Ham Radio used in Nepal Earthqukes (And general Ham Radio Info)

[d3sl91]

 

In the wake of the recent Earthquakes in Nepal, Ham radio has become working method of communication, when modern methods are failing. 

 

 

Now, you may not know much of Ham radio, or, what it is used for. In most cases, it's just another fun, geeky hobby that has roots back to the very first methods of wireless communication. But most operators are also trained in responding to emergencies, and have stations set up in many of your local hospitals and government buildings, to aid in communication systems failures. 

 

Thankfully, this has been the case in most of the recent Natural Disasters, where operators jump in, and volunteer to provide rescue workers and local governments, a way to communicate. 

 

In Nepal:
 

 

Still, some volunteers are trying to impose order on the chaos. After the quake, which shook cities in India as well as Nepal, volunteer ham radio operators from India traveled to the region to relay messages from areas whose communications infrastructure is broken or overloaded. Ham radio, also called amateur radio, is a means of sending and receiving messages over a specific radio frequency, and it is often used in disaster situations because it operates well off the grid; transceivers can be powered by generators and set up just about anywhere.

 

 

“The situation in Nepal is getting worse, as tremors continue to strike every hour at a magnitude of 4.7,” Bhide said. The government of Nepal has asked all people to stay out of buildings, as damage is expected to increase. Due to the conditions, emergency communication with 9N1 stations came to a standstill; no communication was possible overnight as the earthquake demolished the building where emergency communication gear was installed.”

 

 

Ham Radio is not just "old tech" as many will say. Most setups have computers (or multiple computers) as integral components. Remotely-controlled tranceivers are placed in other areas, while operaters use VOIP systems to transmit. Most flagship tranceivers these days have LCD displays, some with touchscreen capabilities. Now, they aren't all huge either. Huge strides have been taken to result in units the size of most car stereo units, that have full capabilities to do anything any of these larger units can.

 

 

 

 

SDR, or, Software Defined radio are radios that are completely defined by the computer they are hooked up to, to receive signals. There are several units out now, that utilize Raspberry Pi, and even basic android phones to operate.

 

 

This is a newer section of this hobby, but has come from a long line of utilizing "consumer tech" to a new level. Because many router's operate on frequencies that are shared with radio operators, we have been able to create wireless 2.4GHz Mesh systems, using the infamous Linksys WRT-54G Routers. Resulting in long distance links etc We also have an IRLP system in place, that links local "repeaters" to other repeaters around the world, via the internet. This results in a $40 handheld radio, and the lowest-level licence, to be able to talk to folks all around the world, easily. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Radio_Linking_Project

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone is interested in HAM or Amateur Radio, just reply to this thread, or feel free to PM me. 

 

Info on Ham Radio:
http://www.arrl.org/emergency-radio-org

 

Sources:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/04/28/after-nepal-earthquake-people-turn-to-ham-radio/

http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-volunteers-in-nepal-india-continue-to-aid-earthquake-response

 

Other LTT Hams:

@Delons @Strando123 @[member=ionbasa] @Createinator

[Sousuke]

Hi from the UK! My Call Sign is MW3 IHX and I got my licence a good few years back so just trying to get back into the game at the moment.

[Victorious Secret]

This is why radio should always be a thing for all countries. Far easier to spread messages in disaster scenarios than it is to count on people having working phones or computers or what have you. 

[d3sl91]

Hi from the UK! My Call Sign is MW3 IHX and I got my licence a good few years back so just trying to get back into the game at the moment.

 

Same for me. Since starting college, full time job, and getting married soon - it's sometimes hard to even turn the radio on for more than a couple minutes every few days

[Pugs501]

I did a Winter Class on getting my HAM Licence but I got sick and by the time I wasn't feeling terrible I couldn't pass the test

[Unhelpful]

 

GOING HAM

[carguy86]

Hello from norway this is LA2KUA

Good luck with DXing @d3sl91

[dizmo]

Haha, that car mounted one looks sweet.

[Trik'Stari]

I need to get a HAM radio setup. Gonna be useful when society collapses.

[linuxnutcase]

I have been a ham since i was like 8, got my general now, ki6fky

a cool geek thing they do is this event called field day, check it out on youtube, quite cool,

[SIGSEGV]

I need to get a HAM radio setup. Gonna be useful when society collapses.

Just set up a meshnet, far more useful

[ionbasa]

KJ6ACR here! Got my licence when I was wee lad in high school thanks to my father's help and support (He is also a Ham and did telecommunications for Nato forces in Europe for quite a while).  I'm glad to see the HA community helping out in time of need. 

 

This isn't anything new though, radio amateurs have been doing this for years.

 

I encourage all HAMs in the US to get involved with their regional ARES and RACES organization if possible. At least where I live (Southern California) weve been preparing for an earthquake dubbed 'the big one' which may hit at any time.

 

Something as simple as getting your technical class licence, a icom 75 watt transceiver, and a j-pole antenna, would cost under $500 and comes in handy in times of emergencies when local phone and mobile networks are down. 

 

It is also a great hobby. I'm trying to get into packet radio at the moment, and also upgrading my license this summer.

 

For those of you who cannot afford an actual VHF/HF transceiver, there are other options available. One of them is EchoLink. EchoLink requires an user to have an amature licence and basically works like skype, but for radio. You can connect to local repeaters or towers (or halfway around the globe) and use your PC microphone and headphones instead of buying an actual radio. It is great way to start and requires the least amount of money.

 

Hope of DXing some of you here on the forum! Maybe get some QSLs going. Would be fun in my opinion.

[RagnarokDel]

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