Mastering the techniques this video should be a prerequisite to owning any electronic battlefield comms tech. It doesn't matter if you run a Baofeng or an MPU5, this knowledge forms the basis for for a good comms plan. What are you doing to add redundancy to your radio systems?
An episode on Sand Tables - not signaling per se, but a great low-tech way to communicate before the patrol or AoJ. We'd always review SOP's, comms/signals, and any changes/actions to those at given phase lines or rally/check points. Time hacks & "talking guns" were other forms of signaling. e.g. in 5mins do this, or if you hear the support weapons open up, get on line; but probably both are more TTP stuff than signaling.
A couple of cheap burner phones with a few different SIM cards for each, pre-planned rendezvous points in the area with teammates if comms go down, and a satellite phone with pre-paid minutes if shit gets really weird.
@@je2848 All I can say is a lot of family members work for the Telcom Industry, some in important places. We are ALL Hams, and have back up HF coms. It' kind of a running joke actually. Think REALLY thin blue line stuff.
The USMC panel is for thermal optics. Officially called the TIP, Thermal Identification Panel manufactured by Cejay Engineering. A similar product is the Battlefield Reference Marking Systems or BRMS panel. Also called the VS-21 panel. The coyote side is translucent to certain sensors, and if you cut one open underneath that is basically a mylar space blanket. If I remember correctly, a common SOP is to angle the panel at a 45 degree angle, so that aerial platforms can see the "cold spot" from the air, as the material will reflect the cold atmosphere like a mirror. Similar panels exist for use during tank gunnery registrations to boresight the gun. These have been in limited use by various units for many years (who were lucky enough to get them), mostly as a way of IFF for vehicles or static locations. I should also note that you can spray paint patterns onto the coyote side, which will warm up in the sun (or at least not reflect the cold atmosphere). Very handy way for signaling specific messages to assets overhead, that are looking at you with thermal sensors.
@S2Underground nailed it. That is the TIP-15 panel. It is meant more for vehicles than individual personnel. Its main purpose is to block thermal energy coming off of a vehicle to aid with IFF by other vehicles/aircraft equipped with thermal optics. The orange signaling side is a secondary use. The coyote side is so that the vehicle can remain camouflaged while using the thermal ID feature. I believe there are also two sizes of thermal panel that are available, but I’m not 100% sure on that.
I think one of my favorite things about this channel is that it’s one of the few in this space where the microphone isn’t so overproduced to the point I can hear the saliva moving in the back of the speaker’s throat. Perfectly concise compression, I’m here to listen for info about gear and SOPs, not pickle eating ASMR
For urban environments zip ties are great for marking. You can carry a lot of them, get them in many colors and they can get attached to things or just dropped on the ground as markers. Also, grease pens for marking doors walls and ground. Learn FEMA markings and hoboglyphics. For panels you can buy a tarp and cut it up. Blue used to have a specific meaning for us so we cut up blue tarps into 2x2 foot squares and attached a blue chem light with cordage. That gave us blue day and night signals.
non electronic means are so underrated. flares of all types, smokes, signal mirrors, lights with colored lenses, some armies used firing rounds off as signals etc.
I used to carry what I called a “signal loop”. It had an IR Chemlight, vis Chemlight, whistle, and strobe on a lanyard. Allowed me to use whatever I needed for a buzzsaw, or strobe, whistle, etc. kept it all in one spot, hand to lose
@@erwin643 Has it been in wars? Or money making conflicts for Halliburton, Raytheon, Boeing and Colt in which case its been incredibly successful. Sure a few lives have been lost here and there but the sums of money laundered have been incalculable.
I always like the powder blue 55 gallon drum liners of moderate thickness. That piece of material can serve as a poncho a ground sheet storing ALOT of water, shelter, waterproofing a ruck, etc etc. the uses are endless. The reason for a light blue is it stands out in all environments. In the Fall in Michigan where I grew up during the fall… there are TONS of bright colors because of the deciduous forests. Hunters orange always does stand out but with all the red and orange leaves… that blue color stands out. Nothing in nature will ever be that color blue but you will get a lot of the oranges and reds. I have the same mentality with choosing a bic lighter (white and black or a lot of the colors will be lost if dropped in the dark or in snow or in bright leaves from the trees. Blue stands out. I suspect the USMC went with a camo color on one side so you can use it for other purposes. Like sitting on in the snow or as insulation under a sleeping bag. Just a guess. When I was in we just had the old VS17 panels. We were some of the very first to ever get issued the “glint tape” for reflecting IR. They were little rigid plastic do dads that you slide into the slits in a standard issue helmet liner (at that time they were the new digital with pre sewn slits already in the cover). We also went from pluggers during the initial invasion of Iraq to getting Garmins which was awesome. Whistle, smoke, signal mirror, surveyors flagging tape, tin foil, signal fire, hand signals, light signals (like how to “ground guide” an armored vehicle at night with a red or white lens) with flashlight or chemical light, pen flares, m203 40 mm star clusters, 40mm smoke, 40 mm parachute flares, man pack radio, intra squad radio, Thermal “friend or foe” square panels on vehicles, MRE heaters for thermal waypoints, “blazing trees” with a machete or saw or axe to create a series of patrol waypoints, Chemlights and spray paint and engineering tape for clearing huge structures like hotels (which we did), IR laser or visible spectrum laser, small wrist compass and GPS for sending quick radio traffic or more detailed positional info through the radio, hmmm I think that’s about all I can think of as far as “signals” for a Marine Infantryman. Signs in foreign languages for convoys and phrase books to get directions or help from non English speakersOh one last one. I am of the opinion that ever leadership billet should have a full magazine of tracers. They work great for putting hole in bad guys but they also work great for quickly and efficiently directing fire onto a specific target (say a specific window you want your machine gun to fire on). Thanks for the video.
I always look forward to these videos. I’ve never served in the military but find these videos valuable for being better prepared. Thank you for putting these together, it’s very appreciated
Good to see some of this coming back. In addition to whistles, air horns are great- it used to be pretty common to see them from squad to platoon leader. Chalk and spray paint( small testors cans) - from simple "went/go this way" to elaborate like hobo code.
@9:00 the best way to leave messages, I was a forester for many years. We used the poly roll flagging to mark distance and direction in case we never returned to our vehicle.
I toured Europe. Took the path of the Allied Powers from D-Day. United Kingdom to France to Germany to Austria then to Italy. I bought one of those “clickers” while visiting the beaches of Normandy. It’s a little piece of metal but a lot of history behind it. Awesome video.
First off I stopped by the booth a few times to thank you for all of the content you put out, but I didnt see you. Secondly, I also believe with more near peer threats, as well as grid down type scenarios we do need to learn (or remember for us old guys) the analog/old tech way of operating. Again, amazing gear and important videos. You guys are really giving more to your supporters. Thank you.
Tacks, survey tape, fluorescent marker, etc I use all the time for marking my property and can be used for leaving messages based on size, direction, combinations etc.
good point on the chemlights, i feel like alot of people don't realize how useless they are if you leave them on your belt exposed, eventually they get to the point you snap them and nothing happens.
Was looking at VS17 panels on the internet. Can be expensive. Found lots of flourescent orange material and flags on amazon for cheap. Also can find yards of bright orange nylon by the yard for about $15. Again, love the content covering off low tech/old school ways to operate in this near peer climate.
Awesome as always. For guys on the cheap and just starting out Home Depot flagging tape has a purpose. I keep a ripped off length in my navigation kit. Just a marker to get back in a spot if dead reckoning or PAULS method, marking a pack or camp. Weighs nothing and you can get whatever color. Can be used for signaling if you tie enough streamers to a stick.
Another one of my favorites is to keep one of the 1.5 inch mini chem lights in my mouth for night operations and you get an easy, directional signal by simply opening and closing your mouth.
Cheers Adam for taking us down memory lane in signaling to survive. Great information & absolute encouragement. We did & use every low tech communication then & now. It's standard practice usages in Survival in the Outback. Colours & movement is a very important system of communication. We also use lasers to inform & transfer messages between two points. It's very light weight & as small as a chapstick. The clicker is the goat mate, it has been use for hundreds of years by our ancestors. We still have one for our EDC but more so of a sentimental value. Thank you for your service. We salute you sir. Cheers from Australia.
They make different sizes if chemlights. We used the great big one for directing traffic at night. And they also make 12 hour and 8 hour and 4 hour chemlights in the military supply system with their own NSN’s. The ultra bright ones have the shorter duration but it’s a major difference in brightness. The four hour ones burn like the sun! You are 100% correct about the buzz saw. I saved my fireteams life in Iraq from getting smoked by a Marine attack rotary wing aircraft by using a IR buzz saw. We heard on their radio freq that they were “ identifying” us and where our position was as “enemy”. And I immediately got out the chemlight and the piece of 550 cord that you should always be carrying because a good section of cord is invaluable for all kinds of stuff (boot lace, POW restraint, gear repair, etc etc).
@@rzr2ffe325 Rotary wing is like “flying de@th” on the battlefield. I almost felt sorry for the dismounted enemy infantry and armor of the Ir@qi army. Especially at night. You seldom are close enough to the bird to hear it and in the dark of night if you don’t have NVG’s… you don’t see them either. Until their automatic cannon or missiles start raining de@th upon you. I also was very glad. I don’t know if they really would have engaged us but we were near the city of Al Qaim on the Syrian/Iraqi border and on that part of Iraq (some say it is the “cradle of civilization) like Babylon and the Hanging Gardens (which we toured during 2003 after we overthrew Sadam’s Palace). In that area the Euphrates River after thousands of years of flowing it has cut a huge “canyon” into the earth. North of Al Qaim is a vertical sheer cliff that if you stand on top of it and look North it’s desert as far as the eye can see. If you stand on the cliff and look South into Al Qaim it’s one of the only areas in Iraq that is truly “green”. Lots of irrigation from the Euphrates River and trees and green farm fields. Anyway we were on that cliff setting in overwatch on a “hunter ki11er” operation and we were the only ones on that higher elevation. So when I started hearing the helos talking about “enemy infantry on the cliff”… it was a bad bad thing… the IR buzz saw is an instant “hey look at me” I’m not enemy. I also was glad we didn’t get smoked. Lol
I absolutely LOVED that scene in Saving Private Ryan (One of the few realistic scenes from that movie, IMO) when PVT Jackson gave the hand & arm signals from that church steeple. That right there was the mark of a skilled infantryman. BTW, there are some good videos here on YT from SF vets who served in Afghanistan on hand & arm signals for civilian populated environments, which are ideal for prepper groups. Also, some prepper groups simply use American Sign Language - a good skill to learn.
Fantastic video. Drone use vid. Trade craft. Partisan resupply networks. Techniques to build local support and kill enemy moral. Deception Techniques to make a force seem larger or more capable than it is
I was very excited about these smokes when you talked about them in a video last year. After going through the certification process to buy them I found out they’re being held up by the alphabet soup boys. They’re still working on a resolution.
Dam you just made me feel old! No personal radios (PRC77), and always with hand and arm signals which my favorite that we used was “cover me I’m F*****”. Would you consider doing a video on old school OP LP construction and use, given the current state of the world?
As a medic with armored infantry I used to keep a strip of vs17 panel with a whistle and 2 chemlights(one vis, one IR) taped to one end with 550 cord on the other in my pocket. I can't tell you how many times I used that to signal.
Excellent video Adam and thanks for all the information. Never knew about the "clicker" from WW2 but makes complete sense. Video possibility - Since this was low-tech signalling than perhaps low-tech land nav. Nate
Awesome video once again! What I'd love to see is how to set up a squad/plt comms system with people running mostly baofengs or similar lower end radios for the prepared citizen. Basically a "how to: squad comms" for civilians.
Good vid. Only thing I missed was the good old comms cord. A section of cord of x meters that all members of a section carry. Can be joined together for longer range. Used between hide and OP. In the very least you can wake somebody up in the hide
Great info! Looking forward to the next sleep videos also. Also another video idea - dealing with water in consistently below freezing temps. I just did a backpacking weekend with a buddy in the mountains of WV (0 degrees during the day and like 3 feet of snow) and we really struggled with water.
An alternative to hunters pins are reflective slap bracelets (used for runners or bike frames for going out at night) -they can secure to objects in the field, and unlike hunters pins they come in different colors for marking. I keep a few in my trauma bag to mark casualties
A video about power would be great. Whether it’s genny’s for the house, mobile power, charging on the go, devices for sourcing and storing power. Basically kind of the power take on say the water purification vid you’ve done would be a big help
Great video always look forward to them. Ideas for future videos Where to start for a small group of friends who want to be prepared for civilian related emergencies or situations. Focus more on skill building and training. Both physical and fundamentals. Just like signals. Nav, health, planning etc. I think that a good number of us will likely be civilians and lack the knowledge on what resources to seek to build fundamental skills.
Just went through a rotation at a CTC and this was actually the biggest takeaway during the battalion and brigade AARs: we got issued all sorts of fancy new equipment including comms and ATAK, and then depended entirely upon it. Problems arose as soon as the comms and ATAK got wet/muddy and shit the bed, stuff accidentally got Z’d out, different companies used different hopsets for the same channels, etc. we managed to cobble together primitive signal SOP’s on the fly, but it got ugly. Funny coincidence that this video came out right off the heels of the rotation, you playing for Gman now? Lol
I read a book about confederate insurgents in it was called Bushwacker. A really interesting part was thir communication techniques. They used turkey calls to identify friendly forces sometimes. Im not sure if it equally applies but i always carry a turkey call while deer hunting. When im moving and making noise ill throw in a few clucks to disguise the noise. Might not be applicable to combat though.On another note i always had a theory that insurgents in Iraq clapped pigeons to communicate. There were many times we would roll up to a house and i would be pulling security outside looking around and would see pigeons diving and flaying around. Never could prove it though.
retrievable Nite-Ize battery operated chem light analogs can be very useful for training and in some situations for actual work too, also good for the environment 😊
As far as strips go, definitely hi vis marking tape, peel of 25ft & keep a hank on your kit. Easily tore to exact lengths & tied, taped or nailed. Keep the whole reel in your ruck & reup when necessary.
Thanks for making this video guys! I've asked for it a few times so it was great to finally see it. This content is very much appreciated. Could you do a follow up explaining the chemlight "starfish" bundles? You mentioned learning it at DARC once and I've been curious what that is exactly.
Starfish is a term taken from The Direct Action Resource Center. Without disclosing the DARC SOP, essentially chemlights of different colors can be bundled together to signal various things.
Patrol base operations. Priorities of work type stuff. Maybe establishing an OP using slctop. I think that latter could transition well to the civilian side.
Thats a TIP-15 panel if I'm not mistaken, the reverse side is supposed to be IR reflective. The IR is hit or miss in my experience, but they're decent panels.
the german army has a pistol for flares called "signal pistol". the flares are avalibel in diffrent colors and there are flares which stay in the air for 10-30 seconds and light up the sky, nice when no one has nightvision. the light up ammunition is often the signal to start the firing
Love the channel, love the vid. I think it would be a good idea to also keep a little oral hygiene kit (tooth brush, toothpaste, floss picks, and mouth wash too) Especially the mouth wash as a disinfectant. For example if you chew the inside of your cheek while you sleep and drink slightly contaminated water, it could drive you up a wall
Good info. Y’all want an idea for a video. How about dealing with Team member dynamics? As any leader (TL, PL, whatever), getting the level of engagement, interactions, etc needed. Thoughts?
Commonwealth in WWII had triangle shaped marker panels. Loop over the head or tied to collar and remainder tucked into short. When needed, pulled out and other two corners had loops for hand or thumb. So it could be hidden or exposed quickly and you could change the angle and direction to face an airplane. Thought it was kind of cool. Replicas sold in UK at some store called Soldier of Fortune but shipping to US is a killer.
Additionally, in a stationary position whether defensive or ambush, is comms cord. Simple string. For instance the early warning groups of a deliberate ambush run string back to the ambush commander. One long pull means enemy approaching followed by a short pull for each enemy soldier. Oh, and simple white cloth is great to give somebody something to follow at night without NVGs. As simple as a bit of weapon cleaning cloth passed through your pack or the foliage loops on your hat or helmet. Should already have some on you, and easy to remove. It isn't glowing for other people with NVGs to see from distance.
29:18. Here it would be fitting to talk about the forgotten principle of the "base element", for a squad or platoon leader to exercise movement control without a radio, nor hand signals.
Great video again! Thank you for your breakdown and oversight of low-tech signaling. Could you guys make a basic radio communication video? I'd like to be able to teach my community the importance of basic radio comms especially during natural disasters and cold weather outages. Also, for an advanced viewers could someone break down recommended commo equipment (radios, walkies) for kits and how to install them through plate carrier + peltors?
I use an orange inflatable safety sausage when diving in open water. Rolls up and fits in a pocket, inflates to a 3 foot tube. Saved my ass in the Azores. This vid makes me think about putting one in my pack.
Since vehicles mostly have just a thermal sight for night use you can expand the buzzsaw with two 9v batteries cliced together, as they get warm this way and glow under thermal like a chem light at night under nods.
Oh and I like the little vippers or viper… I forget the name. But it’s just a little square of epoxy with an IR diode molded into it and it has attachment point to stick onto a standard 9 volt battery. Completly water and dust proof and bombproof IR strobe. Works great as a very lightweight IR strobe. Much lighter than the pilots or Navy’s big strobes like the MS-4000 or whatever the latest strobe is.
Would like top see a video addressing when it may be appropriate to actually engage vs back off/retreat when coming upon a foe, especially in regards to unconventional warfare
Great video like always. Do you think that you can do a bush craft video? Ideas of getting back to basic survival skills, survival sheltering in the wild, use of everyday tools?
Mastering the techniques this video should be a prerequisite to owning any electronic battlefield comms tech. It doesn't matter if you run a Baofeng or an MPU5, this knowledge forms the basis for for a good comms plan. What are you doing to add redundancy to your radio systems?
Nice Cricket device used by US Paratroopers from WW2.
An episode on Sand Tables - not signaling per se, but a great low-tech way to communicate before the patrol or AoJ. We'd always review SOP's, comms/signals, and any changes/actions to those at given phase lines or rally/check points. Time hacks & "talking guns" were other forms of signaling. e.g. in 5mins do this, or if you hear the support weapons open up, get on line; but probably both are more TTP stuff than signaling.
A couple of cheap burner phones with a few different SIM cards for each, pre-planned rendezvous points in the area with teammates if comms go down, and a satellite phone with pre-paid minutes if shit gets really weird.
@@je2848 All I can say is a lot of family members work for the Telcom Industry, some in important places. We are ALL Hams, and have back up HF coms. It' kind of a running joke actually. Think REALLY thin blue line stuff.
The USMC panel is for thermal optics. Officially called the TIP, Thermal Identification Panel manufactured by Cejay Engineering. A similar product is the Battlefield Reference Marking Systems or BRMS panel. Also called the VS-21 panel. The coyote side is translucent to certain sensors, and if you cut one open underneath that is basically a mylar space blanket. If I remember correctly, a common SOP is to angle the panel at a 45 degree angle, so that aerial platforms can see the "cold spot" from the air, as the material will reflect the cold atmosphere like a mirror. Similar panels exist for use during tank gunnery registrations to boresight the gun. These have been in limited use by various units for many years (who were lucky enough to get them), mostly as a way of IFF for vehicles or static locations. I should also note that you can spray paint patterns onto the coyote side, which will warm up in the sun (or at least not reflect the cold atmosphere). Very handy way for signaling specific messages to assets overhead, that are looking at you with thermal sensors.
Always a pleasure S2.
This needs a pin
@S2Underground nailed it. That is the TIP-15 panel. It is meant more for vehicles than individual personnel. Its main purpose is to block thermal energy coming off of a vehicle to aid with IFF by other vehicles/aircraft equipped with thermal optics. The orange signaling side is a secondary use. The coyote side is so that the vehicle can remain camouflaged while using the thermal ID feature. I believe there are also two sizes of thermal panel that are available, but I’m not 100% sure on that.
Pin this. Excellent breakdown.
The GOAT
I think one of my favorite things about this channel is that it’s one of the few in this space where the microphone isn’t so overproduced to the point I can hear the saliva moving in the back of the speaker’s throat. Perfectly concise compression, I’m here to listen for info about gear and SOPs, not pickle eating ASMR
For urban environments zip ties are great for marking. You can carry a lot of them, get them in many colors and they can get attached to things or just dropped on the ground as markers.
Also, grease pens for marking doors walls and ground. Learn FEMA markings and hoboglyphics.
For panels you can buy a tarp and cut it up. Blue used to have a specific meaning for us so we cut up blue tarps into 2x2 foot squares and attached a blue chem light with cordage. That gave us blue day and night signals.
I just whisper “are you on my team?” and the events just play out from there
This made me laugh too hard lol
Don't even. Just check and see if friendly fire is enabled
"I heard two clicks!"
The K98 bolt scene was stupid. They sound nothing alike lol
non electronic means are so underrated. flares of all types, smokes, signal mirrors, lights with colored lenses, some armies used firing rounds off as signals etc.
I used to carry what I called a “signal loop”. It had an IR Chemlight, vis Chemlight, whistle, and strobe on a lanyard. Allowed me to use whatever I needed for a buzzsaw, or strobe, whistle, etc. kept it all in one spot, hand to lose
Used to carry the same with the addition of two 9v batteries that, when daisy chained, would get hot to be used as a marker for thermal optics.
Haha dude I literally thought about making something similar and then saw your comment
Outstanding "back to basics" Adam. I'm a huge fan of the get found quickly concept to rescue.
No problem. A lot of friends who are serving say they are not getting this information. Figured I would put it out there.
Personally, I'm a huge fan of "low-tech beats high-tech, every time." The main reason why the U.S. hasn't won a war in decades.
@@erwin643 Has it been in wars? Or money making conflicts for Halliburton, Raytheon, Boeing and Colt in which case its been incredibly successful.
Sure a few lives have been lost here and there but the sums of money laundered have been incalculable.
consistently the best easily digestible information for preppers/Mil/hobbyist's out there. now i need to revamp my roadside kit.
I always like the powder blue 55 gallon drum liners of moderate thickness. That piece of material can serve as a poncho a ground sheet storing ALOT of water, shelter, waterproofing a ruck, etc etc. the uses are endless. The reason for a light blue is it stands out in all environments. In the Fall in Michigan where I grew up during the fall… there are TONS of bright colors because of the deciduous forests. Hunters orange always does stand out but with all the red and orange leaves… that blue color stands out. Nothing in nature will ever be that color blue but you will get a lot of the oranges and reds. I have the same mentality with choosing a bic lighter (white and black or a lot of the colors will be lost if dropped in the dark or in snow or in bright leaves from the trees. Blue stands out. I suspect the USMC went with a camo color on one side so you can use it for other purposes. Like sitting on in the snow or as insulation under a sleeping bag. Just a guess. When I was in we just had the old VS17 panels. We were some of the very first to ever get issued the “glint tape” for reflecting IR. They were little rigid plastic do dads that you slide into the slits in a standard issue helmet liner (at that time they were the new digital with pre sewn slits already in the cover). We also went from pluggers during the initial invasion of Iraq to getting Garmins which was awesome. Whistle, smoke, signal mirror, surveyors flagging tape, tin foil, signal fire, hand signals, light signals (like how to “ground guide” an armored vehicle at night with a red or white lens) with flashlight or chemical light, pen flares, m203 40 mm star clusters, 40mm smoke, 40 mm parachute flares, man pack radio, intra squad radio, Thermal “friend or foe” square panels on vehicles, MRE heaters for thermal waypoints, “blazing trees” with a machete or saw or axe to create a series of patrol waypoints, Chemlights and spray paint and engineering tape for clearing huge structures like hotels (which we did), IR laser or visible spectrum laser, small wrist compass and GPS for sending quick radio traffic or more detailed positional info through the radio, hmmm I think that’s about all I can think of as far as “signals” for a Marine Infantryman. Signs in foreign languages for convoys and phrase books to get directions or help from non English speakersOh one last one. I am of the opinion that ever leadership billet should have a full magazine of tracers. They work great for putting hole in bad guys but they also work great for quickly and efficiently directing fire onto a specific target (say a specific window you want your machine gun to fire on). Thanks for the video.
I always look forward to these videos. I’ve never served in the military but find these videos valuable for being better prepared. Thank you for putting these together, it’s very appreciated
Good to see some of this coming back. In addition to whistles, air horns are great- it used to be pretty common to see them from squad to platoon leader. Chalk and spray paint( small testors cans) - from simple "went/go this way" to elaborate like hobo code.
@9:00 the best way to leave messages, I was a forester for many years. We used the poly roll flagging to mark distance and direction in case we never returned to our vehicle.
You guys have some of the best in-depth videos on YT.
I toured Europe. Took the path of the Allied Powers from D-Day. United Kingdom to France to Germany to Austria then to Italy. I bought one of those “clickers” while visiting the beaches of Normandy. It’s a little piece of metal but a lot of history behind it. Awesome video.
First off I stopped by the booth a few times to thank you for all of the content you put out, but I didnt see you. Secondly, I also believe with more near peer threats, as well as grid down type scenarios we do need to learn (or remember for us old guys) the analog/old tech way of operating. Again, amazing gear and important videos. You guys are really giving more to your supporters. Thank you.
Sorry I missed you dude, glad you stopped by!
Tacks, survey tape, fluorescent marker, etc I use all the time for marking my property and can be used for leaving messages based on size, direction, combinations etc.
Stationed at NTC, we went through a lot of chem lights. Good times.
good point on the chemlights, i feel like alot of people don't realize how useless they are if you leave them on your belt exposed, eventually they get to the point you snap them and nothing happens.
Was looking at VS17 panels on the internet. Can be expensive. Found lots of flourescent orange material and flags on amazon for cheap. Also can find yards of bright orange nylon by the yard for about $15. Again, love the content covering off low tech/old school ways to operate in this near peer climate.
That was probably one of the greatest/most impactful intros I have ever seen.
Awesome as always. For guys on the cheap and just starting out Home Depot flagging tape has a purpose. I keep a ripped off length in my navigation kit. Just a marker to get back in a spot if dead reckoning or PAULS method, marking a pack or camp. Weighs nothing and you can get whatever color. Can be used for signaling if you tie enough streamers to a stick.
I was thinking the same thing. A lot of off the shelf stuff that can be used. Also just buying the fabric by the yard and making your own stuff
Another one of my favorites is to keep one of the 1.5 inch mini chem lights in my mouth for night operations and you get an easy, directional signal by simply opening and closing your mouth.
didn’t inhibit talking?
@@rooknado Not if you're used to talking with a dip in anyway. If you ain't you can just put it in your pocket.
Jesus! Next someone will say they keep in their anus.
Works great at raves too
"Like before watching" is a must for these series
Anything Spiritus, i am an unpaid shill.
This is great, the family will be putting things in place. High tech is great, and we as a family are good at it, but low tech is needed.
Cheers Adam for taking us down memory lane in signaling to survive. Great information & absolute encouragement. We did & use every low tech communication then & now. It's standard practice usages in Survival in the Outback. Colours & movement is a very important system of communication. We also use lasers to inform & transfer messages between two points. It's very light weight & as small as a chapstick. The clicker is the goat mate, it has been use for hundreds of years by our ancestors. We still have one for our EDC but more so of a sentimental value. Thank you for your service. We salute you sir. Cheers from Australia.
Excellent video. Practical, relevant, on time. These take practice. This will be referenced often.
Thank you for all Knowledgeable videos that help us fight for our freedom!
how sounds and smells travel more in certain environments and temperatures would something i am definitely interested in learning more about.
very good idea
They make different sizes if chemlights. We used the great big one for directing traffic at night. And they also make 12 hour and 8 hour and 4 hour chemlights in the military supply system with their own NSN’s. The ultra bright ones have the shorter duration but it’s a major difference in brightness. The four hour ones burn like the sun! You are 100% correct about the buzz saw. I saved my fireteams life in Iraq from getting smoked by a Marine attack rotary wing aircraft by using a IR buzz saw. We heard on their radio freq that they were “ identifying” us and where our position was as “enemy”. And I immediately got out the chemlight and the piece of 550 cord that you should always be carrying because a good section of cord is invaluable for all kinds of stuff (boot lace, POW restraint, gear repair, etc etc).
Cool success story. Glad it worked out.
@@rzr2ffe325 Rotary wing is like “flying de@th” on the battlefield. I almost felt sorry for the dismounted enemy infantry and armor of the Ir@qi army. Especially at night. You seldom are close enough to the bird to hear it and in the dark of night if you don’t have NVG’s… you don’t see them either. Until their automatic cannon or missiles start raining de@th upon you. I also was very glad. I don’t know if they really would have engaged us but we were near the city of Al Qaim on the Syrian/Iraqi border and on that part of Iraq (some say it is the “cradle of civilization) like Babylon and the Hanging Gardens (which we toured during 2003 after we overthrew Sadam’s Palace). In that area the Euphrates River after thousands of years of flowing it has cut a huge “canyon” into the earth. North of Al Qaim is a vertical sheer cliff that if you stand on top of it and look North it’s desert as far as the eye can see. If you stand on the cliff and look South into Al Qaim it’s one of the only areas in Iraq that is truly “green”. Lots of irrigation from the Euphrates River and trees and green farm fields. Anyway we were on that cliff setting in overwatch on a “hunter ki11er” operation and we were the only ones on that higher elevation. So when I started hearing the helos talking about “enemy infantry on the cliff”… it was a bad bad thing… the IR buzz saw is an instant “hey look at me” I’m not enemy. I also was glad we didn’t get smoked. Lol
I absolutely LOVED that scene in Saving Private Ryan (One of the few realistic scenes from that movie, IMO) when PVT Jackson gave the hand & arm signals from that church steeple. That right there was the mark of a skilled infantryman.
BTW, there are some good videos here on YT from SF vets who served in Afghanistan on hand & arm signals for civilian populated environments, which are ideal for prepper groups. Also, some prepper groups simply use American Sign Language - a good skill to learn.
Fantastic video.
Drone use vid.
Trade craft.
Partisan resupply networks.
Techniques to build local support and kill enemy moral.
Deception Techniques to make a force seem larger or more capable than it is
Put yourself in the enemy’s shoes
The Orion Pocket Flare is a civilian/marine craft pen flare launcher with four red flares. Available at many marine/boat outfitters.
Man i just want to thank you for the videos i have learned so much from you guys
I’d love to hear a basic breaching tools or reconnaissance style loadouts/ gear explanations of those systems
Thanks guys!
Very useful. Interesting. Thank U 4 video.
Good wishes from Russia!
Great info. Thank you
Thank you guys for always producing great and informational content. This is amazing.
I was very excited about these smokes when you talked about them in a video last year. After going through the certification process to buy them I found out they’re being held up by the alphabet soup boys. They’re still working on a resolution.
The fking ATF is pulling shit again.
Dam you just made me feel old! No personal radios (PRC77), and always with hand and arm signals which my favorite that we used was “cover me I’m F*****”. Would you consider doing a video on old school OP LP construction and use, given the current state of the world?
Need you old timers to share your knowledge. Sometimes what’s old becomes new again. Or at least another tool in the toolbox
Thanks for the great content, looking forward to the next one. I'll be sending this along .
I love the clicker/whistle combinations
As a medic with armored infantry I used to keep a strip of vs17 panel with a whistle and 2 chemlights(one vis, one IR) taped to one end with 550 cord on the other in my pocket.
I can't tell you how many times I used that to signal.
Excellent video Adam and thanks for all the information. Never knew about the "clicker" from WW2 but makes complete sense. Video possibility - Since this was low-tech signalling than perhaps low-tech land nav.
Nate
Good suggestion!
Appreciate the video and your time and effort my friend
Love the video. Subscribed.
Awesome video once again! What I'd love to see is how to set up a squad/plt comms system with people running mostly baofengs or similar lower end radios for the prepared citizen. Basically a "how to: squad comms" for civilians.
Good vid. Only thing I missed was the good old comms cord. A section of cord of x meters that all members of a section carry. Can be joined together for longer range. Used between hide and OP. In the very least you can wake somebody up in the hide
Great vid. Thanks!
Great info! Looking forward to the next sleep videos also. Also another video idea - dealing with water in consistently below freezing temps. I just did a backpacking weekend with a buddy in the mountains of WV (0 degrees during the day and like 3 feet of snow) and we really struggled with water.
Really good talk gave me a lot to think about on the civilian side
An alternative to hunters pins are reflective slap bracelets (used for runners or bike frames for going out at night) -they can secure to objects in the field, and unlike hunters pins they come in different colors for marking. I keep a few in my trauma bag to mark casualties
Best spiritus intro👏
A video on PCC/PCI techniques would be useful
I would like to see land-nav next.
Great video. Thank you for sharing this knowledge with us dirty civilians 👌🏻
Would love to see a video on sniper hide construction…urban, rural, mobile
Please do a video on sniper/ designated marksman kit, the capability those roles give a unit, how it applies to citizens, and how to apply them.
Great info as always. Thank you.
Nice video guys and nice series. Keep it up!
A video about power would be great. Whether it’s genny’s for the house, mobile power, charging on the go, devices for sourcing and storing power. Basically kind of the power take on say the water purification vid you’ve done would be a big help
Great video always look forward to them.
Ideas for future videos
Where to start for a small group of friends who want to be prepared for civilian related emergencies or situations.
Focus more on skill building and training. Both physical and fundamentals. Just like signals. Nav, health, planning etc.
I think that a good number of us will likely be civilians and lack the knowledge on what resources to seek to build fundamental skills.
Just went through a rotation at a CTC and this was actually the biggest takeaway during the battalion and brigade AARs: we got issued all sorts of fancy new equipment including comms and ATAK, and then depended entirely upon it. Problems arose as soon as the comms and ATAK got wet/muddy and shit the bed, stuff accidentally got Z’d out, different companies used different hopsets for the same channels, etc. we managed to cobble together primitive signal SOP’s on the fly, but it got ugly. Funny coincidence that this video came out right off the heels of the rotation, you playing for Gman now? Lol
I read a book about confederate insurgents in it was called Bushwacker. A really interesting part was thir communication techniques. They used turkey calls to identify friendly forces sometimes. Im not sure if it equally applies but i always carry a turkey call while deer hunting. When im moving and making noise ill throw in a few clucks to disguise the noise. Might not be applicable to combat though.On another note i always had a theory that insurgents in Iraq clapped pigeons to communicate. There were many times we would roll up to a house and i would be pulling security outside looking around and would see pigeons diving and flaying around. Never could prove it though.
retrievable Nite-Ize battery operated chem light analogs can be very useful for training and in some situations for actual work too, also good for the environment 😊
Great job. Keep the good info coming.
Army uses that second panel too. It works under thermals. A lot of fires pubs refer it as a vs21.
As far as strips go, definitely hi vis marking tape, peel of 25ft & keep a hank on your kit. Easily tore to exact lengths & tied, taped or nailed. Keep the whole reel in your ruck & reup when necessary.
Thanks for making this video guys! I've asked for it a few times so it was great to finally see it. This content is very much appreciated. Could you do a follow up explaining the chemlight "starfish" bundles? You mentioned learning it at DARC once and I've been curious what that is exactly.
Starfish is a term taken from The Direct Action Resource Center. Without disclosing the DARC SOP, essentially chemlights of different colors can be bundled together to signal various things.
Honestly wasn’t crazy about the DARC methods, personally
Patrol base operations. Priorities of work type stuff. Maybe establishing an OP using slctop. I think that latter could transition well to the civilian side.
Thats a TIP-15 panel if I'm not mistaken, the reverse side is supposed to be IR reflective. The IR is hit or miss in my experience, but they're decent panels.
the german army has a pistol for flares called "signal pistol". the flares are avalibel in diffrent colors and there are flares which stay in the air for 10-30 seconds and light up the sky, nice when no one has nightvision. the light up ammunition is often the signal to start the firing
Great content, many thanks!
Love the channel, love the vid.
I think it would be a good idea to also keep a little oral hygiene kit (tooth brush, toothpaste, floss picks, and mouth wash too) Especially the mouth wash as a disinfectant. For example if you chew the inside of your cheek while you sleep and drink slightly contaminated water, it could drive you up a wall
Awesome video as always
Great content
Loved this.
Nice work, thanks.
I remember a scene in “The Longest Day” when the “Cricket” backfired on the paratrooper when he mistook the German racking a round as the reply.
Yeah they used sound effects to make them sound more alike. In reality, they’re different. (I own a K98k and a DDay clicker)
Lmao that's the only part of the movie I remember...haha...it was so cheesy
So good. Thank you.
Great vid Adam! Was wondering if you could do a video on family unit readiness in or around hostile environments
Really great content
Good info. Y’all want an idea for a video. How about dealing with Team member dynamics? As any leader (TL, PL, whatever), getting the level of engagement, interactions, etc needed. Thoughts?
Commonwealth in WWII had triangle shaped marker panels. Loop over the head or tied to collar and remainder tucked into short. When needed, pulled out and other two corners had loops for hand or thumb.
So it could be hidden or exposed quickly and you could change the angle and direction to face an airplane.
Thought it was kind of cool. Replicas sold in UK at some store called Soldier of Fortune but shipping to US is a killer.
Just looked it up. Called the AIRBORNE RECOGNITION SCARF. Used by both British and American paratroopers from Market Garden onward.
Good stuff, as always.
A troop in Canada ended dead from live fire training with NVG’s, they marked the target and troops with the same identification device.
Additionally, in a stationary position whether defensive or ambush, is comms cord. Simple string.
For instance the early warning groups of a deliberate ambush run string back to the ambush commander. One long pull means enemy approaching followed by a short pull for each enemy soldier.
Oh, and simple white cloth is great to give somebody something to follow at night without NVGs. As simple as a bit of weapon cleaning cloth passed through your pack or the foliage loops on your hat or helmet. Should already have some on you, and easy to remove. It isn't glowing for other people with NVGs to see from distance.
Thank you! 👍
29:18. Here it would be fitting to talk about the forgotten principle of the "base element", for a squad or platoon leader to exercise movement control without a radio, nor hand signals.
Ir Glow sticks and paracord, panels, ir flashers, mirrors, fireworks, smoke. Just a few items I can think of.
IR flashers and glowsticks are a death sentence
@@tatianatub against certain forces sure but not everyone
Brown, beige and tan are the only crayon colors they won't eat so they have to make everything they don't want eating those colors.
Great video again! Thank you for your breakdown and oversight of low-tech signaling. Could you guys make a basic radio communication video? I'd like to be able to teach my community the importance of basic radio comms especially during natural disasters and cold weather outages. Also, for an advanced viewers could someone break down recommended commo equipment (radios, walkies) for kits and how to install them through plate carrier + peltors?
I use an orange inflatable safety sausage when diving in open water. Rolls up and fits in a pocket, inflates to a 3 foot tube. Saved my ass in the Azores. This vid makes me think about putting one in my pack.
" If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed. "
Thomas Jefferson
Since vehicles mostly have just a thermal sight for night use you can expand the buzzsaw with two 9v batteries cliced together, as they get warm this way and glow under thermal like a chem light at night under nods.
Give us a video rundown on the cubbies and the kit in the cubbies that are always behind you.
Oh and I like the little vippers or viper… I forget the name. But it’s just a little square of epoxy with an IR diode molded into it and it has attachment point to stick onto a standard 9 volt battery. Completly water and dust proof and bombproof IR strobe. Works great as a very lightweight IR strobe. Much lighter than the pilots or Navy’s big strobes like the MS-4000 or whatever the latest strobe is.
Phoenix JR is the brand name on those.
Would like top see a video addressing when it may be appropriate to actually engage vs back off/retreat when coming upon a foe, especially in regards to unconventional warfare
We were taught to lead both defense and attack with just flare guns while in Finnish NCO School
Great video like always. Do you think that you can do a bush craft video? Ideas of getting back to basic survival skills, survival sheltering in the wild, use of everyday tools?