The Practical Rifle Part 2: Drills & Training

While not planned out in advance, this post should make a nice follow-on to Part 1 of my Practical Rifle series. Earlier this week, I did a good deal of desert shooting with some friends. In contrast to my usual type of shooting, we were within 10-50 yards of our targets and focused on target transitions and combining movement with shooting. I consider this to be reasonable defensive range for encounters in open country, and multiple assailants are a possibility that should not be discounted. This is why I specified the capability for rapid followup shots in Part 1, as well as a maximum low-end scope magnification of 3x.

Beyond slow-fire shooting for accuracy at longer ranges (relevant for pest control and scout/sniper applications), I propose two types of drills for training with the practical rifle.

The first, focusing on multiple target engagements under physiological stress, should require the shooter to sprint a moderate distance, say, fifty yards, and then engage two or three targets at roughly 10-20 yards with two hits each. The sprint portion of this drill is simply to incorporate stress. An adrenaline rush is a typical reaction to any kind of defensive scenario, and simulating the accompanying loss of coordination/gross motor skills has undeniable training value. (Author's Note: The first time I had to use a firearm in a defensive manner, I had an adrenaline rush and briefly froze up. That seemed to have mentally conditioned me, and later instances have been smooth.)

The second drill is the snap shot, simulating a surprise encounter with a threat, human or animal. From the shooter's choice of carry/ready position, engage a man-size target at 25-50 yards. Any time under two seconds is acceptable. For variations, include a follow-up shot and/or increase the range as the shooter becomes comfortable with the drill. I've done snap shot drills with a pie plate hanging from a tree.

Do not hesitate to incorporate home or backyard dry-fire practice into your training regiment. Snap shots in particular can be practiced for free, as the focus is on a first-round hit at a range where wind calls and holdovers are irrelevant. Vary target presentation, sizes, range, and other factors - mastering a single target presentation is a neat party trick but its actual utility in the field is limited. Training merely approximates real-world conditions, rather than precisely simulating them.

To my mind, once the shooter has reached an acceptable level of skill with his practical rifle, the next step is to carry it in the field. Go for a hike on BLM or Forest Service land for at least a couple of hours, and get to learn the rifle's balance and carrying characteristics. Make changes as appropriate. Practice "snapping in" on boulders, shrubs, or other features - this plays into varying target presentation.

Get your rifle out in the field!

Lastly, do not neglect the fundamentals of marksmanship. Shooting off a bench is useful for zeroing, load testing, confirming a computer-generated dope card, and training beginners, but does not even begin to simulate real-world conditions. Your fundamentals should be practiced from a variety of field positions. Likewise, it would behoove you to practice quickly dropping into supported field positions using available features. The other day, a good friend asked me what would qualify as field positions. My answer was something to the tune of "anything you can get into out in the desert with what you carry on your person". That's really all there is to it.

100 yards with Federal Power-Shok 130-grain copper HP

275 yards with Federal Power-Shok 130-grain JSP

Lastly, I decided to include a few groups shot with my 7600 practical rifle a couple of weeks ago, both zero confirmations. I'm using a 200-yard far zero with this rifle for its flatter trajectory over a 100-yard far zero, which theoretically results in 1.4" high at 100 yards, and a few inches low at 275 yards. Within shooter error and rifle accuracy limits, that's pretty much what I got. I would be more than comfortable taking a shot at a game animal to 300 yards. That group at 275 is a bit under MOA - there is no practical difference in accuracy between this pump rifle and most bolt guns. I suppose the platform could be called the poor man's M1A/M14, when equipped with a few reliable 10-round magazines.

The copper hollowpoints were an impulse purchase at Cabela's. I suspect they may be a bit more barrier-blind than Federal's garden-variety JSPs as a result of their monolithic construction, and my 7600 shoots them well with no significant POI shift. The barrier-blind theory merits testing, in my opinion.

Get Organized! Part 2: Developing A Training Plan

 I briefly touched on training in Part 1 of the Get Organized! series. This post will go into more depth on training. In order to draw upon maximal prior experience from myself and my associates, it will continue the focus on a local defense force.

Assessment

Before an effective training plan can be devised, it is necessary to determine the baseline capability of each team member. Take a few minutes to consider what skills you anticipate being necessary for mission success, then design and implement a realistic, safe, and practical means of assessing each. Members of our hypothetical local defense force have three main operational responsibilities: Move, Shoot, and Communicate. On a basic level, these can be assessed as follows:

Movement

1. Practice cross-country movements on foot while carrying a load of 30-45 pounds. An individual who can move five miles with minimal halts is capable of at least some meaningful action.
2. Utilize topographic maps and satellite imagery to navigate to selected points. The individual should be capable of field navigation with a map and compass, and not dependent on a GPS or other electronic device. While useful, GPS or network availability is not assured - dense forest canopy easily degrades GPS signals. Field navigation is essential if acting in a search-and-rescue capacity.
3. Practice short sprints with a rifle while carrying basic individual equipment, as well as engaging man-sized targets at at least one hundred yards between sprints. This assesses both movement and shooting competency in a physically stressful environment.

Shooting

1. Practice engaging man-sized targets out to at least three hundred yards from field positions. Roughly eighty percent of firefights occur within two hundred yards, and ninety percent within three hundred yards. A minimally competent rifleman should be capable of hitting with at least fifty percent percent of his shots at three hundred yards. Shooting from a bench is useless except to assess the mechanical accuracy of a weapon/ammunition combination or develop elementary skills.
2. Practice snap shots. An individual who can hit a man-sized target at fifty yards within two to three seconds from his choice of high or low ready has a satisfactory rifle snap shot. In a local defense capacity, firing more than a handful of rounds is unlikely, and misses do not count! Snap shots are easily practiced via dry fire.
3. Practice reloading the rifle or shotgun from a variety of field positions. Spare magazines or shells must be accessible when prone, sitting, or kneeling. Reloading can be practiced in your backyard or living room using dummy rounds and/or empty magazines.

Communication

1. Practice making SALUTE (Size/Activity/Location/Unit Identification/Time/Equipment) reports. These can be practiced face-to-face or over radio, using any reference photos, videos, illustrations, or other depictions.
2. Demonstrate capability of using all functions of the selected handheld radio(s). Amateur and GMRS nets are an outstanding opportunity to test skill and equipment capability.

In my experience, scheduling a few hours at an informal outdoor range is ideal for beginning assessment of paramilitary skill. Incorporating field positions and physical activity is a natural evolution from recreational shooting. Hiking with a moderate load is another appropriate means of assessment.

Planning

Once individual aptitude has been satisfactorily assessed, an organization training plan should be developed. It should start at a level of intensity/complexity suitable for the median member of the organization. Some individuals may require remedial training on some topics; remedial training can be supplied by peers, independent study, trainers, or any combination thereof. Be polite but honest when discussing an individual's skill and fitness levels; false flattery does not help them improve.

For the sake of the article, we'll make some assumptions about the results of our initial aptitude assessment. Let's say that four men showed up at the initial event: Kirk, Ron, Al, and Joe. That afternoon, each attendee shot about fifty rounds at varying distances out to roughly four hundred yards.  Kirk and Ron have experience hunting and demonstrated unspectacular but solid marksmanship, with hit rates of approximately 70% at three hundred yards. They were also able to complete a five-mile hike with 25-pound packs without issue. Joe is an F-Class competition shooter and aced the shooting portion, but suffered a serious back injury in the Army and is unable to meaningfully move in the field. Finally, Al is younger than the rest and has minimal experience shooting, but is in very good shape.

How should we proceed? Well, the logical thing is to use each man's strength to improve the others. Kirk and Ron should be teaching fieldcraft, Joe should instruct on the rifle range, and Al can assist the others in developing personal physical fitness plans.

In general, training should be planned as a progression of lesson series, each developing a different skill and building upon each other. Periodically, refresher training on past material should be conducted. With this in mind, we arrive at the following notional schedule for the first two months of the organization:

Lesson 1 (Range)

• Rifle Fundamentals
• Introduce Movement & Shooting

Lesson 2 (Range)

• Movement & Shooting
• Introduce Bounding

Lesson 3 (Field)

• Bounding
• Field Movement Techniques

Lesson 4 (Classroom)

• Introduce Map-Reading & Patrol Fundamentals
• Tabletop Patrol Exercise

Lesson 5 (Field)

• Map-Reading & Patrol Fundamentals
• Field Movement Techniques

Lesson 6 (Classroom)

• Radio Communication
• Tabletop Patrol Exercise

Lesson 7 (Field)

• Radio Communication
• Field Movement Techniques

Lesson 8 (24-Hour Field)

• Plan and execute patrol incorporating all previous lessons
• Assess individual and team capabilities

This schedule is a serviceable template for a local defense force, and will produce a small unit with a decent grasp of some fundamentals within two months. The schedule should be generally maintained to avoid "bouncing" between subjects while not truly mastering any of them. While it can be very tempting to introduce lesson plans based on current events, my experience has been that these are quickly forgotten.

Criticism

Once the initial lesson series is complete, sit down with your team and critique it. Discuss which elements worked and which did not. Building on this discussion, determine the training focus for the next series and build out a training plan based on your previous experience and organization goals.

The Practical Rifle Part 1: Remington 7600

Scarcely heard of outside of Australians, the Amish, and the Benoit brothers, the Remington Model 7600 is rather unusual in being a pump-action centerfire rifle. The 7600 was preceded by the Model 6 and Model 760. It largely resembles a Remington 870 pump shotgun, the receiver is about the same size as a 20-gauge 870 receiver, and a 20-gauge 870 stock may be fitted to the rifle. Significantly, the 7600's barrel is fully free-floated.There are plenty of other writeups on the design and history of the Remington pump rifles, so there's no sense in duplication of effort. This post will be one part theory, one part rifle review.

What Is A Practical Rifle?

Unlike Jeff Cooper's scout rifle concept, there is no hard-and-fast definition of the practical rifle. I'd argue that this is a good thing, as the scout rifle concept is often used by keyboard warriors as a hammer with which to attack those who build a good, sensible rifle that slightly varies from one of Cooper's specifications. "Not a scout", they say. If it meets the needs of the user, who cares?

My vision of the practical rifle is simple: it is to be functional for all applications for which one would require a rifle. This is to say: hunting, pest control, and self-defense against two-legged and four-legged predators. With this in mind, I'll lay out a loose set of criteria for the High Desert Partisan Practical Rifle.

1. Chambered in a cartridge capable of humanely taking all dangerous animals, as well as game up to Class 3 (if present), encountered in the area in which the rifle is to be carried
2. A repeating action capable of accepting reliable detachable magazines (or en bloc clips, which have an ultimately similar function)
3. Equipped with a quality riflescope with a maximum low-end magnification of 3x
4. Equipped with a two-point sling or strap for carrying and as a shooting aid.
5. Mechanically capable of shooting at least 2 MOA (roughly 2" groups at 100 yards)
6. Possessing correct weight and balance to allow the shooter to carry the rifle all day without undue fatigue
7. Barrel length of 22" or less
8. Sufficiently low felt recoil to allow twenty rounds to be fired without flinching or significant discomfort, and to allow rapid followup shots

Many of these criteria are subjective or variable. Of course they are! A practical cartridge for Alaska is massively overpowered for central Florida. Likewise, comfortable weight varies based on the rifleman's strength and stature. A rifle chambered for a .30-30-class cartridge is quote appropriate for the Southeast, but a rifleman in brown bear country will probably opt for a .30-06-class cartridge.

Detachable magazines are essential for the practical rifle. As moronic anti-poaching laws in some jurisdictions forbid carrying a loaded rifle in a vehicle, the ability to quickly bring the rifle into action is contingent upon a reliable magazine. The magazine must be extremely reliable; test each magazine you acquire before putting it into service. Detachable magazines, when several are carried, also dramatically increase the utility of the practical rifle in a worst-case self-defense scenario involving multiple assailants. As civil order in the US continues to degrade, this is a scenario worth preparing for.

The various varieties of open sights are fundamentally unsuitable for a practical rifle. They offer none of the advantages of good aperture sights or a quality magnified optic. Open sights are imprecise and no faster to acquire than a wide "ghost ring" aperture. Aperture sights excel on the range with visible known-distance targets, but begin to falter in low light and with poorly-contrasting targets. Therefore, I suggest a magnified optic with a maximum low-end magnification of 3x. Beyond 3x, I feel that close range snapshots become unnecessarily difficult - the practical rifle is not a bench gun. Low power variables with ranges like 1-3x, 1.5-4x, 1-4x, and 1-6x are very flexible tools, and moderate-power variables with magnification ranges of 2-7x and 2-10x are a bit better for longer shots. A 3-9x is about the limit of what I would mount on a practical rifle.

The sling or strap is a very valuable accessory for the practical rifle. It reduces fatigue by transferring some of the rifle's weight off of the rifleman's hands. Offhand, by using the hasty sling technique, it aids in stabilizing the rifle to improve practical accuracy.

I specify 2 MOA for coyote and other pest control applications. A coyote's vitals average six inches in diameter. Allowing an inch of variance to be conservative, the 2 MOA specification happily allows the practical rifle to hit a coyote's vital zone out to 200 yards. It's not a half-klick varmint slayer, but it doesn't really have to be, either. On Class 2 game such as deer, and Class 3 game such as elk, 2 MOA is far more accurate than needed for a humane kill. Consider the following: practical accuracy is a combination of the mechanical capability of the rifle, and the skill of the shooter. The more variables (such as rifle accuracy) that we can take out of the equation, the better the rifleman's practical accuracy will be. For this same reason, I do tend to favor flat-shooting cartridges, as they are more forgiving of errors in range estimation.

My Remington 7600 Practical Rifle

Theory is great, but actually outfitting and shooting a rifle is much better! My first practical rifle is based off a Remington 7600 chambered for .270 Winchester. The pump action is significantly faster than a bolt action in most field positions. I am left-handed, and while I can shoot a rifle right-handed, it is not my preference. A pump is ambidextrous, making this point moot. My 7600 was purchased from a shop in Anniston, Alabama and then mailed out west to my transfer agent.

.270 shoots flatter than .30-06 and recoils a bit less; in my eye this makes it more desirable in a rifle that may be called upon for shots at unknown ranges and quick follow-up shots.

The author's Remington 7600-based practical rifle

I have a preference for a steeper grip angle than offered by most traditional semi-pistol-grip stocks, so I selected a Magpul SGA shotgun stock for my rifle. This stock requires slight modification with a Dremel tool and hand file to mate with the 7600's smaller receiver. I removed the upper lug from the stock, reprofiled the lower lug to fit the receiver, and slightly beveled the stock to better match the receiver's profile. It will fit, and I find that the recoil pad and grip angle make for a very comfortable rifle to carry.

For an optic, I selected a Leupold VX-Freedom AR 1.5-4x low power variable. I have a Trijicon TR24 on my AR-15 carbine that could fit the bill, but the Leupold is lighter and features a reticle with stadia lines for longer shots. The green triangle reticle of my TR24 requires some Kentucky windage beyond about 250 yards - excellent for a combat optic, but less than optimal for a Western hunting rifle. The Leupold only weighs 9.6 ounces compared to 14.4 ounces for the TR24; both weights are sans rings/mount.

The sling is a simple USGI nylon strap. It fits the bill for carrying and shooting without being obtrusive.

Results of three-shot groups with three different factory loads from Winchester and Federal

Five-shot group with Federal Power-Shok 130-grain; bottom shot was a called flyer

I shot about forty rounds through the 7600 this afternoon, to sight it in and determine which load(s) it shot the best. I have dabbled with metallic cartridge reloading in the past and was not overly enamored with it, so it's factory loads for the time being.

150-grain Winchester Power-Points did not shoot well for me today. I think this was a combination of me getting used to the rifle, and it not really liking 150-grain projectiles. Both the 130-grain Power-Points and 130-grain Federal Power-Shok shot quite well. All of the above groups were shot at 100 yards. The 130-grain loads held between 1 and 2 MOA, with two same-hole shots using Federal. Horizontal stringing tells me I could likely improve these groups further as I get used to the 7600's trigger; it feels quite different from the two-stage Larue MBTs with which I've gotten most of my centerfire rifle trigger time.

I did notice that the Winchester cartridges were loaded to a longer COAL than those loaded by Federal. Both Winchester loads had a habit of occasionally hanging up below the feed ramp, resulting in damage to the exposed lead tip of the projectile; I did not experience this problem with Federal. After today's results, I ordered a case of 130-grain Power-Shoks.

Aftermarket ten-round magazines are available for the 7600. I purchased a pair from National Surplus in Las Vegas. Neither would feed Winchester Power-Points whatsoever and National's website does not have a functional return function so I am looking into a chargeback as they sold me defective merchandise and cannot be contacted. Another magazine that I believe to be a Triple K feeds perfectly fine. These magazines fit nicely into USMC surplus hand grenade pouches, which are readily and cheaply available. I bought several at the Knob Creek machine gun show for $2 each a couple years ago.

A few quick snapshot and double-tap drills at roughly 25 yards went smoothly. The 7600 points nicely and follow-up shots come rapidly for me. I have a lot of time on Remington 870-pattern shotguns, and can make full use of that muscle memory.

I'm looking forward to polishing my skills with the 7600 practical rifle. Its accuracy appears to be on par with many bolt actions and it is far more useful as a defensive rifle, not to mention for southpaw shooters.

Equipment Review: Kenwood TK-390

 Like the TK-3180 I previously reviewed, the TK-390 is a handheld analog UHF FM transceiver. The TK-390 is only available in the K/K4 bandsplit, which is capable of operating from 450-490 MHz. The K4 model features a 12-key DTMF keypad. Some users have reported success in programming TK-390s down into the upper portion of the 70cm amateur allocation - the KPG-38D programming software gives an error message when this is attempted, but allows the frequency to be programmed. The TK-390 was discontinued some time ago, and is available through eBay and used-radios.com along with its VHF and low band counterparts, the TK-290 and TK-190. This selection of radios is often referred to as the TK-x90 series.

TK-390 with KRA-23 and KMC-25

Specifications & Features

Channels: 160

Zones/Groups: 16 (up to 16 channels per group)

Power: 1W (low)/4W (high)

Ingress Protection:

Connector Type: 14-pin Kenwood

Programming Software: KPG-38D

The TK-390 offers limited compatibility with FleetSync. It is only capable of encoding PTT caller ID data bursts, and cannot decode caller ID. The TK-390 is compatible with aftermarket scrambler boards, but such boards are not included as standard.

In The Field

I maintain several TK-390s as well as low band TK-190s. These are extremely durable radios and will survive most abuse they will realistically encounter when carried on your person. Based on asset tags, my TK-390s were sold as surplus by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. I operate them with either KRA-23 stubby helical antennas or KRA-27 whip antennas, as well as KMC-25 speaker mics. In-field performance is outstanding; I have successfully talked on a GMRS repeater 89 miles away with a TK-390 and KRA-23 antenna! It's a Part 90 portable - performance will be broadly similar no matter if the radio is marked Kenwood, Motorola, ICOM, or Vertex Standard.

Unfortunately, no lithium batteries are available for the TK-x90 series, limiting the user to Ni-Cd and NiMH chemistries. Nickel-based batteries are significantly heavier than lithium batteries, but are generally safer.

The TK-x90 series is very robust; the radio housing is cast from a textured polycarbonate that makes the radio easier to grip in wet conditions. My TK-390s are often carried underground, and have always come out on top.

My favorite feature of the TK-390 is the location of its controls. The LCD display, volume/ power knob, rotary selector, A/B function keys, and programmable toggle switch are all located on the top of the radio housing. When worn on a belt or in an open-top pouch, access to controls is extremely easy without removing the radio. For any use case requiring frequent channel changes, the TK-x90 series is hard to beat. I wish Kenwood offered more radios with top-mounted controls. Come to think of it, my dream portable would be a multiband TK-x90 with a scrambler board, lithium battery, and Thales 1600500 antenna.

TK-390, demonstrating top-mounted user interface and textured surface

I have been exceptionally pleased with my TK-390s and TK-190s. TK-390s are often available at minimal cost (I have purchased lots for about $17/radio), accessories are widely available, and the user interface is better than many more modern radios. I rate the TK-390 5/5.

Equipment Review: Kenwood TK-3180

Kenwood's TK-3180 is a handheld analog UHF FM radio transceiver. It is available in two bandsplits, K/K3 (400-470 MHz) and K2/K4 (450-520 MHz). In both cases, the first code refers to the limited-keypad model, and the second code refers to the full-keypad model with a 12-key DTMF keypad in addition to the four front-panel programmable function keys. The TK-3180 holds a Part 90 type acceptance for business or public safety LMR use, as well as a Part 95 type acceptance for GMRS use. The model was discontinued several years prior to the time of writing; I have been unable to locate an exact discontinue announcement date. The TK-3180 is available on eBay and through used-radios.com; Kenwood dealers may have used or new old stock units available as well.

One of my TK-3180s, fully equipped

Specifications & Features

Channels: 512

Zones/Groups: 128

Power: 1W (low)/5W (high)

Ingress Protection: IP54/55

Connector Type: 14-pin Kenwood

Programming Software: KPG-89D

The TK-3180 is compatible with Kenwood's FleetSync data communication system. It is natively capable of encoding and decoding FleetSync caller ID data bursts, as well as sending and receiving FleetSync status messages. Additionally, the TK-3180 features a built-in voice inversion scrambler. This scrambler offers low-level speech security against casual eavesdroppers. VOX capability is also included in the TK-3180. I have tested this functionality at home, but have not used it in the field. It could be useful for surveillance or tasks requiring use of both hands in a relatively quiet ambient environment, but is not useful to me.

Most UHF portables offer 4W of power when programmed for high power; the TK-3180's 5W only represents a +0.8 dB improvement which is immaterial in actual use.

Demonstrating the LCD backlight. The diamond in the upper right corner indicates that the scrambler is enabled on this channel.

In The Field

While my TK-3180s have not been subjected to as much abuse as my TK-390s, this is simply because I purchased them after the TK-390s. I own two TK-3180s purchased as surplus from a fire department in northern Ohio for $135 apiece including chargers, speaker mics, and old NiMH batteries. Mine are fitted with KMC-41 speaker mics, KRA-23 stubby helical antennas, and aftermarket KNB-43Li 3300mAH lithium battery packs. Battery life in this configuration with a limited duty cycle is roughly 24 hours, and radio weight is considerably less than with a NiMH battery.

Audio quality, both transmit and receive, has been up to Kenwood's usual high standard. I have received good signal strength reports from users on a local GMRS repeater, and in-field simplex use on my Part 90 frequencies has been wholly satisfactory in rough terrain. Across multiple radio types, I have been pleasantly surprised with the performance of the KRA-23 antennas. Practical performance has been indistinguishable from the KRA-27 whips.

Build quality is good, though subjectively the TK-3180 does not have as durable a "feel" as the TK-390 or TK-380. However, my TK-3180 has gone through quite a few scrapes while carried on my belt, so the practical difference may well be negligible.

I would prefer for the KMC-41 speaker mic to be smaller; its bulk can be somewhat cumbersome when clipped to a pack or plate carrier strap. The programmable function keys on the speaker mic are handy; I typically keep the orange "emergency" key programmed for talkaround, and the black key programmed for momentary squelch open to receive weak signals. About a quarter of the time, using momentary squelch open will cause the radio to transmit its FleetSync ID before opening squelch. This occurs with both the KMC-25 and KMC-41 speaker microphones and I have not yet identified the cause. The introduction of an inversion scrambler is very helpful for usage where it is undesirable for the general public to listen in, but it will not stop a determined enthusiast. One drawback of the scrambler is that it will cause unscrambled audio to sound scrambled, so a mixed fleet of scrambler-equipped and non-equipped radios will be forced to operate unscrambled.

Overall, I am very pleased with my TK-3180s. If you value the additional features over older models, the premium is well worth it. In consideration of the price, performance, build quality, and features, I rate the TK-3180 4/5.

Why You Shouldn't Buy a Baofeng

Effective communications are critical to the success of any mission. Living in the mountain West, useful cell reception is often more of a luxury than something worth relying on. In the absence of effective commercial networks, two-way radios are a very useful communications tool.

The various Chinese UHF/VHF portable (handheld) radios (Baofeng/Retevis/BTech/Anytone/etc.) come highly recommended by some individuals. I believe these well-meaning recommendations are based on a lack of understanding of useful properties for a practical-use radio. Throughout my career, I have used a variety of portables on Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems for industrial purposes. This has ingrained me with a bias towards high-quality commercial equipment, and a disdain for the "cheap stuff".

I'll assume that readers have reprogrammed their Chinese radios for frequencies appropriate for their area, as they often come out of the box programmed with emergency services frequencies. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure that your radio is only programmed to transmit on frequencies on which you have the right to transmit.

Spectral Purity And You

What is spectral purity? Put simply, it refers to how much RF energy a radio outputs on frequencies other than the one to which it is tuned. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) maintains standards on spectral purity which all radios must meet. This may not sound like a big deal, but in practice it can lead to interference with other users. "Dirty" radios, or those with spectral purity problems, radiate on a number of frequencies they are not tuned to. They have been known to interfere with fire department systems, military airband transmissions, and more. The FCC takes a complaint-driven approach to enforcement. Someone transmitting on a given frequency without a license is extraordinarily unlikely to attract a complaint. The same cannot be said for interference, even accidental interference, with a public safety system.

Now, you're probably guessing that the FCC enforces its standards on radio manufacturers and importers. If only your tax dollars were used for something so productive! Enforcement on imported radios is essentially non-existent, and numerous examples, especially the Baofeng UV-5R and its derivatives, are notorious for failing to meet spectral purity standards.

I'll point readers towards this Hackaday post that links through to an excellent analysis of Baofeng spectral purity:

https://hackaday.com/2016/12/14/measuring-spurious-emissions-of-cheap-handheld-transceivers/

In summary: it's not good. Not all Baofengs are "dirty", but you have no way of knowing whether a given transceiver actually meets standards without hooking it up to thousands of dollars worth of testing equipment.

Baofeng BF-F8HP and Kenwood TK-3180

What Else Don't You Like About Baofengs?

I could spend an hour answering that question, but there are a few salient points: build quality, overcomplicated interface, and lack of features. In my experience, Baofeng radios do not hold up well to hard use. The organization I mentioned in my previous post had issues with Baofeng UV-5Rs and BF-F8HPs failing at random after several months of use. The Kenwood and Vertex Standard radios I have used occupationally last far longer with higher duty cycles and significantly worse conditions. Anecdotally, my Kenwood TK-3400 fell off my belt on a plant catwalk 50' in the air, landed on crushed rock, and required nothing more than a wipedown with no ill effects.

The Big Orange Button Of Poor Industrial Design

I'll never forget my buddy's UV-5R playing country music in the field for no apparent reason, while secure in a pouch with its keylock enabled! After later analysis, I determined the cause: the keylock function does not lock out the "CALL" button on the UV-5R or BF-F8HP. When pressed momentarily, this button activates the transceiver's FM tuner. When pressed and held, the radio begins emitting a loud siren noise and its lights begin flashing. This is a poor attempt at a "man-down" function as can be programmed into many industrial radios.

When I examine the specification sheet for most commercial portables, I find a list of features including caller ID, status messaging, optional man-down function, operator selectable CTCSS tones, and more. The various Baofeng models lack nearly all of those features, and the few they do have are either implemented in such a way as to do more harm than good, or buried in menus that require an operator's manual handy to effectively use.

What Do You Recommend Instead?

Buying a quality commercial or amateur radio from a manufacturer such as Kenwood, Motorola, ICOM, Yaesu, Vertex Standard, or EF Johnson virtually assures you of a "clean" radio, with numerous other advantages. These radios are available used from numerous reputable resellers, many of whom will even program the radio for you, at very reasonable rates. A high-quality radio, manufactured in Japan, Singapore, or Malaysia and suitable for emergency, tactical, and industrial use, can be purchased for under $150.

Personally, I am highly partial to Kenwood radios. They are tested to MIL-STD 710 for a variety of environmental factors, hold up admirably to use and abuse, have outstanding audio quality, are easy to program, and are priced affordably. All of the other makes I listed will also serve you well; this is just my preference based on features, cost, and ease of programming.

Kenwood TK-360G, TK-380, TK-390, and TK-3180

For the user who wants voice-only communications with only a handful of frequencies, the TK-360G is a rock-solid option. I purchased a lot of a half-dozen on eBay for less than $10 each; deals like this are out there if you look! 

For those who would like more features, the TK-380 introduces FleetSync, Kenwood's caller ID and status messaging system. These are workmanlike radios with a solid feature set. For a user who'd like a large number of frequencies as well as a (top-mounted) display but does not require status messaging, the TK-390 is hard to beat. I'm a die-hard TK-x90 fan, they're tough as nails, sound great, and just plain work. Finally, the TK-3180 resembles a product-improved TK-3180. It accepts high-capacity lithium batteries that will last 24 hours of light duty, has VOX functionality, and incorporates a voice inversion scrambler for low-level speech security. These radios all require Kenwood programming software and 

an appropriate PC interface cable. The appropriate software for each model can be found here:

http://www.k9rod.net/Commercial.html

The models I've listed above are all UHF (Ultra High Frequency) radios; replace the 3 in the model number for a 2 for the equivalent VHF (Very High Frequency) model. UHF performs slightly better in urban areas; VHF performs slightly better in hilly areas. Both are best with line of sight to any location with which you wish to communicate.

You don't carry a Hi-Point if you can afford better, so why would you carry the Hi-Point of radios? Buy quality!

Get Organized! Part 1: The Basic Stuff

 In my introductory post, I stated that "conflict is a team sport". Unlike most sports, conflict has a way of finding you whether or not you're a willing participant. Continuing the sports analogy, once you've committed to playing, you'll find yourself picking your team, or being picked by a team. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with being picked by someone else's team. I know that all kinds of organizations push "LEADERSHIP!" ad nauseam nowadays, to the point that the term is losing its meaning. For there to be a leader, there must be one or more followers. Don't hesitate to be a follower - followers are a necessary part of a functional team. A group composed of nothing but self-proclaimed leaders will stand around arguing about who is in charge until the cows come home. Don't be that group.

I intend for this post to be part of a multipart series geared towards building community preparedness organizations. We'll work our way down from the high-level outline over the course of this blog. In order to best leverage my past experience, things will be geared towards a local defense force.

Step One - Assemble The Initial Team

You may already have the beginnings of a team in mind. Friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors are all worthy of your consideration. The formation of a team may be organic, or it may be the result of a concerted effort. I have participated in both varieties.

If you have a group of hunting, shooting, or work buddies, you're doing well! Trustworthiness, skills, and physical fitness should be prioritized, ideally in this order. Physical fitness can be improved with focused effort, as can skills, but nothing will turn a chronic back-stabber into a person you can rely on. It is essential for your group members to have the ability to constructively work together. They don't all need to be best friends, just civil and able to communicate effectively.

Step Two - Define Your Capabilities

It may seem counter-intuitive to start a group before defining the group's goals, but I promise that there is a method to my madness here. The types of actions in which a group is likely to succeed depends on the capabilities of its members.

 

Defining your own capabilities, and those of your teammates, is essential to your success. If you and your neighbors are ranchers without any formal training, you won't be able to jump right into a light infantry role. Be realistic! Sit down with group members and determine their strengths and weaknesses.

Step Three - Set Goals

Once you've figured out what you and your teammates are capable of accomplishing, it's time for the rubber to meet the road. Determine realistic applications and goals for your team to work towards. Your conclusions here will drive your organization's training program.

The acronym METT-TC is a favorite of mine that will be used often on this blog. It is a useful tool for all stages of planning, including high-level planning as is being discussed here. METT-TC breaks down as follows:

Mission: What are you seeking to accomplish?

Enemy: Who and/or what is likely to work against you in your mission? "Enemy" is not always a literal human enemy; for example, in a search-and-rescue operation, an incoming storm may be the greatest threat to your success.

Terrain: How can the area in which you are located impact the way you plan to operate? Are you located at high altitude? Along the coast? In a rural area? Near a large metropolitan area?

Troops: Based on Step Two, who can be relied upon to assist your organization in completing its mission? Depending on the situation, you may only have a handful of team members available, or you may have support from other organizations or agencies. The mission may warrant a different approach as a result.

Time: What time frame is available to complete your mission? Can this be modified in any way to increase your odds of success?

Civil Considerations: How are local civilians likely to impact your mission? Is interacting with them in a certain manner likely to impact your odds of success? What legal considerations do you need to account for?

After completing your METT-TC analysis and defining the capabilities of your group members, you probably have a better picture of what you are able to accomplish. If you're being honest with yourself, it's likely that you've also identified major shortcomings in your capabilities. These are nothing to be ashamed of - look at them as a cheat-sheet for your training plan.

Step Four - Train For The Mission

This is where the largest amount of effort will be expended. Sit down with your teammates and put together a training plan. This should be a mixture of classroom instruction, sit-down map exercises/wargaming, and exercises. Resist the urge to spend a day on a seemingly-relevant topic that will be forgotten in six months. Stick to the plan, but by the same token encourage criticism of the plan and incorporate changes after thorough evaluation of their consequences.

Perhaps the most critical decision to make here is the distribution between different forms of training. For example, an organization I am involved with has had good results with one training session per week. Initially, only one session out of each month was spent in the field, usually in the form of a larger exercise involving members of allied groups. We saw a significant improvement in our performance after changing the training schedule to two days a month in the field. One of these days was spent entirely with local teammates, and typically focused on basic "building block" skills that could then be synthesized into a coherent plan in larger exercises. I am of the opinion that our skills and performance would have improved even more by implementing a 75%/25% ratio of field to classroom training, provided that the field training incorporated honest performance dialog after each evolution. Stick with a training topic until your group members have developed a solid understanding of it, and can effectively utilize it under field conditions.

Remember that watching YouTube videos is not a substitute for training. It's an easy trap to fall into, and indeed, there is an abundance of quality content available via YouTube and other platforms. These can introduce concepts that are then incorporated into practical exercises. Repetition, not watching a video, is the key to developing muscle memory!

Likewise, encourage your teammates to seek out knowledge on their own time. Organized group training should only be the tip of the iceberg. Reading manuals, theory papers, and case studies are all individual activities. Practicing with weapons and equipment can also be done at home.

Step Five - Grow And Improve The Team

In Step Four, I encouraged criticism and continuous improvement of the training plan. This should apply to every aspect of an organization. Stagnation is toxic. Always be willing to accept new members and consider constructive criticism coming from both within and without. Outsiders often have different takes on aspects of your organization. Sometimes, this may be a result of incomplete information or incorrect understandings on their part. On the other hand, it may be very valid and based on prior experience, so don't discount it!

Rather than being a one-time event, make your METT-TC analysis a constant process. Refine procedures and plans to reflect new information, technological developments, equipment acquisitions, and skills. The time to improve yourself and your organization is now!