"brad" wrote in message
. ..

Not at all- especially if you need medical aid.

chances of a ham radio operator being 'at hand' at that time,
is about the same as flagging down a squad or a police car.

Usually when they are going to be out longer than that,
they bring in portable cell sites ( generator powered ), and can cover
the
majority of the effected area.

Good point- You should invest in one of those to pull behind your fiero.

The Fiero is getting a new exhaust system, but the Corvette is running
fine,
thanks I'll bear that in mind. (2 seater plastic cars, you gotta love them )

"labtech_one" wrote in message
...

chances of a ham radio operator being 'at hand' at that time,
is about the same as flagging down a squad or a police car.

I'm sure you have the statistics to back that up. It's obvious you see no
value in the ham radio system as it is today- that's fine with me. I think
redundant, reliable 2 way communications can only help when things go to
hell.

The Fiero is getting a new exhaust system, but the Corvette is running
fine,
thanks I'll bear that in mind. (2 seater plastic cars, you gotta love
them )

Plastic fantastic- no thanks I'll pass.

"brad" wrote in message
. ..
chances of a ham radio operator being 'at hand' at that time,
is about the same as flagging down a squad or a police car.

I'm sure you have the statistics to back that up. It's obvious you see no
value in the ham radio system as it is today- that's fine with me. I think
redundant, reliable 2 way communications can only help when things go to
hell.

Actaually no I don't have statistics, to back that up, (The number of sworn
officers of local agencies in USA is 1.5 per 1,000 of population.) that
means
that there would be at least 450,000 police alone, but there are well over
1 million police and fire personel in the USA, somehow I don't believe
ham radio carries quite that number, last I heard.( the ARRL reports
150,000-members ) So actually finding a police or EMS/Fire person,
should be easier.


The Fiero is getting a new exhaust system, but the Corvette is running
fine,
thanks I'll bear that in mind. (2 seater plastic cars, you gotta love
them )

Plastic fantastic- no thanks I'll pass.

NO RUST

"labtech_one" wrote in message
...

"brad" wrote in message
. ..
chances of a ham radio operator being 'at hand' at that time,
is about the same as flagging down a squad or a police car.

Actaually no I don't have statistics, to back that up, (The number of
sworn
officers of local agencies in USA is 1.5 per 1,000 of population.) that
means
that there would be at least 450,000 police alone, but there are well over
1 million police and fire personel in the USA, somehow I don't believe
ham radio carries quite that number, last I heard.( the ARRL reports
150,000-members ) So actually finding a police or EMS/Fire person,
should be easier.

in 2000 there were almost 700,000 licensed hams in the US.

Ok so we argree that the chances are roughly ( give or take a few
percentages)
that a ham on a scene is about as good as finding an 'emergency' (
police/fire)
person.

And I never said there wasn't a 'place' for ham radio, as a hobby its great,
if thats what you enjoy, ( same as me restoring 20 year old cars and
listening to my shortwave ( talk about a dying hobby ), or my scanners,
( also evolving, to digital and a pain in the butt )
I even own a couple Yeasu FT767 GX+ rigs, 1 with filtered
speaker, and the other with the phone patch speaker
Both have the 6m, 2m, 70cm modules ( both came that way),
They make FANTASTIC shortwave radios.

Don't get me wrong, I love radio, radios, and radio equipment
( I've spent thousands of dollars on radios ) The one I cherrish
the most, is probably my 1938 Zenith 9 tube Walton tombstone
tube radio.

Justifying HAM radio by its NEED in a emergercy, just isn't
as true as it was 30, 40 or 50 years ago. As a hobby, I say
go for it, but don't expect people to believe that ham radio is NEEDED.

What annoys me, is the jackass's that clung to CW like it was the
very heart of ham radio. Its outdated ( a relic from before the civil
war ) Had these people changed the rules 30 years ago and got
more and younger people interested, ham radio might not be where
it is today.

Another thing that annoys me about HAM radio ( or should I say its
users ) is, well read this and you figure it out :


"Thumper2u" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm new in here. Looks like this might be a good group for me to ask
some questions. I used to enjoy scanners back in the day when they
were all analog, and before police, fire and EMS went to trunked,
digital radios. I don't know much about scanning in todays world.

I am interested in learning about pc radio scanning software. I have
heard of software/hardware you can use in conjunction with your desk
top pc that allows you to use the computer to scan radio freq's. I
live in an apartment condo so having a 60 foot antennae is out of the
question. Does anyone know about this software for pc that can advise
me where to look for it, how good is it, etc?

I am interested in monitoring police, fire, EMS, military, little
green men from Alpha Centauri :-) just about anything that would be
interesting. I could really use some guidance from people who are
experienced in radio scanning so I can figure out what I need, how to
use it, and what to expect.

My wife says I need a hobby :-)

Reply :

"DJ" wrote in message
. ..
Get your Amateur Radio License from the FCC, then you'll have access to
the
majority of radio traffic. Go to www.qrz.com for more info!!


MY REPLY:

He has 'access' to the ham bands WITHOUT becoming an Amateur Radio operator,
just like everyone else. Since he mentioned 'scanning' ( listening), anyone
can do that.
I have many radios, some shortwave, some scanners, some wide band receivers
that do both.
I enjoy listening, but have NO desire to become a ham radio operator.

"labtech_one" wrote in message
...
Ok so we argree that the chances are roughly ( give or take a few
percentages)
that a ham on a scene is about as good as finding an 'emergency' (
police/fire)
person.

And I never said there wasn't a 'place' for ham radio, as a hobby its
great,
if thats what you enjoy, ( same as me restoring 20 year old cars and
listening to my shortwave ( talk about a dying hobby ), or my scanners,
( also evolving, to digital and a pain in the butt )
I even own a couple Yeasu FT767 GX+ rigs, 1 with filtered
speaker, and the other with the phone patch speaker
Both have the 6m, 2m, 70cm modules ( both came that way),
They make FANTASTIC shortwave radios.

Don't get me wrong, I love radio, radios, and radio equipment
( I've spent thousands of dollars on radios ) The one I cherrish
the most, is probably my 1938 Zenith 9 tube Walton tombstone
tube radio.

Justifying HAM radio by its NEED in a emergercy, just isn't
as true as it was 30, 40 or 50 years ago. As a hobby, I say
go for it, but don't expect people to believe that ham radio is NEEDED.

What annoys me, is the jackass's that clung to CW like it was the
very heart of ham radio. Its outdated ( a relic from before the civil
war ) Had these people changed the rules 30 years ago and got
more and younger people interested, ham radio might not be where
it is today.

In a real catastrophe or disaster, it is unknown how a society's
infrastructure will be damaged. Who knows -- maybe transportation, maybe
communications, maybe government, maybe something else, will collapse.
That's part of why you have redundant backup systems (like HAM radio) in the
event of an emergency. True, HAM radio is not the most efficient available
today, but like in a situation like hurricane Katrina, when government,
communications, transportation, etc., have collapsed, it is a handy backup
system.
-Mindraker