Communication is one thing we “Nerds” take for granted in today’s modern age. For me, the very thought of not having my iPhone immediately on hand is hard to imagine. But what if the electrical grid goes down or cell-towers and switches stop working either locally or nationally? How would you communicate then? The only option is Shortwave Radio, more commonly referred to as Ham Radio or Amateur Radio.
Ham Radio refers to a spectrum of radio frequency for use by private citizens, self-training, and emergency communication. It is called “amateur” not because its easy to do, but because its license is for personal not commercial use.
NOTE:To legally broadcast, you must be licensed, which I intend to learn more about. As I learn I’ll add to my blog so that others interested in getting started don’t have to start from zero.
The best way to learn more is to go to the ARRL website and to pickup the Ham Radio License Manual (with CD) from Amazon.com. The book includes practice exams and everything you need to know to pass the exam which doesn’t seem too bad.
Ham Radio for General Information
There’s plenty of use for ham radio even if you don’t have a license. You can get a handheld radio to listen in on what’s going on while you are out and about or get a base station/desktop radio.
Most ham radios can tune in to frequencies that aren’t on the ham bands. At the airport you can listen to air traffic control. In the subway, you can listen to the local transit station and hear what is going on behind the scenes. A lot of handheld radios are waterproof so at the beach you can listen to lifeguard stations or the coast guard. You can listen to Nascar raceways and speedways, zoos, police stations, fire stations, short wave radio, subway and public transportation radios, space shuttle reentry, weather, etc.. All you need is a radio and a guide to the frequencies to tune in to.
- Local fire department, police department, transit, school safety, sanitation, hospitals, zoos, parks and lifeguards. When you listen to the police stations, you will notice that they use a lot of codes, “we have a 11-24 on Greene and Fort St.”. You can learn what those codes mean here.
- Airport frequencies Type in the airport code (i.e. JFK) and learn the frequencies for control tower, approaching flights, departing flights, pre-taxi clearance, etc.
- Local weather
- Space shuttle frequencies are only transmitted locally. But you can find retransmissions on your local frequencies toward the bottom on the page.
Ham Radio for Urban Survival
Besides general information a Ham Radio and the knowledge to use it could become an essential urban survival tool. Imagine being away on business and finding yourself cut off from communications. Perhaps the cell-towers are down and traditional communications are offline. Having a Ham Radio would enable you to connect with local Ham Radio operators and repeaters and through that network pass information along to your family back home.
In a more recent example, when BART decided to shutdown mobile phones during recent protests, having a Ham Radio would have enabled you to monitor BART station channels and police. Imagine all the ways that kind of intel might be useful for getting your ass out of dodge and back to safety!
Here is How I’m Starting
To get started, I’ve decided to buy a handheld unit that is capable of transmitting as well as receiving. This should enable me to listen in on local repeaters and get a better understanding of how it works, the language used to communicate, and general practices. With the advice of other more knowledgeable ham radio operators I’ve placed an order for a Quad-Band Yaesu VX-8DR Submersible VHF/UHF Amateur Radio Transceiver.
Product Description
The Yaesu VX-8DR is the ultimate HandHeld transceiver for Amateur radio use!
Transmits on 4 Ham radio bands (50-54Mhz Six meter, 144-148Mhz Two meter, 222-225Mhz 1.25M, 430-450Mhz 70cm), & receives 0.5-999Mhz.
With the optional FGPS-2 GPS module sold separate, the radio is fully ready for APRS. Ready to go package Includes Wall charger, 1100ma LioN battery, antenna & belt clip.
Other Optional available accessories include: the MH-74A7A waterproof speaker-mike, the E-DC-5B 12Vdc Automotive power charge cable, the CD-41 desk Drop-in charger, CT-131 mic adapter, & the FNB-102li 1800ma hi capacity battery (all sold separate).
