When I first heard about the LifeProof case, I was hesitant to believe the hype surrounding it, but anxious to try one out for myself. I’d been wanting something that protected my iPhone from not just the daily abuse and pocket lint, but insured my investment against tragedies like I’m about to explain.

Around a year ago I was checking email first thing in the morning, standing over the toilet, when my still asleep fingers dropped my iPhone into the water like a depth charge. I then did what any self-respecting individual would do when they drop a four hundred dollar electronic device into the toilet. I grabbed it as fast as I could, gave it a quick rinse and tried to do what I could to dry it out.

Get rid of that scowl, you know you’d do the same thing! While it did function for a few weeks afterwards, I vowed to protect my replacement phone a little better and also not to take my iPhone anywhere near the toilet. I’ve since found the LifeProof case and have great things to say about it, so let’s get right into the review.

LifeProof iPhone Case

The LifeProof case is made of a tough polycarbonate frame and shock absorbing elastomer for a high degree of shock and impact protection. A benefit (or a downside) to the polycarbonate is that it doesn’t grip. This means that it slides in and out of a pocket easily, but definitely moves around on the dash of a vehicle.

Utilizing a clamshell like design, the two halves of the case snap together between a thin rubber gasket, which keeps the case sealed and the water, dirt and debris out. I’ve noticed in the time that I’ve had my LifeProof case, the bottom is starting to bow out on either side. Particularly around the notch cutout that allows you to get a finger in to start breaking the seal to open the case up. I’m hoping that this doesn’t start to effect the waterproofness of the case, but it hasn’t so far.

Speaking of which, as you’ll see in the video review above, I’ve taken my iPhone swimming at the bottom of an 8 ft. pool to further test the waterproofness. LifeProof states that you can swim and take it underwater up to 2m (6.6 ft.) and I even recorded video underwater as well. I was able to utilize all the functionality of the iPhone while underwater, including pushing buttons and even recording sound.

I’ve also tested the ruggedness of the case by dropping it on concrete from waist height a few times and it came out unscathed. The lens over the iPhone’s camera is actually double AR coated glass to ensure your photos aren’t degraded. The screen protector is mostly scratch resistant as well and allows you to utilize multitouch gestures easily.

I have had some issues with the screen though. There’s an oil-slick looking formation that can show up through repeated use, but I’ve noticed that if you squeeze the sides of the case it disappears. I’ve also accidentally depressed the button on the iPhone while it’s in my pocket. This occurs while crouching over and activates the voice control on an iPhone 4 and Siri on an iPhone 4s. I found that if I put my iPhone in my front pocket with the screen facing out this issue doesn’t seem to occur much at all. I believe it stems from the button being raised on the screen protector.

A few last things to note on the LifeProof case are the headphone adapter and the fit of the charger. The included headphone adapter is necessary to install if you use headphones, as a standard headphone jack won’t reach the depth needed on the LifeProof case to plug in. It’s understandable that the adapter is needed, but a pain sometimes when you want to plug in headphones. A nice feature of the adapter is that there’s a spare headphone jack cover clipped on to it, which is good if you happen to lose the one you unscrewed to plug in headphones.

Standard iPhone chargers will fit though the charger port cover, so there’s no reason to take the case off to charge. A caveat to this is that the old style iPhone charger cables are a tough fit, these are the kind with the locking tabs that require a press to the sides to release it. You also won’t be able to use any kind of dock with the LifeProof case. I’ve also noticed the sound is better if you flip open the charger port, but pretty good overall even if it’s closed. It’s kind of neat to listen to music underwater too.

Some accessories that LifeProof now offers are the swimming headphone adapter to mate with H2O waterproof headphones for a completely waterproof listening experience. You can also pick up an armband or belt clip to keep your case on you while swimming.

In all I have to say I’m very impressed with the LifeProof case for my iPhone and wouldn’t hesitate recommending them with the caveats I’ve listed above. The LifeProof case for iPhone retails on their Website for 79.99, but you can pick one up here on Amazon for around $57.

We live in a very digitally connected age. Everyone is constantly texting, tweeting, and surfing on their mobile devices. But what do you do when your battery runs out? If you don’t have access to an outlet, you’re probably out of luck.

My only digital camera is my iPhone 4S and I rely on it to have power when I want to capture a moment with a photo. I brought my iPhone on the GORUCK Ascent and managed to extend the battery life as long as possible by turning it off when I wasn’t using it but I could have gotten more photos had I brought some sort of a charger.

One of the most common methods of creating your own energy right now is solar. Solar panels seem to be on everything. I’ve recently found one solar charging device that I really enjoy, is easy to use and has a few tricks up its sleeve.

The Changers Starter Kit does all the usual stuff. It collects energy from the sun and stores it in a battery pack to use later. They say that one fully charged battery pack has enough juice to bring two dead iPhones back to 100%.

The battery pack keeps tabs on how much energy you are generating. When you plug it into your computer, it uploads your usage. That would be cool on its own but it gets better. The more you use it, the more credits you receive. The more credits you receive, the more you can redeem for real life merchandise.

Yup. They just managed to incentivize personal power generation.

Setup

The process of setting up the system is incredibly easy. Actually, you just plug the power cord from the solar panel into the battery pack and aim at the sun. That’s it.

Once you have gathered enough solar energy, just plug your USB device into the battery pack and it will start charging. You can even keep the solar panel plugged in at the same time if you want.

Using the website is also very simple. Just download the program from the website. They have a walkthrough to guide you through the process. You even get to name your charger, which is really handy if you plan on getting more than one or just feel sentimental. I named mine Eva.

Environments

Direct sunlight works best but not many people can sit outside and keep angling the panel towards the sun. Oh and when I say ‘direct’, I mean ‘aimed as directly straight towards the sun as possible.’ You can tell if you are doing it right by how fast the green light blinks; faster blinks means its charging faster.

I’ve gotten good results when the panel placed on the inside of my home (and even car) windows allowing the sun to just follow its natural course. Yes, I know that the sun isn’t actually moving and that the Earth is, but the sun has the appearance of moving left to right across my backyard.

If you want to use this in the car, the suction cups are strong enough to affix to the outside of the window but you have to be smart. Highway speeds or high winds may knock it loose and it would suck trying to reel the panel in while driving. Also, if using it inside of the car, depending on your direction of travel, you may have to reposition the panel multiple times so this really works best if you’re not driving.

When tested in my specific office building, the results were horrible. But that’s all to blame on the windows here. They have a very extreme tint and block all (useable) light for generating energy. Even in place all day, I could not pull together 1 Wh of energy. On the rooftop, in direct sun, I was able to get over 3 Wh in just an hour.

Website Use

While it doesn’t have all the kinks ironed out and more features are on the way, the site is great. Overall it’s well designed both architecturally and aesthetically. Being able to see your watts generated and CO2 savings on a graph is great for a visual learner such as myself.

You can also follow and interact with other users, commenting on their activity (energy & CO2 savings). Oh and they even have an ‘Award’ section that, by doing special things, can unlock ‘achievements.’ Just another good way to incentivize use.

Conclusion

Even though I can’t use it very easily when at work, I still bought one for myself. It makes generating energy for my iPhone fun and once they get the credit system up and running, I’ll be able to trade my charge time with real world rewards. This kit would be a great companion to take on a road trip or hike and I’m sure once you get yours you’ll end up competing with yourself trying to grab more and more sunlight; it’s addicting!

Notes

When I used it while hiking I stored the battery pack in my ruck. I noticed that the cable kept dislodging itself, which stopped any active charging. It seems very easy for the cable to release. Having some sort of twist lock would certainly be an upgrade in my opinion.

I would also like to see some sort of collapsible metal stand (similar to a wire coat hanger) that can be used for angling the solar panel directly to the sun. This would make setting the panel up outside a lot easier, especially in windy conditions.

Talking Points

• Price: $149
• Battery pack charges in about 4 hours.
• Battery pack can fully charge an iPhone twice.
• Battery pack weight: 5.7 oz.
• Solar panel weight: 3.7 oz.

 Video Overview

I recently had the opportunity to take the Gerber Cable Dawg on a multi-week exercise and put it to the test in the field. The Dawg is one of the most well thought out tools I’ve come across, specifically targeting the communication specialists out there.

In one tool they’ve combined a cable cutter, knife, CAT5 jacket cutter, wire stripper, RJ45 crimper, and an interchangeable magnetic driver for your flat, Phillips, and even punch-downs.

My team’s multi-week experience with the tool included creating custom-length Ethernet cables, punching down wires, snipping the ends off of zip ties, opening up boxes full of network gear, etc. Essentially, we used the tool for all the real-world things one would expect from someone setting up comms gear in the field. Our goal was to install a series of IP-based cameras and other sensors, along with the supporting comms gear, bringing everything back into a small Network Operating Center (NOC) at a Forward Operating Base (FOB).

Gerber Cable Dawg

The feature that I came to love the most on the Gerber Cable Dawg was the removable handle on the side with the magnetic driver extension. It truly felt like a screwdriver handle compared to the awkward feel of most thick multi-tools. Likewise, by allowing the handle to slide off, the knife felt like a pocketknife when you used it. Punching down wires was also easy to manage when the handle was detached.

The dimensions of the tool are correct for the tasks it was designed to accomplish. It has a length of 7.5 inches, and a weight of 14 oz. In contrast, the SOG multi-tool that I typically carry has a weight of 9.3 oz., an open length of 7.125 inches, and a closed length of 4.675 inches. Since the multi-tool closes down to a compact size, it fits nicely on your belt, where it was intended to be stored.

The Dawg comes with a suitable MOLLE compatible sheath, but it definitely was not intended to be stored in your belt. In reality, this isn’t a detractor from the tool because one isn’t likely to go out on patrol with the Dawg; it was designed for use at the FOB inside the fence line. It fits nicely into one of the leg cargo pockets if you really want it with you at all times.

Thoughts from the Field

Gerber’s claim that the tool “reduces the soldier’s load by bringing the functionality of many tools into an effective all-in-one package” is spot-on. The engineering forethought that went into this tool is absolutely brilliant. However, it is only a first generation implementation, and in my opinion there is much room for improvement with the tool.

Let’s discuss wire stripping first. Getting the jacket off of CAT5 cable is the first step, regardless if your goal is to crimp a plastic connector on the end or punch down the colored pairs. Stripping with the Dawg was challenging, and we ended up nicking a lot of wires before we would get clean strips.

In fairness, we were transitioning from the no-brainer Irwin Vise-Grip self-adjusting wire stripper ($24.99), a tool that makes wire stripping so simple that a one-armed grandmother could do it. As time went on, we did find ourselves becoming more proficient with the Dawg’s stripper. The key point here is that you should expect to nick some wires before you learn the right touch with the Dawg. If you’re short on supplies, best to stick with what you are most comfortable with.

After stripping the wire, we either were crimping on connectors, or punching down the wires into a wall jack. Let’s discuss the crimping first. We consistently had trouble with the RJ45 crimper not fully engaging the copper conductors into each strand of wire. Using our trusty Klein Tools Scout Pro Tester Kit ($77.99, and a must have), we routinely had wires that weren’t fully engaged, e.g. 3 and 4 would be flashing open. We would reach back to our trusty Klein Tools Ratcheting Modular Crimper ($29.95) to finish the job—one squeeze, re-test, and all the wires were then fully engaged.

The best we could tell, the wire stripper grooves were preventing the crimper head from engaging to the level required to fully set the wires in the connector. We even tried crimping with the driver extension and the driver storage compartment opened, as we speculated that maybe they were hitting on the inside of the handles, preventing the full crimp action. The tolerances were off by maybe a millimeter or two—something that Gerber should be able to easily correct.

We were able to overcome the nicks from wire stripping through practice and repetition, but we had no such luck with the 110 punch down extension point.

Try as we might, we could punch the wire down, but we couldn’t get the excess wire to cut off, usually accomplished by rocking the punch down tip side to side.

The best way to understand why we could only dent, and not cut, the excess wire is to compare two different 110 tips. Here is a picture comparing the 110 tip from the Gardner Bender Punch Down Tool ($22.98, left) and the tip from the Dawg (right).

Notice the sharp difference (pun intended) between the GB tip on the left and the dull and short Dawg tip on the right. In this zoomed-in image, you can see how the Dawg would only dent the wire, not actually cut the wire through. Once again the Dawg kind of worked.

While most retail web sites are selling the tool for around $300, I would expect demand the tool perform as good as the $20 to $30 tools I could buy individually at Amazon.com.

Consider this:

Notes

If you concur with the notion that the Gerber Cable Dawg is best suited for use at the FOB and typically not taken out on patrol, walking around with three tools that just work makes more sense having one tool that kind of works. Perhaps the bigger point is that three tools that just work cost nearly $225 less than the single tool that kind of works.

I remain extremely optimistic that Gerber’s next iteration of the Cable Dawg will improve, but as for the first generation, my recommendation is to save your money and stick with three tools that just work.

Amateur radio consists of a series of radio frequency bands designated internationally for public, non-commercial use. Various types of information can be transmitted over the bands, such as voice, video, and digital data.

A doorway to the world, amateur radio can be used to communicate with people both local and distant. Even off-planet communications are possible, as the astronauts in the International Space Station (ISS) maintain an amateur radio station!

Since the invention of radio, amateur operators — often referred to as hams — have been on the airwaves, constantly pushing the technology. Hams are responsible for not only many advances in radios themselves, but also in satellite communications (hams regularly launch their own satellites, called Orbiting Satellites Carrying Amateur Radio or OSCARs) and digital computers.

Why should I become a Ham?

Today, amateur radio is used for recreational communication as well as a public service to provide communications for communities, whether during an emergency or during a local event, such as a parade.

Here are some other exciting things you can do with a Ham License:

• Doorway to the world! Talk to people in foreign countries . . . DX’ing is a favorite activity of many hams.
• Talk to people both local & distant while driving to work or someone on those sleepless late nights!
• Public assistance by providing communications during emergencies, natural disasters, parades, bike races, marathons and other public events
• Help other people become hams . . . also called “Elmering”
• Hook your computer to your radio and communicate “computer-to-computer”
• Collect QSL cards. Collect cards from other hams, from all over the world
• Participate in radio contests or ARRL Field Day events
• Provide radio communication services to your local Civil Defense organization: ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service), RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service), FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
• Aid members of the U.S. military by joining the Army, Air Force or Navy/Marine MARS (Military Affiliate Radio System)
• Participate in “Fox Hunts” or transmitter hunt games
• Receive weather satellites pictures
• Operate low power from remote locations: SOTA – Summits On The Air
• Build radios, antennas, direction-finding equipment
• Learn some electronics & radio theory
• Talk to astronauts in space!
• Use the moon to bounce signals to talk with people on Earth
• Experiment with Amateur TV (ATV), Slow-Scan TV (SSTV), or send still-frame pictures by facsimile
• Connect your ham radio to the public telephone system & call friends toll free . . . “auto-patching”
• Communicate through orbiting satellites

Licensing

A license is required to transmit on the amateur bands. In the United States, licensing is handled by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). There are three different license classes, each of which award the operator with a variety of privileges across the radio frequency spectrum.

On February 23, 2007, the FCC eliminated Morse code testing. The Morse code requirement was a major stumbling block for many interested in amateur radio. While no longer required for licensing, Morse code (or continuous wave) remains an interesting and effective mode of communication by many amateur radio operators.

New amateur radio operators typically enter the hobby by obtaining a Technician Class license, advancing later to the General Class or Extra Class. Volunteer Examiners prepare and administer written examinations from published question pools publicly available. Helpful study guides, training courses and online resources are widely available.

Technician Class

The privileges of a Technician Class operator license include operating an amateur station that may transmit on channels in any of 17 frequency bands above 50 MHz with up to 1,500 watts of power. Technician Class licensees also have privileges in four amateur service bands in the high-frequency range. To pass the Technician Class examination, at least 26 questions from a 35 question written examination must be answered correctly.

General Class

The General Class operator license authorizes privileges in all 27 amateur service bands. In addition to the above written examination, the requirement for a General Class operator license includes answering correctly at least 26 questions on a 35 question written examination.

Extra Class

Operating privileges of an Extra Class operator license include additional spectrum in the high-frequency bands. In addition to the two above written examinations, the requirement for an Amateur Extra Class operator license includes correctly answering at least 37 questions on a 50 question written examination.

A First Station

A great place to start as a new amateur radio operator is with a dual band hand-held radio capable of operating on both the 70 centimeter and 2 meter bands. This will get you active on the local repeaters and nets, as well as the amateur satellites and the ISS.

Additionally, 2 meters and 70 centimeters are the bands used by local emergency radio services such as the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service and Community Emergency Response Teams. These radios are small, compact and very portable. They can be used with the standard rubber duck antenna, a magnet mount antenna on a vehicle, or a portable antenna with a coaxial cable feed line.

A hand-held 5-watt radio can be found used at very reasonable prices on eBay or the online QRZ Swap Meet.

Ultimately you will be tempted to get a base station, upgrade your license and start making long distance contacts. A great resource for setting up your first station can be found at Ham Universe.

The Amateur’s Code

(Adopted by the American Radio Relay League from the original written by Paul M. Segal, W9EEA, in 1928.)

The radio amateur is:

• Considerate, never knowingly operating in such a way as to lessen the pleasure of others.
• Loyal, offering loyalty, encouragement and support to other amateurs, local clubs and the American Radio Relay League, through which Amateur Radio in the United States is represented nationally and internationally.
• Progressive, with knowledge abreast of science, a well built and efficient station, and operation beyond reproach.
• Friendly, with slow and patient operation when requested, friendly advice and counsel to the beginner, kindly assistance, co-operation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit.
• Balanced, Radio is an avocation, never interfering with duties owed to family, job, school or community.
• Patriotic, with station and skill always ready for service to country and community.

Resources

First off, we’d like to sincerely thank USNERDOC for the contributing content in this article. If you haven’t ever checked out Doc’s YouTube Channel, head over right now! He has some great videos on Ham and even on communicating with the International Space Station!

With this article information, Doc also send over this PDF document for download. It will provide you with the information from this article as well as a great list of links and resources you can use to expand your Ham knowledge.

Air Force engineers have recently developed a device dubbed RAPS (Remote Auxiliary Power System) for Special Operations troops to harvest power directly from overhead power lines.

RAPS is actually based on a Spec Ops request to create a Batman device for throwing over outdoor power lines to power/recharge batteries in communications equipment.

Much like a grappling hook, the device is thrown over a power line where it makes two connections as it’s pulled into position. One to the exposed wire and one through a razor blade that pierces the insulated wire. Once the device is correctly connected, the custom power supply converts the AC to DC for use.

The video below even mentions that RAPS can be used safely in the rain. Please don’t try to build one of these at home, we don’t need any crispy critters because of this article.

Original Article via LabTV

The general public needs to be aware that cellular or PCS portable telephones may not “work” during an emergency when everyone tries to use them at once, because the system becomes “overloaded.”

CERT, Neighborhood Watch and families should consider alternative means to check on each other’s kids, elderly neighbors or keep in touch to make sure everyone is OK after the storm blows over and the telephones are out.

The Family Radio Service or FRS has utility for short range communications, as long as you understand its very significant limitations. The FCC created FRS as an unlicensed service for use by families and groups.

FRS radios are readily available at discount stores such as Wal-Mart or Radio Shack for $25 to $100. They are pocket-sized, use common AA or AAA batteries and have better audio quality than Citizen’s Band.

Not everyone in your neighborhood will want or need FRS. Canvass your neighborhood and ask who already has one. Buy them for elderly, special needs, high risk populations and “block captains” in your Neighborhood Watch group.

FRS Range

Despite advertising claims of “range up to two miles,” FRS is a low-powered, short-range service. It IS reliable for 1/2 to 3/4 mile under typical city conditions, much farther than you can yell and is far cheaper than a cellular telephone.

You will get better range when you are up high, in the clear and away from buildings, but reliable communication of over a mile using FRS is the exception and not the rule. Think of it as a pocket-sized, half-mile wireless intercom, no more. It’s just another tool.

FRS Monitoring

Does your local emergency management agency use RACES volunteers? If so, they should monitor FRS Channel 1 during emergencies listen for local distress calls. Turn off “privacy codes” and listen with “carrier squelch” (explained later).

The ability to monitor FRS1 to relay distress traffic to authorities may be vital if telephone service is interrupted for any reason. Residents living alone or with impaired mobility should consider FRS to maintain contact with a friend or neighbor within walking distance who is able to assist them in an emergency. Some high-end FRS radios are compatible with voice-actuated headsets, which ease use by persons having limited hand dexterity.

All FRS radios are compatible in operation. You may choose any one of 14 “Channels” and talk to anyone within range using the same channel.

It is recommended that FRS “Channel 1″ be used as a “family calling” channel. Not all FRS radios have all 14 channels available, but all FRS radios have at least Channel 1. The idea is that if the power or telephones go out, everyone would turn on their radio to maintain a “listening watch” on Channel 1.

Neighbors should check to ensure that anyone living alone is OK and that in families everyone is accounted for. Relay emergency calls down the line to someone in contact with the “outside world” through a working telephone, a phone patch via amateur radio or any other available communications.

If your neighborhood group uses any channel other than Channel 1, let local emergency management know so that RACES or CERT teams, police and fire can program it into their scanners.

Testing

Schedule a regular weekly test, such as Sunday mornings at ten over coffee, to meet “on the air,” check the radio, and make sure the batteries are OK.

Become familiar with how your FRS radio works and determine your area of coverage.

Privacy Code Myths

So-called “privacy codes” touted by the radio manufacturers and mass marketers do NOT make your conversation private!

Continuous Tone Coded Squelch or CTCSS is used in amateur, business and public safety radios to enable multiple users to share the same channel without hearing each other.

If FRS is to be of any use in an emergency everyone should DISABLE TONE SQUELCH and use carrier squelch only!

Anyone can turn their “privacy code” off enabling them to hear all traffic on the channel. CTCSS is used to reduce ambient noise when you monitor the radio all the time. It is not a scrambler. Don’t discuss personal information you want to keep private on FRS!

Radio Etiquette

If you ever need to use a 2-way radio in a real emergency, it is vital that you be clearly understood. Professional emergency responders use plain language, and you should do the same. Avoid “ten-codes” and jargon you hear on TV shows because these terms have different meanings in different areas and are easily misunderstood.

To call someone, say the name of the person your want to call, followed by the words “THIS IS,” then say your name and “OVER.” For example:

“MARTHA, THIS IS GEORGE, OVER.”

When Martha hears her name, it gets her attention. She may not know George, so when she hears the words “THIS IS” it alerts her to pay attention to who is calling her. When she hears “OVER” she knows that it is her turn to speak.

Two-way radios are not “full-duplex” like a telephone. You cannot hear what someone else is saying when YOU are talking. Because only one person can talk at a time, it is more important to LISTEN on a 2-way radio than to talk! It’s basic “radio etiquette” to establish contact and make sure that you have the other person’s attention before just “blabbing away.”

If you hear someone calling you, acknowledge his or her call by identifying yourself and saying, “GO AHEAD.” This lets the caller know that you heard them, and that you are ready to listen to what they have to say. When you want them to respond say “OVER.”

The word “OVER” leaves no doubt about whose turn it is to talk and avoids any confusion which results from two people speaking at once and nobody hearing the other. When your business is finished, the person who started the conversation should end it by saying their name and the word “OUT” which leaves no mistake that the contact has ended.

Always release the push-to-talk (PTT) button whenever you stop talking. If you forget and keep it pushed down when trying to think of something to say, the radio continues to transmit a carrier, making your battery run down faster and making “dead air” so that nobody else can be heard.

In the least sense, doing so is impolite. In an emergency, it could prevent someone with vital information from getting through. Leave a second or two between “hand-offs” to give others a chance to break in. Speak in short, simple phrases and toss the conversion back and forth with the word “OVER.”

Don’t speak immediately when you press the PTT, but wait an instant. Most two-way radios take 100 to 300 milliseconds to change from receive to transmit, so if you speak as soon you “key up” it “clips” the first syllable, making it harder to understand. If that word doesn’t make it, you will just have to say it again and run down your batteries faster.

Emergency Calling over FRS

If you must use a radio to relay an emergency call to someone else who will make a telephone call for you, write the information down and collect your thoughts. The 911 operator will need the exact location, street name, house number and nearest cross street to the emergency.

This is vital if a call being relayed is made from a location different from the emergency. Most automated 911 systems trace the call. It wastes precious response time if a unit is automatically dispatched to where the call is being made from, if it is far from the actual location of the emergency.

Answer the call taker’s questions as directly as possible, do not explain. If asked a question, just answer. If you think that additional information is vital, be brief and let the call taker ask for more detail.

FRS Tips

It doesn’t help to talk louder on the radio in a noisy environment, even though it’s may seem natural to speak louder when it is noisy around you. When you yell, the radio clips your voice, distorting voice audio so that it is less understandable.

Speak ACROSS the microphone rather than into it because breath sounds also reduce intelligibility. Use a natural speaking voice. The only way to overcome loud ambient noise is to shield the microphone from the wind, point it away from the source of noise or wait until the noise passes.

A hand-held microphone or boom-mike with headset may be convenient if you have limited mobility or need your hands free to use tools or equipment, and are speaking to someone nearby.

Any portable transceiver is much less effective when worn on your belt, because the radio signal is absorbed your body. This is very noticeable with low power FRS. Unless you are within 1/4 mile of the person you are talking to, hold the radio vertically, at face level, with its antenna in the clear.

Range will be reduced to less than half if you use the radio inside a metal vehicle or inside a steel reinforced building. If you have trouble communicating, pull safely off the road and step outside the vehicle away from the traffic flow to use the radio.

In cold weather keep the radio warm inside a coat pocket or in your purse, NOT exposed on your belt. Adapters, which enable you to power the radio from your auto cigarette lighter plug, are useful for extended operation. If the radio will work with common AA batteries, you don’t need to depend on household current to recharge.

A FRS radio is NOT a substitute for a cellular telephone! It is always prudent to have a cellular telephone available for personal emergency communications and to use it as long as it works.

Cellular telephones are not totally reliable under all emergency conditions. FRS, despite its significant performance limitations, provides an inexpensive short-range alternative for people who are willing to learn and practice to supplement their community preparedness and neighborhood watch emergency communications.

Article adapted By Virginia RACES, Inc. from original material by Dick Rawson, N6CMJ (SVECS Handbook) and Doug Smith, KAF9830 of the Personal Radio Steering Group.
Copyright 2010 USRACES, Used by permission.

A special thank you to ke4sky for sharing this informative guest post!

Additional Links

CERT Radio Training Course

Disaster Survival In the Urban Environment (PowerPoint)

Examples of Canned Traffic for Message Handling Training (saves work generating your own)

Keyboarding messages is encouraged, rather than hand transcribing. This is faster, and results in fewer errors and reduces the number of times a message must be handled. A message can be keyboarded directly into a laptop or PC using a terminal emulator program such as Hyperterminal in Windows for AX.25, or if logged into the City or County’s WebEOC portal.

The RACES Basic Operator Course is recommended for local government and NGOs to use as basic source material. This is the current revision of RACES training as adopted by Arlington County, VA. Find Arlington’s RACES Manual here.