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| Two GMRS Radios (too small, weak) |
In such a scenario/crisis, we want to prepare by choosing something that is going to work across the worst situations we could have the most reliably for the longest term.
Granted, the "likelihood" of us having a catastrophic failure/crisis is pretty slim - but the Lord did not counsel us to prepare based on man's statistical probability estimates. Neither did he counsel or give authority to leaders or members to ignore his counsel based on their feelings and assumptions. The Lord gave the Parable of the Ten Virgins which noted five were foolish (50%) because they weren't prepared and they were not allowed into the wedding feast. Also, the Lord has warned us that these things will come "in such an hour as ye think not."
Briefly, in amateur radio there are a few different wavelengths that are commonly used. Radio bands are typically measured in "wavelengths" - or the height of the waves using the metric system (centimeters or meters) - and cycles per second called "hertz" (one cycle per second is 1 hertz, 100 cycles per second is 100 hertz, 1 million per second is 1 megahertz) and different wavelengths do different things in different areas.
Some of the "bands" are the 2-meter, 70 centimeter, 10 meter, 20 meter, 80 meter bands (meaning the wavelengths are 2 meters from top to bottom, 70 centimeters, 10 meters, 20 meters, and 80 meters).
The other variable is power measured in watts.
Amateur radios are designed to send a radio signal at a particular power level.
"UHF" - Ultra High Frequency:
70centimeters - 400 megahertz (400 million cycles per second) - is typically short-range, works well in urban areas.
"VHF" - Very High Frequency:
2meters - 144 megahertz (144 million cycles per second) - goes farther, works much better over rural areas.
"HF" - High Frequency
10 meters to 100 meters - 1.8 megahertz to 28 megahertz (1.8-28 million cycles per second) - bounces off the ionosphere and the land to circle the globe.
And then different frequencies are restricted / operate best at different power levels.
HF takes quite a bit of training, equipment and practice to become proficient at, and we need to get people operational quickly, so getting hundreds or thousands of families equipped and trained on HF is not practical or reliable. We do need more operators who can do this, it will be being used, but for regular use within the stake it will not be what we are going to be needing.
Our stake covers ~1,200 square miles, and it is approximately 70 miles across at its widest point, and its longest ward is approximately 50 miles at its widest point. We only have one ward that is approximately 1 mile square where the handy-talkies might work. There is also the Singles Ward which covers the entire Stake - so if there's a ward that needs some range in emergency communications, it would be the singles ward. We also have the issues of terrain with a lot of hills to the north of us.
VHF (or the 2 meter band) which is used by amateur (ham) radios has the best propagation over the distances and terrain that we have in our stake at the power levels most members would have available to them. It is also the most commonly used by police, fire, sheriffs, and is one of the most widely used bands for emergency rescue services and ham radio services (who are going to be the ones skilled and trained and listening).
These handy-talkie radios will not cover those distances and that terrain reliably and do not have the power to make them do so. While we might wish to relay using others' radios to make GMRS or FRS work (and relaying is a needed skill) but we don't want to create a network or patchwork where we have to rely on relaying to get a message out. At this point we do not have enough people to rely on relaying to get a message to the entire stake. Also, if a disaster causes a loss of life or loss of equipment through parts of the region (e.g., flooding), then the relaying won't work, and the radios won't be useful. Additionally, relaying takes time, the shorter range your equipment and the more you rely on relaying, the more potential breaks you have in your plan, the less likely it is to work.
Now, there are no guarantees even using ham radio on VHF. There are areas of the stake where we could not reach except by relaying such as in the hills to the north headed towards Durkee and Dixie and running up through Hell's Canyon, or by hitting a repeater (a radio that takes a signal and rebroadcasts it with more power or more coverage). But with VHF we would have to do it less, increasing the chances of success in a disaster which is what we are preparing for.
CB or Citizen's Band (Trucker radios) is out because nobody listens to it, it isn't used widespread enough to be a real, viable, reliable option.
And so cell-phones and satellite phones and all such other types of non-traditional communication have their limits and costs.
With a single amateur radio on VHF we can literally cover thousands of square miles and hit thousands of people...if they are prepared, practiced, and have the skills. Preparation takes time and practice. Also, ham radio in general (HF) is what is used by the Church for it's disaster preparedness, it's what the Bishop's Storehouses are equipped with as well as Church Headquarters.
Going back through history, when the early saints were threatened with military action in the Utah Territory, the Lord's apostles told the military leaders that the saints were prepared to leave their homes and live in the forests, wilderness and woods for over three years because they were self-sufficient and had been preparing according to prophetic counsel. Their preparation was a deterrent to that conflict and it saved many lives.
Amateur radio does require some training and licensure and practice, which is what we want to be doing before we have to learn the hard way, or cannot.
Radios require some training and practice to use across all sorts of conditions. Being licensed (an FCC Requirement on the "ham bands") gives you a license to practice. Otherwise it would be like getting an airplane as part of emergency preparation, but never getting licensed or learning to fly, but expecting to use it in an emergency.
And just as the early saints were counseled to prepare, so are we, and just as they looked forward with faith, so should we. These messages are messages of hope and faith:
9 ... I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation.
10 I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise (D&C 82).
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