The ham radio is a great choice for preppers. There are lots of radios out there that function differently, and the question is: which one should you get when you are preparing for an emergency?
Must Read: Best Dual Band Mobile Ham Radio
There are several things that need to be considered when making this decision:
- The range of the radio’s signal in varieties of practical situations
- How easy is it to use?
- Can you use the radio to listen to emergency broadcasts?
- Can you use the radio to communicate with emergency services?
- You have to know the total cost so you can be well prepared
- What is the available equipment, and you need to check if it is suited for your emergency needs.
- How easily can you modify and repair the radio in normal situations and during times of emergencies
Why many agree that ham radio is the best choice:
- Ham radio is the only one that gives you the option to listen to your local emergency services.
- Ham radios have wider range of frequencies than other radios.
- They have better a range. The nuance of this is explained below
- Ham radios have the ability to use High Frequency bands, and these High Frequency (HF) bands are the best bands in a major SHTF emergency due to the fact that they can easily reach hundreds of miles without having to depend on anything or anyone else.
- These ham radios have more power. Other radios are limited to 0.5 – 4 watts. Ham radios are usually 5 – 8 watts. And their base stations can get up to 1,500 W.
Listening to Broadcasts, Communicating with Emergency services
So, let us imagine that the normal grid for communication is down, how then do you get word out to an emergency service? How would you know when to evacuate and when it is safe to come out?
A number of preppers have a NOAA emergency radio as part of their home supplies. With these, you can only listen, but it is one simple way to receive emergency broadcast radio stations like NOAA.
Many portable ham radios have the ability to listen to NOAA and commercial stations as well. And you also have the bonus of picking up and talking with your local emergency services like fire, police, and so forth. Since you might also want to reach out to other people in your community, or even those within your immediate family, what you will need to do is get to get yourself a portable radio that is also practical.