequencies.

Frequencies

VHF Frequencies (30 MHz – 300 MHz) - The 2-meter amateur band is between 144–148 MHz in the U.S. and is good for local communication:

  • 146.420 MHz FM – A popular prepper/simplex frequency for local group coordination on the 2-meter band.

  • 146.520 MHz FM – National 2-meter simplex calling frequency. Used to make contact, then move to a different channel.

  • 146.550 MHz FM – Often used by survivalist/prepper groups for alternate local communications on 2 meters.

UHF Frequencies (300 MHz – 3 GHz) - The 70 cm amateur band is 420–450 MHz and is good for short range, urban communication:

  • 446.030 MHz FM – Common UHF simplex prepper frequency (“HAM U3”), good for short-range/urban comms.

  • 446.000 MHz FM – National 70 cm simplex calling frequency in the U.S. for making initial contact.

HF SSB (Single SideBand) Frequencies (3–30 MHz) - These frequencies are good for long-distance or regional voice communications using USB or LSB depending on band.

  • 28.305 MHz USB (10 m) – SSB survivalist “HAM10M” frequency for daytime DX and local NVIS when propagation is good.

  • 14.242 MHz USB (20 m) – TAPRN and other prepper nets use this for long-distance daytime communication.

  • 7.242 MHz LSB (40 m) – TAPRN nighttime net frequency; excellent for ~300 mile coverage after dark.

  • 5.357 MHz USB (60 m, Channel 3) – One of the 5 U.S.-authorized 60-meter channels; used for NVIS and emergency comms (~500 miles).

  • 3.818 MHz LSB (80 m) – TAPRN and similar groups use this for regional/nighttime NVIS and local coverage.

Other Noteworthy Frequencies

  • 27.065 MHz (CB Channel 9) – Emergency channel on the CB band. Monitored less than it used to be but still recognized.

  • 27.185 MHz (CB Channel 19) – Most active CB channel, especially near highways.

  • 162.400 – 162.550 MHz – NOAA Weather Radio broadcast frequencies.

  • 121.500 MHz AM – Aviation Emergency & Distress frequency (VHF).

  • 243.000 MHz AM – Military/Air Force Search and Rescue (UHF).

  • 155.160 MHz FM – Common frequency for Land Search and Rescue operations (varies by agency/region).

International Frequencies

I had hoped that simple web search using the phrase ‘international HAM radio frequencies’ would have yielded a resulting list of data I could have provided here on this page. But alas, I was thwarted by the world wide web. Turns out, there are a lot of rules and regs for international communications. I did find some pointers on the C.Crane website stating:

  • Listen to Asia mainly in the morning and listen to Europe mainly in the evening.

  • Few shortwave (SW) frequencies operate 24 hours. You may not hear anything unless you are listening at the right time, or you may hear another language, or you may hear some other country sharing the frequency.

  • Many countries are better heard in non-English broadcasts. Explore the dial and you will hear many fascinating things, including exotic music.

  • Many of the frequencies are relayed from elsewhere. In the case of China, all of them are broadcast via relays. Don't assume any particular frequency is actually coming directly from the originating country.

  • Some major countries no longer broadcast to North America intentionally, such as Australia, France, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland or the UK.

  • More than one station may be involved under some countries, or even outside broadcasts to that country (Kurdistan, Yemen).

  • Several shortwave (SW) countries serve solely as relays for other countries: ARMENIA, ASCENSION, BOTSWANA, BULGARIA, KYRGYZSTAN, MADAGASCAR, OMAN, UAE, UZBEKISTAN

To review the C.Crane website (https://ccrane.com/shortwave-frequency-list/) and their webpage the “English-Language Shortwave Frequencies Audible In North America” use the link provided above. There you will find an alphabetical list of originating broadcast countries.

Additionally, if you want to see a full list for international broadcasts of the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Follow the Bible Ministries, Radio France Int, and many many more, you should visit the Short-Wave Radio Frequency website (https://www.short-wave.info/) for a robust selection of specific ‘shows’ and program frequencies.