"mad amoeba" wrote in message
. net...
I was affected by the recent blackout in North East. That got me thinking
of
how would
one communicate during such an event. Electricity including phones were
out.
Cellular phones didn't work either. So the only way of receiving
informaiton
was by radio.
My old Sony wm-gx670 did quite nicely. But what if I would need to
communicate with
my relatives or even cops to let them know of an emmergency. If
telephone/cellular/internet
are not available what are my other options? Let's say people I want to
communicate with
are more than several miles away in an urban area. That makes CB radio
useless--right? So
then as far as I understand using ham radio is my only option. With that
you
can either get in
touch with your relatives directly, provided they have ham radio as well,
or
you can call
some person in an area without blackout and tell them to call
police/ambulance etc if that's
what you need.

Not knowing much myself about scanners/shortwaves/hams myself I want to
ask
you guys
with more experience if the below piece of equipment is what I need.

As far as I understand this is an handheld ham radio which also functions
as
a scanner and
can also receive on a shortwave band. So it will allow me to communicate
with people
far away even in urban setting, it is portable and it will also allow me
to
monitor news as
well as police/firefighters etc. Am I right?

Yaesu VX-2R
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht/0176.html

the price is kind of steep but for all-in-one product I would be willing
to
pay it.



You need a license if you want to transmit legally. The Amatuer Radio Relay
League has some information on getting licensed. Here's a couple of pages
you might find interesting:

http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html

http://www.remote.arrl.org/news/stor...8/15/102/?nc=1

Frank Dresser

"Frank Dresser" wrote in message

You need a license if you want to transmit legally.

Would the FCC prosecute someone for using a ham rig without a license
if there were no other way to communicate that someone was injured or
other "emergency" help was needed? Seems like a mobile ham rig would
be a nice backup in such cases.

Markeau ...

^ Would the FCC prosecute someone for using a ham rig
^ without a license if there were no other way to communicate
^ that ... "emergency" help was needed? Seems like a mobile ham
^ rig would be a nice backup in such cases.

A radio tuned to your local police department would get quicker help.

Frank

Frank wrote:

Markeau ...

^ Would the FCC prosecute someone for using a ham rig
^ without a license if there were no other way to communicate
^ that ... "emergency" help was needed? Seems like a mobile ham
^ rig would be a nice backup in such cases.

A radio tuned to your local police department would get quicker help.


Come up on a cop freq?

That's not *all* you'll get.

Offbreed ...

^ Frank wrote:
^ Markeau ...
^ ^ Would the FCC prosecute someone for using a ham rig
^ ^ without a license if there were no other way to
^ ^ communicate that ... "emergency" help was needed?
^ A radio tuned to your local police department would get
^ quicker help.

^ Come up on a cop freq?
^
^ That's not *all* you'll get.

You'll get the same if you came up on any frequency you aren't licensed to
transmit on. Cop frequencies are no different, except that you'll get help
faster.

Frank

"Markeau" wrote in message
...
"Frank Dresser" wrote in message

You need a license if you want to transmit legally.

Would the FCC prosecute someone for using a ham rig without a license
if there were no other way to communicate that someone was injured or
other "emergency" help was needed? Seems like a mobile ham rig would
be a nice backup in such cases.


You would have to be very certain that they would agree that it constitutes
an emergency serious enough to do so.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE

"Markeau" wrote in message
...
"Frank Dresser" wrote in message

You need a license if you want to transmit legally.

Would the FCC prosecute someone for using a ham rig without a license
if there were no other way to communicate that someone was injured or
other "emergency" help was needed? Seems like a mobile ham rig would
be a nice backup in such cases.



In the real world? They don't often act without a complaint. Who'd
complain? Even if somebody complains, they don't seem to knock themselves
out on enforcement. But I'm not close to the situation. I'm not a ham, I'm
just watching from the sidelines.

On the other hand, if you do want to get a ham rig, I don't see any reason
not to get the license. Proficency is the bigger part of preparedness.
Practice, practice, practice. In an emergency situation, it pays to have
radio operator's and communication skills which are second nature.

Frank Dresser

It has always been "my understanding" that in a "true emergency", you can
use any form of radio communications, without a license. However, not too
long ago, an amateur radio operator, involved at the scene of a very serious
life, or death, situation, used his modified HT, to summons help from the
local police. Later, they tried to do everything short of executing him for
his actions! Go figure?

Bill Crocker


"Markeau" wrote in message
...
"Frank Dresser" wrote in message

You need a license if you want to transmit legally.

Would the FCC prosecute someone for using a ham rig without a license
if there were no other way to communicate that someone was injured or
other "emergency" help was needed? Seems like a mobile ham rig would
be a nice backup in such cases.