Comms in a Power-Grid Down Sitation

[Jonas]

Comms in a Power-Grid Down Situation

Congratulations! You studied hard, passed your exams, and you're now the proud owner of an amateur radio "general class" license or the UK equivalent thereof, and a brand new call-sign. You even dropped several thousand pounds (don't tell the wife) on that big (Kenwood/Icom/Yaesu - take your pick) all-band base-station transceiver which sits proudly on the desk in your "ham shack", with wires running to your antenna, antenna tuner, amplifier, computer interface, and computer. In fact, it looks like Chef Gordon Ramsey dumped a pot of pasta on your desk with all the wires going hither and thither. Unfortunately, only one wire makes the whole rig work - the power cord from the surge protector plugged into the wall.

Fast forward a few hours/days/weeks/months - your guess is as good as mine. For whatever reason (government, terrorists, Hurricane Gotcha, tornado, earthquake, ice-storm, etc.) that plug into the wall carries no power, because the power grid is down. Now what do you do? Well, if you're in this situation, probably not much. You're the proud owner of a high-priced boat anchor.

But if you're still in a position to change things before the SHTG (S*** Hits The Grid), you can set up a rig now so that SHTG will be but a minor inconvenience in your communications needs.

First, rather than the big and expensive "base" transceiver, look into the portable or mobile transceivers available. These don't look as impressive as the big rigs out there, but still can sit on a desk, and with the addition of a power supply, can plug into the wall for power. What these portables can do is run off a 12 volt auto battery. In fact most come with mounting brackets which can be pre-mounted in your "bug-out" vehicle of choice. Add a mobile antenna and moving your rig from desktop to vehicle becomes a matter of unplugging and replugging, with a few screws to secure the radio to the bracket. Ideally, the rig you pick will have a built-in antenna tuner so you have one less piece of gear to move, mount, and power.

If you're planning to "bug in", then life becomes even simpler. Just park your "bug-in" vehicle outside a convenient window and run a power cable from the battery terminals directly to the rig. You can also use a separate 12 volt car battery hooked to a solar charging panel, or a small sine-wave gasoline generator placed under the window as well. Remember, it takes a whole lot less power to listen than to transmit, and most rigs' transmitting power can be adjusted from 100 watts or so down to 5 watts in 5 watt increments. Transmitting at low power with a directional beam antenna pointed at the station you're talking to decreases the possibility that your conversation will "go viral", to mix a metaphor. Amateur radio is by no means "secure communications" but there's no reason to shout when a whisper will do.

It's obvious that just because the SHTG doesn't mean that your communications ability has to be compromised. Just pick your equipment carefully!