Saturday, February 1, 2014

Emergency Communication Equipment Is Important

By Serena Price


Making Contact with Emergency Communication Equipment during a disaster is crucial. Being able to connect with loved ones, staying informed as to the situation, and possibly coordinating with relief crews is vital to your safety. Most communication channels will be down during a crisis so having a ham radio, satellite phone, walkie-talkie, cell phone, or hand crank radio in your preparedness bag can give you peace of mind and even save your life.

For more than 100 years, the Ham radio, also known as shortwave radio, has proven critical during all types of disasters and crisis. There are several reason why this is so. They use a shortwave frequency that is able to literately bend or curve around the earth because the radio wave is at such a low frequency it bounces off the ionosphere. Also their signals can be sent and received from one continent to another or several thousand kilometers in distance. Most operators know and use Morse code which can be transmitted if voice cannot and they do not require any outside source of power to operate.

The second option is a Satellite Phone. Their advantage is that their transmission bounces off satellites orbiting the earth. They provide voice, text, and internet service in addition to Global Position System, GPS. They are more dependable than Cell phones because they do not use the cell networks which can become overloaded and jammed.

Another option that does not use cell networks, is the Walkie-Talkie. Modern units resemble a cell phone but are instead a two-way radio that also uses radio waves for transmittal. Good for short distance communication, they can reach a person 1 to almost 35 miles away as long as there are no obstructions such as buildings or a mountain between the sender and receiver.

Practicably everyone has a Cell Phone. During a disaster, attempts to make a call may fail due to networks being overwhelmed, but you will probably succeed by texting or using your data plan. Text messaging takes less bandwidth than a voice call. In addition, you will probably be able to access the internet to gather vital information, communicate with others, and post your status on social medial pages.

A Hand-crank radio will not allow you to send voice messages but it is a most useful tool. First it provides access to information being transmitted on AM/FM and weather stations. Modern units also have a built-in port for charging cell phones, they can be used as a flashlight, reading light, have emergency flashing light, and many other important extra's. In addition, the energy it needs to operate is fulfilled provided by turning a crank by hand or from the solar panel that most have now.

Be sure to include in your disaster kit plenty of batteries. Make certain they are the size needed and change them out according to manufacture instructions to ensure freshness when they are needed. A solar converter and panels are also smart investments for your kit.

Emergency communication equipment Is Important to the safety and peace of mind of your family and yourself during a disaster or crisis. Put together a preparedness bag that includes not only food, water, and medical supplies, but also one of the suggestions from above.




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