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Author Topic: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?  (Read 1516 times)

G8FXC

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #15 on: November 10, 2020, 09:19:29 AM »

Like everyone else, use your cell phone.

Whereas one of the conditions in the original poster's scenario was "You grab your cell phone and there's no service", I doubt that would be productive. Unless you mean lobbing it at a passing vehicle. I'm sure if you bounced it off the hood or nailed one of the windows they would stop. They might or might not be willing to help you after that, however.

This is an interesting discussion which points up the fundamental differences between the geography of the USA and the geography of most of Europe. The range of a cellphone mast is somewhere between 20 and 30 miles - and we have most of the country covered - only some very rural areas with no coverage at all. I've just checked the repeater coverage maps and I think it's safe to say that there are larger areas of this country with no repeaters than with no cell phone coverage...

Martin (G8FXC)
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VE3NNM

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #16 on: November 10, 2020, 04:02:39 PM »

Like everyone else, use your cell phone.

Whereas one of the conditions in the original poster's scenario was "You grab your cell phone and there's no service", I doubt that would be productive. Unless you mean lobbing it at a passing vehicle. I'm sure if you bounced it off the hood or nailed one of the windows they would stop. They might or might not be willing to help you after that, however.

This is an interesting discussion which points up the fundamental differences between the geography of the USA and the geography of most of Europe. The range of a cellphone mast is somewhere between 20 and 30 miles - and we have most of the country covered - only some very rural areas with no coverage at all. I've just checked the repeater coverage maps and I think it's safe to say that there are larger areas of this country with no repeaters than with no cell phone coverage...

Martin (G8FXC)

As long as it's a personal emergency such as injury, accident or vehicle failure you'll probably be fine. If it's a flood or other wide-area disaster I wouldn't be so confident. Cellular infrastructure is one of the first resources to get overloaded during a disaster as the population rushes for their phones.

I'm in a sparsely populated area of Canada, and I can pull out of my driveway and be out of cell range in about 15 minutes depending on the direction I choose. As long as I stay on the highways I'm fine but there's no fun in that. Although the vast majority of those in my community rely 100% on cell phones and alternatives don't even cross their mind, I have always preferred to provide my own resources. Back in the 80s I built a simplex autopatch using a Commodore 64 running software I wrote and a home-made interface I designed and built and I never left home without turning it on. Before leaving the house I'd swing the Quagi in whatever direction I was going in and I could hilltop in the mobile and hit it from 30 or more miles away. I haven't fired it up in years but it's still sitting in the pile downstairs somewhere and could be lit up at any time. There are still companies in this region with commercial VHF repeaters and a telephone interconnect for subscribers. The general population can't see the use for them but if you're in forestry, mining exploration or trucking a monthly subscription to one or more of those shared repeaters with emergency power backup and a landline connection is a very wise investment, it could save your life.

I remember chatting with a VE8 one evening and he was in the process of getting his CES autopatch hooked up to the discriminator point of the FM board in his HF rig so he could experiment with HF FM radio telephone. In the Arctic he was hoping to get some decent coverage to his mobile on 80 or 160 during the day when propagation was closed to elsewhere and he didn't have to worry about generating/receiving QRM. It might or might not have worked and I never heard how he made out with it but I was certainly impressed by his innovation in trying.
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K6JGV

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #17 on: December 01, 2020, 07:24:34 PM »

In the West we have a lot of areas without cell coverage. In Death Valley there is also little to no repeater coverage. I spent some time trying just to see if I could. No pressure and the repeater book in hand and I got nothing. I carry an Inreach for these occasions but recently read a report of a guy who rolled his truck. Most of his gear was inaccessible. Luckily he had his cell phone on him. I'm going to make it a habit to wear the Inreach from now on.

I could try HF but being a tech I don't have an HF antenna in the truck. Need to upgrade and carry another antenna.

https://www.cellularmaps.com/parks/death-valley.shtml
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K1FBI

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #18 on: December 02, 2020, 05:51:30 AM »

Quote
You grab your cell phone and there's no service.

So you grab your mic and start calling VHF & UHF; simplex frequencies; nationwide calling frequencies.

Nobody answers!  So what do you do?

Put your head between your legs and kiss your posterior "good-by".
First you point your phone or HT's flashlight toward the sky until the battery dies. If a plane, hiker, government satellite, etc. doesn't spot you, then you can officially kiss it goodbye.
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WO7R

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #19 on: December 20, 2020, 02:24:09 AM »

The back-and-forth here seems to lead to an interesting question:

Be it the US or be it Europe, what are the odds that you are somewhere without cell coverage but with repeater or even simplex coverage?

It seems to me that what one would probably want in this situation was mobile HF or even (I hate to say it) 11 meters.
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K0UA

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #20 on: December 20, 2020, 12:01:30 PM »

The back-and-forth here seems to lead to an interesting question:

Be it the US or be it Europe, what are the odds that you are somewhere without cell coverage but with repeater or even simplex coverage?

It seems to me that what one would probably want in this situation was mobile HF or even (I hate to say it) 11 meters.

Mobile HF that will also cover 11 meters if need be with screwdriver antenna to match :)

FT-891 with Little Tarheel II screwdriver.   
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73  James K0UA

RADIOPHONE

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #21 on: December 29, 2020, 09:06:47 PM »

Well, open the hood and leave it up.  Put down the windows, sit, and relax.
Wait for another motorist to come along.  Be patient. Don't expect instant gratification.
While waiting make sure you look presentable...
No exposed tatoos, body piercings, or hat on backwards/sideways.
When someone finally does come along you don't want to look a doper,
hoodlum, thug, pug, BLM/cancel culture type, or one of the characters Mad
Max is out seeking.
When someone does come along wave your arms in the air.
DO NOT BLOCK ROAD WAY OR TRY TO FORCE/INTIMIDATE THEM TO STOP.
Look presentable/decent and the person that comes along may even give you a ride
to some place of refuge...or send someone out to assist.
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K6AER

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #22 on: January 06, 2021, 05:49:14 PM »

If you plan your trips into area of no cell phone coverage don't depend on HAM radio.

Buy a Delorme satellite digital message radio ($300). Press the 911 button and local emergency services will be alerted to your location and you can send and receive up to 256 message charterers per transmission. The cost of this service is about $25 a month. These unit communicate with the Iridum satellites in low earth orbit.

I carried this unit in the wilds of North Dakota in the oil fields and used it sever time at accident sites.
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AK4YH

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #23 on: October 04, 2021, 09:53:39 AM »

Say Mayday three times. Give your position first, nature of the emergency, then other pertinent information like how many people are present and a quick description (color) of your vehicle. It is important to grab attention with the Maydays, then your position, in case for whatever reason, you can't finish your call (equipment failure, etc..).

Personally, after my phone, I rely on an InReach SAT handheld for safety, but I also have a VHF/UHF handheld, and if I know I will be in the mountains without cell service, a small QRP CW radio on 40 or 80m with a EFHW antenna, which I would string horizontally for NVIS. That would be my last resort and shouldn't be my first... Say I get chest pains somewhere isolated and alone, I'm not going to want to set-up a radio station, as small as it can be, or even bother calling on a handheld. I want to press a button and be done with it. Though i might still try other means if able, you never know...

Gil.
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GRUMPY2021

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #24 on: October 04, 2021, 12:27:36 PM »

I would throw my go bag with the Yaesu FT-818, tuner and an EFHW antenna.   That way you have HF/UHF/VHF covered.   And take a SPOT Gen 3.  Google is a wonderful tool for detailed answers as to what it is (Satellite Emergency Notification Device).    You have both of those and you've done about all you can.
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LA9XNA

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Re: How to handle a personal emergency using ham radio?
« Reply #25 on: October 04, 2021, 10:07:08 PM »

If you cant get a connection on your mobile phone, you should try to send a text message.
A text will go through when the signal strenght is lower than what is required for a voice call.
In the past when i was working offshore on a ship I experienced this all the time.
There would be a offshore rig with mobile mast belowe the horizont and I was able to send and recieve text messages with no bars on the signal strenght. Calls where not possible.
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