WRQI583

I am new to GMRS (finally), and have mobile and portable communications as of right now. Hoping to have a base set up before the end of summer. I have a UHF base antenna. I just need to get the coax and radio and get my antennas mounted permanently. I currently monitor all 8 GMRS channels on my scanner at home in addition to some Ham radio repeaters local to me and simplex calling channels. I have the same ability when I am mobile. I try to stay prepared if anyone uses them for help. I have not noticed any active repeaters except for Woodstock, Belfast, and there is one other local to the Belfast area but I cant remember what the frequency is off the top of my head. WRQI583 - GMRS N1YFA - HAM RADIO

I am new to GMRS (finally), and have mobile and portable communications as of right now. Hoping to have a base set up before the end of summer. I have a UHF base antenna. I just need to get the coax and radio and get my antennas mounted permanently. I currently monitor all 8 GMRS channels on my scanner at home in addition to some Ham radio repeaters local to me and simplex calling channels. I have the same ability when I am mobile. I try to stay prepared if anyone uses them for help. I have not noticed any active repeaters except for Woodstock, Belfast, and there is one other local to the Belfast area but I cant remember what the frequency is off the top of my head. WRQI583 - GMRS N1YFA - HAM RADIO

I wouldn't say they don't care, I think its more that they don't do as much as those in other areas of the country. They definitely don't make their presence known in the community. In the county I live in, they have an EOC and there is a lot being done as far as emergency preparedness but the public doesn't hear about it or know about it. Where I used to live, hams were out in the community much more doing activities and also sharing in the emergency preparedness. Road races, bike races, walkathons, and many other events had a truck or booth or something with Ham Radio. Aside from a few events that happen up here, there really isn't much going on. I've read about hams in other states such as Texas or Florida or even the mid section of the states where Hams are heavily involved in local stuff. What I notice a lot of is, if Hams utilize the VHF and UHF bands, they are more likely actively doing local stuff. In areas where most Hams went and upgraded their license and went down to HF and sat there and never came back up, you wont find them doing local stuff because their focus in the hobby is international stuff, not local. I've actually totaled up all the hams in just my county and the amount you hear active on repeaters and simplex vs the amount you don't is drastic. I also am in an area where there are more older hams than young so that could have a lot to do with activity. That's why I am really forced to do solitary things with radio, which is fine because I love doing propagation work figuring out dead zones and distances transmitters will go. Its not totally dead because ive had a conversation or two with some real nice guys, but busy enough for the community to notice? it is pretty dead.

I've never heard of a CERT team near me. The really sad part, most people around me have never heard of ham radio. Most people ask me what division of the state police or sheriff's department I am. Or the famous one..... what fire department. I mention ham radio and their heads spin in circles. They do have active hams with the local county EOC and they do have a very nice gentleman who is also a liason of sorts to GMRS in addition to ham radio operator but ham radio presence in my area is low enough to where people don't know what it is or does for the community. At least back in my home state I could mention ham radio and most people knew of it through the community, a relative, or a friend. Ham radio was also included in most outdoor events where communication was needed. So I think location and how active the hams are in the community make a world of difference. Also, what bands they are active on. Hams are noticed more when they have vehicles with antennas and carry radios on their sides vs. Those that sit home and only operate HF. If you are visible to the public, then the public knows you and what you're about.

Well I have to say, I don't bash any service of radio. Ham radio as a whole has a lot to offer. Its some of the people that are into it that make issues, or in some cases, dont exist in emergency situations. When I first got licensed as a ham back in the 90's the following things really intrigued me and I tried so hard to get into them - Emergency communication, VHF/UHF radio work (all modes and different things involved), building antennas for on the go type situations, maintaining a portable station where I could be out in the middle of nowhere and still operate, Skywarn, and many other things associated with off grid/emergency type communications. In the end all I got was "are you going to upgrade your license and join us on HF?" I even got the ol chuckle from those in public safety when mentioning how ham radio had a whole emergency communications aspect to it. What am I supposed to take all that as? It doesn't seem as though anyone really cares about ham radio or its ability in disaster situations. Maybe its the area I live in. Up here in the northeast most just rely on the national guard if something hit the fan, and now where I live in Maine, most people already live prepared for an emergency (which almost never happens) so no one really seems to care about communication. They all have cell phones. I know in other parts of the country, Ham Radio is used heavily in many types of emergencies, so I may be spouting my mouth off about only my little area. Going by what I have observed with my own eyes and ears, it honestly scares me if I relied fully on Ham radio for emergency communication. How I have seen Ham radio used in other areas of the country during the slightest of emergencies vs. how its been used in areas I have lived is a big difference. The lack of enthusiasm for the emergency communication aspect in addition to many other things is what caused me to take a back seat with Ham Radio. I still keep my equipment and license just in case and I still do experimenting on my own but I leave it as "It's there in case I need it". I still like to be prepared just in case.

This is exactly the argument I have had with many hams. I have been in the ham world since the 90's and what I have found is that the direction that is accepted most by the ham community is that you get your Tech license and then you upgrade ASAP so you can get into HF and disappear into the worldwide bands. Allegedly, if anything hit the fan, HF is how they will communicate because all those nasty icky repeaters would be down. I have heard more disgust for repeaters and specifically the VHF and UHF bands because allegedly, they only have repeater operation (even though there is a group of guys around my area that utilize simplex on 2 meters every night....hmmm). So, what happens is that most hams run, get their higher class license, hop on HF and do what they do on CB radio - contesting (basically). Calling CQ over and over and collecting contacts. Hardly what would happen in an emergency. I am not bashing this because its part of the hobby and its one of the neat things you can do. But when it comes to being prepared for an emergency, you need to delve into another part of the radio hobby. Theoretically, could ham radio be useful in an emergency? Absolutely! You have capability to communicate locally and internationally. The reality? How is anyone going to do that when they have spent most of their Ham Radio life doing POTA or SOTA or any other OTA? How are they going to do that when they haven't trained? Law enforcement of every type trains for the positions they are in at least twice a year if not more (Correct me if I am wrong). Military is constantly training. Hams? Most are unfortunately doing OTA activations. They have a training once a year for a few hours that happens and then they go back to their normal ham lives. The reality is that if cell service went down, panic will ensue. People, if they are prepared will run and grab a radio. What radio will that be? Not Ham. It will be a GMRS/FRS type radio. If the majority of people will be there, why stick only with Ham Radio where only a select group of people will be? I've seen some scary situations where ham radio failed and it could have costed lives. My take on it is to be prepared with your local bands and if you can have a Ham and GMRS license, do so. But I would imagine, to help your locals, GMRS/FRS will be where you need to be.

I've posted this before on other sites but when it comes to emergency communications and being notified, I trust my cell phone above any radio I have. A summer or two ago I was sitting in my back yard with my wife and a bad storm was approaching from the northwest and west and as it came towards me, it spawned 2 tornadoes just south of me. All I saw was a normal summer storm, but my cell phone emergency alert went off warning me to take cover because tornadoes had touched down and were spotted. Confused, I turned on my Ham Radio and tuned to the local repeater that carries Skywarn and heard nothing. I checked the DMR network and tuned into several talk groups including Skywarn, Again, Nothing! I continued to monitor all of them and................ you guessed it...........NOTHING. This is a common occurrence. Simply put, Cell phones are probably what they want us to use to receive our emergency alerts and communicate with. Quite honestly, Ham radio goes down more often than cell phones from my experience and that's coming from someone who lives in the rurals where cell service is spotty and who should be relying on radio in an emergency. GMRS repeaters should be installed at certain cell sites as a back up seeing how you can pick up these radios a dime a dozen and throw money at the FCC and, bam. you have a license. It would help the public out.

I know, since this post, Ham Radio now costs for the license, but Ham Radio itself is NOT cheap, unless you go with a Chinese radio and stick with repeaters. If you upgrade and get into HF you are looking at thousands of dollars just to effectively communicate and run with the big boys. Its one of many things that turn me off about HF. The big thing about Ham Radio tests for people who just want to talk is that they don't want to have to learn all that technical radio stuff. They just want to use repeaters and talk. Of course, if you live in many areas, especially like I do in the northeast, repeaters are dead so getting into Ham Radio makes no sense unless you want to jump on HF and activate OTA stations. Seems like that's all Ham Radio is now. CONTESTS. We're doomed if that's the case. If they behave like they have around me when bad weather pops up and Skywarn is supposed to be activated, You're better off tucking your head between your legs and kissing your butt goodbye. I have personally witnessed times where Ham Radio should have been used and it wasn't and it could have costed lives. Thanks to our reliable cell phone networks, people were properly warned. Ham radio is a hobby for contesting and experimenting. Its something for people who want to learn about radio and if it is left as that without the rotten politics that consume it, Its a real fun hobby because it covers just about every sort of radio communication with the exception of trunking and encryption. There is a lot to learn and many wonderful knowledgeable Hams to teach people. Emergency communication, national security, etc? It will never happen. That's what GMRS/FRS is for. More people can throw money at the FCC and get a license than can throw money at the FCC AND take a test on theory they dont care about. FRS radios can be found at any corner store and GMRS radios are found all over Ebay, Bridgecom, and many other sites. GMRS/FRS is the service that preppers and other survivalists are drawn to more. Its got your short range you want and you are able to operate repeaters if you want (licensed of course).