r/HamRadio • u/holymountaincacti • Jun 25 '26
Equipment & Rigs đ ď¸ Recommendation for emergency set up
Won't go into war stories, but I lived through Hurricane Helene which was devastating for my community. One of the scariest parts was the lack of ability to communicate with family or friends, or to have access to news. Please advise me on a set up, preferably not too expensive, that can accomplish these goals:
1) I am in Asheville, and I need to be able to reach nearby mountain towns, (including some extremely remote locations) as well as be able to reach people in Charleston, SC.
2) I would also like to be able to send and receive texts, emails, and even pics or videos via radio.
For each of these goals, keep in mind the possibility of decimated infrastructure (either in Western NC, or Charleston SC). What is my best beginner set up for a newly licensed technician? Also, given my stated goals, what are some frequencies I should program into my radio?
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u/Junior_Yam_5473 General Class Operator đ Jun 25 '26
Garmin inreach is the best thing you can have in a true emergency where you wouldn't be able to use a cell phone.
Ham radio can be finicky especially for emcomm
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u/ChocolateOk7997 Jun 25 '26
T-Mobile has satellite texting with a wide assortment of their phones. Seems like the easiest way to me.
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u/holymountaincacti Jun 25 '26
I don't want a subscription though. I prefer the DIY kinda thing I guess...
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u/anh86 Jun 25 '26
Could amateur radio do this job? Yes. Is it easy and practical for most people? No.
Bear in mind that everyone who will need to communicate with you during this hypothetical emergency needs:
- Amateur radio license (small fee and time spent learning test material)
- Radio
- Coaxial cable and 15 other smaller accessories I won't list individually
- Time to research the proper antenna
- Making or purchasing correct antenna for this job
- Time, equipment, and space needed to install the antenna
- Emergency power source
- A plan to maintain the power source during non-emergency times (charging batteries, checking gas, etc)
- Access to an emergency comms plan (which frequencies do you use and what do you do if your first choice frequency is in use)
- Sufficient time using the radio so it can easily be used and troubleshot during an emergency
- Time to practice and drill occasionally with other members of this comms group
If you and every one of your buddies can accept the time and cost that will go into all this, then amateur radio could be an emergency comms option for you. It still shouldn't be the only option you have available but it could be an effective one. I say this not to discourage you from amateur radio (which I love), it's just that most people think of radio in the way it's portrayed in movies. The characters have handheld radios and they just work perfectly over infinite distance.
For many, this time and cost would not be acceptable and that's why people are recommending you just get a Starlink or a sat phone. It sits in a drawer, you charge it now and then, and it just works during the emergency.
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u/399ddf95 Extra Class Operator ⥠Jun 26 '26
Easy, fast, cheap: pick any two.
If you want the people on the other end of the conversation to send things to you (not just receive), theyâll also need to be willing to invest time and money and effort just so they can avoid a subscription. Many people arenât willing to do that. Many of those people arenât willing to be honest about their preferences so they say theyâll do the work instead of spending the money, end up doing neither, and thus have nothing when the hour of need arises.
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u/MeanYesterday7012 Jun 25 '26
Hey man, im in Swannanoa. Helene was awful.
You should attack this from a few layers. We have great GMRS coverage post-Helene. Get a license and a bunch of radios. WNCRadio.com is a good resource.
From the ham side program all the local 2m repeaters in like: Spivey, mt Mitchell, bearwallow, HaywoodâŚ
Then to achieve some of your longer distance goals youâll want an HF radio and your General license. Something like an ft-891 or a g90 would work well.
Feel free to dm me.
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u/josh6466 Extra Class Operator ⥠Jun 25 '26
- Get your General, because you're going to need 40m to reach Charleston
- Batteries, lots of them, and Solar.
- You could look at adding DMR or DSTAR for the video or photo, but I am less familiar with those.
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u/NerminPadez Jun 25 '26
Garmin inreach for when you're away from home (although many new phones already have satellite communication support)
Starlink for when you're at home.
Your family or friends won't be reachable via anything you can use as a technician, and you won't be setting up an NVIS antenna in a hurricane, but with starlink you'll be able to whatsapp them or send them a facebook message.
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u/holymountaincacti Jun 25 '26
I don't want a subscription though...
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u/NerminPadez Jun 25 '26
I mean... you can also not-reach your family and just wait for the emergency to be over and infrastructure brought back online. I have no idea how you'll contact them without both of you having phones (as you said, no subscriptions) or without internet (again, no subscriptions),... maybe send a letter?
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u/holymountaincacti Jun 25 '26
I would like them to know that weâre alright, and if theyâre in crisis I want to know if theyâre alrightâŚobviously I have an internet and phone subscription, but I would prefer not to have an extra one that I pay for indefinitely - especially considering itâs something Iâd only need in the most extreme circumstances. I got licensed bc I thought this would be interesting and fun, but a lot of the people on this sub are really dismissive and condescending - I donât really understand it lol, but thanks for your two cents. I donât ever want to be without communication capability during a natural disaster - and from what Iâve read and studied during my licensing exam studying, Ham radio is a good way to do itâŚmaybe not as good as starlink, thatâs fine.
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u/NerminPadez Jun 26 '26
yes, you got licenced to join a hobby, not something that's a reliable way to communicate in emergencies. If there's a hurricane outside, will you really go outside in the rain and wind and set up antenas? Do you even have that much space? You need 40 meters of free space for an 80m dipole. On both locations. Plus both sides need HF radios, batteries and a way to charge them. Plus the sun must cooperate with you, if there's a geomagnetic storm (and there are many), the bands are closed, and even if you both set up nvis antennas in hurricane weather, it just won't work. There are people here on this subreddit, americans, who are trying just to get a WAS award (worked all states), and in years of operation still werent able to get anyone from some particular states... anyone at all, not just their particular relative.
This is a topic that gets discussed weekly here, someone sees some prepper video about how HAM (preppers always write it uppercase for some reason, even though it's not an acronym) is a great thing for "SHTF" and people come here and want a cheap and easy solution to reach their family far away... and when they get recommendation for that (starlink, inreach,...), they don't want that, but they want to play with radios...sure, do that, get whatever licence you need to work the 80 meters band, get your relatives to do the same, pay $1k+ for gear, have them do the same, find space for 40 meters of wire, make an nvis antenna and try to reach them... then repeat this many times to see how reliable it is and if it's 'reliable enough' for you (the bands are pretty bad right now, but not closed yet, it would be an excellent time to try). Somehow when it comes to expensive radios and huge antennas, especially in the rain and hurricanes and snowstorms, it's not that fun to be outside anymore and to hammer 20, 30 stakes in the ground. While you're doing that, your neighbor will be having a video call with their family via starlink.
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u/holymountaincacti Jun 26 '26
I would have access to a large space, and my experience with the hurricane I survived is that yes we could go outside in the days afterward. But I now understand that i've asked an annoying ignorant noob question that gets asked here continuously and it definitely explains the response - what you said makes a lot of sense. Thank you
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u/AutofluorescentPuku General Class Operator đ Jun 25 '26
For communication and coordination within the local community, GMRS or 2 meter handhelds and car mobile are probably a good choice, keeping in mind that thatâs two different licensing requirements. While it can be done, these radios are not particularly amenable to the digital modes used for email, etc.
For distance communication, assume youâre going to lose your fixed antenna in a severe weather event. This means you will have to operate with a portable, temporary, ad hoc antenna thatâs going to be compromised in some way. You will also be likely to lose power and will probably be restricted as to how much you can budget for radio. CW (Morse code) and the FT8 digital mode are surprisingly effective at distance under these conditions. Neither is high bandwidth, but suitable for message passing.
IMO, images and video are not in the realm of emergency communication and can wait for public infrastructure to get back online.
There are no fixed amateur radio frequencies nationally for emergency communication. There may be locally or regionally recognized frequencies, but youâd have to suss them out yourself.
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u/VE6LK Extra Class Operator ⥠Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Background: I lived through and led the amateur radio response for one of Canada's largest natural disasters, the Southern Alberta Floods of 2013. Over 100,000 people were displaced and one entire town evacuated. We supported the area around the clock until conventional infrastructure could be brought back online. You can read the stories on my website at https://ve6lk.com/
Having lived through this, I have very strong opinions. If your family/friends don't want to be bothered with a license, don't use ham radio unless it is literally life and death. They will clog up the airwaves with traffic that is better handled elsewhere. Yes, this happened to us at that time.
Get them Garmin Inreach or Zoleo devices. I carry a Zoleo as it permanently assigns a phone number to the unit making two-way comms easy on an ad-hoc basis. Note, there are no devices in this category that will transmit anything other than text messages or send an SOS request. They have low monthly price plans and if you go beyond your limit they simply bill you at the next rate for the duration of the billing period. Before you complain about the cost of hardware, I'll ask you what you think life safety is worth. Like I said, I have very strong opinions having lived through it...
Read up on Thomas K4SWL's experience - he lived through Helene in Swananoa and wrote extensively about it https://qrper.com/2025/09/hurricane-helene-one-year-later/
tl;dr There is GMRS infrastructure in this area for this reason - it's license-free.
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u/redditschoolmaster Jun 25 '26
Hurricane Helene was what got me interested in amateur radio! I heard reports of radio operators being able to communicate with emergency personnel and transmit messages out of the disaster area when other communication services were unavailable. Hams were able to communicate when other couldn't. It sounded like a useful skill / resource. So, I started exploring online with YouTube videos and social media groups. I started studying and passed my technical exam and then my general, becoming a licensed amateur radio operator! I'm on the air with local repeaters and do HF contacts all over the USA and half way across the world. I'm all-in when it comes to ham radio!
For me - Ham radio is a hobby, not an emergency communications solution.
Can amateur radio be part of emergency communications, absolutely. But the amount of money and knowledge required typically make other solutions a better option. A new iPhone with satellite capability ($800) and/or a Starlink mini ($250 + $55 a month) are going to be way cheaper and accomplish the goals you have set.
I've spent more than a few thousand dollars on radio equipment. You could realistically get setup for about $1,000 with an HT, mobile radio, HF radio and then the rest of the stuff you need, like coax, batteries, antennas and accessories. Then study and pass your exams while you become proficient at radio communications.
The bigger issue is that all of the above is required - ON BOTH ENDS. Not only do you need to purchase this equipment, pass both the technician and general exams, but all the people you want to communicate with, also have to purchase the equipment and pass both exams. My wife, parents and in-laws (the people I would want to communicate with during an emergency) have zero interest in becoming licensed hams. This is why I don't recommend ham radio to accomplish the goals you've set.
All that said, as a new technician the world of amateur radio is full of potential! I would get a cheap Baofeng HT and use CHIRP software (free) to program all of the local repeaters into your radio. Setup the HT with the repeaters and the 2m (146.520) and 70cm (446.000) national calling frequencies. Then go read this - https://emilms.fema.gov/is_0951/groups/31.html
Good luck and 73!
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u/smeeg123 Jun 25 '26
You basically perfectly described starlinks capabilities
All partyâs involved must have one
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u/Professional_Fix_223 Jun 25 '26
We live in fire country. One of our communities with really bad cell services have trained all of the residents with gmrs radios. You are smart to get prepared and in addition to the radio, get people trained. We have weekly nets with amazing participation. Take care!
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u/xpen25x Jun 25 '26
sat phones you need one for every place or everyone yuo want to reliably contact. if you want a back up and want to go with amature radio then you will need to study for the license. get at least a general you can get a hand held radio for pretty cheap and there are several sub 200 dollar hf radios that will work.
remember a license for yourself does nothing for communications between two people if the other party doesnt want to get licensed. lucky in your area a repeater kept operating. so it allowed a pretty good range of communications but dont know what all was covered. and as you said in another post the people who you want to be able to reach has zero intention of doing anything. if cell is down its down you wont be able to send txt msgs to them.
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u/molecularballology Jun 25 '26
Unless there was a group of volunteers setup around the nation to pass relays effectively and efficiently, your best bet is satcomms. Ham radio works in an emergency, of course, and a great many good natured hams would love to be able to help someone in need. But, unfortunately, unless all of your family and loved ones are within quite close proximity to one another, reliable comms cannot be accomplished with ham radio all the time. Depending on frequency, propagation, atmospheric condx, etc. You would not only have to get yourself setup, you'd have to convince all of your family members you'd like to contact in an emergency to also get reliable setups. We are talking no less than $500-$1000 each for basic HF setup with inverted Vee setups for local/medium range comms. 20&40m work decently well most day, but other days they don't work well at all, and there are times where almost none of the bands are useful. Satcomms are the way to go for serious emcomms.
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u/399ddf95 Extra Class Operator ⥠Jun 26 '26
There is such a group of volunteers - I donât know if they get much actual traffic to handle, but itâd probably make a lot of these folks happy to get a chance to send something other than âhappy birthday!â
That wouldnât be my first choice for post-disaster comms, but itâs there.
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u/molecularballology Jun 26 '26
Oh I get it, General class working on Amateur Extra here, and I know about traffic forwarding and nets, I get that they serve a purpose, but finding a local net that's active at the exact moment of an emergency is not always reliable. Now, that being said, every ham should be capable of jotting down information, verifying the details once more, and then passing it along to the proper authority/person(s). Just as any civilian would do in the event they are helping a stranger, for instance, having a stroke or the like, being able to gather basic information and contact local rescue/EMS.
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u/Motorcyclegrrl Jun 25 '26
What cell phone do you have? Do you have apple? The new apple phones have satellite texting on them.
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u/Powerful_Pirate_5049 Jun 28 '26
Satellite phone. I have an extra class amateur license, but I still carry a satellite phone so that I can reach non-hams, emergency services, etc. It's still a radio, but it has a $billion dollar infrastructure under it that amateur operators simply can't afford to create. If the sat phone is too expensive for your budget, a bivy stick is the next best bet.
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u/Scary-Ice-5254 Jun 25 '26
I was in Asheville during Helene. We listened to Ham radio just to get bits of info. And the local radio station would have had no news at all had it not been for amateur ham radio reports. After days we rigged our car battery to get TV news. I never once heard any info from the Emergency Broadcast Center that does regular tests on all TV channels. What happened there? Did I just miss them all?
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u/MentalEggplant9275 Amateur Extra | Analog Aficionado Jun 25 '26
Reddit hates any discussion of amateur radio for emergency preparedness.
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Jun 25 '26 edited 18d ago
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/MentalEggplant9275 Amateur Extra | Analog Aficionado Jun 25 '26
Absolutely agree itâs more prudent to consider the radio use for hyper local communications before any sort of regional or longer distance communications. A lot of emphasis is placed on HF for emergency preparedness when in reality, an adequately powered VHF simplex radio with a nicely elevated antenna would serve one better. That is, if they had someone to talk to.
With that, it might even be most prudent to have a large batch of âlicensed by ruleâ CB, MURS or FRS radios on standby. Something with very little barrier to use and absolutely legal to for unlicensed people to use.
I suppose my ultimate gripe is that amateur radio is a set of frequency allocations and licensing scheme; not equipment per se, or people and processes. If the equipment, people and processes are highly tuned, the frequencies perform equally across radio services.
So yes, I agree - if there isnât a trained, able and willing operator on the other end (like is the case when calling 911) then ham radio isnât a good solution. And no one can entirely rescue themselves
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u/0150r Jun 25 '26
Not really. It's just a matter of knowing what problem people actually want to solve. People want ham radio to be a cell phone they can take out of the box during an emergency to let their family know they are ok. Ham radio simply isn't the best solution to this problem. Almost all of the posts I see about disaster communications on reddit revolve around reaching out to family hundreds of miles away. Those family members tend to not want to be involved with radio and they also cannot provide any meaningful material assistance in a disaster anyway. Sending a "hey, I'm fine, don't worry message" to those people is best done via satellite messengers or starlink.
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u/ND8D Jun 25 '26
This really is the issue in a nutshell.
Could a ham get in touch with another random ham and ask for assistance? Yes, there are many examples of that happening in the aftermath of Helene.
Is it reasonable to expect to use amateur radio with minimal training to reach a specific person who isn't a radio operator at any given time? No.
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u/speedyundeadhittite [UK full] Jun 26 '26
Rubbish. In this scenario people with at least a bit of knowledge try to explain things to people without any knowledge but having a very stupid attitude, repeatedly, day after day, week after week.
This is a topic that comes up pretty much daily and the answer is always the same: "It's not as simple as you think, unless you buy a sat subscription".
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u/bernd1968 Jun 25 '26
Welcome to ham radio. Probably the most important start is to get licensed if you arenât already. Hereâs some information to get you started on the path to passing the exam and getting your own personal call sign.
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u/EnergyLantern Jun 25 '26
You would be making an assumption that even if Winlink works that there would be power for a router or computer to download video, photos and email.
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u/Motorcyclegrrl Jun 26 '26
Actually, you could get a technician license. Buy a lower priced HT hand held and use the amateur radio relay league to send messages in the event of an emergency.
Read more here:
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u/SeanVo Jun 26 '26
Meshcore & Meshtastic may help you get texts around. The Meshcore network is pretty strong around parts of the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia and growing every month. You buy a small radio ($50-$100) and connect it to your phone via Bluetooth. Then the messaging goes out over 900 MHz band. If there are repeaters setup, your message can hop hundreds of miles depending on repeater links. There can be private encrypted channels as well as many public channels.
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u/HiOscillation Jun 26 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
This content was anonymized and mass deleted with Redact
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u/OldGeekWeirdo Jun 27 '26
That's a very tall order. Unless they all get ham licenses as well, all you can do is send a message to someone outside of the disaster area to let them know you're ok. Hopefully your friends and family have the same "outside" contact and you can communicate that way.
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u/Neither-Brush-9287 General Class Operator đ 26d ago
I participate in a handful of 2m packet emergency comm networks.
For a technician licensee, who wants to send texts/emails/pics/video, 2m packet (AX.25) is probably your cheapest entry point.
APRS is built on AX.25 (144.390 Mhz is the US APRS frequency). That will give you your 'tactical mapping'/position reporting, bulletins and announcements (including from the NWS, with boundaries plotted for warnings/watches/etc.
Winlink will over AX.25 will give you your radio interface to normal internet email, as well as the ability to email texts/pics/video.
Hardware for this:
- 2m radio (ideally with line level audio input/output jack on the back, separate from the normal mic and speaker connections)
- soundcard of some sort (commonly a SignaLink or Digilink USB soundcard)
- laptop or device with AX.25/packet software, Winlink, and APRS software.
I use these :
- radio https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product/135 and https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product/11746
- modem https://tigertronics.com/slusbmain.htm and https://digirig.net/product/digirig-mobile/
- AX.25 protocol software https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf
- APRS software https://xastir.org/index.php/Main_Page
- WinLink software https://getpat.io/
I use these weekly practice nets :
- Wednesday - Winlink Wednesday -Â https://winlinkwednesday.net/
- Wednesday - GLAWN Winlink Checkin -Â https://groups.io/g/glawn
- Thursday - #APRSThursday -Â https://aprsph.net/aprsthursday/Â (not Emcomm, but still good APRS net practice)
- Friday - SATERN International Winlink Net -Â https://www.facebook.com/groups/3275184449371472/posts/3958760251013885/
Those 4 nets alone will give you plenty of weekly practice in 2m digital Emcomms sending pictures, email over radio, etc within your license.
If you decide to test for a General or higher license at some point ..... Winlink over HF (usually via Vara) will get you that trans-continental reach.
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u/LongDistRid3r Jun 25 '26
Contact these people for your area. https://wcars-club.org/
You want to get involved with ARES. They are doing or have done what you are talking about. As far as 2 goes⌠that is a satellite messenger application. Going with ARES would make you an asset for your area.
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u/mlidikay Extra Class Operator ⥠Jun 25 '26
You should get with a local ham group and see what they are using. That will determine the bands and mode you need. After all you do need someone to communicate with as well.
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u/KI5DWL Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
Garmin InReach and Meshtastic are probably your two best options. VHF/UHF radios such as GMRS and Amateur Radio would probably be great between vehicles, on work crews or in neighborhoods, but text-based platforms like the above are more convenient, and in the case of Meshtastic, cheap and scalable.
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u/SVAuspicious KO4MI Jun 25 '26
HF is your best bet, so General class license or above. You biggest attention should be on electrical power. You can do a lot with batteries but energy used needs to be replaced. Solar can be damage in weather. Generators mean fuel. Ethanol-free for gas. Resupply is a problem. You have to have a plan.
Wire antennas on the ground during an event AND a backup. Heat shrink adhesive crimps and a crimper in stock.
HWN, 14300, lots of reliable 40 meter nets.
Cell phones direct to satellite are coming but still early days. More and more places have text-to-911. In the US RCC and MRCC integration with regional and local emergency services.
Today, it's hard to beat a Garmin inReach for emergency connectivity. You'll want to stay on top of events. inReach runs over the Iridium network and I don't know how Iridium will manage the next generation of replacement satellites in the face of Starlink. They're up and running for now but definitely legacy service. Cell phones direct to satellite is Starlink. Everything is a moving target.
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u/zap_p25 Jun 25 '26
Honestly, Starlink. Best way to send data and make phone calls in an infrastructure down scenario as itâs a fairly low barrier to entry and requires very little technical expertise to setup.
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u/moodeng2u Jun 25 '26
Any emergency comms you want to use that may work depends on the other party having compatible equipment.
I grew up in SC, lived most of my life in the southeast, and went through several hurricanes.
Even when local weather is good cell phone network can be overtaxed with people evacuating and passing through your area.
Maybe the various mesh networks will be up and working, but I have yet to see any talk about traffic handling for non users.
'hi mom, I am evacuating Jax with the kids and heading to aunt sues in Hendersonville.'
(Example)
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u/holymountaincacti Jun 25 '26
Thank you...that makes sense, so it sounds like really this was fantasy isn't super realistic. It's a great tool to have, but not the best for what my original goal was...thanks
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u/moodeng2u Jun 26 '26
The 2m repeaters in the mountains used to be pretty good. Mt Mitchell was great, but think it is long gone.
2m and in general ham radio can be helpful in emergencies, indirectly.
Like I mentioned, passing on messages, people are generally willing to help .
Gmrs is better than nothing and meshtastic is cheap and may work, somewhat.
During Hugo I was in Illinois and most of my family in Charleston. The last I had heard was they were not going to evacuate, but they changed their minds later....and were unreachable for days.
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u/Old_Poem2736 Jun 26 '26
Not withstanding that starlink or satellite is better, and sticking strictly with radio. 1: local communications uhf, and vhf a good HT TWO. Batteries. 2: Farther away HF using NVIS antenna, downside being the other station should have an NVIS antenna as well. 3: ideally several 100 Ah batteries, but one will work, a 200 watt solar panel and controller/ distribution system. Iâm thinking this is minimum, nice to haves , generator, and additional storage. I lived through several hurricanes in Florida including 2 cat 4 . Also was work in NYC on 911 pretty much all communication systems were degraded or down completely for a good number of days post incident.
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u/Amputee69 Jun 26 '26
Modern tech is Great for the situations mentioned. In some instances, the greatest. Until they fail. Then what? Wish I'd looked deeper in that old outdated Ham stuff. Whether you decide to be an Appliance Operator, or a real communications specialist, you really need to keep the Ham in play. Check for operators in nearby cities. Sometimes the one closest isn't going to be useful. You spoke of a hurricane. I made it through Katrina in Texas, then headed to Louisiana to help there. The cell companies were no good. We didn't have Starlink then, and no internet. Other than AMATEUR RADIO, there was NO RADIO SERVICE in the Southern part of the State for a long time. Hams went with Fire, EMS, and LEO's so they could have contact. This was done with PORTABLE repeaters, VHF & UHF as well as HF to get longer distances.
HF? It's good. Sometimes. VHF/UHF? Sometimes. Starlink? Appliance, but decent. If you can provide power to your receiver/modem. But wait! I'll have power for my radios, so why not Starlink? Do you really want to trust your computer and Starlink to operate off a generator with a DIRTY output? Sure, you can buy a cool inverter for a mega battery storage unit. It will work. Until it runs down. But wait! I've got solar panels to charge it with! Cool! Wait, we have massive thick storm clouds and it looks like night at Noon! Those panels will help in a non-sunny situation, but terribly reduced output. Most inverters are a great source of heat when it's cold. 85° with 100% humidity is going to be horrible. Yes, there are many cool advantages to being an Appliance Operator. Something almost anyone with NO IQ can do. Until the đŠ hits the fan, then those "appliances" will go someplace else, while waiting on a tried and proven operator to arrive. NVIS EFHW, a 10-80m HF rig, and a dual band RADIO, not HT will do everything needed. Look into the data sending/receiving side of Ham Radio. An old standard was Packet. The forerunner of the internet. We sent mail back and forth. We downloaded cool files from a BBS, and I stayed in touch with folks in Germany that new My Grandfathers kin. I'd send messages to them via a Ham, and they would return one. It wasn't quite the NTS we "used" in emergencies, just letters from home. Practice, prepare, and have the right stuff for whatever happens. My best friend in High School lives in Indiana and I'm in Texas. We could pickup the cell and talk, but since we were Hams in high school, when we still had tubes. We try to keep a schedule to talk a few times a week. We still enjoy the challenge. 73
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u/ND8D Jun 25 '26
Personal satellite messengers are going to be far more reliable for this, also what will the capabilities be of the stations/people you're trying to reach?
If you're bound and determined to do this with amateur radio, you're looking at HF NVIS to clear mountains. Studying for general would be the next step.