A 40 channel AM/SSB CB mobile radio.  If the power grid goes down, all phone and internet service may be lost.  A CB hooked to any car battery can give you the ability to communicate with many local non hams and truckers, who may have valuable information about local area conditions and emergency operations.

This begs the question: Why was it not allowed?

Stan K9IUQ

Vehicle accidents?  What are you talking about?  Did you know that in 2009 40,000 people died in traffic accidents?  Did you also know that in the very mild flu pandemic would kill far more Americans than that.  In fact we have lost more Americans than that in a year to flu  several times 1973.  Include pneumonia started by flu and it always exceeds the number killed by traffic accidents. 

Obviously you do not wish to contribute to the discussion.  I see there is little interest in this.  Probably because a challenge like this doesn't lend itself to discussions about guns, living in the woods and playing some macho games.  But this threat does have a very great potential to challenge our traditional communications sources.  If one were to think the problem through there could be some opportunities to serve.   Sadly, it would appear, not to wear funny vests, hard hats and go camping. 

I am always entertained by the ideas people have about what event may call for a massive emergency response.  I wonder how many people on this forum know what the greatest loss of life and most serious disruption of our civilization perhaps in human history and certainly in the history of the last 100 years was.  

It was an event that made the deaths in the second world war pale in comparison.  It killed more Americans than all of the wars of the 20th Century combined.  In fact it may have been the greatest killer in human history.  And it is an event that WILL be repeated.  It is a virtual certainty.  And also virtually certain to happen in lifetimes of some of us.  Homeland security has called it the greatest threat to our national security.  What can we do to prepare for this, most likely of emergencies?  Do we have a role to play?

The threat?  Only the Flu.  Influenza.  In the 1917-1919 outbreaks over 500 thousand Americans died.  If that were repeated today we could loose over a million.  Worldwide new figures estimate that in the 1917-1919 pandemic a minimum of 50 million and more probably nearly 100 million people died.  Today that number would be over a billion.  

But our modern medicine will protect us....right?  Wrong.  We have some limited tools but not enough to even make a dent.  Did we all know that even today some 35000 Americans a year die of influenza?  Are we aware that since the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic flu has killed far more people.  Did we know that tn the great Pandemic of 1917-1919 influenza killed more Americans in 24 months that AIDS has killed in 24 years.  And it struck down people in hours sometimes.  We do not have the tools as a nation to contain a serious flu pandemic.  We would run out of respirators in less than a week for example.  If the strain were something like the 1917 strain it could kill hundreds of thousands of Americans before an effective vaccine was available.  

So what, if any, is our role?  When normal communications begin to fail because people will not go to work, how can we be of assistance?

Thoughts.  

Would 10 watts be QRP+5