So there I was…stranded on the side of the highway with a dead cellphone and a blown radiator! Now these days I can tell you just how many people will see a broken down vehicle on the side of the road and stop to help…ZERO! You got it…even standing there waving both my arms in the air, no one stopped to help. Society really has gone to the dogs, but that’s a different blog post all together.
Being a ham radio operator, I had the foresight to grab my Baofeng UV5R before I left. Fully charged, I didn’t need the battery eliminator, but the mag mount antenna sure came in handy. After only a few minutes of calling mayday on my local repeater, I got a reply.
Once I gave my location and a description of my truck, I was assured that help would be on the way. Sure enough, about 10 minutes later, a provincial police officer pulled up behind me and called in for a towtruck…who took a little longer than that to get there, but still! Having a ham radio, and the training to know how to use it got me out of a jam. Sure, it’s no replacement in everyday situations for a fully charged cell phone (lesson learned), but it sure was a welcome alternative.
You can also bet that the next time I see someone stranded on the side of the road, I’m gonna stop and do whatever I can…because society doesn’t have to go to the dogs.