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.

Ham radio, also called shortwave radio, has been used in every disaster and crisis for more than 100 years. The reason is that they are not limited to only one frequency for communicating. The shortwave frequency bounces off the ionosphere and will actually curve around the earth which makes its reach longer. A signal can be received as far away as several thousand kilometers or a different continent. In addition, most operators know and use Morse code which can transmit when voice cannot. A Ham radio will also have a self enclosed battery or generator making an external power source unnecessary.

A Satellite Phone does not rely on cell networks in order to operate. Instead they connect to orbiting satellites and provide the same functions a cell phone offers. These are voice, short messaging and limited internet. Any overload to the cell phone network will not have an effect on this option. As long as the satellites are orbiting the earth you will be able to make use of this option.

Walkie-Talkies are hand held two-way radios. Battery operated, these do not use cell towers or phone lines. As long as there are no large obstacle such as buildings, a mountain, or large grouping of trees, a person can speak with another person 1 mile up to 35 miles away.

Though the previous recommendations are for items that do not use the same network as a cell phone, that does not mean cell phones cannot still be useful during a disaster. Text messages and the internet use different bandwidth than voice calls do so if the network should be overloaded, you can still get a text message through. You should also be able to access the internet through your data plan to communicate with others. Do not forget that social media has proven to be useful in the past during times of crisis.

A Hand-crank radio is also a valuable item to have in your bag. Though you cannot send voice message over it, you will be able to gather information from radio and weather stations. This equipment are powered by cranking a handle that in turn powers its internal generator. This is useful not only because it provides its own energy but also because today's units have ports for charging cell phones, they have a reading light, emergency light, and other safety features. Also, most have a solar panel for providing its energy.

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.

During a natural or man-made disaster Making Contact with Emergency Communication Equipment is going to be vital. Be certain you have been properly trained in how to use your equipment. Also have plenty of batteries and a solar converter on hand in order to keep the lines of communication open.




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