Ham Radio channels

[CountryGent]

@PNWPrepper if you are looking to become licensed, a few things that worked for yours truly was:

• Read Now You are Talking put out by ARRL. It is a good overview of the topic.
• Practice online for the test. They are free here.
• Get to know a knowledgeable amateur radio enthusiast to pick his/her brain. (For me this was easy because my father-in-law is a lifelong amateur radio operator and to call him an "enthusiast" would be an understatement.)

Anyway, just some thoughts. Cheers.

 

[Defense Minister]

At the link below you can find all the repeaters you'll need in the state of Washington. According to the webpage, it also looks like there are 9 linked systems in your state which may allow you to communicate statewide, or at least along the entire I-5 corridor, simply by hitting the closest repeater. You can also search for repeaters geographically half way between Longview and Vancouver to use for emergency comms.

I can hit repeaters 30 miles away with by Baofeng BF-F8HP and talk from southern WA to northern CA using a linked network. What you will need is a good understanding of how to program your radio, and I highly recommend getting access to a laptop and using CHIRP for that!

Invest the time to get your Technician license as this will allow you to actually use your radios and verify function and limitations so you won't be trying to figure it out during a crisis. Line-of-site is key, followed by a good antenna!

https://repeaterbook.com/repeaters/index.php?state_id=53