Repeaters ( Ham) locations and coverage maps

[Paul]

No problem about your thinking from me Ned.
There isn't the need for HF repeaters because primarily there aren't the numbers to warrant it and it's too flipping technical to set up cheaply.

I've little time for some of the radio amateur brigade though.
The DX group I belong to has been recently "baconed" and a little VHF-Low repeater smashed.
Oh they've got skills OK but to use them to find and destroy a tiny solar powered 5 watt home brew repeater no where near their VHF bands takes the biscuit!
It's a big spectrum out there, there's room for everyone.
We don't drift onto ham frequencies so why the hell they come looking for us escapes me.

Historically Cb'ers always helped folk in a crisis yet "the bacon" never made a appearance once even though I've known CB'ers (me being one of them) do meal runs for pensioners when snow stopped play for even the emergency services.
CB Nets worked in the 70-80's with no problem and no fancy electronics. Just good operators.
They still operate on the fringes of CB and Freebander frequencies both of which I can't discuss as it's naughty.

Besides, I don't understand the need for distance comms and I still believe in my 10 mile radius limit in a survival situation. That's about the limit I could comfortably get to and back from in one day.
Contacting someone 100 miles away to source a can of beans is a little extreme to me.