HAM radio operate in several deferent bands. 440/2meter, 6Meter, and 10 Meter only require a Technician License. 12 Meter, 15 meter, 17 meter, 20 meter, 40 meter, 60 meter and 160 meter all require at least a General or Extra. The different bands have their purpose as to when they are the best time and conditions to operate. Each Band has an emergency frequency that you can monitor. I would use 440/2meter for my local personal commo. Even 6meter and 10 meter for extended distance. Keep the HF frequencies for monitoring and talking to further stations. Like other states or countries.
the main purpose of communicating in an emergency situation is to gather information. To learn situations in other areas, close and far from you. One of the biggest problems is that HAM radio is not secure. Everyone can hear it, good guys and bad guys. So you may get some miss-information. Which is common in any situation. So getting your license and establishing good solid contacts becomes more important. Plus learning the procedures for joining or starting a net (used to determine how many stations are operating) It may also help you determine who to trust. In a real TEOTWAWKI, a HAM license is not required. Knowing how to use a HAM radio is. Best to learn now. Also, morse code requires the least amount of power, You may want to get familiar with morse code as well. It is a fun parent and child project.
