I dunno... one part of ham radio is acting as a relay.
If there are two groups of folks, and they each have a ham in them at least the groups can relay messages to each other.
If there are two groups of folks, and they each have a ham in them at least the groups can relay messages to each other.
I probably should do that...
Practical skill with communication technology also gets you an 'in' with those in charge of things, even if you were a nobody before.
My survival plan involves
- 12v systems from car batteries
- VHF/UHF short range communication - HF as money permits
- low power FM broadcast station - simple low current broadcast studio
- legacy PCs and notebook PCs, Linux & Windows 7 (custom mods for better/convective cooling, slower clocks, long life)
- massive libraries of ebooks, music, audiobooks and old radio shows
- selected paper reference works (now is a great time to buy!)
Note that solar panels do NOT make this list, not in any massive way. It's about available funds and priorities now.
But after we got hit with a hurricane it was pretty nifty to have ham radio friends who were able to exchange messages with hams near families in unaffected areas. I don't remember seeing any pragmatic uses for ham radio in that particular disaster, but those lines of communication was great for morale.
Historically, there is a whole lot of prescident for it's functionality.
By all means, though, having water and store-able food is an excellent thing to do regardless.
Just anecdotally, having a radio and knowing how to use it is way higher on my list of personal prep than owning a firearm and knowing how to use it.