Why HF for Emergency Management?

Camouflage antennas are available in both base and manpack.

HF communication is critical for emergency management. Time and time again, disasters both man made and natural have had one thing in common - the failure of communications immediately afterwards. That communications failure has caused the failure of rescue and damage mitigation during a crucial time.

The communications problem is simple to understand. During widespread or extreme disaster, it is almost a certainty that the power will be out. Worse yet, infrastructure is often damaged. The result is that all standard forms of communications are down:

Telephone and cell phone systems need power, as well as the central office (or cell site) functional, including trunk lines.
Police and fire dispatch needs power, call centers, trunk lines, and repeaters.
Satellite systems need power and a functional and stable (properly aimed) up/down link, as well as a functional satellite. The satellite has to have available channels.

The solution is simple. HF radio is the only communications that can operate short or long distance, without any form of intermediary system necessary in between the sender and receiver. All radios work on 13.8 Volts, a car battery being the preferred emergency choice. The antenna system and frequency will determine the distance covered, as well as the reliability of the communication.

HF radio is used by all agencies of the federal government, including FEMA, DHS, CIA and the FBI. It is also used by all armed services including the Coast Guard, National Guard, and regular military. All government aircraft have HF capability. All military units have HF radio.

Selection - Utilizing the proper HF antenna, set up the proper way, is critical for making reliable communications. The unique thing about HF radio waves is that they can be reflected (bounced) between the earth and sky many times, allowing long distances to be covered, and communication with teams on the far side of mountains, down in valleys, etc. Its all a matter of how you reflect the signal.

For most missions, short range communication is adequate, within the NVIS range of 250 - 300 miles. NVIS stands for Near Vertical Incident Skywave. It is a method of aiming the radio signal essentially straight up, so that it will spread out slowly to give full omnidirectional coverage with no skip zones, land and air. If your communication is inside of this range, a NVIS setup should always give you the most reliable communications. Generally, this will be your setup for field disaster relief.

For medium or long range communications, an inverted Vee configuration is usually the answer. By tilting the antenna wire from horizontal, the radio wave is propagated out at an angle towards the horizon. This will cause reflections to cover much greater distance. However, you may miss stations in between - this is called skip. Our antennas will allow you to make the distance necessary while maintaining the best possible coverage. Generally, this will be your setup for base operations.

Quick Selection Guide for Antennas and Masts

Tactical
Manpack
1 - 20 W Tactical
Forward
1 - 1000 W Tactical
Rear
1 - 1000 W Base
1 - 1000 W Rooftop
1 - 1000 W

MP-90B x x

BWDI-180N x x

BWDI-90N x x

BWDI-65N x x

BWDS-180N x x

BWDS-90N x x

BWDS-65N x x

ACS-110N x

MK114-306T x

MK114-312T x x x

MK114-324T x x x

MK114-124R x

FORWARD SHORT RANGE TACTICAL - manpack

Antenna: MP-90B (20 watts max)

Mast: MK114-306T (6 ft high mast poles)

Propagation: NVIS

Comments: This setup is specifically designed for manpack use. The antenna is the minimum length to work with both day and night NVIS frequencies, which is 90 feet. The mast poles break down to 18 inch segments for ease of handling. The antenna has detachable wires to break down. Very small and light, with ultra fast deployment. Fully camouflaged.

FORWARD SHORT RANGE TACTICAL - vehicle transported

Antenna: BWDI-90N (1KW max)

Mast: MK114-312T (12 ft high mast poles)

Propagation: NVIS

Comments: This setup is specifically designed for NVIS use. The antenna is the minimum length to work with both day and night NVIS frequencies, which is 90 feet. The mast poles break down to 4 ft segments for ease of handling. The antenna wire is extremely soft and flexible for rapid deployment and take up. Fully camouflaged.

SHORT OR LONG RANGE TACTICAL - vehicle transported

Antenna: BWDI-90N (1KW max)

Mast: MK114-324T (24 ft high middle mast pole)

Propagation: NVIS or long range

Comments: This setup will work NVIS or conventional long range. The center mast pole is 24 ft. Set up all 24 ft to configure the antenna as an inverted Vee, or only use 12 feet to do NVIS. The pulley and lanyard system allows you to switch back and forth without having to change anything. The mast poles break down to 4 ft segments for ease of handling. The antenna wire is extremely soft and flexible for rapid deployment and take up. Fully camouflaged.

SHORT or LONG RANGE TACTICAL - base use

Antenna: BWDS-90N (1KW max)

Mast: MK114-324T (24 ft high middle mast pole)

Propagation: NVIS or long range

LONG RANGE TACTICAL - base use

Antenna: BWDS-180N (1KW max)

Mast: MK114-324T (24 ft high middle mast pole)

Propagation: Long range

LONG RANGE TACTICAL - Base - Roof Mount

Antenna: ACS-110N (1KW max)

Mast: MK114-124R (24 ft high middle mast pole)

Propagation: Long range

Comments: This setup will work conventional short or long range. The antenna is a grounded configuration, and works best on a metal or concrete/rebar roof with ground attachment. The mast pole comes with a roof foot.

All products proudly made in the USA

Why HF for Emergency Management?

FORWARD SHORT RANGE TACTICAL - manpack

FORWARD SHORT RANGE TACTICAL - vehicle transported

SHORT OR LONG RANGE TACTICAL - vehicle transported

SHORT or LONG RANGE TACTICAL - base use

Antenna: BWDS-90N (1KW max)

LONG RANGE TACTICAL - base use

LONG RANGE TACTICAL - Base - Roof Mount

All products
proudly made
in the USA