Ted’s essays

Guerrilla’s Guide To 2-Way Radio

For my heading, I purposefully modified NC Scout’s bestselling book title that I am discussing in this post. The Guerrilla’s Guide To The Baofeng Radio goes far beyond the make/model amateur radio he recommends in it.

I and a fellow active licensed radio operator (HAM) took a local class from him a few years ago. It was extremely informative and valuable. I expect this book to have much of what we learned in that class, and quite a bit more packed into it.

I have ordered my own copy, so this is a recommendation in advance of being able to review it, based on what I know of the author and of the subject matter.

He created and operates Brushbeater Training and Consulting as an avocation, passion and community service. He is a great guy with a wonderful heart, honorable spirit and a whole lot of potentially priceless information he eagerly shares.

It is regrettable to me that I am so scattered in my passions, as I would LOVE to grow much more than I have in the area of emergency communications. I am hoping, expecting that this book will help me improve my skill and tool sets on my own scrambled schedule, when I have the time and the focus to add comms bits; when I am ready, willing, and able to work in that direction.

At the very least, I will have the hardcopy reference manual if comms suddenly becomes an extremely urgent, mission-critical component of my life, and for my community.

A major proportion of the value will be his hardware recommendations. Don’t gear up, then try to make the lessons fit your gear. Read the book first, then gear up, then methodically go through the book applying as you grow.

(Do as I say, not as I do). I am way down the road of gear acquisition – and radio training, having earned the third, and highest level amateur radio license, the Amateur Extra. I am not, however, adverse to buying a highly affordable, reputable and versatile BAOFENG radio … if the book convinces me the far more expensive ones I already own fall short in form or function.

Facing a volatile and uncertain future, having emergency communication capabilities will be extremely valuable.

Beans, bullets and bullion will be of little value if you don’t know where to go, who can help and what threats might be where.

Radio can be that crucial link to information when phones and Internet become unavailable.

This reference book might be the key to pulling that all together into a useful tool set.

– Ted –

P.S. If you can attend one of his Brushbeater Training and Consulting courses, any one that interests you, it will be a treasured experience. If someone organizes any of his classes local to me, count me in.

From the Amazon page (highlighting is mine):

The Guerrilla’s Guide To The Baofeng Radio is a handbook for those finding themselves in an austere environment, an underground resistance, or going into harm’s way with one of the most common pieces of communications equipment in the world. Going far beyond simple programming or what’s written from the Amateur Radio perspective, this manual goes in-depth on how to communicate, creating a communications plan, improvised wire antennas, digital operations and encryption in an easy to follow, step-by-step format based on combat proven methods. Whether you’ve just invested in a few of the inexpensive radios for an uncertain future or find yourself in rough corners of the world, this manual covers how to create communications where there otherwise would be none.

NC Scout is the pseudonym of a former member of one of the US Army’s premier special reconnaissance units with two combat deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. He runs Brushbeater Training and Consulting, which teaches courses on small unit tactics, communications and survival based on skills he learned while serving to prepare people for uncertain times ahead. He is the owner and senior editor of American Partisan, and can be found on his podcast, Radio Contra.


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This website is a gift to my community from a pensioner dedicating a bit of his life attempting to help preserve humanity, integrity, honor and liberty – a world under attack. If I help one person find our side of the rampart, or help the resolve of one who found it via another path, my time and money have been well spent.

You can show your gratitude and support via credit card, Paypal or, if you can figure out how, send a tip my way in meat space.

Thank you, Ted Dunlap