Do you REALLY need that ham license?

[Jonas]

Do you REALLY need that ham license?

I've read numerous posts on numerous "prepper" forums with the theme "after the SHTF, a license won't mean diddly" and "I'll just get my equipment now and wait for things to fall apart before I use my transceiver". Unfortunately, that license will still be important, and familiarity with your transceiver (or, in "ham-speak", a "rig") will be vital.

Most hams that I know (including me) have a logging program with a database on a dedicated computer next to their rigs. If I punch in your call-sign, your name, address, and Maidenhead grid location immediately show on my monitor screen and in my station log. If you don't give me a call-sign, I won't respond to you unless you're calling "mayday", and then it better be a real emergency with an immediate threat to human life!. If you give me a bogus call-sign, you better have the name, address, grid, and location down pat. If I ask for your QTH, the correct answer is not "Huh? Wat?". In other words, the minute you make that first transmission, hams will know you aren't for real.

There's a learning curve here. Folks are telling me that they'll have the gear and when the SHTF they'll just power up, set the proper band, frequency, and mode, key the microphone, and transmit with no problem tuning their antenna, setting the filters, or adjusting the microphone gain and transmitting power. Great! Then following that logic, I can buy a shotgun and a few boxes of ammo and leave them all on a shelf until I need them, then somehow strip and clean the shotgun, load it, and hit the first five clay targets with my first five shots! You and I both know that ain't gonna happen...

So why add to the comms problems in a SHTF scenario when you can be part of the solution. Get your license and get on the air now. Get familiar with your rig and the procedures and the protocols in use. Join your local ham club. Check into a "traffic net" and get familiar with passing traffic. Hone your skills. When you really need them, the skills will be there!