natural or biological diasters

[amick614]

Hello All......I am very new to this side of radio land so please forgive my terminology if it is in correct,.....what is the most common freq. range or meter band that amateur radio operators would provide assistance to there local community in the case of natural or biological disasters with the assumption that conventional forms of municipality failure that scanners would not receive any public safety info. I know that is a very broad question but any help is always appreciated....general consensuses ?????

 

[w2xq]

Local like 10-50 miles? My guess 2 meters. If an area like a state or region like the tornadoes that tore through IL, KY today, 75 or 40 meters depending on the time of the day/night.

 

[KG4INW]

Well, I'd imagine most every ham has at least 2m capabilities and that'd be great for local communication. Of course, we'd use repeaters until/if they are(were) available, then after that simplex. It's good to practice for emergency situations beforehand so that when they actually occur, you'll have the best chance of actually being able to communicate.

 

[elk2370bruce]

In most areas of the country, either ARES or RACES (or both) are active using local repeaters on 144, 220,
or 440 MHz. Talk to your emergency management reps or local club to get a list of the repeaters they use. Better yet, get involved and trained to participate rather then passively listen in. Its much more rewarding and far better then lurking in the background.

 

[LtDoc]

It depends on what's required and what's available for use. In general, VHF/UHF is good choice for "local" communications. It's also usable for fairly wide spread, or maybe state level communications. For distances more than 'local' HF frequency ranges are typically more 'usable'. All of this is dependent on "Momma Nature" and her propagation of course. And also on -availability- of the supporting structures, power, equipment, and people who can use them.
'KISS' is a very, very good attitude to have. It's also a matter of what's going to 'fit' the particular situation. I don't think there's a "one size fit's all" possible. Any and all aspects have to be 'adjustable' or they can/WILL cause more problems than they solve.
- 'Doc

Asking your local Emergency Management people about this is a very good idea! You might be careful when doing that, cuz' you just might be put to work.

 

[K9WG]

Looks like 146.820 and 448.775 would be used for ARES. Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club

RACES loks like they use 449.175 OPERATION