Amateur Radio for emergacy comms

U.S.A. Louisiana

Published

I am looking for nurses who might be intrested in Amateur Radio to help with emergancy communications during a natural disaster. I saw a video on youtube about Katrina and the lack of hospitals getting out the word that they needed help. I thought Amateur radio could fill the blank spots.

I may be wrong on this but have to try. I just want to let you all know of this option.

Thank you.

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Specializes in Medical-Oncology.

I am not sure what you mean by this, but I am intrigued.

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Well Amatuer radio is a service hobby. We use radio frequencies to communicate across town or across the world. I saw a video on youtube that had a hospital in New Orleans during katrina. They needed help but could not contact the outside world. They hung sheets with writting on the building but still no help for two days.

If they had an amatuer radio operator they could have gotten help alot sooner, hours instead of days.

Please let me know how I can help.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

Our hospitals down here learned the value of Amateur Radio during Hurricane Andrew. Almost every evacuation site and hospital here in Florida has plans for a station on-site during an emergency situation. Quite a few of us nurses are hams and have volunteered to run on-site communications during a hurricane or other disaster.

What most people do not realize is that during a major event, there will be communication problems. There are quite a few volunteer amateur radio clubs that exist for this very purpose, such as Air Force Military Affiliate Radio Systems (MARS) which deals with long-range coordination of emergency services messages, and ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service). Here's a link with more info for those of you who might be interested. http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/pscm/sec1-ch1.html

Amateur radio has been and remains a valid option for communications during a disaster. It's comparable to CB radio, but operates on bands that require a license from the FCC. For a nursing analogy, CB would be the nurse assistant, amateur radio would be the licensed nurse. It's not hard to get licensed -- way easier than the NCLEX ;) -- and the equipment is reasonably priced. The Amateur Radio Relay League site has all the info needed if anyone is interested in pursuring this hobby: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/pscm/sec1-ch1.html

However -- don't get me started on the failures of our government to the people who suffered through Katrina. That was a communication problem that no amateur radio service could overcome.

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Specializes in Medical-Oncology.

I live in North LA and am finishing nursing school in May. I am planning to move to New Orleans at that time. I would be willing to get into this hobby some day.

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All you need to do is go to the ARRL web site. They are the organization for ham radio(Amatuer Radio).

I am a general class ham radio operator. It is the middle licence of the hobby. The begining licence is the technician. The top licence is extra. The diffrent classes have diffrent slices of the radio specturm. The general has parts of all bands allowed. The extra has all bands all modes. The technician is in the vhf and uhf frequncies(like the fire and police).

Hope to hear you on the bands!

KC7UAM

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Been meaning to get my General license. Already have my technician. It makes a lot of sense but I probably wouldnt get too involved because Im a little short on money right now..

KI4NVF

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