Yaesu good for emergency use?

[hayesd601]

My question is which model(s) of the handheld type would make the best reliable communication device for emergency situations? I am referring to local only, no repeaters, as I assuming that in a real emergency repeaters would be down, relying solely on local folks.

[rescuecomm]

If you are part of the CERT program, then any of the better FRS radios should work for you. For anything else, you need to be specific about who you are planning to talk to.

Bob

[hayesd601]

Not sure who would be out there myself. the scenario is a total social breakdown, and the radio would be part of the survival kit. making the assumption only other handhelds are working since no repeaters would be functional.

[jack103]

Try this site----http://www.survivalistboards.com/index.php?



and google wtshtf

[N8IAA]

Originally Posted by hayesd601

My question is which model(s) of the handheld type would make the best reliable communication device for emergency situations? I am referring to local only, no repeaters, as I assuming that in a real emergency repeaters would be down, relying solely on local folks.

One that would have multiple ways of powering it--extra batteries, AA pack, small 12v battery. One that at least does 5w. I presume you are referring to ham frequencies only??
Larry

[rescuecomm]

This is a common question about survivalism local two way communications. My personal view is that most non-ham/non-public safety persons will be on GMRS/FRS or CB since the radios are available locally. The MURS radio gear is rare and most people are not aware of its availability.

My handheld radios are Icom units that my son and I use everyday on the GMRS and the 440 amatuer band. During some sort of situation, they will only be switched on when needed to conserve AA batteries.

As Larry said, keeping the radio powered up in the absence of the power grid is going to put most citizen's two-way stuff off the air in the first couple of days. (A lot of communciation problems in the NOLA Katrina SHTF were caused by the inability to charge up the FF's and LEO's handheld radios. Flooded roads kept them from reaching the stationhouses and the radios did not have a provision for alkaline battery operations.) The Yaseu VX150 and 170 are well thought of in the survival communities by amatuer radio ops due to the weather proofing and rugged construction. There is a also a version of the Standard Horizon Marine VHF handheld radio that will accept MURS, public safety and 2 meter frequencies, but requires programming software to setup. Some guys are using them. I suggest that you work on getting your Technician Class ham license and becoming familiar with the Vx 150's operation.

Check out the Outdoors/Ham Radio section of AR15.com for like minded persons take on radio gear.

Bob

[jack103]

If the STHF Nobody will care if you have a ham license!!

[mcscanner]

Originally Posted by jack103

If the STHF Nobody will care if you have a ham license!!

True... but until then the license allows you to learn and practice what can be accomplished as a member of a radio amateur club. They will be involved in non-emergency public events such as bike and running.

The OP's original assumption that repeater will be down has some validity. However, provisions are made for emergency power to continue operations during emergency conditions. Success will vary depending on how prepared and how bad is the SHTF.

[trace1]

Originally Posted by mcscanner

True... but until then the license allows you to learn and practice what can be accomplished as a member of a radio amateur club. They will be involved in non-emergency public events such as bike and running.

The OP's original assumption that repeater will be down has some validity. However, provisions are made for emergency power to continue operations during emergency conditions. Success will vary depending on how prepared and how bad is the SHTF.

When and how bad the SHTF you'll have this (in regards to Amateur Radio)...

The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) was established under the Federal Communications Commission Rules and Regulations, as part of the amateur radio service. The mission of RACES is to establish and maintain the leadership and organizational infrastructure necessary to provide amateur radio communications in support of emergency management entities throughout the United States and its territories.

RACES is employed during a variety of emergency/disaster situations where normal governmental communications systems have sustained damage or when additional communications are required or desired. Situations that RACES can be used include: natural disasters, technological disasters, civil disorder, nuclear/chemical incidents, acts of terrorism or enemy attack.

The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a standby radio service provided for in Part 97.407 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules and regulations governing amateur radio in the United States.

The concept of a standby "Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service" to replace the conventional "Amateur Radio Service" during wartime was developed in 1952 as result of input from the American Radio Relay League and the Department of the Army's Office of Civil Defense. During World War II, the Amateur Radio Service had been silenced and a new War Emergency Radio Service (WERS) had to be created from scratch. The resulting standby RACES service was designed to provide a smoother transition in the event the President ever needed to silence the regular Amateur Radio Service again when invoking the War Powers Act. Ironically, despite four wars involving the United States since 1952, this has never happened.

When so activated, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service will consist of those amateur radio operators who have previously registered with State and local governments to provide emergency radio communications for them in times of emergency. Other amateur radio operations would be suspended and RACES operations might be restricted to certain frequencies within the amateur radio bands.

In addition to wartime communications, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service operations can provide or supplement communications during emergencies where normal communication systems have sustained damage. It may be used in a wide variety of situations, including natural disasters, technological disasters, nuclear accidents, nuclear attack, terrorist incidents, and bomb threats.

In the past, actual RACES station licenses were also issued to civil defense organizations. To prevent abuse of station licenses by officials who weren't licensed amateur radio operators, limitations on the duration of non-emergency operation and stations that might be contacted were incorporated into part 97.407. Such RACES station licenses are no longer issued, and any RACES operations would now use licensed amateur radio operators as control operators.

In daily practice, most amateur radio operators enrolled with their local government for possible RACES operations are also members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, organized by the American Radio Relay League. ARES provides emergency communications on regular amateur radio frequencies without the need for an emergency declaration from the government.

Founded in 1952, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a public service provided by a reserve (volunteer) communications group within government agencies in times of extraordinary need. During periods of RACES activation, certified unpaid personnel are called upon to perform many tasks for the government agencies they serve. Although the exact nature of each activation will be different, the common thread is communications.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides planning guidance and technical assistance for establishing a RACES organization at the state and local government level.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is responsible for the regulation of RACES operations. RACES is administrated by a local, county, or state civil defense agency responsible for disaster services. This civil defense agency is typically an emergency services or emergency management organization, sometimes within another agency such as police or fire. RACES is a function of the agency's Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS), sometimes known as DCS (Disaster Communications Service), ECS (Emergency Communications Service), ARPSC (Amateur Radio Public Service Corps), etc. Many ACS units identify themselves solely as RACES organizations, even though their communications functions and activities typically go beyond the restrictions of RACES operations. Other ACS units combine government RACES and non-government ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) activities and identify themselves as ARES/RACES organizations. Yet other ACS units who use amateur radio for emergency government communications identify themselves solely as ARES organizations, whether or not they activate under FCC RACES Rules.

The Amateur Radio Regulations, Part 97, Subpart E, §97.407, were created by the FCC to describe RACES operations in detail. Although no longer issued or renewable, RACES station licenses were issued in the past by the FCC to government agencies for RACES operations. The agencies may continue to conduct RACES operations without these licenses, using primary or club call signs.

ACS, in its RACES and other reserve emergency communications functions, provides a pool of emergency communications personnel that can be called upon in time of need. ACS/RACES units across the country prepare themselves for the inevitable day when they will be called upon. When a local, county, or state government agency activates its ACS unit, that unit will use its communications resources (RACES, if necessary) to meet whatever need that agency has.

Traditional RACES operations involve emergency message handling on Amateur Radio Service frequencies. These operations typically involve messages between critical locations such as hospitals, emergency services, emergency shelters, and any other locations where communication is needed. These communications are handled in any mode available, with 2 meters FM being the most prevalent. During time of war, when the President exercises his War Emergency Powers, RACES might become the only communications allowed via amateur radio.Activating under the FCC's restrictive RACES Rules is not always necessary when using Amateur Radio Service frequencies for emergency communications. For example, ACS communicators may need to communicate with ARES or other radio amateurs who are not government-certified to operate in a RACES net. ACS personnel also might become involved in non-amateur public-safety or other government communications, Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staffing, and emergency equipment repair.

Whatever need arises, trained ACS personnel are ready and prepared to help, via RACES or other means. ACS/RACES groups develop and maintain their communications ability by training throughout the year with special exercises and public-service events. When that fateful day occurs, ACS/RACES will be there to meet the challenge.

If you want to become an ACS or RACES member and to be able to participate in RACES and other government emergency communications activities, contact your local, county, or state ACS Officer or RACES Radio Officer or Coordinator.

Not saying that the FCC, or others, will come after you during such an incident but "the laws will thus not be silent in time of war, but they will speak with a somewhat different voice."

"An entirely separate and important philosophical question is whether occasional Presidential excesses and judicial restraint in wartime are desirable or undesirable. In one sense, this question is very largely academic.

There is no reason to think that future wartime Presidents will act differently from Lincoln, Wilson, or Roosevelt, or that future justices of the Supreme Court will decide questions differently from their predecessors. But even though this be so, there is every reason to think that the historic trend against the least justified of the curtailments of civil liberty in wartime will continue in the future.

It is neither desirable nor is it remotely likely that civil liberty will occupy as favored a position in wartime as it does in peacetime. But it is both desirable and likely that more careful attention will be paid by the courts to the basis for the government's claims of necessity as a basis for curtailing civil liberty. The laws will thus not be silent in time of war, but they will speak with a somewhat different voice."

On or about January 4, 2000 Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist wrote a book entitled "All Laws But One- Civil Liberties in Wartime". This work is a treatise on the historical tensions which exist in the government during wartime. The work is significant because it was written prior to the USA election and prior to the commencement of the Iraq War.

[blinddog50]

Originally Posted by hayesd601

Not sure who would be out there myself. the scenario is a total social breakdown, and the radio would be part of the survival kit. making the assumption only other handhelds are working since no repeaters would be functional.

In the event of this scenario communications will be the least of your problems.
99.5% of your time will be spent on not getting shot or zombies trying to eat your brain.

In the mean time, get your license, get a VX-170 and get a solar panel charger.

[bReed11091]

Originally Posted by blinddog50

In the mean time, get your license, get a VX-170 and get a solar panel charger.

I agree. I have a VX-170 myself and it has a lot of capabilities. While a VX-150 is the most affordable mono-band portable from Yaesu (several dollars less than a VX-170, and sometimes include an extra battery pack), these portable radios are worth looking into:

VX-170 ($116.95): VHF Operation
VX-177 ($144.95): Same as VX-170 but UHF
FT-60R ($179.95): Dual Band VHF/UHF Operation

Prices are Hamcity prices and current as of 11-26-2008.

[N_Jay]

Originally Posted by hayesd601

. . .the scenario is a total social breakdown, . . ..

Time to shut off the TV and go outside!