3 ms·

For true life and death emergency Im sure the others are great, but for a "my serpentine belt just broke on my 2004 4Runner, could someone deliver one to road #

For true life and death emergency Im sure the others are great, but for a "my serpentine belt just broke on my 2004 4Runner, could someone deliver one to road #3223, 4 miles down in death valley" I think you'd do better with HAM radio. AAA isn't going to come help you for less than $500+ (actually probably $1000) somewhere in death valley. The community around something like ham radio, although technically not even a community, makes me think I'd get neighborly type help much easier, even if it took someone's entire afternoon to help.

op00to 3y ago
I would never rely on another Amateur Radio operator for help unless there was no other option.
- talldatethrow 3y ago
  What other option is there in death valley, miles up a random road? Your only options are asking someone else driving by (happens 2-3x a day on some roads), asking ham radio and seeing if anyone in a repeater radius is feeling helpful, or limping to a main road slowly. Obviously circumstances vary. When I was in death valley for 9 days, I had enough supplies to sit for 14. So if I needed help on day 2, I can give a helpful sincere ham radio operator a chance to help. If another car passed me in that time frame, I'd talk with them and setup some kind of 'hey, check on me on your way back' system if they were returning this way. And so on. If I had a breakdown with 36 hours of water remaining, I'd treat things pretty differently and possibly be using ham to get them to relay emergency info.. since technically that's my only choice.. I own an android without sat service and don't any satellite product. I personally think you can trust ham radio for a favor pretty well. And for an emergency even more so.
  - op00to 3y ago
    I would buy an emergency beacon if I were to be outside of cell range in a risky situation.
- hilbert42 3y ago
  If all emergency services were working neither would I do so (I say that as someone who used to own an AR callsign for some decades). Trouble is that in big natural disasters most infrastructure is down and frankly even if you find an AR operator he/she's likely without power so won't be much help. Nevertheless, there are many historical instances where AR has been of considerable help in emergencies. In those instances functioning stations, which are often on the periphery of disasters act as relay stations and conduits to official help.

op00to 3y ago

I would never rely on another Amateur Radio operator for help unless there was no other option.

talldatethrow 3y ago
What other option is there in death valley, miles up a random road? Your only options are asking someone else driving by (happens 2-3x a day on some roads), asking ham radio and seeing if anyone in a repeater radius is feeling helpful, or limping to a main road slowly. Obviously circumstances vary. When I was in death valley for 9 days, I had enough supplies to sit for 14. So if I needed help on day 2, I can give a helpful sincere ham radio operator a chance to help. If another car passed me in that time frame, I'd talk with them and setup some kind of 'hey, check on me on your way back' system if they were returning this way. And so on. If I had a breakdown with 36 hours of water remaining, I'd treat things pretty differently and possibly be using ham to get them to relay emergency info.. since technically that's my only choice.. I own an android without sat service and don't any satellite product. I personally think you can trust ham radio for a favor pretty well. And for an emergency even more so.
- op00to 3y ago
  I would buy an emergency beacon if I were to be outside of cell range in a risky situation.
hilbert42 3y ago
If all emergency services were working neither would I do so (I say that as someone who used to own an AR callsign for some decades). Trouble is that in big natural disasters most infrastructure is down and frankly even if you find an AR operator he/she's likely without power so won't be much help. Nevertheless, there are many historical instances where AR has been of considerable help in emergencies. In those instances functioning stations, which are often on the periphery of disasters act as relay stations and conduits to official help.