Communication in an Emergency

Earlier this year I got my ham radio license and so during the recent hurricanes I paid attention to emergency communications. Then I did some research to sort out what I think would be the best way to handle communications if the cell network and electric grid were down. Here are the useful bits of what I learned for anyone interested in preparing for the next disaster. 

By way of caveat, I'm new to ham radio, not any kind of expert, and obviously you should assess your own situation and come to your own conclusions for emergency preparedness. I do hope for those not familiar with the topic that the following provides some good starting points for your research, and I would be very interested in your thoughts and knowledge.

As you can guess, probably the best individual emergency communication technology is satellite. There are satellite phones, but a quick look shows them to be $800 or more and require a subscription. A common option used by hikers, etc., is the Garmin InReach Mini 2, which is $400 for the item plus a $15 per month subscription for GPS tracking and satellite texting. There is also satellite internet, like Starlink, but that requires electricity. These really aren't too bad, but there are much cheaper, if less reliable, options.

For small group radios, I think GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) is the way to go in most cases. GMRS handhelds (like walkie talkies) work out of the box, are as powerful as the handheld ham radios, have repeaters to extend local communication range out to 25 miles or more, and have all of the FRS channels plus some. They can be had for as little as $15 each and do not require a subscription. GMRS repeaters are not terribly expensive, so you could buy one, take it with you, and not rely on local repeaters. While it requires a $35 license, it is a household license and does not require a test. In addition, unlike ham radios, GMRS radios can be used for commercial purposes, so you might find a good business use for them outside of emergency situations like warehouse work, farm work, company drivers, etc. 

You might also be interested in radios that don't require licenses. While you don't need a license for CB, MURS, or FRS, they are more limited than GMRS, particularly because they can't access repeaters. I would go with GMRS, but if that wasn't an option, CB would be my choice simply because it has the largest number of users and decent transmission power.

What about ham radio? For local communication, say, out to 25 miles or so, ham and GMRS radios are about the same in cost and performance. The main advantage of ham radio over GMRS, it seems to me, is that the ham community is a lot bigger. This means there will probably be more people listening on ham frequencies than GMRS, so if you are trapped somewhere the odds of a distress call being heard are probably greater if you use a ham radio. That said, the GMRS community is growing and in some places the GMRS community may already be bigger, so check that out for your location. The two problems with using ham radios just for emergencies are the complexity and legality.

CB, MURS, FRS, and GMRS radios have set channels to use and will come pre-programmed for their type, so they really are ready to use out of the box. Ham radios, on the other hand, do not usually come pre-programmed. The local ham frequencies are different in every location, so it doesn't make sense to sell pre-programmed ham radios in most cases. If you decide to go with a ham radio, it would be best to get it programmed for the local frequencies in advance of any disasters, or at least find out the local frequencies and know how to tune into them. That said, they all come with instructions and all the ham handhelds I'm familiar with have a scan function, so if you don't have time to prepare in advance, you can read the instructions and fiddle with scanning to find the local frequencies.

Legally, of course, you can use any of these radios without a license if life, limb, or property is at risk and normal modes of communication are not available. If you care about the law, then the main problem I see with using GMRS or ham radios without a license is that you can't use them except in an emergency, which means you can't train with them in advance. Do you really want to be figuring out how to use these things during a disaster? However, if you don't care about the law, then maybe that's not a problem for you. The FCC might catch you and fine you, but from what I've heard that's pretty rare unless your transmissions interfere with someone else's radios and they complain to the FCC.

In short, when the electric grid and cell network are down, satellite is probably best, but it is also the most expensive. GMRS is probably best for small groups, like a family, a search party, a road crew, a neighborhood, etc. Barring satellite communication, ham handhelds are probably the most likely to be heard for distress calls in most areas, but really should be set up in advance. Please chime in if you have different opinions or knowledge.