comms preps

I keep imagining people will strive to set the magic of radio to work for them before they need it.

I consider myself a rank beginner in the radio world, but have made the personal leap into visualizing its value in emergencies … AND a serious commitment in hardware to ensure that can work for my family and my community.

Heck, I talk about a “serious commitment”, yet people spend more on “smart phones” that will be deaf, dumb and blind in an emergency.

I have a friend who claims to be “deaf”, but is simply overstating that she is “hard of hearing”. Nevertheless, the amateur two-way radio world is full of people who have reduced hearing abilities. Both the innovators and the marketplace have responded. There are speaker, headphone and other systems that can enable those of limited audio capacities.

Imagine walking for two hours only to discover that who or what you made the trip for was not there … and the disappointing return trip. Visualize a two-minute, two-way radio communication saving you the round trip.

The latter scenario does not happen if YOU do not have a 2-way radio.

Neither does it happen if the people at your destination don’t have a radio.

Significantly, this is were the practice, practice, practice part comes in …

It does not happen unless both radio operators are UP and ON the same frequency at the same time.

Chat, even silly stuff, at least every week on a set frequency / channel at a fixed time, and you will all automatically go to that frequency in an emergency.

Communication complete!

Take a moment to visualize how you would reach your friends and neighbors without phone or Internet.

Whaddya gunna do, INVENT smoke signals?

Radios would be handy, eh?