I have recently become more aware of and generally interested in electronics and amateur radio, and it got me thinking. What advantage, if any, would there be to having amateur radio experience, over a simple disaster crank radio/flashlight, in the event of a major natural disaster or some other emergency that leads to a longer delay in power being restored? For the sake of argument, let’s assume you have a generator or battery bank to supply your own electricity.

  • ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.worldEnglish
    20·
    5 days ago

    I assume you’re talking about HAM radio?

    A buddy of mine got really into that. From what he’s told me, yes getting licensed is pretty cheap and straightforward. But getting a rig can be a bit pricey. With even a fairly basic second-hand rig costing hundreds of dollars or more.

    It’s something I’m tired with getting into, but I haven’t had much time to really dig into it any further. Do you have any insights or links/resources you can share?

    Thanks.

    • wirehead@lemmy.world
      18·
      5 days ago

      I guess it depends on your aspirations and where you live?

      A radio that can hit the bands longer than the 10 meter band is pricey. Which is why Ham has traditionally been the sort of hobby that a distinguished older white gentleman does, not a thing for regular people.

      On the other hand, a cheap VHF/UHF handheld radio can be really quite cheap (Baofeng radios being an example). You will only be able to talk to the local area but most areas have a repeater in convenient geographic locations (mountaintops, ideally) that will listen on one frequency and then transmit at higher power on another frequency so that you can reach a wider area. So in my area for the EmComm use-case, there’s a whole organized VHF/UHF system of volunteers.

      Oh yeah, and you can also screw around with putting custom firmware on WiFi devices or Meshtastic in Ham mode.

      I dono… I’d like to think that there’s useful things especially these days to be done with Ham radio and that it’s not just a thing that is just for distinguished older white gentlemen, but it’s kinda hamstrung (LOL, pun) by the present-day audience that’s preventing people from seeing what it could be.

        • beastlykings@sh.itjust.works
          3·
          5 days ago

          To add to that, if you learn Morse code, you can use the lowest license level to use all the bands, and talk around the world with quite low power. The radios for this are cheaper, and the whole thing can be made even cheaper with things like 3d printing.

          Now I know most people aren’t gonna do that. But it’s interesting that Morse code not only still exists, but is thriving. Right now, as you read this, people are having conversations with Morse code. Literally 24/7 around the world, over radio. Pretty cool stuff.

          It’s hard to learn, I’ve technically learned it, but I never got super proficient, and now I’m rusty haha. There are apps for keeping sharp, I should do that.