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28 | LIFE IN SOLERA | SEPTEMBER 2022 | Cellular Telephone Outages This month, the Solera Radio Club (FCC License KC6SRC) is looking at the effects of natural disasters on the way we communicate, in particular our cellular telephone dependence. In August, eastern Kentucky sustained major flooding, leaving 37 persons dead and cellular telephone service disabled for almost a week. Could you imagine not having a telephone after a disaster? Most of us would lose our minds if our services go down for a few minutes, let alone a week. Do you personally have a plan or have available options if, for instance, a huge earthquake disables our services around Solera? The time to think about those options is now or before a catastrophic event and not during the disaster. One option to consider is to get acquainted with your "Ham Radio" operators in Solera. These folks will be able to communicate with first responders after a disaster event. They can also pass family messages through a relay of amateur radio operators in the city, county, state, or around the world. Members of the Solera Radio Club prepare themselves for the possibility of being "emergency communicators" for the residents of Solera. To stay current with radio protocols by affiliating themselves with government agencies like the Riverside County Emergency Management Department (EMD), as well non-governmental entities like the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), members establish a powerful radio system that is available to "ALL" Solera residents. So, get acquainted with these radio specialists by meeting them on Friday mornings at the Oakmont Clubhouse. They are readily identifiable as they wear bright yellow safety vests with "Solera Radio Club" printed on the back. RADIO CLUB TRIVIA ANSWER FOR AUGUST: Question: Why do well over half the AM radio stations go off the air or reduce their signal power at night? Answer: Radio waves naturally travel in straight lines, so you would naturally expect (because of the curvature of the earth) that no radio station would transmit farther than 30 or 40 miles. AM radio stations can travel much farther by bouncing off the earth's ionosphere. To prevent radio interference, the FCC mandated the reduction of transmission power or termination of transmissions at night. TRIVIA QUESTION THIS MONTH (answered next month): Can you use your phone as a two-way radio? "When All Else Fails – Think Radio Communications." ray.n6kzm@gmail. com and http://www.soleraradio.com. ~ Ray C. Gayton-Jacob (N6KZM)