Here’s the scenario… you’re the net control operator for your club’s weekly net and just as you finish the preamble and are ready to pause for check-ins, the power at your home QTH goes out. You have no idea if it will be out for a minute or an hour or a day. If there’s been a storm, it could be days. What do you do? If you’ve planned for contingencies you’ll have an answer. If not, the club will have to figure out how to choose a net control operator until you return to the air.
Backup power is just one aspect of contingencies in ham radio. But it can be a crucial one. Radios require power. In Field Day ops we learn how to run our radios on batteries, or with generators, or using power from a nearby building or facility. But what about at home? What about when you are mobile? There may be a situation where you are counting on your radio to help get the job done ‘When All Else Fails.’
For my part, my home radio rig is setup right next to my home computer monitor. And next to that desk is an uninterruptible power supply or UPS. Basically it’s a battery backup system designed to run my computer for a up to two hours without utility power. My radio is plugged into the same system. So if the power suddenly goes out, I’m still operating. I can’t operate indefinitely, but I can certainly get through our usual hour-long net, particularly if I knock the power down a bit.
‘Ok bright guy’ you’re probably thinking, but what about doing emergency ops longer than your UPS battery is going to last? Say a four-hour shift on a disaster net, or a traffic net. The answer is a generator. I have two. One big enough to run the important systems in my house and one specifically sized to run my camper or do mobile ops during field day. As long as I have gasoline, I can operate.
But another avenue is available for operators who are doing VHF into a repeater or short-range simplex. This is the route one of my fellow hams followed when his utility power went out during a net. He simply walked outside, got in his vehicle and turned on his mobile radio. Though he’s technically outside of our county, he was able to access the repeater and continue operating even though his power would be out for many hours.
If you’re close enough to the repeater you can even use an HT. This isn’t really suitable for sustained ops, but as a backup to your home rig or mobile rig it’s better than nothing. And if you’re net control it will at least keep you on the air long enough to let everyone know what happened and give them the opportunity to choose a new net control and proceed with operations.
In the amateur radio service we pride ourselves on being the backup plan to normal everyday communications, so I’d encourage you to figure out how you’ll operate when everything goes dark. Make a plan. And test your plan. That way you can be a present help in time of need. When all else fails.
73
KD8LCF