Emergency Preparedness - Radio communications

I have discussed Emergency Preparedness many times before.  But there is one factor that is very important that many people overlook in their preparations.

Communications.

Many think that because they have a couple of battery operated radio's and a few FRS/GMRS radio's from Walmart or Radio shack, that is all they need.

Well, they can do, if you are only trying to talk to your neighbors and close family.  But if you want to communicate beyond a mile or 2 you really need to get involved with Amateur Radio, also called HAM Radio.



I have multiple 2 Meter Mobile units and many years back I used a Radio Shack HTX-212 to talk to someone from my driveway to someone over 150 miles away near San Antonio Texas.  I was on the high power setting of 45 Watts, and I could talk to him quite easily.

I also talked to someone down near NAS Kingsville which is about 85 miles away also on the high power setting.

If I tried to do that with a CB Radio or a FRS/GMRS radio, I couldn't have done it.

I could have done it with a 10 Meter Radio which is close to the CB band frequencies, but much different power levels.

I also have several 2 Meter HT's Handi-Talkies or Walky Talkies.  On lower power they can put out as little as .5 Watts or as much as 5 Watts on High Power.  Some can even put out more than 5 Watts if hooked into an external power supply.

With an HT with a Battery Eliminator and an External Antenna you could easily talk 40+ miles.

That's not including using digital modes, which could extend your reach even further.

The HAM Radio Community is a large group of people who are delighted to bring in new members and to help them to learn more about Amateur Radio.

Here is Randy K7AGE and a few of his videos about getting started on 2 Meter radio.







Randy just showed you about Programming an Icom IC-V80 Sport.  I and several of my friends use the Baofeng UV-5R HT radio.

The Baofeng is a VHF/UHF 2 Meter/70 Centimeter Dual Band radio is an affordable dual band radio, that also has affordable accessories like extended rechargeable battery packs, battery eliminators, AAA Battery packs, ear bud microphones, shoulder microphones, throat microphones and many other types of accessories.  There is also an adapter cable to allow you to program and clone your radio settings with your computer using the CHIRP Program which is free for HAM's to use.

If you are interested in getting your HAM Radio License, it's not that hard.  Please do NOT buy a HAM Radio to use if you DO NOT have a HAM Radio License.  If you are caught operating on HAM Radio Frequencies without a HAM License you can have your equipment seized and you can be fined a LOT of money and there is a possibility that you can go to jail depending on what you did.

You can go to the American Radio Relay League's (ARRL) website to find out more about how to get your license or you can do like I did many years ago.

Get a Free Study Guide and study it, then take dozens if not hundreds of the free practice exams on one of the may HAM Radio websites until you feel comfortable enough to go take your exam.  Then take your exam, note you will need to have 2 copies of your drivers license or ID card and the EXACT amount of money $15.00 or a money order for that amount.  Some testing stations don't require you to bring your copies of your ID, some do.  It depends on if they have a copier available.

When I took my test almost 11 years ago, I could have sworn I had failed because of my problems with math.  To my surprise I only missed 3 questions.  And in about 4 days my call sign was available on the FCC website.

So do you want to get started?

If so you can go to KB6NU's page and download his FREE Technician's Study Guide in PDF, Kindle or Nook Versions at the following link:  KB6NU No Nonsense Study Guides

He also has the Study Guide to upgrade your license to General Class, which allows you to use the High Frequency (HF) Bands, which allow you to talk all around the world.  And it is ALSO Free in the same 3 formats.  He does charge for his Extra Class Study Guide, but not for the Technician and General.

Once you get involved in HAM Radio, you will find it very useful as it relates to Emergency Preparedness.  I"m going to post a couple more video's that will show how some HAM's have put together Go Boxes.  Which are emergency boxes they can grab and GO with, that will allow them to have communication if they are forced to leave in a hurry.







Many HAM Radio operators are also involved with Emergency Operations for AFTER a disaster.  After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Sandy, for a long time the only communication into and out of the affected areas was by HAM Radio Operators who volunteered to help out and pass radio messages.

Many people were saved because of those volunteers.  And that is just one more reason for you to get into HAM Radio yourself.

A friend of mine was one of the first HAM Radio emergency Responders on 9/11 when the Towers fell.

Inside of 4 hours after the first plane struck the towers, he had a communications room setup, 3 antennas covering 9 different bands and if it wasn't for him and other HAM Radio Operators Volunteers, the NYPD, NYFD and other official Organizations would have had NO communications until a portable comms trailer could be brought it and set up.

According to him, the "Official" Communications truck and trailer didn't arrive until almost 11 pm that night.  He and 5 other operators were passing almost ALL of the official communications for the first 10 hours after the Towers were struck.

Think about that.


And think about just what HAM Radio can do to help you and your family in an emergency situation.