This is a detailed overview of setting up HAM radio comms in your helmet and plate carrier. It is geared toward new comm users working on their kit, and those interesting in getting a HAM radio license. To follow along with the video go to: https://wd3d.live/helmet-comms 73, WD3D
Maybe.... It's not for me, but remember, radio is a BIG world with room for everybody as long as they follow the rules. Besides, I'd venture to guess that this guy does less harm to the public perception of ham radio as do the cranky folks who insist that we all do radio the way THEY think we should.
Never got any kind of armor to go with my Duce gear/TA 50 issue. Happily, I now live in a place where such is normally not needed for daily wear. Eddie has a pretty cool web page, but I don't see where he indicates a Veteran status. His auto is certainly a marvel of technology tho....
A $1300 headset because you need "situational awareness"? A military helmet and plate carrier? Try walking down the street in that getup and you'll make a lot of new friends real quick. Oh, and it's "Ham" radio, not "HAM". Not everything is an acronym.
After I watched the video a second time I was left thinking about the part where he was talking about taking your ham test online via a Zoom call, while sitting on your back deck. I'm so thankful that I came into ham radio when the thought of going to the FCC office to take your tests was terrifying. It made you appreciate your license SO much more. Happy Thanksgiving to all! 73 de KC3JH
That's one way of putting it. My description would be considerably less kind. After returning home from work last night, I saw the post but had no idea what a plate carrier was - other than some poor soul unloading, stacking, and stowing plates freshly extracted from a commercial dishwasher in a restaurant kitchen. My search engine of choice ( https://www.startpage.com ) enlightened me. Ah ... here we go, I mused, then clicked play. Only made it a third of the way through the video before hitting pause. I didn't want to do a knee jerk post, instead curious how others felt about the video. It was about a 12+ hour pause. Although there's plenty of room in our hobby for a lot of sub-hobby activity and melding with other activities, I'm somewhat troubled with the tip toeing around hardcore militia activity. This video certainly makes the Yellow Vest among us appear pretty tame in comparison. To each his own, eh? I have a neighbor who, though not nearly as overtly, uh ... militaristic as the guy in the video, he leans seriously in that direction. He just doesn't advertise it. Though I maintain a friendship with said neighbor, I also deliberately maintain a safe distance. I like to have plenty of elbow room, including mental elbow room. I respectfully disagree. There are two storms that come to mind immediately after each we lost power for nearly two weeks: Hurricane Gloria in the 80s and the Halloween Blizzard about 10 years ago. Didn't miss a single morning's first cup of fresh coffee or a hot meal and never had to stumbled around in the dark. And sponge baths, though a PITA, were tempered with hot water. Those who didn't prep weren't nearly as fortunate or comfortable. When on my annual, two week, tent camping trips, there's always something or other I forgot to pack. Make do and/or improvise save the day in those situations. I credit my parents and Boy Scouts of America for those skills. Though I respect and appreciate VEs, I was a bit taken aback by this from the OP's Zed page: "...and let's get you a call sign..." Perhaps it's just me, but "let's get you licensed" seems more appropriate. Again, maybe it's just me... Likewise. Novice test at the kitchen table in the home of W1MAU (SK) in 1969. General test at a Post Office building in Hartford, CT, in 1971. Advanced at 1600 Custom House, Boston, MA, shortly thereafter.
Situational awareness is important, but so is OPSEC. This gentleman gets a no-go on the second station.
What do you say Hank..... Let's dust off our old military gear and start making some videos about how tacti-cool we once were back in the day! We will aim high and if we are lucky it can turn out to be not just a job, but an adventure.
Happy Thanksgiving Tony, head on a swivel. You know the score. LoL I had a nice and logical commentary but it was removed. I don’t believe in prepping for the zombie apocalypse or the reds marching down Main Street… I think that stuff combined with firearms is bad for our hobby. I do believe in basic preparation, extra water, food stuff and first aid. But that’s about it, and certainly not with decked out AR platforms. Something in the hobby for everyone… I suppose. To the OP my comments are not a criticism of you. To all, Happy Thanksgiving.
Thank you Hank - And my "thank you" comment in the post above was not to be facetious. I honestly mean it. Thank you all for taking the time to watch my video(s) and to post here about it, even the haters. Your comments are not taken personally because I am sure there are things that you do in your enjoyment of the hobby that make absolutely zero sense to me. I say more power to you. Our hobby is not for either of us, but for all of us. I started working on my kit solely as a "hobby" (not prepping) years ago and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have learned so much. To me there is nothing in radio more enjoyable (other than VE work, almost 1000 sessions) than doing a repeater net through a helmet with a PTT, and mic on the headset while walking around the back yard. It also helps me find anything that is broken in my kit. I've also found that there are tens of thousands of people that enjoy doing the the same thing. I'm hoping maybe I can help some of them in some way to get licensed and learn more about HAM radio. How ya like that Frank, all caps. Happy Thanksgiving to all. 73, WD3D
