This is going great so far, even better than I expected. Almost a month in and there are hundreds of nodes discovered on my Meshtastic map. Big ups to the homie for helping me with this and printing me this new case because my 3d printer is lame. Y’all have a good weekend and read or listen to a book/audiobook. #swampcomms #meshtastic #artofwar
A fully programmed look at the VHF/UHF Radio Manpack. $339 shipped. Opening pre orders up, shoot me a DM or wait until orders open on Etsy next week! Let’s build the community up.
#selfsufficient #offgrid #radios #diy #learningoninstagram
VHF/UHF Manpack update!
Built for people who want a simple, ready-to-go VHF/UHF shoulder sling manpack without having to figure everything out from scratch. This setup uses a dual-band Signal Stick antenna with a counterpoise to help improve performance in a portable bag configuration, a Nermak 12V 10Ah battery for portable power, and a custom 3D printed MOLLE-mounted BNC setup on the exterior of the bag for a clean antenna connection point. Power wiring is fully built out before shipment so the system arrives ready to use with minimal setup. I also pre-program each radio for the customer based on where they live, so local repeaters and useful frequencies are already loaded before it ships. The goal is a low-barrier, practical manpack that is easy for the end user to carry, power on, and start using.
#radiocommunication #manpack #edc #hamradio #diy
Back on that Meshtastic for the umpteenth time. What’s the old saying, third times a charm? I think I’ve got it dialed in this time and with more nodes popping up in my area and the homie on it to I think we’re finally good to go. Have a good weekend y’all! 🐸 #swampcomms #meshtastic #radio
This one is way longer than usual but I want to get the information out there as I go! I make mistakes and learn along the way but I want to share a quick (if you’d call 10 minutes quick) video on my setup right now. Also, this was taken before my hip surgery… not a whole lot of throwing line in trees at the moment!
#hamradio #hfradio #portablecommunicationsdevice #longrangecommunication
I’ve been meaning to do this for a while. I wanted a cheap handheld for my DR650 to hit repeaters in the Hampton Roads area. After 30 minutes of finding my cables and connectors I slapped a quick setup together! A cheap cabelas fishing chest rig worked to hold the radio in place. Cut the back straps off of it and now my setup (and all my extra BS) looks better.
#baofeng #hamradio #dualsport #radio #mobilecomms
Have an old raspberry pi collecting dust? Get back on that ADS-B! Me and the homie have decided to combine our ADS-B projects, install tar1090 and readsb then merge all ADS-B data from multiple sources into a single feed. This is good for redundancy and covering blind spots in a larger area. I’m using an old raspberry pi 3b+ which is plenty for this project, and the homie is using an MFF Optiplex. The best projects are group projects and this one is going to expand. Oh yea we’re covering almost 40,000 square miles. Happy sunday y’all!
#swampcomms #adsb #raspberrypi
The Spook 1.0 is a first attempt build for a Dual Software Defined Radio enclosed unit. I’m greatly enjoying it after making a few tweaks. Have you ever wanted a dual SDR suite? Have you made one?
#sdr #softwaredefinedradio #spook #edc
Finished my portable HF manpack build: 12V power, tuned antenna system, and optional digital-mode setup. The point isn’t cosplay, it’s resilient communications and real RF skills when infrastructure isn’t available. Want the full parts list? Comment ‘MANPACK’.”
#manpack #hfradio #hamradio #techtok #amateurradio
Today’s HF manpack setup: toss line, hang the EFHW, tension + choke point, check SWR, hop on 14.074MHz and listen to FT8 decode.
No repeaters. No internet required to hear the world. Just wire, coax, and a radio doing what it was built to do.
Workflow:
EFHW up in a tree (keep the feedpoint off the ground)
NanoVNA / rig meter SWR check + minor trim/adjustments
Set band + mode, monitor FT8 waterfall, watch decodes roll in
This is why portable HF matters: situational awareness, resilient comms, and real RF skills you can carry on your back. Get out there and learn y’all. Talk with each other, ask questions. We get better as a community!
#hfradio #manpack #hamradio #amateurradio #techtok
This is a relevant and useful topic that more people need to understand. I am parked in my truck in Norfolk, VA with a Raspberry Pi + 7” touchscreen running WSJT-X and GridTracker… and I’m decoding FT8 traffic on 20 meters from places like Mexico, Belize, Colorado, and Puerto Rico!
FT8 is a weak-signal digital mode that lets you make long-distance radio contacts without talking on voice, perfect for learning HF, seeing when the band is open, and running simple mobile setups.
If you want part 2, I’ll show how to go from decoding to making an actual contact (and how I know when 10m is open).
#hamradio #amateurradio #HAM #raspberrypi #offgrid
Shortwave is still one of the most underrated “off-grid” tools you can own.
In this video I’m using a simple portable shortwave radio to show why HF matters:
• No Wi-Fi. No cell service. No apps. Just RF.
• Shortwave (HF ~3–30 MHz) can travel hundreds to thousands of miles because signals can reflect off the ionosphere (“skip”).
• That means you can hear news, broadcasters, and radio traffic far outside your local area with nothing but batteries.
• It’s also a legit way to learn propagation, interference, antennas, and signal ID. The real RF fundamentals that we all want to know but don’t know how to start.
Pro tip: if your shortwave sounds “dead,” it’s usually not the radio, your house is noisy. Get away from chargers/LED lights, extend the whip, and try listening after sunset.
#shortwave #hf #radio #shortwaveradio #prepping
