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Why join the Radio Hobby
Quote from WRFD401 Ray on August 12, 2023, 12:50 pmThere are many reasons to join the radio hobby. One that comes to mind is safety. You can not always count on cell service. It has been shown over and over again, when disaster strikes conventional communications fail. A cell tower needs power and connectivity to other towers to work. And like all antennas, it need to remain vertical.
The New England GMRS Network is a lot like cell service, it needs power, nodes and connectivity to operate. But if we lose a few nodes we can jump to a repeater with our radios and still get a message through. Can't do that with a cell phone.
As a reminder, look at what has happened in the Maui fires.
Power and cellular outages for residents further stymied communication efforts. Radio reports were scarce, some survivors reported, even as the blaze began to consume the town. Road blocks then forced fleeing drivers onto one narrow downtown street, creating a bottleneck that was quickly surrounded by flames on all sides. At least 80 people have been confirmed dead so far.
You don't have to look very hard to see that conventional communications has failed during a disaster. Of course safety is not the only reason to join the radio hobby. I think the main reason people get into the hobby is because it is fun.
So get on board, get your GMRS or Amateur radio license. Meet some new people, practice your craft. Set up a "Go Box", go remote, make contacts. This is all fun, but when disaster strikes, you will be ready and your hobby will be vital for you and your community.
There are many reasons to join the radio hobby. One that comes to mind is safety. You can not always count on cell service. It has been shown over and over again, when disaster strikes conventional communications fail. A cell tower needs power and connectivity to other towers to work. And like all antennas, it need to remain vertical.
The New England GMRS Network is a lot like cell service, it needs power, nodes and connectivity to operate. But if we lose a few nodes we can jump to a repeater with our radios and still get a message through. Can't do that with a cell phone.
As a reminder, look at what has happened in the Maui fires.
Power and cellular outages for residents further stymied communication efforts. Radio reports were scarce, some survivors reported, even as the blaze began to consume the town. Road blocks then forced fleeing drivers onto one narrow downtown street, creating a bottleneck that was quickly surrounded by flames on all sides. At least 80 people have been confirmed dead so far.
You don't have to look very hard to see that conventional communications has failed during a disaster. Of course safety is not the only reason to join the radio hobby. I think the main reason people get into the hobby is because it is fun.
So get on board, get your GMRS or Amateur radio license. Meet some new people, practice your craft. Set up a "Go Box", go remote, make contacts. This is all fun, but when disaster strikes, you will be ready and your hobby will be vital for you and your community.
Quote from WRVD487 on August 13, 2023, 12:37 amThe radio hobby is definitely for fun and a fantastic way to meet new people. This is how my wife and I met 25 years ago. We both have tons of friends that we've met over the years on the CB band. The radio hobby, especially GMRS most definitely has its perks when all other means of communication fails as you pointed out as well. My wife and I were both in a situation where we lost complete contact with each other via cell phones all day during the 9/11 attacks. If we only knew about GMRS and repeaters back then...the situation would have been much better off. Although I always maintain a CB radio in my car, even to this day, I strongly believe that GMRS is a better option here where all else fails.
The radio hobby is definitely for fun and a fantastic way to meet new people. This is how my wife and I met 25 years ago. We both have tons of friends that we've met over the years on the CB band. The radio hobby, especially GMRS most definitely has its perks when all other means of communication fails as you pointed out as well. My wife and I were both in a situation where we lost complete contact with each other via cell phones all day during the 9/11 attacks. If we only knew about GMRS and repeaters back then...the situation would have been much better off. Although I always maintain a CB radio in my car, even to this day, I strongly believe that GMRS is a better option here where all else fails.