LONG BEACH, CA – A big earthquake could take down power poles or cell phone service, but there is one mode of communication that always works, and a group in Long Beach is trying to keep it alive.

  • Ham radio operates during disasters
  • Will work even if cell phone service is down
  • 100,000 Californians have ham radio licenses 

Mark Chung is a ham radio operator. The equipment he uses could fit on a small desk. Chung could be your only way to communicate after an earthquake

“Ham radio operators I think many of them, most of them, are willing to help each other,” said Chung.

Ham radios send out distinct radio waves directly to other users using a transceiver. The waves are transmitted by adding a battery and an antenna. The waves don’t need to go through cell phone towers or the Internet, which could be down in a disaster.

Chung started the Red Cross Greater Long Beach Rio Hondo network. There are firefighters and first responders who listen in, but the station is mostly full of regular people who are licensed ham radio operators.

More than 100,000 Californians have a ham radio license. However, that’s just a fraction of how many people could be devastated by a natural disaster.

Chung’s advice: get your own ham radio license or find someone nearby who has one so you will have at least one connection that won’t fail.