Interesting article from WIVB out of Buffalo NY regarding amateur radio emergency communications and using Morse Code. I figured this might be of interest to this forum. Some excerpts
http://wivb.com/2016/10/27/amateur-radio-provides-critical-communications-when-all-else-fails/
"BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A catastrophic blackout could takeout modern modes of telecommunications.
And that could spell big trouble for people and agencies that rely on power to communicate via the Internet or cellphones.
“It’s a very big concern throughout the country and the world, said Adam Cohen, special agent in charge of the Buffalo FBI office."
……"Buscaglia regularly communicates with other ham radio operators around the world from his home on Grand Island. But instead of using his voice, he prefers the fast-fingered technique of dots and dashes.
He says Morse code could be ideal during a dire situation.
“We would be able to set up a fairly low power station using battery power,“ he said. “You don’t require a computer hookup. All those things seem to get complicated, especially when you’re in a hurry to get it up and running.”
Buscaglia, along with Dick Stein and Mark Adams, belong to Niagara Frontier Radiosport, a local amateur radio club.
**They say Morse code is a useful alternative to voice transmissions during an emergency.
For one thing, sending the signal doesn’t require much power.
“With the amount of light you use to light up your bathroom, or your hallway at night, we’re communicating all over the world typically using Morse code,” said Mark Adams, a safety engineer at the University at Buffalo. “In a time of crisis, obviously Morse Code is going to work because hams that are trained in it are going to be very proficient.”**
Erie County has a pre-established organization of amateur radio operators at its disposal.
If the power goes out and backup communications become necessary, local ham radio operators are ready to step up, according to Steven Piotrowski.
While many hams use Morse code for fun, this old-school technology — as a last resort — could be the answer when normal communications fail."
Please go here to see some pictures, a video as well as the rest of the article.
http://wivb.com/2016/10/27/amateur-radio-provides-critical-communications-when-all-else-fails/
And get involved, being able to handle FORMAL messages properly is NOT something radio amateurs can do without training, see: CWB
