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Numbers have dropped a substantial amount in recent years but there are new people getting certified all the time. The cost of hardware keeps going down too. As

Numbers have dropped a substantial amount in recent years but there are new people getting certified all the time. The cost of hardware keeps going down too. As a HAM its bad for me to get down in these guys for making an effort to produce a product for disaster readiness but...I think the common place FRS radio sets available in every big box store for less than 30 dollars are a more practical tool that everyone should own. CQ CQ CQ VE7 xray mike lima!!!

themodelplumber 7y ago
VE7XLM de KM6NHH. Good point on the FRS. I'm helping coordinate a local neighborhood FRS net here and we are looking at setting up a wider-area GMRS repeater as well; we just had the hilltop location offered by another ham and ran some tests. BTW my recent emergency experience is documented here: http://www.friendlyskies.net/fmk/index.php?tpl=PSPS-Ham-Radio-Notes.html http://www.friendlyskies.net/fmk/index.php?tpl=PSPS-Ham-Radi...
- sigmaprimus 7y ago
  I happy to see you got a chance to put your tools/experience to good use helping people. It's horrible what is going on down there with the fires and power situation. I decided to get my license as something to do with my Father, a local club(Delta Amateur Radio Society) was offering a ten week course. I was very surprised at how technical the course and subsequent exam was, I have since moved out to a farm and have not set up my station yet but am currently on a LTE internet connection with a solar backup. After reading your blog on the fires I think that may have been just the nudge I needed to get back into it. VE7XML qsl KM6NHH(I messed up my cs in my earlier post!) Ps just looked up your call sign, its interesting that in the US your licenses expire after 10 years, here in Canada its a lifetime license.
  - taborj 7y ago
    > in the US your licenses expire after 10 years Yeah, but we don't have to re-test, and it can all be renewed online for free.

themodelplumber 7y ago

VE7XLM de KM6NHH. Good point on the FRS. I'm helping coordinate a local neighborhood FRS net here and we are looking at setting up a wider-area GMRS repeater as well; we just had the hilltop location offered by another ham and ran some tests. BTW my recent emergency experience is documented here: http://www.friendlyskies.net/fmk/index.php?tpl=PSPS-Ham-Radio-Notes.html http://www.friendlyskies.net/fmk/index.php?tpl=PSPS-Ham-Radi...

sigmaprimus 7y ago
I happy to see you got a chance to put your tools/experience to good use helping people. It's horrible what is going on down there with the fires and power situation. I decided to get my license as something to do with my Father, a local club(Delta Amateur Radio Society) was offering a ten week course. I was very surprised at how technical the course and subsequent exam was, I have since moved out to a farm and have not set up my station yet but am currently on a LTE internet connection with a solar backup. After reading your blog on the fires I think that may have been just the nudge I needed to get back into it. VE7XML qsl KM6NHH(I messed up my cs in my earlier post!) Ps just looked up your call sign, its interesting that in the US your licenses expire after 10 years, here in Canada its a lifetime license.
- taborj 7y ago
  > in the US your licenses expire after 10 years Yeah, but we don't have to re-test, and it can all be renewed online for free.