Lucas Adcock
Staff Writer
Let’s start with a vivid scenario – one which cripples the grid, extinguishing telecommunications via both landline and cell coverage. To add to the scenario, and to make it more realistic, let’s assume this outage occurs within a 25-mile radius of your home, localizing the issue within a range that still can prove difficult for emergency responders and emergency calls for accidents that may occur during the outage. Now, because the lines are down, the power is out, which also means no internet, and if you’re in Pocahontas County, odds are you don’t have cell service at your home unless you’re connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or an alternate range-extender.
To make matters worse in our scenario, a major snowstorm has just rolled in which is the obvious cause of the outage. The power company estimates at least a week before power is completely restored (little do they know it’ll be nearly a month because of future unforeseen weather that exacerbates the issue.) I know what you’re thinking – It’s just a power outage, not a doomsday scenario! But remember when COVID had just become the major issue and for some reason the hot commodity was toilet paper? People fighting or killing each other of something to wipe with. Now imagine people unable to leave their house for a month, much less go to the store for basic supplies prior to the shut-in.
Chaos ensues in unexpected ways, and usually at unexpected times.
With no phones, no internet, horrendous weather, being trapped at home, the only reliable source of communication you can have is a ham radio. Sure, you can have a simple set of walkie-talkies that operate on the standard set of Family Radio Service (FRS) channel frequencies for localized communication, no license need- ed. However, with FRS your range and capabilities are extremely limited on these radios. This is why emergency services and volunteers who are licensed, operate on ham radios during times of emergency.
If you’re unfamiliar with ham radio, or as it is openly referred to by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – “Amateur Radio,” it is simply a designated set of bands (allocated by the FCC) on the radio frequency spectrum that operators who have a license may utilize to communicate.
There are three levels of licenses, with each one granting the operator legal access to more frequencies and bands within the allocated spectrum by the FCC. In the United States, these bands range from 1.8 MHz on the High Frequency (HF) spectrum, all the way up to higher bands in the GHz for use of authorized modes of communications that are more than just voice. These alternate forms of communication are what make amateur radio so valuable in times of crisis. They include CW (Continuous Waveform; i.e., Morse Code), SSB (Single Side Band), Data, and Image forms of communications. Yes, you can send basic picture-imagery over radio waves to a laptop that has the appropriate software, without the need for internet.
While sending pictures may not be the most realistic mode of communication in emergencies, the ability to connect to repeaters allows the operator to reach distances that they would not otherwise be able to reach with FRS. In addition, and alongside FRS and ham bands, there are sets of General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) bands that you can purchase a license to operate on. While you can connect to repeater stations through a GMRS radio, they are more limited than ham radio in their operational range of frequencies. Unlike ham, however, you are able to purchase a GMRS license online with no test to be taken.
There are endless options out there for ham radios, including cheap to extremely expensive setups, where cheaper options means limited operational bands. There are handheld ham radios ranging from $30 all the way to hundreds or more. There are mobile base stations that can be installed in your vehicle for communication on the go. And there are permanent radios that you can use to set up your own base station at home, as long as your base station abides by FCC guidelines.
In times of disaster, ham radio operators are not just emergency response, but trained community members who are licensed through the FCC with their own callsign. While living in a beautiful area like Pocahontas County has amazing pros, it can come with some cons, those cons being communication. If you don’t currently have your Amateur Radio license, it’s a good idea to have this ability in your back pocket, so to speak, (but also quite literally) in case there comes a time where you need quick and reliable communications.
Regardless of whether you have an inexpensive or extremely expensive setup, these radios can operate on battery power and / or solar power options and plugged into generators, enabling communications when the power is non-existent. And regardless of whether you use ham radio for emergencies or not, the hobby itself is just plain fun!
There are tons of ham radio-prep options online to study for the three license classes, a majority of which involve anything from basic understanding of radio frequency theory, station setups, frequency bands, and FCC laws and regulations. The license tiers are: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra, with Technician being the lowest available option, though it does allow a very reasonable range of operational frequencies.
Testing for Amateur Radio licenses including upgrades will be held on March 10, at 7 p.m. at the Cass Fire House. All test levels will be offered and will be provided free of charge, made possible by the Laurel Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VEC) and facilitated by the 8 Rivers Amateur Radio Club. Attendees may take more than one exam during this testing session, meaning if you pass Technician, you may go on to take General, and then Amateur Extra if passed. This means that you could walk in without ever having had your ham license, and leave with the highest level.
More details are provided by Rudy Marrujo at 304-456-3057 and what is required of attendees before arriving to take the exam.
If you’re ever on the airwaves, listen for my callsign: KF8EBF.
Lucas Adcock may be contacted at lucasadcock@pocahontastimes.com
