are you prepared?

In a power outage your broadband will go off, your TV will go off and the mobile phone network which requires power for its cell towers to work will either go off, will become overwhelmed or will be switched to priority government traffic only. 

The FM radio you have been advised to buy may not be as much use as you hoped.  National channels such as BBC Radio 4 will likely give generic ‘Keep calm and carry on’ messages. Local radio stations may not have back-up power or spare transmitters.  They often just receive syndicated news from national stations and may not have local information.  Neither will allow you to ask questions about your concerns or local area. 

Amateur radio will allow you to stay in touch, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.  Now is the ideal time to prepare by becoming a licensed amateur radio operator.  You may also find it a fun, fascinating hobby!  Amateur radio can run from batteries and does not require the internet making it much more resilient during an emergency.  Many would say “Why do I need to become licensed, in an emergency I could just transmit anyway!”, but studying to becoming licensed will give you the skills and knowledge to establish reliable communications on the correct frequencies and how to contact people. The subjects you study on the Foundation course will help you understand other areas which may be of use in an emergency.