A student from this weekends class sent me this AAR (after action report ). Thanks for the kind words. 
Weekend “Grid Down Communications Course”.
I have been training for the last three years or so, I have been to the following schools and classes:
Advanced Wilderness Survival with Tim MacWelch
Fighting Pistol, Tactical Response with James Yeager (Like him or not, it was a good class, LOL)
Various Tactical Rifle Courses with Max Velocity
M/16-AR-15 Armorer’s School with Colt Factory
Knife-making with George Herron (Further back than three years)
Knife-Making with Ed Halligan (Further back than three years)
I thought I was pretty well rounded out until I realized I did not have any communications skills; you know “Shoot, Move, Communicate”. In searching through information, I found AMRRON, and through them, I was encouraged to get my Technicians Grade HAM license. Searching around after that, I found Sparks31, as most of you have. I read everything he wrote and realized I might be missing the most important piece to the survival puzzle: communications. If I don’t know what is going on around me, I am screwed, simple as that.
I had been following Joe’s Dialtone Blog with great interest. A few weeks back, he offered the Grid Down Communications Course, and I jumped on it. He is fairly close to me, and I knew he was a friend of Sparks31, great combo.
I went to the class hoping to fill in many gaps I had in my communications skills package; my package was quite small for sure. In the first hour of Joe’s class, I already felt I got my moneys worth. Instructors are the most important component of any class or seminar. I listed all of the above classes to show my exposure to top flight instructors and their various methods of teaching and interaction with students. Of all the classes I have taken, Joe ranks among the best of the instructors. His enthusiasm, skill level, love of his craft, and the ability to convey information is second to none. His sense of humor is probably his most endearing quality, making a very dry subject entertaining and fun. I came away from the class inspired to delve further into the communications arena.
Members of the class all brought their equipment to the class for review. I found this portion of the class quite interesting. It is exposure you might not get anywhere else. As each student brought out their equipment and explained why they had each piece, as a fellow student, you could see the possibilities for improvement in your setup. What I learned about batteries and alternate power supplies was worth the time and money I spent to take the class.
If you are seeking to learn communications, I make the following suggestion: study for and get your Technicians Class HAM license and take the General class in addition which would be even better, take Joe’s Grid Down Communications Class, and then continue to build on your communications skills every day. This advise is coming from a complete amateur in communications, but if I can do it, you can also. We will all need to communicate in the coming days. Don’t be left in the dark.
Jack Weigand
Weigand Combat Handguns Inc.
communication tradecraft 