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When there’s a disaster or power outage and all forms of modern-day communication are down, what do you do?
It’s not hypothetical. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 brought so much destruction that 73 percent of people lost Internet service and 58 percent home phone service, and one in four cell phone towers simply stopped working. Desperate residents had no way to reach friends and family.
There’s a better way to communicate during a crisis – and it will work no matter the situation. Ham radio has been the go-to method for crisis communication for decades, and on this week’s edition of Off The Grid Radio,we talk to one of the nation’s leading ham experts, H. Ward Silver.
He tells us how to get started and also shares with us:
- How ham radio can be used to send and receive email and pictures.
- What equipment you’ll need when the power’s out.
- Why ham radio is preferred over other forms of communication during disasters.
- What you need to know to find friends and family members on ham radio during a crisis.
- How much money you’ll spend on your first system.
Silver is the author of HAM Radio for Dummies and is lead editor of the two primary amateur radio technical references, both published by the American Radio Relay League. In other words, he knows what he’s talking about.
Ham radio operators were some of the heroes during Sandy, getting word to emergency responders and family members when all other forms of communication failed. Listen as Silver tells you everything you need to know to be prepared when the next disaster strikes.
