Emergency Radio Communication 

Cb and 2 meter are my go to radios. Put yourself up a 2 meter antenna that can hit repeaters. And a good base 11m cb antenna. I talk 30-50 miles with my cb daily. Without skip conditions. Last year several locals were able to save another who had a heart attack mid conversation on air. Cb can save lives and there is definitely a place for it in my shack and vehicles. As usual, great topic. 73

I have been putting off getting my Ham Lisence. I think this would be most valuable piece of equipment.

I live on the Canadian west coast. in my opinion for those, on the east or west coasts, one good emergency radio communications option is VHF Marine between 156- 157.200 MHz. In my area there are thousands of boats being stored and on the water, many of them are equipped with Marine radios. I do have my own emergency 25 watt VHF Marine transceiver next to my CB radio base station. I do listen in regularly, but I do not talk on VHF Marine since there is also a license required for use.

If it's a serious emergency, you can expect all repeaters to be down or inoperative. And that means any radio service that depends on them will also not work. GMRS, and 2 meter/70 centimeter ham frequencies can be used for short range simplex communications, but unless you live on top of a mountain, it's going to be really short range. SSB CB can reach for thousands of miles under the right conditions, but it is not reliable. The problem I see with both AM and SSB CB is that so few people have CB radios. It's not like it was back in the '70s. It may be very difficult to contact someone within a few miles of you. The one exception being truckers. But unless you live near an interstate highway, they may be out of range if you are at home. IMO, the HF ham bands will provide the best long distance communications in an emergency. But also remember that the power is likely to be out at your home. I have both ham HF and shortwave capability, as well as a gas powered generator to power my radio equipment. I can transmit up to 200 watts on the ham HF bands. But I am somewhat limited by my antennas. Part of the problem with living in the city. If you get a generator for emergencies, get one that can run on LPG, like propane or butane. Those can be stored indefinitely. Gasoline, especially ethanol gas, has a very short lifespan, and will not last long in storage.

I would like to write a script suggestion for one of your videos concerning Emergency Radio Communication nets. It would cover basic radio station setup including a homemade antenna, how to operate in an actual emergency, basic radio-telephone procedure, how to pass messages to stations within the net, operational security, and setting up relay stations to increase the range of the net. I could write the script and make a shot list so you could produce the video in your excellent "Racoon" style. I hope you got my email on how I started my local emergency net. Since I sent it out, when I make a local contact, I mention the net day, time and channel. This has added a few more contacts to the net list. Keep up the good work my friend. Looking forward to your next video.

With GMRS allowing 50 watts , a decent antenna can get good range. But the handhelds are very limited. The “38” mile claim in the little radios is anything but true. Also MURS is a license FREE low power ( 2 watt) VHF radio. External antennas are legal and you can get 10 miles out of them.

I tried GMRS when I moved from Maryland to NC. The package said up to 30 mile range. They worked fine2-4 miles away but anything over that wasn't happening. When traveling I prefer a CB Radio. Sure there is noise out there but if you're on an interstate or a major roadway all you need to do is ask and someone would get back to you and it's also helps keep you awake. Never played with 2 meter or 440. Back in 2005 during hurricane Katrina all sorts of communications were down but there was one source that stood out When Nextel had their PTT service they were also able to work as walkie talkies working as a private network. We all know where Nextel is now don't we. Also in an emergency with a CB you can also have someone who either lives on high ground or have someone driver to high ground and act as a relay. AKA 10-5

Ill stick with my cb radio for all friendly chat or emergency communications. No repeaters no line of sight deals to deal with. 12ny...

Don't forget HF world wide communication.

I loved watching the video tonight and reading the comments from fellow radio users. I have a dedicated 10 meter radio along with 2 meter uhf/vhf. I guess I'll get my general license if life doesn't get in the way like it always does. Still sitting on the fence about GMRS though. KI4QMJ

Good video👍 When I checked earlier this month the FCC was still charging $70 for GMRS license even though they were authorized to reduce the fee to $35. Have they finally changed the fee? Thanks

What channels are on FM for cb and I'm setting up a backup communication with Soler power

Having a SSB CB and GMRS with license are critical emergency communications and you must have both radios. I like converting a high power 10 meter ham for CB and for GMRS a converted dual band ham. With the dual band ham you can have MURS, marine, business VHF, 2M, 70CM, GMRS, and business UHF but you need three antennas. Of course this is frowned upon by the FCC. Repeaters are closed for all traffic except emergency so use simplex and get to high ground. On FM you should be able to talk 50-150 miles antenna to antenna if you are high enough and have the power. WROH566

Have they finally made gmrs $35? I know it was approved, but seems it hasn’t gone through yet.

How about my 10 Meter Ham radio against a LEGAL CB? No comparison. This is the first video of yours where I think you overlooked a lot to come to your conclusion.