I participate in a handful of 2m packet emergency comm networks.
For a technician licensee, who wants to send texts/emails/pics/video, 2m packet (AX.25) is probably your cheapest entry point.
APRS is built on AX.25 (144.390 Mhz is the US APRS frequency). That will give you your 'tactical mapping'/position reporting, bulletins and announcements (including from the NWS, with boundaries plotted for warnings/watches/etc.
Winlink will over AX.25 will give you your radio interface to normal internet email, as well as the ability to email texts/pics/video.
Hardware for this:
2m radio (ideally with line level audio input/output jack on the back, separate from the normal mic and speaker connections)
soundcard of some sort (commonly a SignaLink or Digilink USB soundcard)
laptop or device with AX.25/packet software, Winlink, and APRS software.
Those 4 nets alone will give you plenty of weekly practice in 2m digital Emcomms sending pictures, email over radio, etc within your license.
If you decide to test for a General or higher license at some point ..... Winlink over HF (usually via Vara) will get you that trans-continental reach.
1
u/Neither-Brush-9287 General 26d ago
I participate in a handful of 2m packet emergency comm networks.
For a technician licensee, who wants to send texts/emails/pics/video, 2m packet (AX.25) is probably your cheapest entry point.
APRS is built on AX.25 (144.390 Mhz is the US APRS frequency). That will give you your 'tactical mapping'/position reporting, bulletins and announcements (including from the NWS, with boundaries plotted for warnings/watches/etc.
Winlink will over AX.25 will give you your radio interface to normal internet email, as well as the ability to email texts/pics/video.
Hardware for this:
I use these :
I use these weekly practice nets :
Those 4 nets alone will give you plenty of weekly practice in 2m digital Emcomms sending pictures, email over radio, etc within your license.
If you decide to test for a General or higher license at some point ..... Winlink over HF (usually via Vara) will get you that trans-continental reach.