BOB SIGINT/Communications bag

BOB SIGINT/Communications bag

I am currently putting together a Bug Out Bag communications package (everything to fit into a laptop bag) which can acquire SIGINT (signals intelligence) including DVB-T and DVB-S and DAB/DAB+ radio and be able to communicate using electronic means (various cost effective wireless and landline)

Funcube Dongle Pro + (not yet released due for release in October but is a wideband USB SDR radio receiver front end 150kHz-240MHz and 420MHz-1.9GHz)

PowerTraveller Power Gorilla Portable Power Device.

Brunton 26 Watt Foldable Solar Array.

Samsung 305U 11.6 inch Netbook - Silver (AMD E450 1.65GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, LAN, WLAN, BT, Webcam, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit)
Installed Software - X-lite VOIP Softphone, Wouxun KG-UVD1P programming software and SDR-Radio.

BT GPS receiver.

ZTE MF60 UMTS / HSPA+ 21Mbit/s - 21Mbps Mobile Hotspot Network Router 2G / 3G / HSUPA / HSDPA / UMTS / WLAN / MiFi

A pair of Wouxun KG-UVD1P 144 / 440 MHz Dual band VHF/UHF Handheld Transceivers + 12v charger etc,

ClimaxDigital DTV300 TV DVB-T USB 2.0 Tuner/Receiver/Adapter/Dongle/Stick Freeview with Aerial, Remote Control for PC and Laptop (supports XP / Vista 32bit/64bit/Windows 7 32bit/64bit) with FM and DAB/DAB+ Digital Audio

PSTN corded telephone - BT Duet 210 Corded Telephone + NTE5 faceplate.

Various – Ethernet, USB cables etc, SDHC cards etc.

Flyye MID Notebook Bag Laptop Case MOLLE Khaki

I’m now currently looking for an portable DVB-S USB dongle i.e. TechnoTrend S-2400 DVB-S USB 2.0 adapter or TeVii S660 and a folding Satellite dish antenna. (any recommendations)
Although a satellite dish could probably be acquired quite easily in any UK urban environment.

Any other ideas, especially if low cost alternatives?

AFLM... I'll admit I'm way behind on the computer gizmos, so a little help please... at one time I had a pretty good background in SIGINT collection and analysis....mostly Morse (CW) on HF , and VHF voice...we had some pretty sophisticated antennas, especially for the lower frequencies...how does the dongle gizmo receive the lower freqs that would require a longer antenna...do you have access to the AN-FLR9 at RAF Chicksands...

weather radio, am/fm, frms radio, spare cell phone () and variety of chargers, wif antenna

Maybe you have this covered, but I don't see a small multi-band conventional portable radio with good HF coverage. I have an ancient Zenith Trans-Oceanic that is huge, soaks up lots of power and weighs a ton, and a Grundig mini-world 100 that fits in my shirt pocket that gives almost the same frequency coverage, though it does lack the Zenith's BFO for receiving Morse code and a input for an external HF antenna (e.g. that AN/FLR-9 or just a plain old long wire).

IMO, when "bugging out" a simple multi-band radio is really one of the first things to look to in gaining situational awareness.

My approach is somewhat different. My primary amateur radio HT is a Kenwood TH-F6A, which in addition to transmitting on 2m/1.25m/70cm also has wideband receive. SDRs are pretty awesome, but my HT has ridiculously long battery life in a very small package(*), and is much easier to listen to on the move.

My wife and one of my daughters have the same Wouxun unit you have. It receives FM broadcast and NOAA weather radio, so it's very good for gathering information even thought it can't pick up the AM, shortwave broadcast and HF ham bands that my TH-F6A can.

(* - as in a full day of participating in an EMCOMM net and finding my first battery still reading "full" without recharging)

Holy smokes! I have a set of FRS walkie talkies I can reach my neighbor with that has all the comm gear.

Thats one subject that is just waaaaay beyond me,I consider myself novice at best with computer,then it goes downhill from there.....

Maybe I should get a CB in the truck(that sure was handy when we traveled a lot) might work if stranded in vehicle on mtn in weather,but beyond that,wow,too techy for me,I just cant grasp it. Am I alone?

my stuff is relatively old and not very high tech...

my radio is an old Grundig FR200 without solar, but has crank dynamo that charges NiMH, and runs on AAs... did well in the O4/05 hurricane season...

my weather alert radio is a Midland W300 that also runs on AAs

digital Insignia portable TV...picks up only 5 stations locally on single antenna, but they have very good weather... but has cable input for rest of the channels...12v adapter

cell phone is old Motorola RAZR that can charge from 120v, 12v, USB mini... plan on using the Guide 10 pack for a single charge.. dedicated 120v/12v cell chargers that don't do double duty

I guess the heart of my system is the Goal Zero 7w panel and Guide 10 pack to keep a dozen Sanyo AA Eneloops charged... I have an additional 120v/12v controller charger

I do have a peaked CB in the car with a tuned roof mount antenna, that is good for about 3miles..I would not rely on it in an emergency

Unfortunately, an AN-FLR9 won't fit in to the Laptop Bag so no SLF or ULF etc frequency reception. The setup is is really just a small laptop Windows 7 PC running software that emulates a radio receiver (Software Defined Radio SDR) with a number of RF adapter dongles attached to the USB computer port, which will tune to HF, VHF, UHF and the majority part of the microwave L band.

This allows the reception of Digital TV/radio broadcasts (DVB-T) and Digital TV Satellite broadcasts (DVB-S) and also Digital Radio Broadcasts called DAB/DAB+, which were seen as a replacement for conventional FM Broadcasts.

The Funcube Dongle Pro+ is a wide band SDR front end receiver, which can receive wideband frequencies from HF, VHF, UHF and microwave L Band signals. i.e. the ability to listen to HAM SW (AM and VHF+UHF FM), Commercial SW, MW, LW and FM broadcasts. SDR greatest benefit is to be able to demodulated broadcasts signals whether it is CW, SSB, LSB, conventional AM, conventional FM and a whole host of other carrier modulations used in digital data broadcasts such as telemetry such as NOAA 18 satellite photography.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCn_rk2Dr7Y

or INMARSAT, UHF MIL SATCOM and a whole host of other Transponders such as amateur satellite such as Funcube. Even EME (Earth Moon Earth) is possible etc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30IHW5I-sKQ

using a homemade INMARSAT antenna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Xcaco7awiqg&NR=1

The software SDR-RADIO V1.5 also allows you to access other SDR front end receivers and antenna's via the Internet for short periods of time to allow you listen into SW radio broadcasts all over the world through a network of localised SDR-IQ receiver front ends.

http://sdr-radio.com/Download/tabid/178/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

The other kit is for a Solar Power PV and Lithium Battery power supply and the ability to maintain an Internet connection, when power and infrastructure fails.

So I should also really include an ADSL modem and microfilter such as the Speedtouch 330 'frog'ADSL modem and a USB dial up V.92 modem all of which can be powered from a USB computer port.

Other functions such as Instant Messenger, Email, FTP, VOIP etc are well known Internet protocols for worldwide communications.

The pair of Wouxun dual bander transceivers can be useful for local radio communications especially if they are programmed for local repeaters. They can also be programmed to TX/RX local PMR446 radio frequencies but not limited to the 500mW power i.e. the equivalent of US FRS etc. The 4 W UHF TX on the Wouxan compared to the 0.5W would probably make for the FRS/PRM446 range promises on the packaging/box actually seem realistic.

I have a small Tecsun PL-360 SW/LW/MW/FM commercial broadcast radio receiver, which is very compact and will quickly scan all frequencies. It will not readily pick up CW/SSB/USB or Air Band FM though. It uses digital IF signal processing so gives very reasonable sensitivity and high speed tuning for its size. It would be useful though as a backup for conventional radio being quite compact and can use conventional AA batteries. The AA cells can even be recharged though its USB power port.

Power requirements are one of the downsides to a PC based SDR setup, hence the El cheapo handheld Wouxuns HTs/Walkie Talkies.

The PC based solution does have its upsides though, such as the ability to record and playback video/audio from TV/radio broadcast via terrestrial and Satellite broadcasts. In an emergency situation, the lack of power is probably the main reason normal communications infrastructure is non functioning such as landline (PSTN or POTS, ADSL Broadband, Fibre etc) and cellular access. (2.5G, 3G and 4G).

Has there been any official analysis of just what exactly has the highest failure risk for communication technical failures and what backups or additional resources can be brought to bare to resolve the communications outage ASAP. In the UK PSTN/POTS telephone exchanges can fail, underground trucking node points can catch fire or be flooded, Internet Routers can be stolen, cables can be dug up accidentally and wide area power outages can happen leading to radio/tv broadcast transmissions ceasing.

Then there is the reliability of any information resource, which will usually be driven by a human intelligence (TV and Radio journalistic standards/psychological operations, gossip and propaganda propagation) i.e. especially from National SW broadcasters.

Then there is the unrelenting information deficit that happens to todays folks (which is probably a modern phenomenon) that cannot bare to left not knowing what is going on in an emergency situation and can become highly stressed when folks are not informed as to what is happening in something as simple as a power outage let alone if their Internet has gone down and cannot carry out their gossip on Facebook for example.

Unfortunately, tuning into a HAM operator talking about his radio propagation problems in the SW AM probably wouldn't be able to satisfy the information comforter (news broadcast entertainment/gossip) required by folks today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZGNTw1uQbU

Me too .....

Here's how the thread looks to me:

"Blah Blah Blah, yadda yadda yadda, lots of money and crazy gizmos .... "

Not trying to bash, but definitely a foreign language to me.

Ham radio is a great way for you to get information and stay in touch when regular comms are unavailable. A Technician license exam can be earned with perhaps 40 hours of self-study. You might even find that it's fun .

The USB dongles aren't particularly expensive, except for the Funcube Dongle Pro+

Cheaper alternatives to the $25 ClimaxDigital USB DVB-T dongle can be for slightly less cash i.e.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/dvb-t-digit...k-149928?item=6

This dongle will only support DVB-T broadcasts which are not available in North America. This will allow reception of Digital TV, FM and DAB radio. Again DAB digital radio is not available in North America. The DAB radio on the ClimaxDigital USB radio is excellent giving near CD-audio broadcast quality that can easliy be recored to an SDHC card for later playback. It will also give Digital Video Recording.

The Samsung Netbook is less than 1/2 the price of an iPad (and much much more useful with its three USB ports and Gigabit LAN Ethernet connection). This will also be used for other purposes. It is a low powered (typically using around 10-22W Power) but will even run 1080p HDTV video and even HD video on the BBC iPlayer website. Many folks might already have a netbook available though.

The Lithium Battery + Solar PV folding panel are expensive but can be used for many emergency power requirements. If using a vehicle the kit can be powered from the Cigar socket be purchasing the appropriate cigar power adapter for the Netbook PC computer.

The Funcube dongle is much more expensive at around $200 but its performance for a wide band receiver - it will be a future purchase i.e. Christmas present . Cheaper alternatives can be used such as the using the RTL2832 chipset i.e the Hama USB DVB-T Receiver "Nano" if UHF is the main interest i.e. Satellite down conversion receiver.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hama-USB-DVB-T-Receiver-Nano/dp/B002NO7QJE

The Software Defined Radio Software is free
The VOIP softphone is free
The Wouxun programming software is free

The Wouxons are around $100 each. They are pretty capable and flexible to use when setup i.e. programmed using the $5 programming cable;

Here is a review;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqFtNF77ros

The Wireless 3G router (ZTE MF60) can be replaced with a simpler 3G USB dongle for around $30-$35

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Unlocked-Huawei-...1970&sr=1-1

The Speedtouch ADSL landline modem can usually be found in a skip or for around $6. I will be able to get hold of one for nothing.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speedtouch-330-A...6413&sr=8-2

The landline PSTN/POTS phone (everyone should already have one) can be purchased if required for around $15.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-Duet-210-Corded-Telephone/dp/B006O89XTQ

A V.92 USB dial up modem (old School) will cost around $12

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TRIXES-External-...2409&sr=1-6

The Bluetooth GPS unit cost me around $15.

The Laptop bag really was an extravagance though but the Molle PALS webbing allows other pouches to be attached securely.

Here is a Screenshot of SDR-Radio when tuning into 5.450MHz Upper Side Band 3000Hz using an SDR-IQ front end over the Internet.





You can listen to this small recording - A Weather Station report

Here is a small recording of a Seattle AM station on 1000 KHz recorded yesterday using an SDR-IQ reciever based in WA. Seattle AM station on 1000KHz recorded yesterday

This was just using the free SDR-Radio software and an Internet connection, which allows you to tune the local front end SDR-IQ receiver remotely.

A more local recording DAB Digital Radio News Report recorded from the ClimaxDigital USB Dongle recorded on 223.9 MHz earlier today

DAB digital radio gives near CD-audio quality.

I love this post so far. With your solar "array", will you be trickle charging a battery? HTs are great for day hikes and can may get you through a week or two. I'd like to know if there are circuits/kits/projects out there that will allow you to charge an HT battery by solar or even 12v from a car outlet.

My BOB/SIGINT plan consists of my IC-7000 because of the multiband aspect. I'm more HF-centric so since the 7000 is a beefcake power consumer, in a SHTF scenario, it would be used VERY sparingly if power consumption is a concern. This is assuming I'm buggin' with a vehicle. On foot, sorry IC-7000, we'll see ya later.

An HT is a viable option which I agree with, again, those batteries don't last forever so a solar option would be awesome.

What I forsee myself mainly using is a QRP rig. Lightweight, low power, small, inexpensive, I don't see many downsides other than the fact it's QRP. We all know a 5w HT can go pretty far on high ground, nay even into space. But in most earthly conditions, the range is localized.

I'm still working on BOB/SIGINT but it's becoming a reality very soon.

Let me also share the QRP rig I have my eye on. It's a beaut.

MantiZ Transceivers

Caleb

It doesn't look like it does PSK31 easily. I'd love a small, affordable QRP rig that could connect to a laptop or a tablet. I'm not convinced that I want to learn Morse code; when I tried it 20-odd years ago for my Tech+, it didn't go well.

PSK31, 63, and all the other digital variants are really fun. Dragging a laptop/tablet around is too much power for me. However, staying at home during an emergency where its easier to have things like a generator or solar array makes it (HF digital) a good tool in the survival/emcomm toolbox.

I forgot to mention that the Elecraft KX3 is a really nice station to put in a BOB. It is a little pricey but all the goods are there. Even PSK. It can connect to software but also of note is the text input via the CW key for PSK, no need for PC.

A note on CW. I've been learning it for about a year now. Nothing consistent in the practice realm but I have and do sporadically. It does take time to learn and I also believe one has to have a desire to do so. It's one of those things that doesn't go into the mind very well. I, personally, just decided to make it apart of my everyday life. I downloaded some iphone apps to practice, regular, free computer software, and when I'm bored, mentally convert text I see to morse. I'm not fast (~10 WPM), but the beauty of it is, the person you QSO with understands that and will slow down.

I'm a network engineer. My laptop comes with me almost everywhere. Part of our CERTs comms plan calls for me to bring my laptop and my wireless hotspot to any scene that we're working as well as my ham gear.

If we're packing light or needing to run on lower power, there is software for my iPad that would do it. Where my laptop runs for a couple of hours without mains power, my iPad could operate far longer. A spare battery that recharges my iPad is also a lot smaller and lighter than anything similar for my laptop.



That looks really nice. I need to save my pennies.

The Brunton 26 Watt Folding Solar panel will charge the Powertraveler PowerGorilla Lithium Battery.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerTraveller-P...mp;sr=8-1-fkmr1

It will just use a direct connection to the PowerGorilla will take a wide range of input Voltage from 12v through to 25v when charging. When fully charged it will give around 100WHrs. So a 6-8hr solar charge will fully recharge the PowerGorilla. It also will power the Samsung netbook at 19V output @2.5 Amps and would give an additional 7-8hrs use above the 2.5 hrs with its internal 4 cell battery 7.4V @ 4000mAhrs. A Samsung 6 Cell battery is available to give about 4hrs use.

Measuring the power of the Samsung Netbook with the Digital TV and FM/DAB/SDR Radio dongles is typically around 12-15W. Not too bad even when comparing to the power consumption of a stand alone 10-12 inch portable digital TV.

Satellite DVB-S2 HDTV requires an additional approx 10W to power the DVB-S2 USB tuner. So in sunny weather this would get around 3-4hrs Satellite TV/Radio capability per day and 7-8hrs per day on all other SIGINT modes.

The Satellite Antenna and Tripod certainly won't fit into the Laptop bag though and is quite heavy weighing in around 7 Kg i.e. around 15lbs.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Satellite-Dish-H...3068&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Satellite-Tripod-Camping-Touring-Caravan/dp/B004S14UNU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ce_2

when the analog to digital TV format became effective, I purchased a small digital portable TV for hurricane season... it is rechargable and 12v capable, but with the single telescoping antenna, picked up only 5 channels..... to increase the reception, I purchased a UHF/VHF HD "rabbit ear" antenna (Zenith)...just received it...it doubled the channels to 11 and much better reception... something you might look into if you have a similar setup...I live about 35miles from the xmtrs...

An external digital TV antenna should improve reception range especially if it has a good quality Low noise amplifier (LNA) built in over the small whip antennas supplied. Again this would require a Power supply. I have gone for this Antenna which can be powered from a USB connection. The PowerGorilla has a spare USB port.

There is a also another Youtube video of the Funcube Dongle + posted yesterday, which begins to show its capabilities as an SDR radio front end, including SW AM+CW etc, Commercial LW, MW, FM, airband etc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VifIK31LfcA

AFLM... thanks for the heads up... didn't think of a LNA antenna.... a 50dB gain is pretty amazing...something to think about for next years preps...one month to go for this season...