Information Gathering and Distribution

Configuration of an EMCOMM Power Supply

Minimal, Individual Preparation for EMCOMM

Disasters can happen at any time and without warning. With minimal effort, and ultimately without significant costs, you can prepare for an infrastructure failure. A few crates of water, a camping stove, and some canned food are a good start.

As a radio amateur, you should go a few steps further, even if you only have a handheld radio due to antenna problems: With a battery for 20 EUR plus accessories such as a charger, DC-DC converter if needed, and connecting cables, most people can reach at least one relay and operate on standby for 20 days – one hour a day.

More detailed information on dimensioning a serious radio emergency power supply can be found here.

The Connection to the Outside World

A few years ago, the power went out in Berlin-Koepenick, a district of Berlin, for 32 hours. On YouTube, you can find many reports about this under Power Outage Koepenick. The biggest problem for most residents was uncertainty. Anyone without a battery-operated radio was left in the dark in every respect. He did not even know that everyday life was completely normal 5 km away. Hop on your bicycle to make cell phone calls and shop in stores as usual!

During such limited power outages, as a radio amateur, you can access local information via the nearest relay. However, the relay needs an emergency power supply for this. I consider this one of the more important tasks of radio clubs.

Neighborhood Assistance

In the event of a power outage, the landline telephone network fails immediately. Cell phone networks only function for a few hours at best. This causes problems for many neighbors, especially the elderly and those in need of care. They have no information, may panic, and cannot call for help. This is where license-free radio devices (PMR/FRS) can be of valuable assistance.

From my own experience, I know that many fellow citizens don't want to deal with such issues. In the worst case, you are pigeonholed into the unsavory, right-wing corner without ever having had a political discussion with these people. So I decided to pack a few PMR devices and power banks into my version of an emergency radio case and store them. I recharge the power banks and radio batteries twice a year.