A No Background Check, No FFL Needed AR-15

This is something every AR enthusiast should be aware of, as well as those who are considering purchasing another or even their first AR's.  If you are planning on building your first or next AR-15 yourself, there are a few things you will need to be aware of before you start ordering parts.  Some parts must ship to a local gun store where you will have to fill out the appropriate paperwork and submit to a background check before you can take ownership of the part, while other parts can ship directly to your house via the mail. Let's begin!

An example of a super high-end, custom, Stripped Lower Receiver
 - the Seekins Precision Billet Lower

An example of your basic Mil-Spec, forged Lower Reciever
that has been completely assembled with a parts kit, stock and magazine

The AR-15 consists of 5 main part systems, within each part system their are many smaller parts that make this up.  These 5 main parts are: the Upper Reciever, the Lower Receiver, the Barrel Assembly, the Stock, and the Bolt Carrier Group. Out of these 5, the only one that must go through a licensed FFL (gun store or dealer), is the Lower Receiver (see picture to left). The reason for this is that this part houses the trigger group mechanism. Along with the trigger mechanism, the Lower Reciever also houses the magazine and magazine release button, the bolt release mechanism, the safety mechanism, the buffer, buffer tube, action spring, stock, and pistol grip. As you can see the main firing controls are located on the lower receiver of the AR-15 Weapon System.  You will see to the right, a picture of an assembled Lower Reciever.  AR Lowers can be purchased in either of the two ways, Stripped or Assembled. I prefer to purchase mine Stripped so that I may use my own selection of parts and springs to assemble the lower.  If you have never assembled an AR Lower, this is something that I recommend you do for your next project, as this can be a super rewarding as well as educational project. There are many things to be learned about firearms and how they function by putting together the trigger group and safety mechanisms. It also allows you to see how to remove the parts should some part ever stop functioning properly and need to be replaced, or if you want to remove all the parts for a very thorough cleaning or tuneup.

So far, we've seen that there are Stripped and Assembled AR Lowers, both of which must be purchased through or shipped through a Gun Store who must perform an ATF Background Check on the purchaser.  There remains yet, another format that one can purchase an AR Lower in, and this format is the reason for this posting.  Some manufactures offer what they call, an unfinished AR Lower or what is more popularly known as an "80% Lower", meaning that this Lower is only 80% of the way finished. This type of AR Lower has not had the area behind the magwell machined out yet. This area, is the section where the trigger group and safety mechanisms reside in a Completed/Assembled AR Lower. Since this type of lower can not be made functional without more machining performed first, the ATF does not recognize this type of lower as a firearm, so no background check is necessary to purchase one.  You read correctly, you can purchase these type of lowers on the internet or from a gun store for almost 25% less than your typical Stripped Lower, and it ships directly to you, no background check, no registration (if you live in a state that requires this), and no waiting period!  Unfortunately, we all don't have access to million dollar CNC machines, or fully equipped Machine Shops, so these lowers often prove useless to the average person.  However, in recent years, several new concepts have been developed to help make this type of lower easier to machine and easier to obtain. The most important tool needed for the Weekend Warrior attempting to finish machining the remaining 20% of an "80% Lower", would be a jig.  Several companies are producing these, some are better than others, and without one, I can honestly say that it is impossible to accurately mill out the remaining 20% of metal without access to a Machine Shop.  My favorite 80% Lower, and I have not personally ever purchased one, but have heard many good things, would be the JMT Polymer 80% AR-15 Lower Receiver & Jig, sold by Rainier Arms.  The reason this is my favorite, is due to a few unique characteristics. First, JMT built these lowers from a composite polymer, similar to those used in the frames of Glock handguns. Since this lower is Polymer and not a metal like Aluminum or Steel, it is much easier to cut and drill, as well as faster. Polymer AR-15 Receivers have gained

JMT's Polymer 80% AR Lower & Jig costs $95

The Jig properly assembled on the Lower,
 ready for a vise or drill press

popularity in the past couple years, and JMT's lower is by far one of the nicest looking, and strongest one available at the moment.  The main reason for using polymer in the construction of an AR is for weight savings. The most common commercially available composite AR-15 would be Bushmaster's Carbon 15, made from a Carbon Fiber composite polymer. As with anything, the polymer AR receivers do have their drawbacks when compared to metal, felt recoil is greater due to the lighter weight, the chances of breaking one are slightly higher than one machined from 7075 Aluminum, and some naysayers nag at the accuracy of a polymer AR.  JMT has taken steps to reduce these downsides, and they have done a fantastic job. The JMT Polymer lower is built thicker than the average Polymer Lower, increasing thickness of the sidewalls, similar to a Billet AR Lower, increases durability and accuracy. The second reason the JMT is my favorite Polymer Lower, is the fact that the manufacturer, JMT, includes the necessary Jig with the lower. Unlike other Jigs available, the JMT Jig is molded to clamp nicely over the Lower Receiver and in the correct spot, a Chimpanzee couldn't mess this up! Once the Jig is placed over the lower, and locked into place, you simply start drilling the appropriate holes. I recommend waiting to drill the trigger and hammer pin holes, as well as the safety selector hole until you have drilled out the inner section for the trigger group. This will ensure that when you drill the holes they are straight, as the amount of material you will be drilling through will be thinner than what it would be if you drilled these holes first. My third favorite trait of the JMT Polymer Lower is the fact that it has been designed to resemble the most expensive high-end custom, Billet Lower receivers available on the market. The magwell has a thick beveled edge running all the way around the bottom to ensure quick and smooth magazine changes. The front of the magwell has serrations machined into the lower to ensure a non-slip surface for gripping the weapon system under the upper at the front of the lower. JMT machined a wide, deep, and slick looking trigger guard into the bottom of the lower. Lastly, my final favorite aspect of the JMT Polymer Lower, is that JMT decided to just make a lower and not an entire Polymer receiver set (Upper and Lower). This basically makes the accuracy downside null and void. In an AR Weapon System, the accuracy aspects are almost fully a result of the Upper Receiver characteristics. The Upper Receiver includes the

A super high-end custom, AR Upper Receiver -
Seekins Precision Billet Upper Receiver.
Available at Rainier Arms.

complete action and firing mechanisms, as well as the barrel and gas system.  No matter what lower is used or what parts the lower was assembled with, it is the upper that determines whether or not an AR will fire, jam, shoot consistently, cycle the action, eject and extract the casings properly, and place bullets in tight or loose groups.  The only part that the lower plays in accuracy is that the upper and lower should fit snuggly together. A tight fit between the two eliminates play and ensures the action will cycle smoothly and accurately.  If I were building an AR-15 on a JMT Polymer lower, I would use a high-end Billet Upper Receiver with very thick walls. The thicker the better as this ensures a more accurate action and a tighter fit between upper and lower.  Along with this high-end Billet Upper Receiver, I would also make sure to purchase a Match or Ultra-Match grade barrel to ensure sub-MOA accuracy (tighter groupings when shooting - sub-MOA means all bullets are closer than 1" at 100 yards).

Daniel Defense Cold Hammer Forged, Chrome Lined
AR-15 Barrel made from the hardest and highest quality
Machine Gun Barrel Steel

 Obviously the Reciever and Barrel are probably the most important when building a tack driver but you must also realize that the remaining Upper Receiver parts are also important to ensure that your AR will function every single time, as needed, when needed.  A National Match Bolt Carrier Group, in Hard Chrome or Nickel Boron helps ensure consistent lockup and smoother, less pronounced recoil.  I always buy Billet Charging Handles with some sort of oversized or ambi latch, for this project I would consider this a minimum requirement and would quite possibly look at one of the two Steel Charging Handles available on the market right now. Steel Charging Handles, do not flex or bend at all making them almost invincible to one handed charging and the rigors of Combat. No matter what fore-end/rail system you choose to place over the barrel, I can tell you that you WILL want it to be of the Free Float type so that it does not interfere with the accuracy of the barrel.

A complete AR-15 on a finished JMT 80% Polymer Lower

When it comes to gas systems you really only have a couple choices, the basic gas system which we know from the past 50 years is a super reliable system, and/or a Piston Driven system which has been used in firearms even longer than the gas system but is fairly new to the AR Weapon System.  Everyone has their own opinions on the two gas systems, and both systems have their drawbacks as well as their benefits, but I can tell you from experience in shooting both types of systems that neither has ever been more accurate, more consistent, or more reliable than the other, both will jam from time to time, both will get dirty, and both will need repairs (although, the Gas Impingement System will often need less repairs as there are less moving parts).  At this point all of my AR Weapon Systems are Gas Impingement, however, I do have a build planned for the future that will be a Piston Driven System. I honestly feel that if one has the ability to own a few AR-15s it would benefit that person to have both Gas Systems available to choose from.

Wrapping it all up, you now have an idea of what type of parts you should put together to produce a quality upper for pairing with a polymer lower.  We learned of the many great features JMT has incorporated into their 80% Polymer Lower, and where you can obtain one, as well as how to finish machining one so that it can be assembled into a complete AR-15.  Even if your not interested in a polymer AR, it is interesting to know that one can be purchased without any background check, it just takes a little extra work. Be sure and check out Rainier Arms for high-end and custom AR-15/M16 parts and check out Brownells, for the world's largest selection of gun parts and gunsmithing equipment.

Weapon Classes and the NFA Explained

If anyone has recently watched the movie "The Purge" that was released On Demand, Redbox and iTunes around Halloween, then you may be familiar with the text displayed by the US Government on the TV Screens of US Citizens in the movie.  Without revealing any spoilers for those of you who haven't seen the movie, I would like to give a VERY brief description of the plot.  The Purge takes place in the US in the year 2022. Due to the overwhelming growth of poverty, homelessness, and crime, the Federal Government declared one night a year, known as "The Purge", for any crime to be legal! That's right, everything that is illegal is legal for one night a year, from 7pm to 7am....even murder.  The Purge begins at 7pm with the sound of the Air Raid/Tornado Sirens every American City has in place and an Announcement made by the Federal Government on Television. The announcement basically states that....All crime is legal and fair game for the next 12 hours, there will be no police, no fire trucks, and no ambulance on duty until 7am the next day.  All Weapons up to Class 4 may be used, anything over Class 4 is still illegal for use during The Purge.  And that's about all I am going to tell you.  Being a firearms aficianado myself, I am familiar with Class 2 and 3 weapons, and I could guess what Class 4 Weapons are but I wanted to find out with a quick Google search. Googling "Class 4 Weapons" brought up a bunch of questions, directly related to the movie "The Purge".  People all over the web want to know what Class 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on Weapons are and an example of each. The first one I clicked on was at Yahoo Answers, and the two answers given were completely retarded, and the one that was voted "Best Choice" was completely INCORRECT! This disturbs me, the fact that ignorant and uneducated people that know nothing about what they are saying, are in fact saying things and trying to answer questions which they shouldn't be answering. I answered a couple of these questions using the National Firearms Act of 1934 as my reference and info from the BATFE website. I actually did my research before answering the damn question, even though I had an idea of what the answer was before. When someone asks a question, it should be answered with fact and supporting evidence, it should state the sources of information. Answers to questions, especially at sites like Yahoo Answers, should NEVER be an opinion with the source "First Hand Knowledge".

I decided that my response to the question (What are Class 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on Weapons and an example of each?) was so accurate, detailed and necessary that it deserved its own post here at the Crow Flies blog. Without further ado, I present to you the Question and Answer of the Day:


Question: What are Class 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on Weapons and an example of each?

Answer:  I will answer this question correctly and as best as I can.  The NFA (National Firearms Act enacted on June 26th, 1934) classifies all weapons that are sold, manufactured, imported, exported or owned by Americans, into 4 major Categories. A Weapon is defined as: any instrument or tool that can be fashioned and wielded for the purpose of killing (animal or human) or inflicting bodily harm on others.  It is by this definition that the TSA is able to call a box knife (a tool most commonly used for cutting boxes and tape off of packages) a weapon, since it was used one time to hijack an airplane.  Now that you have some background on what a weapon is, it's time to define the different classes of weapons as outlined by the NFA.

Class I Weapons - handguns, rifles, and shotguns that are imported into the United States are defined as Class 1 Weapons. In order to import these weapons one must hold a Class 1 FFL (Federal Firearms License).  It should be noted that Class 1 Weapons are generally semi-automatic (one pull of the trigger fires one bullet) only as all fully-automatic (one pull of the trigger fires multiple bullets) weapons are no longer being imported into the United States, as of 1986. However, a Class 1 Weapon can legally be converted to a Full-Auto firing mechanism once it has been imported, but only by a properly licensed Class III FFL Manufacturer and only after BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives) approval. An example of this would be a Full-Auto AK-47 imported post-1986. These are rarely found legally owned in the US. However, the Full-Auto AK-47 is a very common weapon in the US, but almost all owners, obtained the weapon illegally. Since, the AK-47 is a Russian/Eastern Bloc Weapon, after the Berlin Wall fell in '86 millions of these carbines were sold to Mexico and other Latin American nations. Thousands of these rifles are smuggled into the US daily to help arm Muslim Terrorists fighting for Allah on American Soil.

Class II Weapons - handguns, rifles, shotguns, and silencers that are manufactured within the US.  These Class 2 Weapons are semi-automatic only, meaning that each time the trigger is pulled only one round is fired from the barrel. It should be noted that in order to manufacture a silencer one must hold a Class II FFL but in order to sell silencers you must have a Class III FFL. Also, in order to purchase and own a Silencer, one must apply for a Class III NFA Tax Stamp (a $250 fee paid to Uncle Sam) with the BATFE. It is for these reasons that Silencers are so often mistaken for being illegal or only sold to military and LEO's (since Class III FFL Dealers are not as abundant as Class II FFL Dealers).

Class III Weapons - Short Barreled Rifles (SBR's), Short Barreled Shotguns (SBS's), and Fully Automatic Rifles and Handguns are classified as Class III Weapons. Short Barrel describes firearms with a butt-stock and having an Overall Barrel length of less than 16" from muzzle to breech.  Because of the Short Barrel definition, one can reasonable conclude that attaching any type of stock to a pistol would then classify it as a SBR or Short Barreled Rifle which then makes it a Class III Weapon. If the pistol we are describing was just a regular handgun purchased from a Class II dealer, it would be illegal to make it a Class III SBR by attaching a stock to it, without filling out the appropriate paperwork first and applying for the NFA Tax Stamp. All NFA Violations such as this one, as Class Y Felony's punishable by a $100,000 fine and a 10 Year minimum prison sentence. Fully Automatic Weapons are those that fire multiple (more than one) bullet with a single pull of the trigger. These weapons are legal to own in the United States by non-felon, Class III Licensed citizens and are sold only by Class III FFL dealers.

Class IV Weapons - The last and highest class of Weapons, sometimes referred to as Class 4, covers what the NFA calls, Destructive Devices or DD's. Destructive Devices are bombs, grenades, nuclear weapons, flame throwers, dynamite, rocket launchers, tanks, Javelin Missile Launcher, Harrier Jets, and so on and so forth. Class 4 Weapons or DD's cover anything that explodes, shoots flames, or launches an exploding device. Class IV weapons are illegal to own, manufacture, sell, trade, import, export, or own parts for, by any American citizen other than properly licensed LEO's, Military, and government officials.


I hope that this info will clarify some of the things you may have been wondering or maybe never knew.  I know there are many new Gun Owners out there that want the biggest, coolest, and baddest looking gun and features, sometimes they buy things that would make their gun illegal to own and without knowing the NFA laws, this can get you into some serious trouble. One mistake such as the one described under Class III Weapons with the Pistol and stock attachment, could cost you a LOT! A felon, can never own another gun again, can NEVER purchase another gun, can NOT vote, can NOT serve in the Military, and can NEVER leave the United States....even for Vacation.  Do your research before attaching that awesome new accessory you ordered off the internet to your gun and taking it to the range!  This does bring me to another issue, just because it is sold legally at the gun store or on the internet, DOES NOT mean it is legal for you to own!  For example: A Full Auto Trigger Group for an AK-47 or AR-15 can be purchased for under $30 from various retailers online. It can be purchased and shipped directly to your house via US Mail, no questions asked, and this is perfectly legal. However, these parts are sold for those who LEGALLY own a Class III Weapon (Full Auto firearm) and are ILLEGAL for those who don't own a LEGAL Class III Weapon to have in their possession.  The law is very specific in how and what it states. The exact rules of the law will be explained in this next description:

Let's say you own an AR-15 with a 16" barrel that you bought at the local gun store.

A friend of yours who just sold his last AR-15 has some extra/spare parts lying around that he gives you since he has no use for them anymore. One of these is a short 7.5" barrel.  It is perfectly legal for you to own a 7.5" AR-15 barrel, you could use it to build an AR Pistol.  However, the fact that you don't currently have a dedicated AR Pistol receiver in your possession, the only AR-15 receiver you do have is the one that you just bought that has the 16" barrel on it, makes having possession of this

Stripped AR Lower Receiver - Class II Weapon

7.5" barrel an iffy ordeal.  According to the NFA law, which I encourage everyone to read (it's only several hundred pages long), having possession of this Short 7.5" barrel that will fit on your current Rifle Length 16" AR-15, gives you the ability to convert your current AR-15 into a SBR (Short Barreled Rifle) which is a Class III Weapon. This is a prime example of how not knowing the law could cost you your guns and life.  How can we make this scenario legal you ask? Simple! Go to the gun store, purchase a "Stripped AR Lower" and a "Stripped AR Upper", keep your 7.5" barrel stored in the same place as the two Stripped AR Receivers but separate from you 16" barreled AR-15.

Stripped AR Upper Receiver - Not Classified

If for some reason the police or ATF were in your house and saw this 7.5" barrel, they would see that you are in the process of building an AR pistol (you will probably have to tell them this is what you are doing) and it is perfectly fine for you to own these parts now.  Using this example you can swap the 7.5" barrel for many other parts that are available for you to purchase and apply the same concepts.  Going back to the Full Auto trigger group, if you have possession of a Full Auto Trigger Group in your parts kit that you take to the range with your new 16" barreled AR-15 that you bought at the local gun store, you are breaking the law! The ATF says that you could easily (even though there is nothing easy about it) convert that AR-15 into a Full Auto M16 by installing the Full Auto Trigger Group into it.  What makes this scenario legal? If you own a properly licensed Class III M16 that you have the paperwork for, then you can also have that Full Auto Trigger Group in your parts kit/tool box that you take to the range, even if the M16 is not with you, but back at home in your safe. You just need to make sure that you have proof of the paperwork to show in case the ATF asks.

Looking back, we have determined what a Weapon is, described the different classes (categories) of weapons as defined by the BATFE in the National Firearms Act, given examples of each, and then wrapped everything up by applying some real world scenarios to the different laws defined by the NFA.  Now you are aware that the NFA is not a person, nor is at a government body, it is a set of laws that govern all firearms on US Soil, even those carried by Foreign diplomats.  I would like to end this post by telling you what brought the NFA into existence - this is by far my favorite Firearms fact. World War I, the Great Depression, and Prohibition gave rise to many advances in technologies especially those regarding firearms as well as rise to a new culture and breed of individuals. Like modern times, where people want the latest and greatest technology in the lightest and most compact form factor available, the people of the 1920's and 30's wanted the same, in fact, it is safe to say, this has always been a desire amongst man in regards to technology.  World War I brought about many new weapons and refinements to current platforms, for example, the Fully Automatic Machine gun, capable of firing 800 to 1000 bullets a minute, was now not restricted to bulky vehicle mounted armaments but could now be held by a single man and fired while the man was at a full sprint!  Guns like the Thompson Submachine Gun fit this bill and could be purchased at the local hardware store for $25 by anyone that could see over the counter.  Check out these ads pulled from period specific Newspapers. 

 The Ad on the right was targeted toward Hunters and Plinkers. The one below was targeted toward security guards, police, and homeowners, as it describes the Tommy Gun as the Thompson Anti-Bandit Gun!  The Thompson Submachine gun was an instant success when released in 1919, even though the US Military didn't pick it up until 1938 for WWII, the streets of every major US City were flooded with Thompson Submachine Guns. No Bootlegger was without one, even farmers and ranchers purchased them as a means of fending off coyotes (this was another use of the Tommy Gun depicted by a 1922 Thompson Advertisement, not seen here).  US LEO's and J Edgar's G-Men were still carrying 6 shot revolvers, and SWAT teams hadn't even been thought of yet.  Government officials were being mowed down daily and every time, it was by Thompson's new Submachine Gun.  The Gangs of New York and Chicago were especially notorious for outfitting their workforce with Tommy Guns instead of pistols.  It was due to the high number of Government employees who died as a result of the Tommy Gun that in 1934 the 72nd Congress drew up and enacted the NFA. This made the Tommy Gun a Class III weapon and to own one, you would have to submit a photo id, fingerprints, and pay the $250 Tax to the ATF (at the time probably the new FBI). This made it especially difficult for the felons to purchase them and those that didn't have lots of money, especially since the tax was 10 times what the gun cost new!  It didn't stop people like Al Capone from purchasing them though.  Those that already owned a Tommy Gun were grandfathered in and were not subject to the NFA unless the attempted to sell the weapon.  It should be noted that in 1938 the Thompson Submachine Gun went into service with our Men and Women of the Armed Forces and was carried on the shores of Normandy to the Jungles of Vietnam. It was later replaced by the M16, but that is a different story altogether.  I have always been fascinated by the politics, culture, and state of our country from 1920 to 1939 and often wish I would have been alive to see that period. It is because of this that I find the above facts to be the most fascinating.  Culture, Politics, and Crime all played a part in leading up to the formation of the NFA. If the US hadn't gone through the Great Depression, Prohibition might never have happened, gangs and unions might not have been so influential, and the Thompson gun may have just been a Badass Coyote Killer! If you have any questions or comments feel free to post in the comments section below as it is open for everyone, guests included or you can email me at kellym.crow@gmail.com. If you would like to subscribe to my blog and be notified via email of future posts please email me a blank email with the subject line SUBSCRIBE ME. Thanks for reading!

HAM Radio - a Hobby, Combat Tool, Emergency Service, and Research Unit

Recently, I discovered the wonderful, vast and exciting world of Ham Radio (Amateur Radio). Upon learning about Ham Radio's different uses and benefits in almost any situation it can be deployed, I decided I must learn everything there is to learn about it and get into this awesome field of communication. I've been asked by friends and family, why, what's the purpose? After explaining it in detail to them and describing the technologies and equipment utilized within this sub-genre of telecommunications, most of them were equally if not more excited about Ham Radio than I am! As the title of this post suggests, I am going to discuss what Ham Radio is, it's different uses and what it has to offer.

As anyone who knows me already knows, I have always been very interested in technology and electronics. If you know me, you also know that if something interests me, I learn everything there is to know about it. So, for the past month I have been conducting detailed research, using the Internet, on Ham Radio. I also obtained two books: the first is an RF Engineering Manual and the second is a Ham Radio Operators Manual, both are well over 1000 pages and cover every aspect of Ham Radio. The RF Engineering Manual is more of a text-book style read and doesn't just talk about Ham Radio, instead it provides very complex formulas for learning various aspects of RF Technology, RF

An example of a Ham Radio Station

standing for Radio Frequency, as well as insight into the various obstacles one will encounter during the operation of a radio station, building or repairing radio related hardware and more. After skimming through the two I decided I should start with the Ham Radio Operators Manual first and once I have an advanced understanding of RF Technology I'll dive into the RF Engineering Manual. From my vast research online, I started assembling my own book using a 2" three ring binder. I have been printing out articles detailing various aspects of Ham Radio as well as key references that every Radio Operator should know. I currently have 12 Chapters from subjects on Antennas to Q-Codes and am still adding more daily. This homemade Ham Radio book will substitute further details on topics that are covered by the two books I bought. I can tell everyone reading this, that at this point, I have learned a lot about Ham Radio, building Radio Stations, setting up Antennas Farms and Arrays and Operating various types of equipment, but I am in NO Way an Expert on HAM Radio.
So lets begin....

What is Ham Radio & Where/When is it Used?

Amateur Radio Frequencies

Another Ham Radio Station. Note how this one is integrated

with 2 computers and few different Amateur Radio

Transceivers. Even the desk is made specifically for Ham

Radio Operations with the Antenna Switches built into it.

HAM Radio or Amateur Radio is a form of Radio Communication covering a wide range of frequency bands allocated for use by the FCC for Licensed Users only. Frequency bands covered, range from HF (High Frequency) at 1.8Mhz all the way to EHF (Extremely High Frequency) at 250Ghz (250000Mhz). There are several bands in between, each with its own frequencies which have their own purpose and uses.  Some frequencies within bands are reserved for use by certain types of equipment, business, or governments. For example, HF Bands are at the bottom (or top depending on VHF (Very High Frequency) comes after HF and covers 50Mhz to 225Mhz. There are many reserved frequencies inside the VHF bands, including FM Radio which starts at 87.5Mhz and ends at 108Mhz as well as local VHF TV Channels. The next band of frequencies after VHF is UHF (Ultra High Frequency), starting at 420Mhz and ending at 2450Mhz (2.45Ghz). Reserved frequencies within the UHF bands include but are not limited to local UHF TV Channels, Cellular Phones, Landline Cordless Phones operating at 900Mhz or 2.4Ghz (2400Mhz), as well as WiFi equipped devices (routers, laptops, access points, and cell phones) which also operate at 2.4Ghz as well as other frequencies.  The next band of frequencies after UHF would be SHF (Super High Frequency) starting at 3300Mhz (3.3Ghz) and ending at 24250Mhz or 24.25Ghz. SHF frequencies are primarily for Commercial and Government use, however Amateur Radio still gets secondary privileges.  Currently there is very little equipment for the SHF band available to the Amateur Radio Operator as this is what Ham's refer to as an experimental band. Experimental meaning that any Licensed Operator has full privilege to operate any mode (Phone, Data, or CW) within the SHF band, however, you must have equipment made specifically for this band of frequencies.  Many Hams are also knowledgeable in electronics and components, as this is apart of the Ham Radio hobby. Those Hams that are most knowledgeable in electronics, often build their own equipment, some even build and sell it online as a second job - making the hobby even more productive than it is already!  With this said, if you wanted to operate CW (morse code) at 12Ghz, you would have to build a transverter to do so. More info on transverters and other Ham Radio Equipment will be available later. The last band available is EHF (Extremely High Frequency) and is even more rare than SHF.  EHF and SHF frequencies are often referred to as Microwave Frequencies (as this is what they are). Microwave Frequencies have specific uses within Ham Radio, mainly for Packet and other Data transmissions but this is an entirely different topic altogether.  Modern Ham Radio Transceivers only operate (transmit or receive) on the allocated Amateur Radio Frequencies, all other frequencies are typically blocked from transmit or receive, but some are only blocked from transmitting.  Imagine, if Cellular Phone frequencies weren't blocked from Transmit/Receive, anyone with a Ham Radio could listen to Cell Phones within range of their Radio Station.
how you look at it) of the Band Scale - the bands that fall within HF range from 160 meters (1.8Mhz) to 10 meters (29.7Mhz). An example of reserved frequencies are the frequencies that make up the 11 Meter band.  11 Meters is an HF band but it is not used by HAM Radio, but by CB (Citizen Band) Radio. Most Ham Radios allow the operator to listen to the CB frequencies but do not allow transmitting. However, some Ham Radios, and those that have been modified allow both transmit and receive on the CB Frequencies.  These type of modifications are not possible on all reserved frequencies however.
Reserved frequencies within the UHF bands include but are not limited to local UHF TV Channels, Cellular Phones, Landline Cordless Phones operating at 900Mhz or 2.4Ghz (2400Mhz), as well as WiFi equipped devices (routers, laptops, access points, and cell phones) which also operate at 2.4Ghz as well as other frequencies.  The next band of frequencies after UHF would be

Ham Radio vs. Police and Military Radios

A Harris HF Radio made for the US Military

Radios are Radios are Radios! Ham Radio, Police Radios, Fire/EMS Radios, Boating Radios, Airplane Radios, and Space Shuttle Radios all work on similar frequencies. I wanted to clear this up pretty quickly as many people that no nothing about Radio Communications, think of Ham Radio as a bunch of Nerds on Walkie Talkies talking across the neighborhood, when in reality it's far from that.  Now that you are aware of the different frequencies you will understand the rest of the article better.  Military Radios, those used by our boys and girls overseas in the field, in the barracks, and on the move from inside a Humvee, operate on the HF frequencies, as the HF band has much wider coverage than any other band.  Many Ham's that collect Vintage Radios often have a couple MilSurp Radios in their Ham Shack. MilSurp Radios also make great hill-topping and portable HF radios as most were made with portability and ruggedness in mind and nothing is more rugged and durable than equipment made for the Military.  Police, Fire/EMS, Coast Guard, and other Stateside Law Enforcement use VHF or UHF radios that operate on frequencies just outside those allocated to Ham Operators, however, they share the same bands as Ham's allowing the knowledgeable Ham Radio Operator the ability to monitor their transmissions.  Local Police and Fire/EMS have started implementing even more sophisticated Digital Trunking Radios over the past few years, requiring those that wish to monitor their transmissions to invest in more sophisticated devices. However, most modern digital Ham Radios have the ability to monitor these frequencies.  Besides being able to listen to local Law Enforcement and having the ability to communicate with our troops, if a Ham's Station is in the vicinity of an Airport, the Ham can monitor Air Traffic Control and incoming and outgoing flights on VHF or UHF Frequencies. In Houston, I live between two Airports, George W. Bush Intercontinental and Houston Hobby, I often monitor incoming flights and Air Traffic Control just to listen to the lingo and get to hear the style of communication.  One of the other advantages of living in Houston is my distance from the Port of Houston, and Port of Galveston.  Not only do I get to listen to Coast Guard Operations, I can also monitor incoming ships and smaller boats, requesting docking access, or just ragchewing with other boaters on VHF frequencies, and if I want to I too can ragchew with a Shrimp Boat or Cruise Boat Captain all from my QTH (Q-Code for: location).

Two guys operating a portable Ham Radio alongside a road.

As you can see Ham Radio isn't just for talking to your friend across town, it also allows the Ham Radio Operator to stay informed as to what the local emergency services have going on. This is obviously important in times of Natural Disaster or during Terrorists Attacks, domestic or foreign terrorists. I would like to point out at this point that when Tornado's struck Oklahoma City and it's Suburbs earlier this year, Ham Radio is what kept me informed.  I found out about the Tornado's the
morning after while listening to a local Ham Radio Net (a Net is a group talk show of sorts hosted on a certain frequency at a certain time during the day, it is typically open to anyone with a Ham Radio).  When the Net ended I switched over to one of the local repeaters here in Houston, 145.17.  A couple guys were having a conversation about the OKC Tornado's when one of them decided that they should connect the 145.17 Repeater to a Repeater in OKC and see what kind of activity was going on in the OKC area.  I heard live reports from OKC locals as to the condition of the area, death toll, and repair efforts. This is where I would like to transition into the different types of technologies available to an Amateur Radio Operator.

Basic Ham Radio Technologies

Repeaters 

One of the most common pieces of equipment used in Ham Radio on the VHF/UHF Frequencies is the Repeater.  A Repeater does exactly what it's name suggests.  Since Ham Radio's are limited in range as to how far they can transmit or receive, a Repeater helps expand this range.  There are two basic forms (there are several different ways actually, but here we are discussing the basics) of communicating with other Radio Stations on VHF/UHF Frequencies, Simplex and through Repeaters.  Repeaters are setup and maintained typically by a local Amateur Radio Group or Club, depending on the area in which you reside there could be as many as a hundred repeaters in your city or as few as one. In the Houston Metro Area there are about 70 different repeaters spanning from Conroe to Galveston (N to S) and from Katy to Baytown (W to E).  The vast majority of them are located in Downtown Houston in some of Houston's tallest buildings.  A repeater is nothing more than a fancy radio, a controller, an antenna, and some sort of battery backup or other emergency power source.  Here is a view of the top of the building in downtown that is home to many of Houston's Repeaters, including my favorite, 145.17.

Wayne, the Owner of 145.17, is making some adjustments to the Repeaters Antenna

Housed inside this building is the actual radio equipment that makes up the repeater. This particular repeater, 145.17, covers the entire city of Houston in a giant circle that spans about 10 miles outside the Beltway. As anyone who is familiar with Houston knows, the Beltway is the outermost loop Highway/Toll Road that circles the city.  This repeater is particularly useful for those working from the vehicles or on handhelds where the coverage area is limited to only a few miles.  The repeater works like so: Radio Operator Alan, who is working on the SW side of Houston in Alief, turns his handheld radio to 145.17, the transmit range of his handheld is typically 2 to 3 miles, but he wants to talk to Radio Operator Bill who is at his house in Pasadena, which is located more than 20 miles to East of Alan.  Without the Repeater, Alan and Bill would be unable to talk, but since the repeater has a transmit/receive range covering the entire city, Alan can transmit from his handheld, where the signal is then picked up by the repeater.  The repeater then re-transmits Alan's transmission in Real-time across the entire city, this allows Bill to hear it loud and clear (or "5 by 9").  The two can now communicate as if they were actually just across the street from eachother.  At this point in time, the repeater network in the Untied States, is more dense than the Cell Tower Network, thus allowing anyone with a Ham Radio to be able to communicate with other Ham's across almost every single square inch of the country!  Most repeaters are not only powered by the electric company buy also have some sort of battery backup and solar powered system installed. This allows the repeater to remain fully operational when the power goes out. Ham's can simply turn their handheld or other battery powered Radio on, dial up the local repeater frequency, and start transmitting, even if the entire city was without power.  You can see how this can be especially useful during a Natural Disaster or other catastrophic event.

Below are a couple coverage maps I feel are important to give everyone an idea of what kind of area a typical Ham Radio can communicate with. Keep in mind that as you go down in the Radio Bands, the coverage area gets much larger, some frequencies cover entire states or regions depending on the Propagation Conditions and Tropospheric Ducting.

This is a coverage map showing the coverage area my Ham radio has running through my Homebuilt 2 Meter Yagi Antenna. The pushpin represents my QTH. The pink shaded areas show the strongest signal coverage and the purple shaded areas show the weak signal coverage. Notice how it is not a perfect circle, this has to do with the lay of the land, land elevation, elevation of my antenna, and the amount of power going into the antenna.

This is a coverage map showing the coverage area my Ham radio has when running through a simple 6 Meter Vertical antenna that I also built. Unlike the Yagi, this vertical antenna has an Omni-Directional coverage pattern. This ability of the antenna to radiate in an Omni-Directional fashion along with the lower frequencies of the 6 Meter Band make for a much larger coverage area when compared to the 2 Meter Yagi's coverage map above but is still a VHF frequency band, allowing for digital communications with little noise or QRM (Q-Code for: interference).

 

This coverage map shows the area covered by the only 10 Meter Band Repeater in Houston. As the 10 Meter Band is an HF Band, operating FM (the mode that repeaters operate in) stops at 10 Meters, notice how far out the shaded areas cover.  As we keep stepping down to the next lower band, the coverage area gets much larger, allowing the Ham Operator to communicate over farther distances. However, noise and interference also become more prevalent at the lower bands as the frequencies that make up these HF bands are not digital in nature, but analog.

IRLP, D-Star, & Echolink
Another form or Ham Radio technology, and my all time favorite, is the integration of the internet with radios and repeaters across the country.  There are different names for this technology as there are different manufacturers implementing it into their repeaters and radios. The two most popular however are D-Star and Echolink which I will refer to as IRLP from this point forward. IRLP stands for the Internet Radio Linking Project (or Protocol depending on who you are talking to). IRLP allows Ham Radio operators to break the barriers and limits of the transmit/receive range of the equipment being used.  Using the example with Alan and Bill above, now imagine that the same repeater they are communicating on, 145.17, is plugged into the internet (like so many repeaters are) via an ethernet cable. Bill proposes to Alan that they call up their friend and fellow Ham, Charlie who lives in Seattle, Washington. Alan agrees, that they should get Charlie on the Radio, so he then dials the Seattle, Washington repeater's node number (typically a 4 to 6 digit number) on the keypad of his handheld radio.  The 145.17 repeater then notifies everyone who is currently listening that it has established a link with this other repeater in Seattle.  These two repeaters are now connected via the internet, anyone who transmits from Houston, will be heard by the locals in Seattle who are listening to their local Seattle repeater and Visa-Versa! Alan then calls out Charlie's callsign, and Charlie responds. Now Alan, Bill, and Charlie are all communicating with eachother from across the country on their radios. Alan is at work on his handheld, Bill is sitting at home in his Radio Shack, and Charlie is driving across Seattle on his way to pick his son up from school.   This form of technology is not only being used with repeaters but also with Radios.  Several new transceivers come with an Ethernet jack standard on the back of them for plugging into the internet.  This allows the Ham Radio Operator to connect their radio via the internet directly to a repeater that is out of range, without having to go through another repeater like Alan and Bill did in the above example. It also allows two radios to connect via the internet from across the world among many other things.

Autopatch
Autopatch is another one of my favorites.  This form of technology is older and is used a lot less nowadays due to the invention of the cell phone. Although, this is still a very handy form of communication and can be extremely helpful in emergency situations.  Autopatch, deals with repeaters and phone lines.  Just like a repeater can be connected to the internet, some can also be connected to a landline.  This allows traveling Ham's, those who may not have a cell phone or those that have a cell phone but it's battery is dead, to make phone calls directly from the Ham Radio.  Any Ham Radio with a keypad can take advantage of Autopatch. This means Autopatch can be used from the Home QTH, while on the move in the car, or when operating from a handheld radio.  Depending on who owns and maintains the repeater, the Autopatch function could be password protected so that only certain people can take advantage of this feature, however, if you are in need of using this technology, to access it on a repeater is pretty much the same anywhere you go.  Let's go back to our friends in the examples above.  Alan, Bill, and Charlie, have been talking for 30 minutes or so when Charlie picks his son up and signs off the radio. Alan, disconnects the Seattle Repeater from the Houston Repeater, 145.17, that him and Bill are currently on. He does so by typing a sequence of numbers on his Radio's keypad.  Bill has to run an errand so he signs off as well and leaves his Radio Station. Alan is just now getting off work when he realizes his Cell Phone is dead, he needs to call the wife to see if she needs him to stop by the grocery store on the way home. Taking advantage of the Autopatch feature on the 145.17 repeater, Alan presses # and then dials his home telephone number. He can then hear the phone line ringing, his wife picks up and reminds him to grab a loaf of Bread and a Gallon of Milk. Once she hangs up the phone the call is disconnected and the Autopatch function is inactive again until someone else reactivates it.  When I first discovered Autopatch technology I was amazed and could easily see many different uses for it.  As you can guess, Autopatch was used more frequently before Cellular Phones and is now rarely ever used. 

Ham Radio as a Public Service

Radio has many different uses, from moving troops on the battlefield, dispatching police to the scene of a robbery, giving airplanes the ability to communicate while in the sky, to allowing two friends the ability to communicate from across the street, across the state or across the world! One popular use for Amateur Radio amongst Hams is, EmComm (Ham abbreviation for Emergency Communications). There are a few different EmComm groups across the US with many groups or
clubs Regionally and Locally representing them.  The two most popular that I can think of are ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) and SkyWarn. This info on ARES was taken directly from the ARRL's (American Radio Relay League) Website:

Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES)
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.

ARES Membership Requirements
Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES.  Training may be required or desired to participate fully in ARES.  Please inquire at the local level for specific information.  Because ARES is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.

If you are an Active Licensed Ham and are interested in becoming an ARES member you will need to fill out the ARES Membership Registration Form and submit it to your local Emergency Coordinator.  ARES Members help organize and operate Nets in times of emergencies, they help relay messages and information to those without Ham Radios, or to those government entities whose Radio Communications are down.  For example, during September 11th, 2001, Ham Radio Operators, through an organized system, helped communicate and relay information for local Police, Fire/EMS, up and down the NE Coast when the New York Law Enforcement Radio Network crashed shortly after the World Trade Center attacks. It was the local Ham Radio Operators who were dispatching Police and other Rescue Workers to where they needed to be. Thanks to groups like ARES and it's member's training the government was able to rely on the citizens Radio Communications for support.

The other group I mentioned previously is SkyWarn. As a National Weather Service program, SkyWarn deals strictly with weather. However, many SkyWarn members are also members of ARES.  SkyWarn helped out when the Gulf Coast was hit by Katrina, Rita, and Ike. SkyWarn consists of Hams, Storm Chasers, Meterologists, adventure seeking Survivalists, and many more who seek to investigate severe weather and storm systems while helping to get the word out as quickly as possible. More info about Skywarn can be found here at their website.

DIY: How to Format a Mac and Clean Install Mountain Lion (OSX 10.8.3)

This posting is a little off-topic from the usual postings here at By the Way the Crow Flies, but I felt that it was of the highest importance to repost the information within.

Over 60% of those viewing this blog are doing so from a Mac (according to blogspot.com statistics).  I created this blog from a Mac and do the majority of my updates from a Mac or an iOS device (iPad or iPhone). Occasionally, I do use my Windows PC (desktop) to post or edit things on the blog, but it is very rarely that I do this.  I could not picture life without a Windows PC, but I could not picture life without a Mac either. Both are equally important and offer their own benefits and uses.  If I had my way, I would only own Mac's for all my computers.  My MacBook Pro has both OS X Mountain Lion and Windows Vista Business Edition installed on it.  This not only creates the ultimate computer but allows me to utilize any/all software currently available for computer users.

This is not a posting arguing which platform is better or what the benefits are of either, it is exactly what the title suggests. I am only stating the info to help readers understand why I am posting this information.  On Windows machines, a nice format and clean install is necessary for optimal performance at least once a year, but should be done to rid the machine of stray files and dead end code as often as 4 times a year. This is just the nature of the beast....Windows.  However, OS X (the Apple OS), is written and performs entirely different than Windows.  I have now owned a Mac for 3.5 years and can say that in that time I have only done a complete format and clean install once!  I am preparing today to do this for a second time as I have some application extensions causing glitches in the OS and conflicting with the NVidia Graphics Driver.  The computer gets caught in these loops where it just keeps restarting at random intervals, sometimes the intervals are so close, the Mac just starts up and before I can type my credentials into the login screen, I'm watching the boot process start from the beginning again. Because Apple OS's are so different from Windows, the process of performing a Format and Clean Install is much different. It does involve a few extra steps, but nothing difficult if you follow the directions contained here.

Last time I performed the format and install was before Mountain Lion (ML) had been released and I was running Lion.  To do so required me to format, install Snow Leopard, then Lion, then load my saved backup. This was a complicated and lengthy process. While doing some Googling, I discovered a Chinaman who had figured out a fairly simple process for doing the format and clean install with Mountain Lion. The Chinaman's process is so good that he even took the time to type up a step by step article with screen shots for you to follow along.  I am posting for the last time on my Mac, before I begin the format and clean install. Next time I post here, I will have a fresh copy of ML installed with all updates and (hopefully) no glitches!

How To Clean Install Mac OS X Mountain Lion

By Hongkiat.com

In the Windows’ analogy, this is like reformatting your Macbook or iMac and reinstalling a brand new version of Mac OS X Mountain Lion. Unfortunately in Mac the process can be a little more complicated and less well known. But first, why should you clean install the Mac OS X Mountain Lion at all?

Here are couple of reasons we can think of: One, your existing Mac OS X inherited documents, files and applications that take up a lot of unnecessary storage space. To optimize your Mac, it is quite necessary to reinstall and start from a clean slate.

Two, you are thinking about trading or gifting your machine to someone else, but you are concerned with the remnants of files, profiles and various credentials that if mishandled, may lead to a security leak. A clean install will give you peace of mind.

With that cleared up, in this article we will show you how to erase existing data and reinstall a brand new copy of Mountain Lion. Here is a breakdown of the steps involved:

1. Download a copy of Mac OS X Mountain Lion
2. Make a bootable drive of Mac OS X Mountain Lion with a USB drive
3. Reboot, Clean up and Reinstall

You ready? Let’s do it.

Recommended Reading: Mountain Lion: 18 Subtle and Hidden New Features

1. Re-Download Mountain Lion

First, grab hold of a copy of the Mountain Lion installer file. The installer you downloaded fro the AppStore automatically deletes itself after you’ve successfully upgraded your Mac.

Here’s how you can download and obtain a soft copy of Mountain Lion.

Launch App Store, and go to the Purchases tab.

Look for OS X Mountain Lion, hold down the Option key and click Download.

Re-enter your App Store credentials if required. If you’ve previously purchased a copy of Mountain Lion, don’t worry, you will not be recharged. Note that this may take up between 10 and 60 minutes, depending on your Internet connection speeds.

While you wait, get a coffee, a break and a USB drive with at least 8 GB capacity. Make sure that you won’t need any of the contents of the flash drive, if you do, keep a backup of it somewhere first.

When you get back, we will look at how you can create a bootable copy of OS X Mountain Lion on your USB drive.

2. Create Bootable OS X Mountain Lion

Do not start the installation process when your download finishes. Our goal is here to keep a soft copy of the installer and in the flash drive.

Once your download is done, go to Finder > Applications. Look for the file called "Install OS X Mountain Lion", right-click and select Show Package Contents.

Navigate to Contents > SharedSupport, then look for the filename "InstallESD.dmg"

Double-click InstallESD.dmg to open/mount it on your Desktop. This may take a minute or two.

Plug in the flash drive into your Mac and launch the Disk Utility application. You can do it quickly by searching via Spotlight.

In Disk Utility, do the following 4 steps carefully:

1. Select the USB drive on the left menu,
2. Select the Erase tab,
3. Select Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for the format.
4. Click the Erase button.

Note: This will remove everything in the flash drive. Keep a backup of the files within if you still need them, then come back to this section.

Once the flash drive is formatted, re-select the formatted USB drive from the left menu, and click theRestore tab.

Next, we are going to create a bootable OS X Mountain Lion in the flash drive. Do the following steps carefully:

1. Drag the formatted drive from the left menu to the Destination field.
2. Drag "Mac OS X Install ESD" on the left menu to Source.
3. Click the Restore button. Installation may take about 10 – 20 minutes.

Once it’s done you’ll have yourself a flash drive with a bootable Mountain Lion.

3. Reboot, Clean Up And Reinstall

So we’ve downloaded a new copy of Mountain Lion and made it bootable in a flash drive. Next up, we’ll attempt to remove everything from the current OS and reinstall a new copy of Mountain Lion.

First, a reboot! Hold down the Option key as you restart and you’ll end up at the screen below. Then, select the Mac OS X on the right.

You’ll be taken to the OS X Utilities dialogue. Select Disk Utility.

At the Disk Utility screen, make sure you have these selected:

• You are selecting your Mac’s hard disk drive (and not your flash drive’s) on the left menu.
• You are on the Erase tab.
• You have selected the "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" format.

Click the Erase button button and everything (including files, applications, settings, etc) in your Mac will be completely deleted.

Note: Do this with caution as there will be no way for recovery from this point onwards.

(3.4) When you are done, you’ll be directed back to the OS X Utilities dialogue. This time, selectReinstall OS X, the second option from the list.

That’s It!

Your Mac will now reinstall from the flash drive and you’ll end up with a clean piece of Mac OS X Mountain Lion OS, as if your MacBook or iMac was brand new.

Please leave comments letting me and others know if this process worked for you. If you have any questions they can be posted as comments so that all who view the blog can assist you and provide feedback. I check the comments section daily and will answer any questions you may have as well. Happy Macing!