Who owns their own narrowband radio?

[Major Lord]

The Icom F14 probably is not kosher if purchased after January of 2006, as far as CAQP is concerned. It is shown on the list as being "TBD" https://ntc.cap.af.mil/comm/equipment/vhf_list.cfm
I E-mailed Icom about this issue regarding the Icom F30GS and GT's I have, and they assured me that they have been certified as NTIA compliant. CAP probably has just not "officially" been notified yet. The F14 is not an APCO 25 radio, and although I think it has a drop in port for encryption, its unlikely that it would be useful for CAP. If you don't mind dropping a few hundred bucks on a radio that might well be obsolete in a year or two, it is a good radio.

Major Lord

[Custer]

If you don't mind dropping a few hundred bucks on a radio that might well be obsolete in a year or two, it is a good radio.

Major Lord

You talked me out of it.  I'll just get by with a scanner until encryption comes in, at which point privately owned radios will probably be a thing of the past anyway.

[RADIOMAN015]

If you don't mind dropping a few hundred bucks on a radio that might well be obsolete in a year or two, it is a good radio.

Major Lord

You talked me out of it.  I'll just get by with a scanner until encryption comes in, at which point privately owned radios will probably be a thing of the past anyway.

CAP did not buy enough CAI/P25 digital portable radios (opting to buy instead high powered 50 watt mobile/base radios) and are still relying on analog portables for most ground teams.   I don't think encryption is going to be used for all missions anyways, and it's likely that it is only going to be an air to ground (as in mission monitoring base) type limited activity. 

Just carry your portable ham radio with you for "just in case" situations.  There really are much fewer CAP radios around (especially portables with the technical demise of the Vertex 150's), so unless you've got an aircraft flying highbird on a mission/simulated mission you just may not have anyone that can hear you.

BTW I've tried numerous times, when knowing CAP aircraft are in my geographic area (via monitoring FAA air traffic control) & calling  the aircraft on the CAP guard/calling channel and have never gotten a response.  So unless there's a mission/simulated mission it's likely your CAP radio would be virtually useless in an emergency. 

Another option is to look at an airband VHF portable transceiver, which would allow you to operate on 122.9 & 123.10, as well as 121.5 in a real emergency.   IF necessary (emergency only) and you didn't have cellphone coverage you could always call any aircraft on the local ATC frequencies AS A LAST RESORT!!!!
RM

[cap235629]

If you don't mind dropping a few hundred bucks on a radio that might well be obsolete in a year or two, it is a good radio.

Major Lord

You talked me out of it.  I'll just get by with a scanner until encryption comes in, at which point privately owned radios will probably be a thing of the past anyway.

CAP did not buy enough CAI/P25 digital portable radios (opting to buy instead high powered 50 watt mobile/base radios) and are still relying on analog portables for most ground teams.   I don't think encryption is going to be used for all missions anyways, and it's likely that it is only going to be an air to ground (as in mission monitoring base) type limited activity. 

Not in Arkansas.  We have PLENTY of encryption capable portables and we have NO analog only portables issued.  The table of allowances only authorizes 1 portable per ground team to be used by the GTL or designated MRO.  If you work within the system, you can get more than enough equipment to suit your needs.  There is absolutely no reason every GTM needs a VHF portable.  ISR? yes I can see that..

My biggest problem with CAP-COMM is what I call the "Hoarding Syndrome".  Wings with all of the portable repeaters, RDP's and IC kits stored in the Wing Comms locker and not forward deployed in strategic locations throughout the wing.

Our wing DC is on the National Communications team and encryption IS coming and will be REQUIRED on all AFAM's in the very near future.  The hold up has been the training upgrades and repeater installs.  Not all wings have actually changed out all of their repeaters.

[Eclipse]

Thankfully that's not the case for us, either - we actually used th portable repeater recently for encampment, and everything the TOA
will let us give out has been issued.

[cap235629]

I kicked, screamed, hollered and "appropriated" until I finally convinced our wing DC (who became a good friend during the process) to acknowledge that he was a hoarder.  Should have been an episode of "Hoarders" or "Intervention".       

The only bad result?  When I walk through wing HQ I can hear all the doors to supply and comms slam and the air raid sirens start roaring...LOL  :angel:

[Krapenhoeffer]

Stop posting frequencies. 

CAP Frequency information is For Official Use Only, and posting them ANYWHERE can lead to severe disciplinary action.

[Eclipse]

Who's posting CAP frequencies?

[Custer]

Who's posting CAP frequencies?

Nobody on this board, but it only took me 30 seconds with Google to find out what they were.

[Krapenhoeffer]

There was a link posted to a webpage covered in CAP frequencies. CAP frequency information is For Official Use Only, and can only be disclosed to those members authorized by each Wing's Director of Communications. Uploading of frequencies to any radio is to be done by authorized members of a Wing's Comm. Staff.

[cap235629]

Uploading of frequencies to any radio is to be done by authorized members of a Wing's Comm. Staff.

NOPE!  They can be radio technicians working for commercial radio shops as well as comm officers/technicians of anyone we have an MOU with...

[arajca]

To correct a couple points of mis-information in recent posts:
1. The TA provides for TWO VHF portables per GT, not 1. The concept is for the GTL to have one and the other remains with the vehicle driver/radio operator at the vehicle, which has a mobile. The portables are used to communicate between the team and the vehicle while the mobile is used to communicate with base. It is very likely that portables will not have the power to reach base, hence the relay notion.

2. Uploading of frequencies can be done any person, including radio shops, authorized by the wing DC (for members) or by National (non-members and shops). If you need a shop to be approved, contact your wing DC with the information and justification and he can run it up to national. There is a process for this. I have done it several times.

3. In general, CAP does not have analog only portables provided by National. Some mobiles (Tait 2020), but not portables. Some units have purchased or gotten some analog only portable donated.

4. The hold up with encryption is that the repeater change-out is not complete - at least one wing had its repeater plan canned because of changes in site agreements, and has not yet started on the replacement. (They're using tactical repeaters in a few strategic locations on old sites.) IIRC, CAP-USAF is working on the issue of how to manage the keys and get them into and out of radios. Very few CAP members know and appreciate the hassle encryption key management can cause.

[Krapenhoeffer]

Uploading of frequencies to any radio is to be done by authorized members of a Wing's Comm. Staff.

NOPE!  They can be radio technicians working for commercial radio shops as well as comm officers/technicians of anyone we have an MOU with...

Thank you, I forgot about that provision. Nevertheless, unless you're authorized to know the frequencies, you shouldn't know the frequencies. Google is not your friend in this one instance.

[cap235629]

To correct a couple points of mis-information in recent posts:
1. The TA provides for TWO VHF portables per GT, not 1. The concept is for the GTL to have one and the other remains with the vehicle driver/radio operator at the vehicle, which has a mobile. The portables are used to communicate between the team and the vehicle while the mobile is used to communicate with base. It is very likely that portables will not have the power to reach base, hence the relay notion.

I stand corrected, yes the TA is for 2 Hand Helds...

[RADIOMAN015]

Uploading of frequencies to any radio is to be done by authorized members of a Wing's Comm. Staff.

NOPE!  They can be radio technicians working for commercial radio shops as well as comm officers/technicians of anyone we have an MOU with...

Thank you, I forgot about that provision. Nevertheless, unless you're authorized to know the frequencies, you shouldn't know the frequencies. Google is not your friend in this one instance.

As CAP's simplex & repeater channels get utilized, there's a pretty good chance that radio monitoring hobbyists will be listening, especially during simulated/training missions.  It is a reasonable expectation that those findings will get posted somewhere on the internet and even CAP members will be able to find

I personally see no harm in CAP members (especially any member qualified in ANY ES specialty) having radio frequency information to put in their radio scanners (of course they'd have to show me the scanner).  They've all been trained in OPSEC and have signed the non disclosure agreement.

We've become very dependent upon cellphones/mobile data web, internet access, land line phones etc..  If we lose that capability it would be great to have at least our ES qualified members with the capability to receive one way radio emergency information broadcasts.  One way broadcasts are authorized by CAPR 100-3 para 1-4b(5).

I hope to conduct  portable scanner receivers test in my area in the future.   
RM

Also from an OPSEC/COMSEC standpoint, you should ALWAYS assume your unencrypted radio transmissions are being monitored.
RM

[Gung Ho]

To correct a couple points of mis-information in recent posts:
1. The TA provides for TWO VHF portables per GT, not 1. The concept is for the GTL to have one and the other remains with the vehicle driver/radio operator at the vehicle, which has a mobile. The portables are used to communicate between the team and the vehicle while the mobile is used to communicate with base. It is very likely that portables will not have the power to reach base, hence the relay notion.

I stand corrected, yes the TA is for 2 Hand Helds...

So the GTL should have 2 VHF handhelds? Would be nice if thats what they would issue. With the equipment they are handing out and the fact they only want complainant radio I think they figure we will always have cell phones and have no real need for two way radios. Sad but it seems like they are getting like alot of others that think they will always have a cell phone that works. Hope they never have to find out

[Eclipse]

So the GTL should have 2 VHF handhelds? Would be nice if thats what they would issue. With the equipment they are handing out and the fact they only want complainant radio I think they figure we will always have cell phones and have no real need for two way radios. Sad but it seems like they are getting like alot of others that think they will always have a cell phone that works. Hope they never have to find out

The narrowband conversion is in no way related to an assumption by CAP that cell phones will always work.  The narrowband transition was forced sue to spectrum sales in the US, and related activities.

GT's are normally issued 1 HT, 3+ ISR's, and a mobile - more than enough to keep the team in touch with each other and mission base.

If you dig hard enough you will always be able to find a 1% mission where this doesn't meet the need, in which case you either adjust the
deployment or move the equipment around better, however for the vast majority of our operations, this more than meets the needs.

[wuzafuzz]

Our wing DC is on the National Communications team and encryption IS coming and will be REQUIRED on all AFAM's in the very near future.  The hold up has been the training upgrades and repeater installs.  Not all wings have actually changed out all of their repeaters.

Darn, I guess that means we won't be able to use the portable repeaters on AFAM's, since they don't do encryption!

Me thinks we may be required to use encryption on SOME AFAM's, but not all. 

[cap235629]

Our wing DC is on the National Communications team and encryption IS coming and will be REQUIRED on all AFAM's in the very near future.  The hold up has been the training upgrades and repeater installs.  Not all wings have actually changed out all of their repeaters.

Darn, I guess that means we won't be able to use the portable repeaters on AFAM's, since they don't do encryption!

Me thinks we may be required to use encryption on SOME AFAM's, but not all.

The new ones do as they are just that REPEATERS and will handle encryption.

[Eclipse]

The new ones do as they are just that REPEATERS and will handle encryption.

How would a repeater "handle" encryption - the encode / decode is on both ends, not over the air, right?