it would depend on the emergency... your power is out and the ice cream in the freezer is getting soft - not an emergency. You're in a party of two and one of you has a life threatening injury or whatever, might... MIGHT be an OK 'emergency'. I don't remember what the FCC qualifies an emergency for an unlicensed person to use licensed services, but it's pretty strict on it.
@@slamdvw This is why most people trust cell phones more than ham radios. I hope satellite phones become more affordable soon, making ham radios even less necessary.
@JohnUsp problem is - it doesn't take much to make cellphones useless. Some construction company hits a fiber line - you can't call a cellphone 10 feet away. A radio, wouldn't even notice that the network was down. The licensing aspect is to let people know you know what you're doing. We can build our own equipment and use it - there is a level of knowledge there to keep from interfering with other users if the radio spectrum. Amateur radios isn't JUST for emergency communications, it is a hobby.
@@slamdvw HF is susceptible to solar effects, 2m struggles in urban areas, and 70cm doesn't have long range. If you want to make contacts beyond 10 miles, you need to rely on repeaters. Without power, your $1k+ radios are useless, and you're left with just 5W HTs. It seems you're not as well-prepared for emergencies as you might think.
@JohnUsp susceptible? You mean "takes advantage of". Ever hear of 'skip' or 'dx'? Means 'not local'. Worked Japan on 10m from a mobile... so yea, I kinda can make a call. That's just it... no other infrastructure is required. I can call a radio 10 feet away, or 10 miles with nothing else - try that with a phone. Power? Even your trusty cellphone will need a recharge sooner or later. Not all of us have $1k radios... I've got a few that I picked up horse trading. An antenna? I bet I can find a piece of wire just about anywhere. Might not be the best, but if it works, I don't care.
