HAM RADIO FAQ

The subject of Ham Radio, in relation to preparedness, is one that’s often overlooked. When it is talked about, it’s often an afterthought in an article, or it’s presented by someone who has no real experience with radio communication technology.

In my opinion, Ham Radio still plays a very important role in emergency communications and preparedness. If you’re serious about survival and prepping, you really need to look into HAM Radio.

In general, radio communications is a pretty complicated subject; one that can hardly be covered in a single article. That being said, I  wanted to answer some of the most common questions we receive about HAM Radio, and why I feel it’s so important to survivalists and preppers.

Why is HAM Radio Still Important?

In an age where communication is often taken for granted, it’s easy to overlook the importance of Ham Radio. I often receive questions like, “why would I need Ham Radio when I have a cell phone?” or even better are the people who say “the internet killed Ham Radio”. Let’s see how they feel about that one when they lose power, but I digress.

While, both of the above mentioned tools can be useful in an emergency, HAM Radio differs from these forms of communication in a number of ways. Probably the best reason I can give is that when the grid goes down, the HAM Bands will still be alive and very active. In fact, no matter how bad the disaster, I can almost guarantee HAM Radio will be one of the only forms of modern communication left standing.

What about my Emergency Radio, Can’t I just use that?

Probably Not! Emergency Radios are great, I have a few of them; but during a large scale disaster they’ll probably become completely useless. Think about it this way, most Emergency Radios have the normal local AM & FM Bands, a few weather channels and possibly some shortwave frequencies. During a large scale disaster, most of these radio stations will either shut down because of a lack of power, or they’ll go silent when their employees stop showing up for work.

On the other hand, HAM Radio will be alive and well. During any kind of disaster, small or large, the HAM bands light up. Form being able to monitor local communications to monitoring what’s happening nationally or even throughout the world, HAM Radio allows you to hear what’s really going on.

One thing to keep in mind is HAM Radio operators are independent operators that don’t answer to any corporations or government officials. Yes, you do have to be licensed, but the people you’re listening to are independent operators that have no agenda, not filters and no reason to lie about the situation. You will be hearing raw unfiltered news right from the source.

How will I power my Radio when the Grid goes down?

While some radios require massive amounts of power, there’s a huge number of HAMS who enjoy the challenges of operating on next to nothing. In Ham lingo, it’s knows as QRPing. And yes these weird terms and phrases actually mean something and are extremely useful when operating in low power situations. (check out our ham radio cheat sheet for more terms)

From using solar, wind and other alternative power sources to the batteries in your vehicles, boats or RV’s there are a number of ways to power a HAM Radio after the grid goes down. In fact, some radios can be operated with little more than the batteries in your smoke detector.

Personally, I’ve talked to people from around the globe with less than 10 watts of power.  If you really know what you’re doing, you can transmit with even less. I use an Icom703, with a battery pack that can be recharged with a small solar panel.

Can’t I just buy a Radio without becoming licensed?

I often come across people who buy the equipment without ever learning how to use it.  In my opinion, it’s the same as buying a gun and then never learning how to fire it. While there’s nothing stopping you from buying the equipment, I probably wouldn’t do it without learning how to use it first.

Each type of equipment, power source, antenna, and communication mode has its own set of strengths, weaknesses and intricacies. HAM Radio equipment isn’t something that you can just pull out of the box during an emergency. Just like every other skill in life, it requires practice; and in the case of HAM Radio a lot of it.

I refuse to be part of something where I have to be licensed by the FCC.

I hear this argument a lot, and while I usually do everything I can to keep government out of my life, in the case of HAM Radio I feel the benefits far outweigh the risk. So unless you’ve sworn off driving for the same reasons, I would advise anyone who’s serious about learning the ins and outs of emergency communications to take a good look at becoming a licensed Amateur Radio Operator (HAM).

How hard is it to get a Ham Radio License?

In general, radio communications is a pretty complicated subject, one that’s impossible to cover in a single article. That being said, the licensing process itself is actually pretty easy.

Over the last decade the testing process has been simplified. Some of the past requirements, such as learning Morse Code, are no longer required to obtain a license . In my opinion, it’s a shame they’ve dumbed down the testing by removing the Morse code requirement, but I’ll save that rant for another day. What’s important here is that almost anyone, with a little bit of practice, can get their license.

Do you know of any good resources that can help?

I usually recommend any of the study manuals from Gordon West. His material have been helping Hams for decades, and they are something that I actually used when I first got into the hobby.