Earlier this year, I took and passed the Technicians Class Amateur Radio test. I’m now licensed by the FCC to operate an Amateur Radio. I’ve written about the value of Ham Radio as a Prepping Skill and cautioned that There Is No Privacy in Ham Radio in prior posts.
Experiences in Ham Radio
As a new Ham Radio operator I can definitely see the benefits of owning radio equipment in a TEOTWAWKI situation. When things get really bad, official news reports can be delayed or errant. In a really bad situation, it can be much worse than that. The official reports may be merely propaganda designed to obfuscate or distract the public. How would you know the difference?
With a Ham Radio, you can get first hand information from resources local to the situation. You can hear for yourself what is happening there. You can even help in emergencies by actively participating in RACES or ARES.
I know these things. But as a new Ham Radio operator, my experience is limited to recognizing the need and knowing the basic skills of operating the radio. I’m still learning the intricacies and nuances of the skill.
It’s a little like buying a handgun. You may know the basics of how to load it, how to pull the trigger, etc. But until you go to the range and practice, until you’ve taken it apart to clean it, until you’ve become proficient through practice, it’s hard to consider yourself knowledgeable about shooting.
I recently listened to a podcast about including Ham Radio and Scanners as skills in your prepping repertoire. Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast interviewed Tim Glance, a Ham Radio operator for over 10 years, about his experiences and perspectives on Ham Radio. Tim offered his guidance on what to buy and the hows and whys getting licensed is important.
I found it interesting.
Are Ham Radios part of your prepping plans?
PreppingToSurvive.com 
August 1, 2012 at 9:13 am
Yes, I will eventually get a HAM license. I would prefer my equipment to be solar powered and am looking into different sets. Thanks for your post!
August 2, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Good for you. Let me know how your studying goes.
For solar powered devices, you may want to look into a low wattage CW system. You can make long distant contacts with little wattage and it could easily be recharged via solar. Of course it’d help to learn morse code if you don’t want to be dependent on a computer to translate for you.
Joe
September 6, 2012 at 1:49 pm
I am having my son learn and study to get his ham radio license.each one of us have so many jobs that we have to learn he is 17 and very much in to tech stuff..my daughter is 14 and very much and outdoor girl with want to learn to shoot and how to prepare animal for food ..so we each have a number of jobs one person cant do it all
September 13, 2012 at 8:27 am
That’s great, Lisa! I’d like for my oldest son to get his license as well. It’ll help with communications as well as having a certain level of redundancy in our preparation skills.
Joe
November 28, 2012 at 8:47 am
It’s never too early to learn. There was an 8 year old little girl in my class. =J
November 28, 2012 at 9:31 am
Wow, Heather. Great for her!