Most preparedness plans look pretty good sitting on a workbench.
The real test comes when you haul everything into a field, set it up somewhere you didn’t expect, discover that equipment that worked before suddenly doesn’t, and have to figure out what you’re going to do next.
That’s exactly what happened during a recent Amateur Radio field operation at the Ole Time Greene County Festival and Ranch Rodeo in Leakesville, Mississippi.
What started as an opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio turned into a surprisingly realistic exercise in communications preparedness.
And there were lessons worth remembering for anyone interested in being able to communicate when normal infrastructure isn’t available.
Getting Communications Running Away From Home
The radio equipment began going up well before the festival opened.
Antennas were deployed. Radios were unpacked. Power systems were connected.
Then came the first lesson.
After antennas were already in the air, we learned that our operating location had changed.
Everything came back down.
Radios, antennas, batteries, feed lines, tables, and other equipment were moved, and the entire setup started again at the new location.
That’s not necessarily a disaster, but it illustrates something easily overlooked when planning emergency communications:
You may not get to choose where you operate.
Your perfect antenna location may not be available. Trees, buildings, terrain, property restrictions, or changing circumstances can force you somewhere else.
Portable equipment needs to be genuinely portable, and your communications plan needs to survive a change of location.
Off-Grid Doesn’t Mean Disconnected
Two independent HF stations were being assembled.
One used an Icom IC-7200 with a half-wave End-Fed antenna supported by nearby trees. Another used a Yaesu FTdx10 with a SteppIR CrankIR portable vertical.
The CrankIR was initially configured for 20 meters but was later changed to 40 meters so the stations could operate on different bands.
Electrical power came from portable battery systems rather than commercial power.
Starlink was also deployed to provide Internet connectivity.
The result was essentially a small communications site operating independently in an open field.
That’s useful capability during a festival.
It becomes considerably more important when commercial power, Internet access, cellular service, or other infrastructure isn’t something you can count on.
Then Things Started Breaking
This is where the day became much more interesting.
The IC-7200 and End-Fed antenna initially had difficulty making contacts.
Testing with an antenna analyzer showed an SWR greater than 10:1.
That station wasn’t going to operate as planned.
So we switched equipment.
A contact was made using the FTdx10, but the receiving station reported significant RF in the transmitted audio and difficulty understanding the transmission.
Now we had another problem.
The radio itself was transmitting, but something in the audio system wasn’t behaving properly. The exact cause couldn’t be isolated in the field and would have to be investigated later.
So we changed configurations again.
The IC-7200 was connected to the SteppIR CrankIR antenna.
That combination worked.
This is an important preparedness lesson:
Don’t become emotionally attached to Plan A.
Troubleshooting isn’t always about repairing something immediately. Sometimes the smartest solution is bypassing the problem and getting the system working another way.
Power Systems Can Fail Too
Radios and antennas weren’t the only variables.
One station was operating from a recently constructed portable battery system. It powered the radio and allowed it to transmit, but the radio wasn’t performing as expected.
Two 50 Ah LiFePO4 batteries and a Powerpole distribution hub were also available.
When the station was moved to that power system, the radio returned to normal operation.
That’s another reason equipment should be tested as a complete system.
A radio working on the bench doesn’t prove that your field station works.
Neither does owning a battery.
Radio, antenna, feed line, connectors, power distribution, battery, microphone, accessories, and operator all have to work together.
The weakest component can make the rest of the equipment considerably less useful.
One Is None
There were several backup systems available that day:
- Another HF transceiver
- Multiple portable HF antennas
- A separate VHF/UHF station
- Two 50 Ah LiFePO4 batteries
- A Powerpole distribution system
Most of that backup equipment never came out of its cases.
And that’s perfectly fine.
Preparedness isn’t measured by how much backup equipment you use.
It’s measured by how many options remain when something stops working.
If your entire communications plan depends on one radio, one antenna, one battery, one feed line, or one way of reaching people, you don’t really have much of a communications plan.
You have a single point of failure.
Redundancy isn’t about carrying equipment for the sake of carrying equipment. It’s about preserving options.
Test the System, Not Just the Equipment
There’s another important distinction.
Owning emergency communications equipment isn’t the same thing as being prepared to use it.
You discover different problems when operating in the field.
Is the feed line long enough?
Can the antenna actually be installed where you are?
Are the connectors compatible?
Does the battery behave properly while transmitting?
Did you remember the adapter that connects two important pieces of equipment?
Can you diagnose high SWR?
Can you change bands or antennas when conditions aren’t cooperating?
Can you operate the radio without Internet access?
Most importantly:
Can you solve problems when there isn’t a workbench full of tools ten feet away?
Those questions are difficult to answer while your equipment sits neatly packed in a closet.
Take it outside and the answers appear rather quickly.
Communications Preparedness Is More Than a Radio
It’s tempting to build preparedness around equipment.
Buy a radio.
Buy an antenna.
Buy a battery.
Put everything in a box and call it a go-kit.
That is a good start, but the equipment is only part of the system.
The more valuable capability is knowing how to put that equipment together under imperfect conditions, recognize when something isn’t working, determine what can be bypassed, and keep communicating.
During this particular field operation:
The location changed.
An antenna system developed a serious SWR problem.
Another radio experienced an unexpected transmit-audio problem.
A portable power system didn’t perform as expected.
None of those problems ended the operation.
We changed antennas.
Changed radios.
Changed power systems.
Changed configurations.
And kept going.
That’s the real lesson.
Practice Before You Need It
You don’t need an emergency to test an emergency communications plan.
In fact, an emergency is probably the worst possible time to test one for the first time.
Take your equipment somewhere away from your normal operating position.
Leave commercial power behind.
Put an antenna in the air.
Run from batteries.
Make contacts.
Move the station.
Try another antenna.
Find the pieces that don’t work together.
Discover what you forgot.
Those failures are valuable when nothing important depends on the outcome.
Because whether you’re preparing for severe weather, extended power outages, cellular failures, or simply situations where normal communications aren’t available, the most useful piece of equipment you can bring isn’t necessarily another radio.
It’s the experience of having already figured out what to do when Plan A doesn’t work.