HAM radio for emergencies

[QueuedUp]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and am looking into HAM radio.

I've had a landline telephone (copper wire) for decades. We no longer answer incoming calls, not ever, because of the volume of spam. We use our cell phones instead. The reason we've kept the landline was the idea that in a catastrophic event (like earthquake, I'm in California) with power and cell towers unavailable, we'd have a shot at using the landline for communication. For various reasons, maintaining the landline may not be possible, so I've looked into other methods available to communicate if one doesn't have access to cell or Internet. It seems that a satellite phone and HAM radio are the options. So finally, if you're still with me, here's my questions and the reason for posting this message.

1. Is it realistic to think that with a Tech license I could have a functional communication channel in an emergency?

2. Other than the idea of HAM radio as a hobby, would I need more than a Tech level license for the purpose I've mentioned?

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[marcotor]

It's really going to depend on your use case. For local communication with family members, GMRS would be just fine. I certainly wouldn't trust my family or friends lives to "when all else fails" repeaters on 2m/70cm, et al.

Define "functional communication channel". Locally? Nationally? Worldwide? The choices are different, as the investment.

Edit: it's ham. HAM is not an acronym, and does not to be caps

 

[nd5y]

1. Is it realistic to think that with a Tech license I could have a functional communication channel in an emergency?

Functional yes. That's relatively easy. That doesn't mean useful. Who do you intend to communicate with? You can't rely on random hams to provide assistance in a disaster any more than you can rely on any other random people to save you.

 

[dlwtrunked]

It's really going to depend on your use case. For local communication with family members, GMRS would be just fine. I certainly wouldn't trust my family or friends lives to "when all else fails" repeaters on 2m/70cm, et al.

Define "functional communication channel". Locally? Nationally? Worldwide? The choices are different, as the investment.

Edit: it's ham. HAM is not an acronym, and does not to be caps

A fairly complete history of term "ham" is at

Etymology of ham radio - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mmckenna]

I'm going to throw in some stuff to the good advice above:

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and am looking into HAM radio.

Welcome!

I've had a landline telephone (copper wire) for decades. We no longer answer incoming calls, not ever, because of the volume of spam. We use our cell phones instead. The reason we've kept the landline was the idea that in a catastrophic event (like earthquake, I'm in California) with power and cell towers unavailable, we'd have a shot at using the landline for communication. For various reasons, maintaining the landline may not be possible, so I've looked into other methods available to communicate if one doesn't have access to cell or Internet. It seems that a satellite phone and HAM radio are the options. So finally, if you're still with me, here's my questions and the reason for posting this message.

1. Is it realistic to think that with a Tech license I could have a functional communication channel in an emergency?

No. I'd disagree with the others on this. Ham radio is not a functional communications solution, ESPECIALLY in an emergency.
Remember, ham radio operators are just regular people. There is -zero- requirement that they be listening or even respond to the radio. There is no huge team of people there listing to the radio 24x7x365 waiting for you to call for help. It's random guys using radios as a hobby.

Reaching another human being depends entirely on where you are. There may not be another ham operator within radio range. Even if there is, they may not have their radio turned on, be on the right frequency, or even listening.

Yes, there are repeaters that cover some areas, but again, no requirement that anyone be listening or even respond.

Reliable radios that you could depend on in an emergency are not cheap. Don't buy a $20 Chinese radio off Amazon and assume that'll put you in contact with anyone.

The radio is ONLY useful if there is someone at the far end. Unless you have everything pre-arranged, that alone puts everything in question.

Ham radio is NOT an emergency radio service. It's a hobby. The people on the radio are not first responders. They are not 911 dispatchers. They are random people that have zero requirements to assist you.

Ham radio is a complex technical hobby. It's not something where you buy a radio, toss it on the shelf and assume it will be there when you need it. Making it work requires knowledge and practice. Unless you are going to commit to all that, it's not a good solution. Even with that, it's not a good solution.

2. Other than the idea of HAM radio as a hobby, would I need more than a Tech level license for the purpose I've mentioned?

Thanks for any feedback.

The license class doesn't make that much difference unless you are doing long range high frequency communications. That's all well and good, but again, no requirement that anyone be listening or even help you.

If you are looking for a communications solution for EMERGENCY use, you only have a few legitimate options:
Cell phone. Call 911 if you need help. You'll get a professional that is there for the exact purpose of helping you. That dispatcher will get your location data and know where you are, and where to send help, even if you don't know exactly where you are. They will dispatch the right professionals to help you.

Land line is still a legitimate solution depending on your location. If you are concerned about AT&T stopping the "provider of last resort" service, make sure you understand what that means before assuming they are going to take away your service. A 911 call from a land line will get to a professional dispatcher that will be there and will get your location information, even if you cannot provide it.

A satellite phone is a good option, but it is expensive and not a good solution for a "put it on the shelf and only use it in an emergency". the phones are expensive and the service is expensive. You also need to call the direct phone number for the dispatch center. Calling 911 form a cell phone will not necessarily get you to the right place.

For true emergencies, a Personal Locator Beacon is a good option. About $250 for a new one and no ongoing charges. It —only— allows you to trigger an emergency beacon, but someone will get that along with your GPS location and send help. PLB's require periodic battery replacement that needs to be done by an appropriate shop.

One of the better options is a small satellite beacon. Garmin InReach is a good choice. It's a small device that permits two way text communications through satellites. It also has an "SOS" button that will get you help similar to a personal locator beacon (above). The devices are $250 and up and require a monthly service. I pay $12/month for mine. I can send a few text messages a month for that price.

Newer cell phones have satellite capability and will allow you to send SOS emergency type messages via satellite. It's a good option and would be something you'd carry with you anyway.

Something like a StarLink device would be an option, but again, a solution that gets expensive.



I've been a ham radio operator for decades. I also work professionally in the two way radio industry. I've tried using amateur radio in emergencies and it has never worked. Not once. Even when talking to another ham, they often don't want to get involved. It's not a reliable solution and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I have access to amateur radio, GMRS, a satellite phone, and many public safety radio systems. When I go out of range of cell phones, I carry the Garmin InReach device that I mentioned above. It's the right tool for me for emergencies.

 

[QueuedUp]

I'm going to throw in some stuff to the good advice above:

Thanks, folks, for the helpful info, including the grammatical correction on "ham".

Since I've never been in a serious emergency I'm guessing what I'd want to do is have some basic contact with my relatives in other states to give them an update (Illinois, Oregon, and New York), and with local responders in case someone was hurt or if I was seeking shelter or food or instructions or news.

mmckenna's ideas about a Personal Locator Beacon or a satellite beacon are options I'm going to check out further. And yes, it was AT&T's announcement of their effort to exit the "provider of last resort" that was the straw that pushed me into this discussion, even though AT&T isn't my landline provider. It seems like none of the providers want to have anything to do with landlines. I guess I can see their position, it must be a challenge to make it worthwhile maintaining that technology. And your direct experience attempting to use amateur radio in emergencies was a very eye opening comment.

 

[GlobalNorth]

When I drive across the SW US, I use my satphone for emergencies that can't find a cell tower. Amateur radio is not a viable emergency service provider. You have to find someone listening and they have to want to help - that can be increasingly problematic.

 

[paulears]

totally agree with all this. In the 70s through to the 90s in the UK, hams provided a written into the official plans, backup to the authorities and often had towers and equipment provided. Then cell phones came along and there was no need for it officially. It was well organised, but a bit dad’s army. I ran one group. We’d provide comms for first aiders and perhaps assist the fire brigade, who only had one single channel for a whole county and big fires could overwhelm it. So we did the housekeeping. Food, drink, fuel, coordinating transport for the few big fires lasting more than a day. The first aiders bought their own system and the fire service improved their system. No longer needed, and government support vanished. It still exists sort of, but is no longer fun to be involved with.

in the case of serious stuff, hams will be with their families, not playing radios. If you put a call out in my area, a response is rare. Simply not enough people. In an emergency, you’ll lose the majority, leaving emergency radio in the hands of one fella, livening on his own, on top of the highest hill in the area. His phone line wont work without internet and electricity, so what help can he provide? The Independence Day notion that the hams will be able to communicate effectively in a worldwide emergency has gone away. The hobby is all Baofengs and repeaters in quantity, and clever kit and decent antennas in the minority. You simply cannot rely on it. The infrastructure is simply totally dependent on electricity and the internet. I read so often that people are trying to become hams for emergencies, with no interest in the hobby side. It’s just daft. A little research would show that the killer question, mentioned above, is simply who are you expecting to talk to, who can help you? I’m now getting on, what help could I be to somebody in trouble if my phone and internet doesn’t work?

 

[dlwtrunked]

In may area, with everything from tornadoes, to hurricanes, to planes crashing into the Pentagon, to nuclear power plants, it has played and continues to play a role. We have come into play when local county systems went down (as any system will sometimes do) and when the cell system was not viable due to overload. And, also, there is a need to staff communications at shelters--who do you think is going to do that? Much here is either either exaggeration, untruths, of from people who have never really been involved in an emergency where amateur radio assistance is needed and simply do not know. This summer, the next VOPEX drill, a "graded by the Federal government" exercise involving a nearby nuclear power plant will happen. Their license requires our involvement. We will be write there in our corner of my counties Emergency Operations Center and in sheriff department patrol cars that alert people outside siren ranges as a backup to their system - note he cannot be messing with a cell phone as a backup (while driving and making announcements over the car external speaker) and we also can read/report his/our dosimeters. The last time, we relayed an important message that got accidentally dropped in the official communications chain. Thinking cell phones are the answer is simply naive about what can and does happen in some (not all are the same) real emergencies--I have been involved when generators failed. I will not comment further as it is not worth as we have been through this before.

 

[dlwtrunked]

"in the case of serious stuff, hams will be with their families, not playing radios."
Not only insulting, but just not true. When I sustained costly damage to my house, I was radio communications for the county shelter. And not also, their just serviced generator did not work when the power went out but I had brought in a 12 v car battery and was fine. And after the plane hit the Pentagon, I was there for a total of 39 1/2 hours (even inside the building when still smoldering to help get water to people), not sitting at home afraid or watchin TV news.

"If you put a call out in my area, a response is rare."
I am not sure what real emergencies you have had, but it sound like either you do not have enough hams or there is a lack of organization.

Not all people are the same. Not all areas are the same. Not all situations are the same.

 

[ladn]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and am looking into HAM radio.

WELCOME!
I've been a ham for 30+ years and involved in other phases of radio communication even longer. Ham radio has been a fun and rewarding hobby. Ham radio is as much about learning new things as it is about radio and electronics.

I mostly agree with @mmckenna 's assessment, but I'll diverge a little bit. I live in densely populated Southern California, but frequently travel to sparsely populated and remote areas like the Western Mojave and Owens Valley.

I think the useability of amateur radio in an emergency is partly a function of location. Here in SoCal, there's a plethora of very robust emergency communications systems and POTS/cellular coverage. The major departments are well equipped and their staffs are well trained. There's also a high concentration of ham operators and ham infrastructure, but unfortunately the overall quality of many operators seems to be pretty low.

I belong to a (ham) volunteer group affiliated with a major fire department. The members are trained in various radio communication techniques and have frequent drills to practice their skills. It's provided useful situational awareness during major storm events and brush fires. How useful it would be in a SHTF level scenario remains an unknown.

When I'm in the field, there's less infrastructure with smaller emergency management agencies with less equipment at their immediate disposal. The overall population density is lighter so there are fewer resident hams. BUT, I've observed that many hams in these areas have a greater degree of public service spirit and willingness to get involved and help in an emergency.

Ham radio, as a hobby, provides a very reliable communications tool when I'm out 4Wheeling with friends or staying in a remote ghost town, which was one of the major reasons I got licensed in the first place. The hobby isn't what it was 40 or 50 years ago or what the ARRL promongulates today with their "when all else fails" propaganda.

The entry level Technician license isn't that difficult to get, and a quality basic handheld radio is in the $200 range with a quality mobile dual band radio about $100 more. Amateur radio also has a social aspect, and if there's an amateur radio club convenient to your location, it would be worth visiting to check out.

 

[rescuecomm]

Again, the nature of what you are want to do is important. Per McKenna, going on a repeater and expecting to contact someone out of the blue to request immediate emergency response at any hour is likely to be disappointing.

BUT:

I had a guy stand by for me on a repeater for several hours while I was nursing a half flat spare tire at 10 mph to a paved road. I made it and he went to bed. We knew each other from radio outings, net checks and hamfests. It does make a difference. A lot of new Hams put emergency communications as a reason for licensing. The truth is that they actually got licensed to have an alternative way to contact family members. Not to join ARES or SATURN or other groups.

For immediately contacting 911, the above suggestions are best.

 

[MUTNAV]

I understand the idea of dumping the landline due to the amount of spam, the only reason I still have it is that it is part of a bundle with cable and internet and it would save nothing.

A lot depends on what you consider an emergency. mmckennas comments seem pretty much correct... This has been discussed a lot on radio-reference and those comments are a reasonable summary.

If it helps, for myself personally, I'm not to concerned about an "emergency" in the strict sense of the word, I want the ones that I care about to be able to deal with an "emergency" on their own.

What I am concerned about is when normal communications fail (mostly cell phones) and a family member doesn't show up when expected because they stayed late at work, or had to detour due to flooding or a 6 hour road closure, or for whatever reason. Then Ham seems to really be something to consider, although I'm starting to lean towards the Garmin inreach or equivalent even for those situations.

But I would imagine that ham radio would work well for family that you just want to reassure, or if you want to find out the local gas stations that still have gas after a hurricane...

A lot of this depends on socializing and developing relationships, which others have mentioned, and is underestimated IMHO.

Thanks
Joel

 

[mmckenna]

Thanks, folks, for the helpful info, including the grammatical correction on "ham".

Since I've never been in a serious emergency I'm guessing what I'd want to do is have some basic contact with my relatives in other states to give them an update (Illinois, Oregon, and New York), and with local responders in case someone was hurt or if I was seeking shelter or food or instructions or news.

While amateur radio would give you the option of communicating cross country like that, it's not a simple task:
-You need a suitable radio. Figure $1000 per radio.
-You need a suitable antenna. Antennas that work on frequencies that would give you cross country communications would require a fair amount of space. A simple wire antenna is going to be 90 feet long.
-Each and every user will need to have their own FCC issued individual license.
-It takes skill to communicate effectively. It's not like dialing a phone, it requires understanding radio propagation, antennas, which frequencies to use, and when to use them.

If everyone in your family wants to sink that kind of money, effort, training and time into it, then it's a great option. But it should be an option, not your only means of communications.
For that kind of money, you can get a Garmin InReach and send text messages to individuals easily, no special license, no big antenna. Plus, it's small enough to fit in your palm. It'll interface to your cell phone (even if you don't have cell service) and be fairly easy to understand and use.

mmckenna's ideas about a Personal Locator Beacon or a satellite beacon are options I'm going to check out further. And yes, it was AT&T's announcement of their effort to exit the "provider of last resort" that was the straw that pushed me into this discussion, even though AT&T isn't my landline provider. It seems like none of the providers want to have anything to do with landlines. I guess I can see their position, it must be a challenge to make it worthwhile maintaining that technology.

The issue with land line telephones and why local exchange carriers want out of the business is because the copper cable plants that made these systems so reliable are failing. The experienced technicians that knew how to work on the cable plants have all mostly retired. The big local exchange carriers don't want to keep paying to support a cable plant that has limited use. This is happening all over, and the other carriers have been slowly doing the same thing for years.

Carriers want to use fiber optic cable for everything now. Much more useful as it'll supply a lot more services over one cable plant. That's been coming for years and none of these announcements from AT&T and the other carriers is surprising at all.

But, that's not a bad thing. Fiber optic cable works well. It'll easily carry telephone service, as well as lots of other services. There is no reason you cannot keep home telephone service, it's just going to be delivered over your internet connection. Add in a cell phone and a product like a Garmin InReach, or the iPhone/Android satellite capability, and you'll have a couple of means of communications that will likely get a message through to those you love.

All technology can fail. Doesn't matter what it is. Unless you have the skills to fix it yourself, it's not going to be something you can control. By diversifying your communications tools, you can reduce the chance of total failure down pretty low.

While it's easy to think that internet based communications means are not reliable, it's not entirely true. Truth is, the days of circuit switched (the old traditional wireline service) telephone service left us a long time ago. The backbone of the AT&T telephone network has been Internet Protocol based for quite a while.

And your direct experience attempting to use amateur radio in emergencies was a very eye opening comment.

Well, thanks. I was trying to get the point across that amateur radio isn't a foolproof communications tool. It can do a lot of things, but it really requires a lot of knowledge and training for it to be reliable. It goes well beyond passing the test and buying a radio.

 

[wtp]

since you are in California i would guess you are up on how to turn off power/gas/water to your house.
if there is a biggie, that is what will keep many folks busy.
then it is when to turn it back on and if you need or have a generator if needed.
i live in Florida and even just getting gas to get out can take some time.
so the local hams would be doing such thinks themselves.
and with quakes (or high winds) wires go down.
unless all the wires are underground, then there is a weak spot.
cell towers can literally go down as they have here.
you time might be better spent reading or looking into taking care of business after the 'event'.
i have shown all my neighbors where the shutoffs are and they know i would check on them anyway.
a friend is looking into the satellite internet thing, that might be a start. (starlink)

 

[FKimble]

I disagree with your reasoning on keeping a landline. It has miles and miles of line, all held up by poles or routed under ground. A quake will wipe out lots of poles and can take out underground cables along a fault line. A cell phone can reach farther with no infastructure in the immediate area.

Frank

 

[mmckenna]

A quake will wipe out lots of poles and can take out underground cables along a fault line. A cell phone can reach farther with no infastructure in the immediate area.

Growing up in earthquake country and going through some big quakes, that's not quite the way it works.
Fault line shift can damage cable plant, but only if crossing the fault. That's pretty rare. Same with poles coming down, not a common occurrence.

The issue with the old circuit switched phone systems was overloading of trunking leaving the area. 1989 earthquake in the SF bay area didn't take down much in the way of wired phone service. The issues that happened was that so many people were calling loved ones outside the area to check in that the long distance paths leaving the area were maxed out. Calling within the area wasn't an issue.

Best solution is to have more than one means of communications, and to be patient. Any network can get overloaded in a disaster.

 

[jeepsandradios]

I've been an inreach fan for a while now. We live in an area with spotty cell and I work in places with no cell so the safety aspect is a plus. you get certain messages on the base plan for free so can send "hey i'm ok" to contacts that you predefine under the plan for free. Simple and efficient.

 

[KB2GOM]

I interviewed a guy who went three weeks without electricity on the Mississippi Gulf Shores after Hurricane Katrina. He became a ham as a result of his experience.

The interview can be found here: The fertilizer hits the fan radio kit

Perhaps the information there will provide some insight.

McKenna's comments are useful. In addition, a lot will depend on what communications networks are active in your area.

And lot will depend on the nature of the emergency. If cell phones are up, the networks may be overwhelmed.

I think redundancy in communications in case of emergency is a good idea.

 

[VK6NCB]

Welcome to a great hobby !
It is nothing more than that though. yes, you may be able to call for help in an emergency, but there is a lot more reliable methods out there.
I work in the radio industry and have been a ham for 5 years now. I regularly travel to remote areas, 150-200 miles outside of cell phone range.
when I am in these areas my ham radio stays at home, I have a Zoleo in my pocket, a work provided PLB in the car, my cell phone and a UHF CB radio (literally every truck and most offroaders and mine vehicles will have a UHF CB on channel 40 when out away from the city)

for situations like you describe, if you have a communications plan set with those you want to contact, it can work. my father used ham radio when he drove the Canning Stock Route through outback western australia, back in the early 80s. his elmer had a radio on every afternoon waiting for his check in, and they had plans in place if he missed a set number of check ins.