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In previous articles, I’ve looked at necessary software to be used for EmComm. But really, what equipment do we need to have at the ready for when that “bad day” happens? Many operators are of the mindset that they will use their POTA setup as their EmComm setup. In some cases that will work, but EmComm requires a little different flair.

With POTA, we are looking to easily set up and get on the air. In most cases we will only be in a park for a couple of hours. We want to quickly get on the air, make as many good contacts as possible, load our gear in the car, and head out.

With EmComm, depending on the event, we could be there for an extended period. I was set up after Hurricane Katrina for nearly six months. I realize that is the extreme, but isn’t that what we train for? Most disaster scenarios would probably not extend past a few days in our current climate, but those few days could be crucial.

Assuming you have your radio, antenna, and power, let’s walk through an EmComm setup focusing on the not-so-obvious items. 

First, you will need shelter. It doesn’t matter whether the sun is shining or the snow is blowing, you will need protection from the elements to be effective. You cannot assume you will be able to operate from your local EOC or other building, as it may be just as affected as the rest of the community you are serving.

I have seen some elaborate mobile communications vehicles and trailers for this very purpose. Everything necessary to deploy is set up inside the vehicle and ready at a moment’s notice. Desks, chairs, radios and antennas—even food and water—are usually part of these setups.

However, most of us are not quite that fortunate. I keep these things handy in a corner of our home. These are staged to quickly throw into the Jeep. Also, just as important as having the supplies is practicing with them. At a minimum, I use this setup at NVIS Day, Field Day, and International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. In the heat of battle is not the time to make sure you have everything and know how to use it proficiently.

I use a pop-up style tent for my portable shack. Measuring 10-foot x 10-foot x 8-foot, it has a front porch canopy, 360-degree windows, and a top vent that can all be covered during bad weather. All of the poles are internal. It is erected by simply pulling a tab on each wall and the roof. It has an integral floor to keep water and critters from entering, plus a weatherproof cable pass-through for coax and power cables.

I have a ¼-inch floor covering that folds up nicely for transport and storage. This protects the tent floor and insulates from the elements. A compact folding table serves as the desk and is accompanied by a pair of folding “director’s chairs.” I have a few battery-operated lights and a battery-operated fan that I have tested to make sure they are RF quiet. A Buddy heater makes operating in cold weather more bearable, and I also have a folding cot that fits along one side for extended operations.

Now we have a well-thought-out, well-executed space to deploy our radio equipment and operate for as long as needed. I will now go through what I use for EmComm. It’s my POTA setup with a couple of enhancements. The enhancements are a computer and digital interface, as I do not attach a computer to my rig for POTA.

I use the Yaesu FT-891 as the center of the shack. It is rich in features given how small and lightweight it is. I know there is a lot of talk about the menu system, but like anything else, if you use it enough, it is a non-issue. I protect the rig with the Armoloq Tactical Protective Armor for the 891. This protects the radio, knobs, and connections at home, on the scene, or anywhere in between.

I also have a Yaesu FT-2980 for 2M operations. My 2M antenna is the Comet SBB- 7 atop a DX Engineering Nomad Mast connected with the DX Engineering Portable VHF/UHF Antenna Mount.

I use the Carlson Drive-On Mast Mount if no other suitable mast mount is available. If I need 2M/70cm operations, I can always use an HT and crossband repeat through the Yaesu FTM-300 in my Jeep.

The operating station is powered by a homebrew power box. The box contains a Samlex 1235P-M Power Supply and a Bioenno 1220A LiFePO4 Battery.

These two power sources are brought together with a West Mountain Radio Epic PWRgate and a West Mountain Radio RIGRunner DC Outlet Panel. A Bioenno Solar Panel is attached. I have operated for days on this setup. It allows for use of commercial power if available or solar/battery power if not available.

My go-to EmComm antenna is the Alpha Antenna Portable MIL EmComm Enhanced Antenna. This antenna has a vertical element for distant communications, but more importantly, it has four NVIS wire elements for near-field communications. This antenna provides some resonance from 80-6M without a tuner. However, depending on frequency used and environmental influences, you may want a tuner to clean things up a bit. 

I use the mAT-TUNER MAT-Y200. It provides a wide tuning range with ample memories and low power consumption. As a bonus, it attaches nicely to the top of the 891 with some Velcro straps.

Finally, I connect a Microsoft Surface to the rig via a Digirig Digital Mode Interface Kit. This provides for seamless soundcard and CAT control integration. It is vital that you have the rig and the computer working together along with WinLink and NBEMS before you are needed to perform in the field. Trying to download drivers and software updates with poor or no internet service is a formula for failure.

Please do not look at this list and think you must get it all at once. This article and list are the result of years of failures both in training and real-world events. Take your time, consult with others in your area, and don’t be afraid to call DX Engineering just to get advice on what might work in your situation.

As stated earlier, I practice with this several times a year and have a system in place for mob and demob. Also, I have used it enough to know where I like everything on the desk and how it all fits in the space provided. Remember, people are counting on you to professionally meet their needs. Trial and error should not be done during a real-world event.

Until next time, 73 de AC8OW

The post Amateur Radio EmComm Prep—A Look at What Equipment You’ll Need When the Worst Happens appeared first on OnAllBands.

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As one becomes involved with amateur radio, it becomes apparent that “community” and “support” are two of the most important values of the hobby. These are closely followed by teaching and learning. With these being the key values of amateur radio, it’s only natural that various organizations within the hobby offer scholarships to young hams pursuing higher education.

With scholarships ranging from $500 to $25,000, the generosity of amateur radio clubs and groups is virtually unmatched by any other hobby. Providing scholarships seems to be the perfect way to give back to the community.

If you’re a young ham heading to college soon, or even just considering it, looking into the various scholarships in the amateur radio community is well worth your time. Just meeting the first requirement— having an amateur radio license—narrows the pool of applicants immensely. This gives you a better chance of being selected for an amateur radio scholarship compared to the random scholarships that you find on websites where thousands of your peers are applying! 

Many of the amateur radio scholarships have further requirements beyond being licensed. For example, the YLRL (Young Ladies Radio League) offers two scholarships for female amateur radio operators who are pursuing a four-year degree, and one for female amateur radio operators pursuing a two-year degree. Read more about YLRL scholarships here.

Fortunately, the application process for almost all amateur radio scholarships is incredibly streamlined. The vast majority of scholarships offered for amateur radio use a common application facilitated by the ARRL Foundation and their scholarship committee—this is where all young hams should start their journey. To apply for all of the scholarships that are managed by the ARRL, you should fill out the ARRL Foundation application in the online program “Kaleidoscope.”

The first few pages of the application consist of questions about your plans for school. These are followed by questions that determine your eligibility for specific scholarships. For example:

• “Are you proficient in CW?”
• “Are you interested in/active in contesting?”
• “What class of license do you have?”

After answering these questions, you’ll have the opportunity to elaborate on your amateur radio experience, what the hobby means to you, and how you plan to incorporate it into your studies or life in college. In addition to answering these questions, you’ll be asked to submit a few letters of recommendation from people in your community and/or former/current educators. After submitting your application, you may also be invited to virtually interview for some of the larger scholarships.

While the ARRL manages the vast majority of scholarships in amateur radio, there are a few managed by clubs and organizations. For example, the YLRL scholarships mentioned above are run by the YLRL, and the application is separate from the ARRL Foundation application. To apply for the YLRL scholarship, fill out and submit the online application on their website.

The ARRL Foundation typically takes applications from fall until late December (the 2026 scholarship cycle ran from October 30, 2025, to December 30, 2025). The YLRL scholarship application for next year opens on February 1, 2027.

Click here for descriptions of available scholarships through the ARRL Foundation.

Here are a few tips for young hams applying for amateur radio scholarships:

• While the only “requirement” for many of them is that you have a license, the more active you are in amateur radio, the more likely you are to receive a scholarship. Get licensed, stay licensed, and get involved.
• Make sure you stay on top of deadlines and keep in touch with anyone who is also contributing to your applications (e.g., those providing recommendations). Late applications will not be accepted, and your recommenders are just as busy as you— just be sure to send a few reminders if needed.
• Ensure that you complete all parts of your application. Many require your transcript to be uploaded, and almost all require letters of recommendation.
• If you have questions or need something clarified, don’t be afraid to reach out! Sending an email to the support person is definitely worth what you could receive in scholarships—and it only takes a few minutes.

Amateur radio opens plenty of doors for those who knock. An amateur radio scholarship opportunity is another door in a sense—one backed by incredible generosity and hope for success from the groups that contribute. If you’re a young ham considering or planning on higher education, I strongly recommend that you take a look at the various scholarships that are available and apply for them.

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After having been involved in amateur radio for a few years, I had become fascinated with learning about and experiencing other cultures by simply talking to hams from every corner of the world.

By late middle school, I had decided that traveling would be a goal of mine, and I was immensely excited to start pursuing it. I didn’t have to wait long before starting to make progress toward this goal, thanks to the never-ending support of my parents, who began to travel with me to the various amateur radio conventions around the U.S. and, eventually, in Germany!

I discovered how much I enjoyed traveling for amateur radio, learning about other cultures (even if they were only slightly different from my own in another part of the U.S. or in Canada), and forming friendships with other young hams from around the world. This led me to decide that I wanted to study abroad at some point.

After a bit of research, I found a fairly competitive program that operates reciprocally between the German Bundestag and the U.S. Congress. If selected, I would receive a full scholarship. After attending the Friedrichschafen Ham Fair in the summer of 2024, I decided to apply for the program and see how it turned out.

A few months after submitting my application, I was selected to advance to the interview round of the selection process. I made the trip to Atlanta for their interview event and was pleasantly surprised when one of my interviewers was familiar with amateur radio through her father. We discussed where my inspiration to study abroad had come from, and it quickly became apparent—to my interviewers and me—that amateur radio was the primary factor. I started to realize then how much the hobby has impacted my life.

A few months later, I learned that the interview had successfully landed me a spot in the program. I was incredibly excited and got to work on the secondary application that is used to match students with their host families. A few months passed after I had submitted the secondary application. By late July I still didn’t have a host family, so the organization that facilitates the host family assignments reached out and asked if my family or I had any contacts in Germany who would be open to hosting me for the year. We did not at that point but reached out to a few of the German hams we knew to see if they knew anyone who would be interested.

Nobody had any specific contacts willing to jump in and become a host family right away. My departure date was quickly approaching, so Sandy, DL1QQ, sent an email to the Bavarian Contest Club email reflector, asking if anyone would be willing to host an exchange student for a year. To our surprise, numerous families responded within hours, and I got in touch with those who offered.

After a few families and I had worked out that it would be possible and a good fit, I forwarded their contact information to the organization that facilitates the exchange program so they could vet the families as we patiently waited for my host family placement. I ended up with a non-ham family placement at first, but I was not able to stay with this original placement after I found out that I was allergic to their pets, so when I needed to move, I reached out to the families that had offered after the email and found a new placement with one of them.

A few weeks later, I moved in with my new (and permanent) host family. While moving in with a family that you’ve never met before is never easy, I felt at home right away with them. Amateur radio became a bonding mechanism for my host family and me—my host dad and I did plenty of contests together as the contesting season started to ramp up in the fall, and there was a SOTA activation while on fall vacation.

Amateur radio became an outlet to practice and improve my German. Upon arriving in Germany at the beginning of my exchange year, I spoke very little German, so I used local contests and club meetings to improve my speaking skills. This allowed me to mark my progress learning a new language.

Staying involved with the hobby as much as I had been at home has been one of my favorite parts of my exchange year, which is now coming to a close. Without the influence of amateur radio, I would never have considered going on an exchange year, so I’m glad that I did have that influence and inspiration to pursue it. As a result of my involvement with amateur radio, I’ve gotten a great start on learning a second language, and, more importantly, now have a second family and second home in Germany. I will always be grateful for the connections that amateur radio has brought me, as it has broadened my world more than I thought possible.

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