Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

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russellhltn
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#151

Post by russellhltn »

JAYoung wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:43 am I need current advice on what equipment is good to purchase (and from what source), and what training should be obtained.
That's a difficult question to answer without knowing more. Being the only person with a radio usually isn't that helpful. You need to know who you can communicate with and what modes and frequencies they use. In the U.S., I'd suggest staring with trying to contact RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) or ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) groups in your area. Typically one is stronger/more organized then the other. RACES groups are affiliated with a local emergency management agency, while ARES groups are organized by the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) and are connected with "served agencies". These might be Salvation Army (who also has their own group SATERN), the Red Cross, local hospitals, etc.

You may also want to explore connecting with CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). While RACES and ARES are more focused on supporting responding agencies, CERT is more about helping your neighbor, but frequently has a radio communication element to it. My stake has been holding CERT training. You'll probably want to explore a bit to find the right group that fits your interests.

Once you know who you will be talking to, you'll know what kind of equipment you'll need. Usually it will be a 2 meter or 2m/70cm transceiver. Either a hand-held or a mobile. There's also that little detail of getting a license. Which one you needs depends on if you need to use HF or not.

ARRL does have some good training, but local groups may have other requirements.

Good luck!
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gregs325
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#152

Post by gregs325 »

JAYoung wrote: Wed Nov 09, 2022 12:43 am I am a complete novice, but want to be prepared to offer help to my family and ward in the event our cell phones are not in service in an emergency. I don't believe we have any such provision in our ward for ham radio (I will find out), but I need current advice on what equipment is good to purchase (and from what source), and what training should be obtained. If possible, a rough idea of the cost of said equipment would be appreciated. I have emailed MARA and one other person, but have not had a reply. An older post named equipment, but I would very much appreciate updated suggestions. Thank you in advance.
You need to define:
-Who you want to talk to
-How far away (miles) are they
-What's your budget
-How reliable of communications do you want
russellhltn
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#153

Post by russellhltn »

gregs325 wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 6:52 pm You need to define:
-Who you want to talk to
-How far away (miles) are they
And the terrain in between.
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Bbelka
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#154

Post by Bbelka »

There are a lot of messages and I haven't gone through all of them. I have a license that I got years ago in stake training in Salt Lake City. Anyways, I looked at a couple of the radios that are discussed in this forum and one was the Yaesu FT-2900R mobile. It seems like the range is no farther than 100 miles. What would be the most useful? I know that ham radios can have an endless range depending on conditions. But if I were in Texas, wouldn't I want to reach Salt Lake City?
rmrichesjr
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#155

Post by rmrichesjr »

The posts I could find that mentioned that specific radio model are from 2011, twelve years ago. If you're looking to buy a radio of that model, you might want to check whether it's still available.
russellhltn
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#156

Post by russellhltn »

Bbelka wrote: Tue May 23, 2023 6:30 pm But if I were in Texas, wouldn't I want to reach Salt Lake City?
It depends on what your plan is. SLC is a bit far away to help. You probably need to coordinate and work with the local people first.

Also keep in mind that the more powerful the radio, the bigger the batteries that you'll need to power it.

The radio you mention is 2 meter only. Two meters isn't going from TX to UT. You'd want an HF rig (at least 20m and 40m) to do that. It does require a higher grade of license. But because those frequencies involve large antennas, it's not really well-suited for local or portable communication. There's no one band that does it all.
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Libarata
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#157

Post by Libarata »

My ward is revamping our 20 year old emergency plan. I have been tasked with adding a HAM radio blurb. Do any of you have an excerpt I can use as an example? Right now I have the "the church has no official affiliation..." "the following frequencies are not exclusively set aside for church use, but..." I then have the repeater that a stake level member owns and that we would use if needed, and then the primary and secondary simplex frequencies we use for stake nets.

At first glance, i think I have it, but im sure most of your are far more qualified than I haha.

KO4UOA
russellhltn
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#158

Post by russellhltn »

You might want to mention that it requires a license to transmit on ham frequencies.
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Libarata
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#159

Post by Libarata »

russellhltn wrote:
> You might want to mention that it requires a license to transmit on ham
> frequencies.

I suppose. When the next line of revisions come down, I will add that. I also messaged the bishop of the nearest ward not in our stake(borders our south) to see if they had radios in their plan, and if they would be interested in establishing a simplex frequency or two for inter ward communication.
adkinsjm
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Re: Amateur Radio and Emergency Communications

#160

Post by adkinsjm »

The issue with this is many “self call” themselves to certain roles. Stick with what the stake is doing. The stake president will know what the area presidency wants to do.
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