Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
the road with you, just keeping up with programming changes in each area you pass through
would be enough to drive anyone crazy! Uniden has come up with a new scanner product that
people are raving about that solves all of these problems and makes scanner use simple again,
like the “good old days” of analog signals. It is called the “HomePatrol” scanner. Though
pricey (around $500), people love it because it is programmed to be extremely versatile while
also being very easy to use. You simply need to input your local zip code information, and the
scanner will auto-load the applicable frequencies, trunking systems, alpha tags, and subaudible
tones for your area, making it extremely easy to operate, even for those who consider them-
selves to be somewhat technically challenged. It even has an optional add-on GPS receiver that
enables the HomePatrol to automatically detect your geographical location so it can auto-load
programming changes on-the-fly while driving from one location to another. There are also
high-end portable handheld scanner/transceivers from companies like Yaesu that provide full
scanning functions, AM/FM radio, GPS positioning, while allowing you to receive signals on
all shortwave frequencies and transmit on a couple of ham bands.
For excellent information on a wide variety of scanner products, check out
Short-Wave/Ham Radios
In times of disaster, war, and political upheaval, most of the time it is the amateur radio operat-
ors, also known as “ham radio operators,” that are the first to provide emergency communica-
tion services linking the affected areas to the rest of the world. In the recent political upheaval
in Egypt, when the people rose up against the government of Hosni Mubarak, one of the first
things the government did was to shut down the Internet, the cell phones, and the landlines.
However, they did not have the time and resources to go after the amateur radio operators, so
those people performed a valuable function of passing information in and out of Egypt while
the normal lines of communication had been severed. Even when antennas are down, and the
infrastructure totally annihilated, such as occurred in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the In-
dian Ocean tsunami, all it takes is a decent shortwave two-way radio, a car battery, and some
scavenged wire to provide a makeshift enlarged antenna, and any remote location will have an
instant link to the outside world.
Anyone can listen in on shortwave radio conversations from around the world. All you
need is a broadband receiver. In order to participate in the broadcast discussion, you need a
shortwave transceiver (a transceiver both transmits and receives radio signals) and must also be
