If shtf what band on ham radio land would you be on?

[corbeck]

There's all sorts of modes of communications you could use. For voice, there's nothing wrong with 2m and 70cm for local communication. As had been stated earlier, there's repeaters out the wazoo here in Colorado. The advantage is that it only takes an entry level license to use them (though one can do anything they please in emergency situations).

For longer range regional and international com, HF would work very nicely.These days the 20, 40 and 80 meter bands should work nicely. With a very simple wire antenna (stretched out at six feet in height) you can work NVIS (Near Vertical Incident Skywave). It's a mouthful, but sends your signal straight up and bounces it off ionized layers in the upper atmosphere. You should get up to a 300 mile radius of communication which may be all you need. 40 meters is a reasonably reliable band for that type of operation.

If you prefer longer range, that same wire antenna can be elevated to 30-50 feet and you should be able to hit Europe if you have to, though the lower 48 is a better bet on a consistent basis. 80/40/20 meters are good for this as well depending on the time of day. Again, a simple wire antenna is plenty for what we're talking about. You can make it yourself for under $10 if your handy.

Digital ops are available if you want to get into it further. It'll take a computer to do it, but even an old laptop is sufficient. You can even use it on HF for continental coverage, though the VHF digital capability locally may be enough.

[Hoosier]

I really need to get my license. What's a good starter hand held 2m radio?

H.

[wyzardd]

If they are still making it, I think the VX150 is about the best 10 year old HT around.
I passed through the VX-5R "more is better" phase and can't get over how rugged & dependable the 150 is. Buddy of mine dropped his in a hot tub and it didn't even miss a beat.
Mine has been knocked off of more car roofs and window ledges than I can count.
But I haven't bought a new radio since the VX-7 came out, so maybe someone else has an affordable mil grade single band. Or maybe Yaesu is crap now, I don't know.



And am I correct in assuming that no one has got that CoAR15 repeater operating yet?

Jeez, dang slackers...

[The1andOnlyKC]

I have an FT-50 (actually 2 of them) and an FT-60. Both are great.

[rforsythe]

Definitely work out a number of repeaters, at different physical locations. Radio sites are generally reliable, but not immune to power outages. Some have battery and generator backups, some are per-transmitter and others power the whole building, it's really dependent on the site. Those resources are finite however, and if the SHTF for real, a tech is not going to be hauling ass up the hill to fix it (assuming the radio site isn't destroyed to begin with).