HAM use for emergencies

I want to get a HAM radio (handheld preferrably) and HAM license to use in area where there is NO cellphone signal. I drive a fuel tanker and if I have an emergency (particularly Highway 32 in Butte/Tehema County in California) I want to be able to notify someone. Sparsely driven at night, no homes visible from road, mountainous area. Would it be worth my effort to get this equipment? I have NO IDEA how reliable HAM use is in that area?

I have NO knowledge of HAM repeaters in that area as I am new to this endeavour. I know they are around due to scanner traffic.

Thanks for your help.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to have your ticket and a nice HT or mobile though for what you want it may be more practical to install a CB in your cab than a ham radio. If there's lots or decent traffic on the local repeaters than by all means do it. The reason I would have both CB and Ham is because around here there are 6 repeaters but nobody's ever on them or listening and it could be the same there, and on the flip side you might have an emergency but somebody on CB may be blaring 7734 at 100W on the channel you need help on.

Try to find listings of repeaters for California such as this one http://www.narcc.org/Rptr_Lists/Repeater_List_menu.html

For your usage, I would get a mobile and a good(Larsen etc, not a cheapie) 5/8 wave antenna. This would allow your signal to be heard 3 or 4 times as far away as a handheld. 50-75 watts versis 5 watts. And a better antenna will double or triple effective range of the rubber duckie aaantenna on the handheld. Do a google search, put in the state and 2m repeaters and you should get a lots of hits. Just be aware the lists are not 100% accurate. New repeaters pop up and older repeaters go away. You may want to check with a commercial radio provider in the area and see about renting a radio and usage on one of their systems to be sure you have the coverage you need. I am sure more info will appear shortly.

Because Amateur Radio (not HAM) is more of a hobby and not a professional communications service that have dispatchers or operators to field a distress call, there is no gurantee that there will be anyone available to respond to you. I think a better option would be is to get a satellite phone if your travels include areas that have little to no cellular service and you worry about your safety. Another option is to get a cell phone docking booster that has an external antenna and amplifier. These docking stations can be found on the web and can be professionally installed if you need them to be.

If your interests includes learning about wireless communications and making new friends on the radio, by all means go ahead and study for your license and become involved in amateur radio and at the same time you will have another tool in the tool box for a situation where you might need an additional communication resource.

There should be pretty good repeater coverage up through -most- of Highway 32, although once you get into the Sierras, it's possible to get into shadows/topographical shielding where you might have issues reaching a repeater. Most of your route is probably well covered.

The drawback is that there is no guarantee that any one would be listening. Using it for emergencies might be hit or miss. While it would be a good option, I certainly would not rely on it as my only source of reaching help.

Cell phone booster would help quite a bit, but again, no guarantees. Satellite phone would be an option, however there are enough mountains/canyons that it can be very spotty.

For true life or death emergency, get a PLB. We carry one while riding our ATV's up near Shasta.

Just to add to what Mark said, rather than attempt to have a 2 meter radio which may or may not have someone listening, you may want to consider getting an HF radio, tuner, and antenna. That will require a greater commitment on your part because the Technician license, currently the most basic level, will not grant you the privileges to operate there in the mode you require. You will need a General Class license if you choose to take that path. So, you'll study a little more. Then you'll do some listening. There are nets on HF that operate all day for other purposes, like assisting smaller boats in distress, but will secondarily take check-ins from amateur radio operators who are not in a boat. My personal experience with these most professional amateurs has been fantastic. About 10 years ago, I used to do a lot of winter driving along the I-70 corridor and would check in if I had to drive through inclement weather. I knew I had someone on the other end if I needed help. And, I was also an extra set of ears for them. I could relay someone in if I could hear them, but the net control station could not. Being a part of a net requires someone to learn how to work within the net's structure. That comes with training and experience.

Just so you don't become a lightning rod, "ham" doesn't stand for anything. It's not an acronym or an initialism. It's just a slang term that was invented a very, very long time ago before any of us were born for amateur radio operators, so it doesn't need to be capitalized or emphasized.

Though I have an amateur radio license, I would recommend a CB radio as the most cost effective solution for your situation. If it does not work out, then you can sell it and get either the ham rig or the satellite phone. My preference out of the three, would be the sat phone because it would provide direct assistance to emergency service. However, budget may be a concern in your case.

Excellent replies. Thanks. What is a PLB mentioned above? I will look into the phone dock thing.

Personal Locator Beacon

Emoney250 said:

Excellent replies. Thanks. What is a PLB mentioned above? I will look into the phone dock thing.

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I think I paid about $250 for ours, pretty sure there was a rebate the brought the price down closer to $200. No subscription needed. It just sits there and does nothing until you hit the button. When you set it off, it sends a signal to specific satellites and triggers a search and rescue response. Great peace of mind, and a cheap solution when you look at the overall benefit.

There are subscription based services that will do the same thing, along with a "check in" service that will e-mail a pre-determined address with an "I'm OK" message. They run about $100, but there is an annual subscription fee. Search on the "Spot!" satellite device. We've got a guy we go riding with that has one. Seems pretty good if you don't mind the extra annual cost, and the check in function is handy.

I had an i-Phone docking station from Wilson a few years back. Had a dedicated cellular antenna on the roof of my truck. It worked pretty well. I would go camping out along Highway 89 and my cell phone would be spotty out of the truck. I'd put it in the cradle, and I'd get a few bars. It won't do anything for you if there isn't any signal at all, but if the cellular signal is there, but weak, it'll help.
If you go this route, make sure you spend money on a good external antenna. Make sure it's up high on the roof of the cab or mirrors so it has a good all-around view.

The C.A.R.L.A. network of repeaters provides a listing of repeaters that cover particular highway routes in Central and Northern California. It lists the primary, secondary and tertiary repeaters that may serve particular routes. On an alternate page you can then scroll through the list of the repeater numbers and see the theoretical map of the coverage. Welcome - K6LNK - California Amateur Radio Linking Association

For your interest on Hwy 32 you're looking at repeaters numbered 20, 6, and 14. From what I saw the coverage maps look spotty at best. There are plenty of other factors to consider as well, but as previously noted a C.B. radio is an inexpensive start or backup to amateur radio.

Obtaining your Technician license is not that difficult should you opt for the amateur radio route. There are free online study tests and the fee is typically no more than $15. If you're passing the free online test every time you take it, you're ready to take the actual test. You're good to go once your license shows up in the FCC database in about two weeks. As others have noted a mobile radio with some power (50 watts) is worth the money. It is a two way street and just because you can hear a repeater, does not mean you're pushing a signal back to it. Then again the repeater coverage there may be fantastic. I personally do not know about the coverage along that route. You can use a handheld, but inside the cab it will not do so well. You can connect it to an external antenna and greatly improve your transmit and received signal. Still, 5 watts is not much power and that is what the hand held will have. You may have to walk to a high spot along the road or around a bend.

Repeaterbook also provides a searchable listing for potential repeater coverage. redirect to repeaterbook.com/repeaters

And don't assume because there is no activity on an amateur frequency that no one is listening. It isn't a guarantee that 24/7/365 that someone is listening. However, IF there is coverage on the highway of repeaters there will probably be someone listening between 0800-2300 hours. Since cell phones have become available, I have not asked how many amateurs leave there radios on 24/7/365. I know when I started in CB, our radio was never turned off [was turned down when skip rolling]. I would hope that if anyone was listening to a request for help on an amateur frequency, that they would come out of the weeds and offer aid. With just about all things not having a 100% guarantee, having more than one or two sources should be looked at.

True, however I've had 3 times now where I had emergencies and amateur radio was no use:
1 time where no one answered on the repeater (yes, I was getting into the repeater just fine).
2 times where the "amateur" I reached on the repeater wasn't any help.
A. First time, the guy didn't want to call 911 for me, just kept asking questions, then "didn't want to get involved" and stopped answering. (pre cellular phone days)
B. Second time, guy didn't want to call a tow truck because he "couldn't find the number". Ended up using my cell phone after climbing to the top of a hill.

To be fair, I did have one minor emergency where I was able to get help on an amateur repeater (this was before cell phones). One of the club members opened up the auto patch and placed a call to the highway patrol and I passed the information.

Yes, someone may answer, but don't assume they will act responsibly. This is "amateur" radio, after all. There is no requirement that someone be monitoring 24x7. If you need a way to reliable way to reach someone in a -true- emergency, then consider a PLB. Amateur radio can be useful, but I wouldn't rely on it as your only means.

mmckenna said:

True, however I've had 3 times now where I had emergencies and amateur radio was no use...

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I suppose the moral of the story is to always have more than one way of getting something done, especially when it concerns your personal safety. PLBs are a great idea.

If you're carrying Hazardous Material,such as gasoline or fuel oil,cb radios and radar detectors
are not allowed in your truck. At least they're not allowed in Texas,and I believe its a federal law.
Business band radios are okay,and I've never had any problems with the DOT over any ham gear.
73,David

I have a Kenwood TM-281A in my vehicle with a roof-mounted 2 meter antenna. This radio has two power settings, 25 watts and 65 watts. On the 65 watt setting I have hit repeaters 30 miles away in flat terrain, and I've had QSOs on simplex (no repeater, just direct radio-to-radio) from as far away as 20 miles. Try THAT with a CB radio on 4 watts! The cost of the radio + antenna + mount was about $200, and all you'd need to operate this legally is a technician license. This unit is monoband, it only operates on the 2 meter ham band but that's where the vast majority of FM repeaters are anyway.

n5sjs said:

If you're carrying Hazardous Material,such as gasoline or fuel oil,cb radios and radar detectors
are not allowed in your truck. At least they're not allowed in Texas,and I believe its a federal law.
Business band radios are okay,and I've never had any problems with the DOT over any ham gear.
73,David

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The radios should be intrinsically safe in those environments, a radio just being part 90 doesn't mean it is intrinsically safe only certain models (XTS5000R, HT1250 with the blue housing, 7100ip IS, exc...)

Actually,the laws against cb and radar detectors are to keep drivers from avoiding DOT
checkpoints and driving at unsafe speeds.
73,David

Contact the repaeater owners and find out if they have a autopatch {land line conncected to the repeater) and if you could get the access code. If you are able to hit the repeater you will be able to use the autopatch and contact help. You will need to inform the 911 operator that you are using this feature because it will make the phone simplex instead of its native duplex, because only one side can communicate at a time. There is also the Win System
Contact Shorty and he will give you all the information you need as well as let you know if there is coverage for the route you drive.

Good luck with whatever option you decide. I hope you will consider getting your ticket as amateur radio is also a great hobbby.

wbswetnam said:

I have a Kenwood TM-281A in my vehicle with a roof-mounted 2 meter antenna. This radio has two power settings, 25 watts and 65 watts. On the 65 watt setting I have hit repeaters 30 miles away in flat terrain, and I've had QSOs on simplex (no repeater, just direct radio-to-radio) from as far away as 20 miles. Try THAT with a CB radio on 4 watts! The cost of the radio + antenna + mount was about $200, and all you'd need to operate this legally is a technician license. This unit is monoband, it only operates on the 2 meter ham band but that's where the vast majority of FM repeaters are anyway.

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I just pulled a Yaesu FT-2900 from my dd. Power settings are 5/10/35/75. I rarely ran it above 35W. I know many repeaters in Colorado and new Mexico that can be held at 10W for 60+ miles. There's one repeater in Raton, New Mexico that on a good day it covers as far away as Texline, TX. All on a quarter wave antenna.

Put in a Motorola PM400. 45/25W.

One thing the OP should look into, contact the county emergency coordinators for those counties being driven through as he/she might have a suggestion or know of monitored repeaters in the area.