>> This episode of the Modern Rogue brought to you by Raycon.
>> Go to buyracon.com/rogue
and get 15% off your first purchase.
>> Yeah. Be classy about it.
Don't, like, be gross being, like, ugh,
I'm here from Modern Rogue.
>> Who do you think's watching this?
>> Me. It's Globberty Glue Blegs. That's my real name.
I can't help it.
>> If you're a super mutant named Globberty Glue Blegs,
Raycon might not be for you.
Everybody else.
>> I mean, you know, if there's one thing better
than standing under a tree during a thunderstorm,
it's holding a wire attached to the top of a tree
during a thunderstorm.
>> Or electrifyingly connect your table
that everyone's sitting at--
>> Yeah
>> To an antenna that's thrown in a tree.
>> Somebody's going to get radio powers, and I hope it's me.
I don't know what that means.
>> And on that day I became Radio Man.
Let's get radioactive!
I got a whole franchise worked out.
>> All right we're back with Josh Nas
from Ham Radio Crash Course.
>> Thank you.
>> All right, we started off learning the fundamentals
of short wave radio, how it's different from AM and FM.
We learned about the licensing requirements
in order to be able to transmit,
and how you can transmit as loud as you want
once you're one of the cool kids.
>> Within rules, yeah.
>> Before we even met you, we had learned about
the fundamentals of transmitting data images through SSTV.
>> JOSH: Yep. Yep.
>> Which is only one of, there's multiple protocols I assume.
>> Yeah, there's different ways to send images.
SSTV is just kind of an umbrella term.
>> We can send something via email.
>> We can use the radio, similar tones, to send out email.
And ships, when they're going transcontinental,
just hobbyists, like out sailing,
they use this system to send word to their family
that they're okay.
>> Now give us the basics as to how it actually works.
>> Right. So it's taking the data format of the email,
and it's turning it into an audio tone basically.
>> I understand that part. That's just straight up modems,
but I can go out in the middle of the ocean
and shout in a radio tone.
I don't understand how it ends up
being an email in somebody's --
>> Sure.
>> He does it all the time.
[higher pitched squeaking]
>> Yeah.
>> Then all the dolphins come, and it's weird.
>> So we basically take the data packet,
and transmit it over the air in that modem tone.
The receiving station can either then take it
and connect it to the internet,
in, like, a gateway kind of sense,
or we can go pier to pier.
We can go from station to station
until it gets to the destination.
>> By its very nature,
shouldn't it be a two-way communication?
Does the receiver's stations say message received? Or--
>> Yes.
>> it just listens?
>> So it's actually a series of handshakes,
so I'm going to call out to the receiving station and say,
"I have an email."
And they'll send back, "I'm ready to receive your email,"
and it's a series of acknowledgments.
>> Do other ships participate in the network?
Like out at sea?
>> I have not seen that, but it's possible.
>> That would makes sense, wouldn't it? Yeah.
>> That seems kind of like a no-brainer.
>> BRIAN: Yeah, right?
>> There are digital modes
that are specifically designed for that.
We have mesh networking, for example,
that we can kind of, like, create these nodes
and extend them.
One of them is just like a chat program
What we can boop, boop, boop,
and it'll send it across and through other stations
to get back to the original --
>> You're just adding links in the chains.
You can kind of hot potato this message.
>> You're adding links, but you're also adding time
because it's not like the internet or your phone
at a high frequency.
These are lower frequencies,
so this data is going to be slower.
It takes longer to send that data out.
>> Who pays for this?
Is this all done out of the good will of the hearts
of the people who run the stations?
>> It is, yeah.
This is all manned by amateurs.
That's what amateur radio really means is non-professional.
We're not paid to do this. We just do it for fun.
>> Okay, so let's talk about what it takes
to make all this happen.
You have a transceiver, transmitter and receiver.
>> Right. I'm running a Yaesu FT-891 radio
with an audio interface.
>> BRIAN: Okay, and then we hung an aerial and a ground--
>> JOSH: Right--
>> BRIAN: So that we're able to set up
a fairly long range reception.
>> Right, and that's called a half-wave end fed antenna.
>> How do you know which station that you're looking for?
>> So, I'm using software called Winlink Express,
and Winlink Express has a list of all the public
receiving stations and their frequencies,
and you basically kind of just go down the list
based off of how far it is away from you
until you find one that can receive you.
>> And you know that you have a connection
because you transmit, "Hey, how's it going?"
>> Yes.
>> And you get back a, "Hi, I'm receiving you."
>> So much like we did with the two way radios,
we send out that call sign,
so the computer's sending out the digital version
of my call saying, "Hey, are you receiving?"
And it sends back, "Yes, I am. I'm ready."
>> And of course, it's worth noting that
all of this is happening unencrypted and in public.
>> Yes.
>> So this is not a terribly secure way to communicate.
>> Right. So, everybody needs to remember
there's no encryption. There's no secrets in ham radio.
Everything's generally out in the open,
and you could, if you were so inclined, decode this.
>> I mean, do we just want to give it a try?
>> Yeah, do you want to leave the room?
>> Yeah, I'll leave the room.
You tell me when I can come back.
>> He's using this as an excuse
to go to the air conditioning.
>> Yeah. Why don't you send him the missile codes, right?
>> Okay. These are the missile codes.
Grilled cheese.
>> BRIAN: Wait! Hold on! I don't want to hear anything!
>> Well, then don't listen!
>> BRIAN: I'm going to leave. I'm going in the other room!
>> Okay! Go!
Not grilled cheese anymore.
>> No.
>> We're changing that one.
Hyac, Hyac, Hy, I don't even know if I spelled that right.
Boxcar.
>> JOSH: There ya go.
>> JASON: Homecoming.
Contra 2.
Dragon.
Janneman. Okay, I think that's good.
>> JOSH: Okay. So, literally by adding more characters,
we're increasing the amount of time of transmit.
>> Oh, okay.
>> Yeah, so this is fine. This isn't a big deal,
but just keep that in mind, too.
It's easier, short little bursty emails,
so that you just say--
>> Okay.
>> Hey mom. I'm alive.
>> Okay, so you can't really write, or shouldn't write,
>> JOSH: You can!
>> Some sort of long epistle-- - [Josh] You can!
>> It could take a lot longer.
>> I would say that it's based off of your risk
of how important the communication is.
What I'm going to do now is I'm going to save this to the outbox.
>> Okay.
>> So much like you used to have to do
back in the old school days--
>> Oh yeah! Yeah, yeah.
>> Of not having a modem connection.
>> Yeah. So I'm literally, like, putting it in an outbox.
>> JOSH: I'm posting it to the outbox. Now it's there,
and when we're ready, I'll click that start button
which will begin the contact session for the remote station.
>> Okay. All right!
>> BRIAN: Oh! Have you sent it already?
>> Not yet.
>> Okay. I'm not looking.
>> JOSH: You have a vital message from the field.
>> Right.
>> I've posted it to the outbox.
>> Oh. This looks like Eudora, back in the day.
>> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let me align the rabbit ears basically,
so we have white noise just in the background.
If I click this start button.
>> Would it help if we were being quiet?
[laughing]
>> Do the computers prefer that?
>> No.
>> JASON: When it's going quiet, that's us transmitting.
>> JOSH: The quiet is the transmission, yeah.
>> BRIAN: Got it.
[white noise]
>> BRIAN: That's it. Trying to respond.
>> Oh, it said failed though,
so we'll have to do it again. - [Brian] Okay.
>> JOSH: What we're looking for, too,
is to make sure that nobody else is using the frequency,
so that could be somebody
>> Somebody else transmitting their message.
>> Yeah, I just want to make sure.
Normally it'll tell you a warning that it's in use.
>> So these receivers, are they low load?
Where they can only take, like,
accept one transmission at a time?
>> Oh, yeah. This is one at a time, yeah.
>> Okay. So we could be in a queue for all we know?
>> No. It doesn't work that way.
It's a first come, first serve.
>> No, because it's all talking at the same time.
Like we could DDos them by just constantly hitting on this
and making noise.
>> Right.
>> Right, and there's no queue to it.
It's when it's open, you go, and if you get it, you get it.
>> Okay. Actually, it just sounds like Techmo Bowl.
The crowd and then the--
>> Oh yeah, yeah.
>> Yeah. Somebody blowing a whistle for a foul or something.
>> Right, exactly
>> Now it's not responding, so it's possibly because
it's getting darker on wherever this station is--
>> Yeah.
>> That they're just not able to receive us as well,
so I can change it to closer in,
which closer in sometimes may not be good
depending on how your antenna is laid out.
>> Got it.
>> Oddly enough. So this one also doesn't look
like it's replying.
This is kind of generally what this game is
is you have to kind of call out
until you get someone that responds to you,
and then you complete your contact.
[whitenoise]
>> That's CW. That's morse code.
>> Oh. Got it.
>> Somebody's just in the space foolin around.
>> Just happens to be there.
>> Yeah because we're allowed to use it
for whatever we want. This isn't --
>> It's not reserved.
>> For Winlink.
>> There's no telling anyone, Yeah.
>> It's generally good form, since he was calling,
to give him a little bit of time
before you try and then throw your email--
>> Got it.
>> On top of him. So, it's just wide open in the air, right?
So he could be on here for minutes, hours, I don't know.
So, generally that's why you hop around a little bit
until you find something that's clear and in the open.
When we go back to this channel selection screen,
the reliability with the green
is kind of the stations I'm looking at.
>> BRIAN: Got it.
>> JOSH: I'm looking for the green,
and not so much the yellows, and definitely not the reds.
>> JASON: Sure.
>> BRIAN: In theory I have to imagine
that there's some version of this that's just scripted,
and we'll automatically keep trying.
>> Yes and no. It doesn't want you to automatically retry.
It wants a command operator in the loop.
>> Oh, because otherwise,
it's just going to put a bunch of noise, yeah.
>> Yeah. There are some within the amateur radio community
that actually don't like Winlink.
>> Oh, really?
>> They don't like people using email
because they think it's too encoded,
so there are some nefarious type people
that will actually go into these frequency spaces--
>> Just to mess with them.
>> And jam.
>> Really?
>> To keep the software from actually transmitting.
>> Because they're trying to be
radio frequency purists, basically? - Right. Right, right.
>> Wait. Isn't that the kind of thing--
>> The sanctity of radio.
>> Wouldn't that get your license revoked
if they knew it was you?
>> If they found-- -Yeah.
>> Or you know, yes. Yes. Across the board, so okay.
Yeah, see there's somebody else in there.
>> BRIAN: Now is that in the right range
to be an actual communication?
>> It is, but it's not email.
They're using something called RTTY
which is radio teletype.
>> Okay. - And that's just a chatroom.
They're just chatting back and forth.
>> Oh, so who knows how long that's--
>> We have no idea. They could just be doing field day.
Because field day is just open,
so they're just doing whatever they--
>> Yeah.
>> JASON: What about this 179 here?
>> JOSH: That is a frequency I don't really want to use
because it's not in tune with the antenna.
>> Got it.
>> And makes it heat up. That's what burned me earlier.
>> No kidding.
>> So RF is literally heat.
>> Yeah, sure.
>> Well, if the antenna is not matched
to the frequency in length--
>> Yeah.
>> That I'm transmitting on,
the power that I'm trying to output
will come back down the co-ax.
>> Got it. So, the burning is from you
blasting the power out--
>> The radio was transmitting, and I was trying
to adjust the volume, and it went zip.
[white noise]
[siren]
You see this?
[Jason] Yeah, what is that? [mumbles] siren.
[Josh] Could be somebody trying to--
[Jason] Trying to muck stuff up?
>> JOSH: Yeah. - [Jason And Brian} Really?
>> JASON: Cause you just, you can hear it's just a siren
>> JOSH: Or it's actual data.
It's just a mode I'm not familiar with potentially.
>> BRIAN: Right.
>> JOSH: So let's hop off that for a second.
[white noise]
Oh! Got it! Wait.
Maybe. We got it.
>> BRIAN: So that's the response?
>> JOSH: Yeah. Hopefully.
>> How far away are we connected to?
>> 369 kilometers.
>> 369 kilometers!
>> Okay. It's not done yet. So we are picking up now,
see how it's center line right on there?
>> Yeah.
>> That's us. We're pulling in.
>> They're talking to us saying,
"We are ready to receive your message."
>> Hopefully.
>> And then that's us responding.
>> JOSH: Correct. So that's the receive frame.
This is the splatter of data that we're getting.
>> Yeah. Is this still all the hand shaking period?
>> Yes.
>> Okay. And then when will we know
that the data's being transmitted?
>> Will it take a couple of minutes?
>> Hopefully, soon.
>> JASON: Oh, it disconnected.
>> So that we had connection, but it's not going... Wow.
>> JASON: And now somebody else is sending.
>> JOSH: It looks like something else is
because it's not in the band space that we were in.
[whitenoise]
>> BRIAN: That looks like a response!
>> Oh, okay. How's your Spanish?
>> Welcome to the, oh, chat for adults!
>> We're working it. Right now.
>> Wait, it's working?
>> This is happening. Yes, yes. This is happening.
>> So we've connected to a Spanish speaking adult chatroom?
>> It's not a chatroom though. He's just being funny.
>> Okay.
>> But so we're, right now, should be sending stuff.
>> JASON: Do we need to send the picture
of Brian with his shirt off?
[laughing]
>> JOSH: Maybe. That might help.
We're transmitting right now.
That's why those pauses are longer.
>> Right.
>> Cause we actually sending out data.
>> So the handshake was successful?
>> The handshake was successful once you get the
Hello, and welcome to the adult massage chat room.
In sending state right now, so we are sending.
>> Sounds like somebody is trying to interrupt.
>> Yeah, what was that? It sounded like a siren.
Down here it says that we are sending,
and those are the characters for sending
which get then de-compiled or de-encoded
to the email that gets--
>> So, I assume we say something, and it says it back
to make sure that I heard it right?
Like a checksum or a parity bit? Yeah.
>> Exactly. There's a checksum.
This is both forward error correcting,
and then it also has a checksum to make sure
that what they received was correct.
Disconnected. 164 bytes we transmitted.
Four minute session.
[whistling]
>> Is that literally just a person whistling on the radio?
>> I thought one of us did that.
Well we know we can hit him,
so he has another station on 20 meters.
>> BRIAN: Yep. That's fast response.
They're definitely chattin.
>> Oh, we got to adjust this a little bit.
>> Is the transmission level?
>> Yeah the tran ... the audio outbound of the computer
into the sound input from the radio is transmitting.
>> That's like it's mixing--
>> It's an ALC, yeah. Exactly.
>> These are not the hail your wails.
>> JOSH: Well, now we have another problem.
>> JASON: What's that?
>> JOSH: The battery power on the radio's died.
[laughing]
>> BRIAN: Ooooh [beep] son.
At the very least, let's charge those battery.
[white noise]
[whistling]
>> JOSH: Somebody's whistling.
>> JASON: Is this somebody trying to mess it up?
>> This is the clearest back and forth that we've seen.
>> And we are transmitting.
[whistling]
>> Oh, there's that whistling dude.
>> I know!
>> That whistling troll.
It's definitely a dude trying to [beep] with us, right?
>> Yeah, definitely a dude whistling, yeah. Sending.
>> It's sending. It's sending now.
>> Now, we did this before though.
>> Eat [beep], you whistling mother [beep].
We're going to send this missive.
I'm sorry we're using your data waves to transmit data.
Well, you think you're helping,
why don't you post comments on YouTube
where you can truly be useless?
>> It's sending.
>> It's so close.
>> Hey, I don't hear that whistling dude, though.
I believe in technology.
>> Oh, no!
>> What was that?
>> No, it's the battery.
>> It's the battery running out.
>> It's the transmit. It's drawing too much power.
>> [excited shouting]
>> Wait.
>> I just got an email. These are the missile codes.
[cheering]
>> Yes!
>> Holy [beep]! These are the missile codes.
[laughing]
>> Hyacinth. Boxcar. Homecoming. Contra 2. Dragon.
The chairs is against the wall, and Janneman.
Oh my god! As the transmitter died!
>> JASON: Riveting.
>> That was amazing!
>> We're all sitting here sweating.
[laughing]
>> Oh my god! That was incredible.
>> JOSH: Wow.
>> We had power running out.
We had thunderstorms making it difficult.
We had an active troll trying to shut down.
>> Whistle. Yeah, the Captain Crunch whistle
trying to kill the output.
>> That was amazing!
>> It's normally much easier than that.
>> BRIAN: Oh, I believe you. Sure.
>> That was hard. That was the hardest time--
>> Today is international troll day of shortwave.
>> Everyone is out trying to use the wave.
>> But that server you said was 369 kilometers away?
>> From the station, yeah.
And actually, I use this guy when I'm at home
in Southern California.
>> Dude. That is awesome.
>> Outstanding.
>> All right. Where can everybody learn
all of your knowledge about this?
>> Okay, so the Ham Radio Crash Course,
I've done multiple videos on using Winlink before,
and I do a live stream where we
do live question and answers and stuff like that,
on all this stuff. Sometimes it's rough.
>> No. That was an adventure. That was amazing.
Are you kidding me?
>> Tell me. Where can we find the whistler?
Let's track him down.
>> Well that's a separate video.
We would need an antenna,
so right now we're using an omnidirectional antenna.
We would need something that we can focus,
and then we pan around.
It wasn't too loud though, right?
So he was somewhere between us,
maybe had a big station.
>> Yeah.
>> But you can track people down.
You just have to pinpoint that RF.
>> Oh, man. I'm going to go get another soda. You work on that.
[laughing]
Brian, grab that hammer.
>> It's going to be an all nighter.
>> Yeah.
>> How you likin' em?
>> Dude, they just get better and better the more I use them.
Can I tell you a secret?
>> I want to hear it.
>> I've never had the battery run out on them.
Yeah, somebody's grabbing your attention,
or you got to place an order at Wendy's or whatever,
they go in the pockets.
The next thing you know, they're charged again.
And by the way, I know we can't legally claim this.
They say that they recharge five times per day.
>> Mm hmm.
>> They were charged, like, seven or eight times for me.
I've never had them run out of battery.
>> Not once?
>> Not once.
>> Not one time?
>> We should probably mention what we're talking about.
>> Yes, Raycon earbuds are new earbuds on the market,
and they are at least half the price
of other premium earbuds.
>> And they are good, man.
And they've got those customizable--
>> JASON: the rubbery parts?
>> BRIAN: Oh, yeah.
>> JASON: So they fit your ears?
Apparently I have gigantic, strange inner ear,
so I had to get the special, weird ones,
so they wouldn't keep falling out,
but Raycon was there for me.
>> You double-tap on podcast.
It'll jump it forward 30 seconds
which is primo for ads.
Also, never skip the ads.
>> Don't do that. Don't you ever--
>> But you double tap, and it just jumps it forward.
The hard one for me is three in a row.
Boop, boop, boop.
Like, it turns out, this is how not musical I am,
I had to practice a bit to get that down.
Like, volume up. Volume down.
I actually say it in my mind.
>> You had to play a rhythm game?
>> It works. It works. It works.
>> All the controls are really easy to use,
and they lull all the super mutants
into a nice, docile state.
>> You talking about Globbenly Gloop Gloop,
yeah I should really figure out his name.
>> It's hard to pronounce,
but don't be racist and weird about it.
>> I'm doing Sam Harris's meditation nap.
It's me. Globbenly Gloop. I love my Raycons.
I got them at buyraycon.com/rogue
and I spelled it right.
>> 15% off! Be cool. Be like a super mutant.
Go to buyraycon.com/rogue
and get 15% off your first purchase.
>> Do these have harm and town in them?
>> He's really into podcasts.
[laughing]
>> Gloppity Gloop thing--
[laughing]
>> I just immediately pictured a fallout super mutant
trying to put ear buds in.
>> Do these have radio lab?
[laughing]
I like it better when Jag is on the ...