Installed a VHF (2m) Ham radio and terminal node controller (TNC) in the van for those times a phone might not work in an emergency, and just for fun.
It gives me five things:
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Direct (simplex) communications using a relatively high power transmitter. This one has 80 watts available for transmit (a CB is limited to only 4 watts).
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Duplex communications through standalone repeaters and linked repeater systems. New Mexico, and much of the country, has an extensive linked repeater system which allows me to connect from anywhere in the state and much of the surrounding states with almost no “dead zones.”
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Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS). Installed a GPS and TNC to use the radio as an APRS transmitter. The way it works is: the GPS receives the coordinates, the TNC turns those coordinates into a digital audio packet and transmits it through the radio. Digital repeaters receive the packets and pass them on to gateway stations that put them on the internet. It leaves a track of where I’ve been and where I am. Automatic once it’s turned on. My location is displayed on a map on the internet; www.aprs.fi
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Email without an internet connection using the Winlink system. The way it works is I unplug the GPS from the TNC and plug in a laptop. As long as there’s a Winlink gateway station in range or in range of a digital repeater that’s in range of me, it works. Slow baud rate, so simple messages only without big attachments, but great for exchanging simple emails.
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The radio has all 10 National Weather Service frequencies programmed in, so the local weather forecast is at my fingertips wherever I am.
You have to have a ham radio license to do all this (anyone can listen to the weather forecasts), and none of it can be used for any kind of business, but it’s completely free once you have a license. Go the ARRL website for info on getting a license.
