Someone stopped by searching for “is amateur radio an emergency resource.”
In one word, yes. In more, ask someone who spent the first three weeks after Katrina in the Gulfport to Hattiesburg to Jackson area. We had more than 1,000 “hams” come from as far away as Alaska to provide emergency comms, and they were definitely more than useful.
Most law enforcement agencies, emergency management agencies, and the handful of area commercial radio stations that managed to stay on the air had at least one ham providing emergency traffic in and out. In addition, hams who found supplies or problems would notify the ham at the station of what was going on. The hams were real lifesavers, and their services were much appreciated.
Most of the emergency traffic was on the 144 to 148 MegaHertz (MHz or megacycle) band called “two meters.” The range of those rigs is essentially line of sight, but hams put up “range extenders” called “repeaters,” and network the repeaters to get area wide coverage. And naturally, many key repeaters have enough emergency power to stay on the air for an extended period.
The HF bands, the 75, 40, and sometimes the 20 Meter bands have far greater range. They were fine during the California earthquake, since I could take traffic from Northridge, and relay it back to LA.
And of course, between emergencies hams use their equipment to talk to friends around the world. When my day began, long before daylight, long time friends in Europe and the Soviet bloc were on and glad to hear from their friends in the States. Later, propagation to Spain, Africa, and then South America opened, and then closed. A few minutes ago, I exchanged a few words with an Aussie friend I have not talked to since 1998. Geoff still remember most of my personal details, as I recall his.
But in ordinary times, the ham radio community is much like an extended family. One that has distant cousins in places few have ever heard of.
How do you get in this game? Well, you need a license and a radio. Radios are comparatively cheap these days. A dual band hand held transceiver for the two meter and 440 MHz bands can be had for less than a box of hunting ammo. A full fledged and quite competent HF rig starts at about the same price as a case of 5.57′s. Both will run for days on a deep cycle marine battery — and a relatively inexpensive solar panel and regulator will turn a week or so into years.
And then there is the license. These days, there is no code test. While many hams do learn “code” after they have been on the air a while, it is not necessary. The tests are administered by local “Volunteer Examiner” or VE teams in almost every town of any size. The cost is usually less than twenty bucks, and most exam sessions are “test until you fail.” So “you can come with nothing and go home waiting on your extra” for one fee. If you can answer 84 out of
150
120 questions correctly.
But the details depend on which “Volunteer Examiner Coordinator” or VEC handles the very appreciable paperwork involved. But there is no charge for the license itself, just for administering the tests and filing the paperwork with the FCC.
The basic or Technician license test consists largely of questions about operating and the rules of the road. There are 35 multiple choice questions, there is plenty of practice material available for nit on the net, and you must answer 70 percent of the questions correctly. It is pretty much a “if you read the book, you will pass” exam.
The next step up is the General class test, which has some very basic technical questions, but the emphasis is on knowing where you can operate and the rules of operation. And, like the Tech test, it’s 35 Q’s and 70 percent to pass.
The third step is the “Extra” and that is a 50 question test, with heavy emphasis on technical subjects.
And for all classes of license, I would strongly suggest you visit the arrl.org website and buy the license manuals. Unlike most, they give you the “wherefore and the whereas” as well as the questions and the answers. It really helps to know why you are doing what you are doing.
How long does it take to get your license? You can operate as soon as your radio identification, your “call,” has been assigned to you. The local VE team gives tests on Saturdays, and it is not at all unusual for the successful candidates calls to show up on the FCC website the following Tuesday.
So the bottom line is this. In an emergency, ham radio is a lifesaver. At other times, ham radio is a lot of fun. So do it. And look for me on 30.
Stranger