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Old 02-19-08, 07:52 AM   #3
Puster Bill
Grey Wolf
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BA8758, or FN33eh for my fellow hams.
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I don't (and won't) have a cell phone, but I did change the sounds for my IM to morse. I made the "Incoming call/connect request" sound to be "CQ", the one when you receive a message to be "K", and the sound for ending the connection to be "73".

I won't have a cell anymore because they simply don't have anything to offer me as a ham. I carry a dual-band handheld with me (144/440 MHz) everywhere I go, and I have yet to run into an area where I couldn't hit a repeater. There are *PLENTY* of places that I go where there is little or no cell coverage. I can still generally place a 911 call if necessary, or if not I can get someone who can and relay the information.
On top of that, when there really is a major emergency the cell networks are either jammed up, or non-public safety phones are locked out. In *REALLY* bad cases, like Hurricane Katrina, the cell infrastructure itself is knocked out. Ham radio isn't infrastructure dependent, so it is resistant to those sorts of disasters.

Why should I pay money to keep a service that I get for free as a ham, and in fact is less capable in terms of range and communication capability in an emergency?

Back in 2000, I was one of the ham radio operators who helped provide communications when the Verizon switch in Schenectady, NY was flooded by a water main break. That incident helped solidified my confidence in ham radio in an emergency:
http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/risks/21.18.html#subj6
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