My father was a HAM operator, and I've seen the value first hand. Not only do the operators themselves provide value in that they have alternative means for co

My father was a HAM operator, and I've seen the value first hand. Not only do the operators themselves provide value in that they have alternative means for communicating in an emergency but most of them possess skills that come in handy during an emergency or in remote areas. For example, they understand radio waves, the radio spectrum, and how waves travel through space. I remember my father telling me as a child how some signals travel outwards from the source in all directions, some waves travel in a straight line, and some will follow the curvature of the Earth. I remember him telling me that on the ground during 9-11 there were so many Nextel walkie-talkie's at ground zero (all of them with their signal power maxxed-out) and as a result of all the interference nobody could get a meaningful signal out. Lots of HAM operators also understand circuitry, logic, programming, properties of electromagnetic fields, complex wiring, complex electro-mechanical assemblies, heavy mechanical assemblies like towers/antennas. They're also incredibly passionate, and mostly understand and respect the importance of strict regulatory compliance. In short, when shit hits the fan and the EMP's start taking everything out we're gonna need someone to fire up some good ol' fashioned logistics/networking in a jiffy... And they HAM crowd is going to be the only one capable, willing, and eager to do that.