I just read a post saying that all communications would brake down if Y2K kills the phones. You seem to be forgeting HAM radio and the efforts of commercial radio stations to diseminate data. A complete brakedown in communications in the short term (48-72 hours) is unlikely and if the athorities in charge have half a brain they'll provide said stations with enough supplies to keep on air long term.

SteveD

-- Anonymous, July 21, 1998

Answers

Of course, ham radios and commercial radio stations without power are fairly useless....

-- Anonymous, July 24, 1998

HAM radio operators recently ran an "emergency response" drill in my area. They used portable generators. I think they will be a great resource.

-- Anonymous, July 24, 1998

The problem with communications in general is that they are no longer merely a means to "diseminate data." My EDI connections for commerce will not go over those type of links, nor will this email forum. As a means to inform the public of measures to minimize or overcome emergency situations, they shine. As a substitute for the whole interconnected "phone system" they can not handle the load while we fix the problem. Think in terms of 1920 or so, and that is the level of communications they can provide. By the way, don't forget that the other end has to have a functional receiver, too.......how many Joe Six-packs have the battery-run radios we keep asking everyone to have, much less a stock of spare batteries?

-- Anonymous, July 24, 1998

Ham radio is one of the only hobbies that is heavily related to emergency preparedness. We annually test our capability to operate for 24 hours continuously without commercial power at an event called field day. We regularly provide disaster communications during major disasters such as floods and hurricanes where phones, cell phones and government communications are wiped out. Our stations can transmit digital information (email) as well as voice. Many Ham radio operators (including me) have off-grid power supplies for their stations. My station can operate indefinitely on its solar power supply. (certainly months before storage batteries degrade) . I also have 2 gas powered generators which would last about 48 hours each before they run out of gas (note: they would only run during station operation, or to charge batteries not continuously) I'd run out of food way before my station would go down.

Also Hams tend to know how to fix (or at least jury rig) stuff, like phone systems to get them running again. I expect that inventive spirit of solving problems to be a major force in overcoming Y2K crises.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1998

Are there ham recievers (only) for sale. Like a short wave radio reciever thanks,Steve

-- Anonymous, August 04, 1998

The great thing about ham radio is "if" you have a couple of solar panels or a wind generator it will work for a VERY LONG TIME. NO FUEL NEEDED to keep those batteries charged!

-- Anonymous, August 11, 1998

Anyone needing info on ham receivers can go to a local bookstore and consult the ham magazines QST and WorldRadio. The ARRL website at www.arrl.org can also be of assistance in dealing with emergency communications.

-- Anonymous, December 16, 1998

As far as "ham radio receivers" are concerned, almost all shortwave receivers cover one or more "HF" ham bands. Even the crank-up FreeGen radios. As long as people transmit in AM, they will be able to listen.

Standard scanners cover most of the remaining ham bands, such as the 2M and 440MHz bands. Although they are more for local area comm and need a repeater (in this case solar/batt powered) to be heard over long distances.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 1998

HAM radio is a viable communication option but as a poster has pointed out it is not usefull for the EDI side of data transfer. i.e. direct deposit of paychecks, etc.

Some receivers from ICOM, Kenwood can cover the HAM bands along with the "normal" shortwave bands. Used rigs can be found via the 'NET in Usenet groups. If you are so inclined you can purchase a HAM transceiver and use it for reception only. I know some will say that folks should not transmit with it because it is illegal. But if we are serious about this being a life and death situation does anyone truly belive the FCC will be chasing illegal operators? I think not. I don't encourage illegal acts of any shape or form but I sure as hell don't worry about some rules when my life is threatened. At least lets be honest here.

I run my shack on solar power. It's a technical challenge, its interesting, and it saves on the power bill! I can run forever or as someone pointed out, until my food runs out. Cost to setup was around $2500.00. I may add an inverter this year and try running some other items in the house. Now if I can just find the room for some additional batteries!! :)

my .02 worth

-- Anonymous, December 17, 1998

I came late to Y2K "awareness" (bordering on panic) and to ham radio, but here's what I've done. I decided that the most relevant band is the 2-meter band (around 145 MHz). This is used mostly in FM mode so the distance is only line of sight, but there are repeaters that can get you up to about 50 miles. I focused on this because it has many users, but not TOO many; it's the most common for local communication (other than CB); and it's the standard band for civil defense workers. Plus, a good 2M set is cheap: the Yaesu 2500 is only $210.

Meanwhile I'm working on my ham license, which isn't an overwhelming job but you'd better budget some time for it. The two directions to go from 2-meter are "up" and "down". The aristocrats are, of course, the fully equipped hams who can communicate long distances. I probably won't have the money or time to get into that league, but these people will be the only source of long-distance TWO-WAY communication. The poor man's medium is CB. Hams call this children's band, but I'll defend it for Y2K. It'll sure beat nothing; you don't need a license; and lots of people have it, of which some percent will have their own power. I'll be adding CB soon. It's been mentioned that many hams, including those running repeaters, have alternative power. Unfortunately this is usually diesel, which won't last long. For myself I got both a solar panel and wind generator and had it all installed. This was very expensive and I've questioned the whole project, wondering whether I should have spent the same money on long-term food (in addition to what I've spent). If you do your own installation you can save quite a bit from what I did, but I didn't feel competent to do it. In any case, power will indeed be the issue for communication.

Christopher Brewster

-- Anonymous, December 22, 1998