{"id":57,"date":"2022-09-24T05:23:44","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T05:23:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/straightkey.com\/?p=57"},"modified":"2022-09-24T05:23:45","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T05:23:45","slug":"ham-radio-as-an-emergency-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/straightkey.com\/?p=57","title":{"rendered":"ham radio as an ’emergency’ service"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(I started drafting this in 2020 and must have forgotten about it… but another Reddit post yesterday made me think of this again)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I keep seeing this question over and over on Reddit. (Here’s another one that inspired me to finish my ‘thoughts’ on this post: https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/amateurradio\/comments\/xln3kq\/question_rocky_mountain_national_park_emergency\/ <\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I’ve mentioned a few hundred times already, I’ve been out of the loop for 2 decades. And before that, I was only mildly in the loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, amateur radio was about trying to connect with family. I didn’t join the ranks of ham radio operators to make new friends, but it didn’t stop me from doing so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My interest was mainly in HF and CW. Beyond that, 2m and SSB on HF really didn’t trip my trigger. I had a 2m HT and a 440 HT but my heart wasn’t in it. I’m finding the same basic interest level in VHF\/UHF again in 2020!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, I find myself drawn to CW on HF but I’m also interested in checking out the new digital modes as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I keep seeing posts on Reddit (r\/amateurradio and r\/hamradio subs) where folks are asking about using ham radio as an emergency service for hiking and driving in the wilderness. These are usually people without a license but who have already bought a cheap Baofeng radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like me, they were lured in by the low price. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike me, they bought the radio with another purpose in mind – transmitting for personal use either on FRS\/GMRS or other frequencies (possibly in the ham bands) but without any desire to get licensed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, some of them go through the motions and get a license. Maybe they actually enjoy the hobby. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But many of these folks bought the radio thinking they could communicate with or monitor emergency services like Fire, Rescue, and Police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, those days are largely in the past. Emergency services folks are using trunked, digital radios that operate outside the bands covered by these Baofeng rigs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so, naturally, these same folks ask questions like “Will this radio be useful in an emergency? Like if I fall over a cliff or get stranded in the middle of a national park?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer, unsurprisingly, is largely “no”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no centralized emergency frequencies – though I don’t know why there aren’t. Ham radio was never designed to be an emergency service alternative; although in the past, hams have been very helpful during national disasters when traditional communications services are disrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve seen it in action but it’s been a few decades since I’ve witnessed it. I assume there is still some usefulness for hams in these situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many reasons why I would not rely on ham radio to save my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n