Episode # 392 Notes
Episode # 392, Ham Radio Provided Ecomms For PD & FD After A Major Tornado , Hamfest Interview, Ham Radio Field Day, And A Life Saved Because Of A Ham Radio.
A weather disaster moves through your area. All the power is out and all the cell towers are down. All normal means of communications are down. On today’s episode we are going to talk about using ham radio to communicate during emergencies, it's various uses, an interview from the Black Warrior Hamfest, and a true life-or death story from Mark's hunting days.
HAM radio is an ages old hobby that not only brings a lot of enjoyment, but also serves the community in times of emergency and disaster.
Ham radio is a hobby.
As a hobby you meet a lot of great people both on the radio and in person. There are ham radio clubs, public service events, exercises, and hamfests.
Ham radio is an emergency communications tool. When nothing else works, ham radio works. Ham operators serve during natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, and other events.
They also serve after man-made disasters. September 11, 2001 is a great example.
There are many options available in ham radio. Two meter VHF is generally for local use, with repeaters having backup power.
HF (high frequency) is "radio-to-radio" for long distance communications across the state, the country, or international.
An example of public service is the Hurricane net on HF. This net activates whenever there is a hurricane within 300 miles of land, to listen for any ships or boats in distress.
It is a great tool for weather spotting. Ham radio operators can provide valuable ground truth in reference to weather conditions, extent of damage, location of survivors, requesting resources, and availability of resources.
Ham operators provide communications in disasters for various groups and agencies.
In the interview you’ll hear that after a major disaster on April 27, 2011, ham radio operators were providing emergency communications for the local sheriff’s department, police department, fire department and local ambulance service.
April 27, 2011 the group I worked with, put a ham operator with every on-scene head of agency. One with each the EMA Director, the FEMA Coordinator, Red Cross Coordinator, and various disaster relief coordinators
Ham radio field day is a twenty-four hour Emergency communications exercise held every year, on the last full weekend in June. The purpose is to practice making contacts without the use of commercial power and using temporary antennas.
Many operators, clubs, or groups set up in remote locations. Antennas are put up for the weekend and radios are run off non-commercial power search as batteries and or solar panels.
On Saturday, we took our 14 year old grandson Noah, and his girlfriend Saylor, to where the St Clair County ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) group was set up at a location in Pell City Alabama. A friend, John Higgins, helped Noah understand ham radio, taught him how to talk on ham radio, taught him how to hear what is being said, and let him operate for about a half hour. He made over a dozen contacts across the US including Puerto Rico. He’s now studying for his Technician class ham radio license, and will test at the Huntsville, Al. Hamfest August 19th.
Speaking of HAMfest, the week before Field Day, we went to the Black Warrior Hamfest in Tuscaloosa County Alabama where Krista did an interview with John Hayes, one of the members who make it happen.
Before you hear the interview, let us explain two terms he uses in the interview. Those are:
"Elmers" – term used for mentors & teachers
“HF” – High Frequency Radio, for really long distance communications
Overall, ham radio can be a vital life-saving tool in emergencies and disaster situations, providing a reliable means of communication when other methods are unavailable.
I share the account of a time ham radio saved the life of a friend who fell twelve feet from a tree, breaking his back. Because of ham radio, we were able to get to him and get him from the woods to the hospital, saving his life.
We want to encourage you to consider getting your ham radio license. The Technician class (entry level) is not hard. It requires a little study, and a test. Costs are $15 for the test, and $35 for a 10 year FCC license. If you don't want to get the ham license, consider a GMRS radio.
In either case, consider getting a hand-held radio with an upgraded antenna.
We have several episodes on ham radio, including an episode on various radio services including HAM and GMRS.
All those episodes are linked below.
Please share this episode with those you know who may be interested in ham radio.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Black Warrior Hamfest Click Here
HAM Radio Links:
Episode # 229, "HAM Radio, Tent Camping, And Practicing Our Prepper Skills"
Episode # 163, "Various Radio Services Available To Preppers"
Episode # 208, "Building a Radio Go-Bag, And Working A Remote Location During Public Service Events Or Searches For Missing Persons"
Episode # 199, "What The HAM Are You Saying? Don't Be Afraid To Talk On Your HAM Radio. Here's How."
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