An alternative was already in place
Sometime overnight October 15–16, electrical power reportedly went out at Sandia Crest. High winds were a suspected cause, although the cause and exact outage time had not been confirmed when this article was written.
According to reports received that morning, both Amateur Radio Caravan Club voice repeaters switched to backup battery power and continued operating. Here in Valencia County, I could still hear them clearly.
That is a useful example of preparedness doing its job.
The normal power source disappeared. An alternative was already in place.
What Does a Repeater Do?
A repeater receives a radio signal and retransmits it, usually from a high location. That helps operators communicate across distances and terrain that might prevent their radios from reaching one another directly.
The Caravan Club owns its repeater building and equipment on Sandia Crest, approximately 10,600 feet above sea level. Its two voice repeaters operate on 145.330 MHz and 444.000 MHz under the club callsign W5CSY. The club welcomes all licensed amateurs to use them.
For someone unfamiliar with amateur radio, the important part is straightforward: a relatively small radio can reach a mountaintop station that helps carry the conversation much farther.
Keeping that mountaintop equipment powered keeps a useful communications path available.
Prepared Before the Outage
Amateur radio operators and clubs use several approaches to emergency power:
- Batteries can keep equipment running when utility power fails.
- Generators can supply equipment and recharge batteries while fuel and access remain available.
- Solar panels and batteries can support operation where the system is properly sized and sunlight permits.
- Combined systems can provide several ways to keep equipment operating.
These are established approaches within amateur radio. For example, an ARRL section exercise documented repeaters with generator backup or battery capacity described as sufficient for multiple days. That does not establish the capability of every repeater, but it illustrates the planning some owners undertake.
There is no single backup arrangement shared by all amateur repeaters. Ask the owner or club about the particular system you expect to use.
Battery capacity, equipment demand, radio traffic, fuel, weather, and maintenance all affect how long a station can remain available. Backup power buys time; testing and upkeep help make that time dependable.
Backup Power Here in Valencia County
The Valencia County Amateur Radio Association (VCARA) operates three repeaters, with a fourth scheduled to be installed. Backup power is available for all three existing repeaters and is planned for the fourth.
That gives local operators additional communications options when normal electrical service is interrupted. The people maintaining these stations are preparing for the same kinds of disruptions households need to consider.
Professional Systems Plan for Power Failures, Too
Public-safety communications systems and commercial communications facilities also use backup power to keep essential equipment operating.
CISA’s emergency communications guidance discusses batteries, uninterruptible power supplies, and generators as ways to maintain public-safety communications during electrical failures. The appropriate arrangement depends on the site and its operational needs.
Broadcasting provides another example. FEMA equips participating National Public Warning System Primary Entry Point stations with backup communications equipment and generators so they can continue delivering emergency information. This is a specific resilience program, rather than a guarantee that every broadcast station has the same capability.
The principle is shared: important communications need a plan for losing normal power.
The scale, funding, staffing, and responsibilities differ. A public-safety network supports dispatch and emergency operations. A broadcaster distributes information to an audience. An amateur repeater provides an additional path for licensed operators to communicate and assist their communities.
These systems can complement one another.
A Community Resource Somebody Pays For
The amateur radio side deserves recognition because much of this infrastructure exists through the efforts of individuals and clubs.
Equipment, antennas, batteries, feed lines, site expenses, repairs, and replacement parts cost money. Troubleshooting and maintenance take time. Mountaintop locations add weather and access challenges.
Members contribute dues, donations, equipment, expertise, and volunteer labor to keep these resources available.
The Caravan Club’s own website describes its member-supported repeater facilities and explicitly welcomes licensed amateurs to use its voice repeaters.
Free to use does not mean free to build or maintain.
If you regularly use a club’s repeater, consider joining, donating, or offering a skill. Helping with administration, organizing an event, or welcoming new operators can matter alongside technical work.
Why This Helps During an Emergency
A working repeater can give operators a way to check on one another, pass local observations, coordinate assistance, and support organized emergency communications.
A local radio conversation may remain possible even when household internet service or telephone service is unavailable. The radios at each end still need power, and any links used to reach other systems have their own dependencies.
That is why operators practice with batteries, portable equipment, and alternative communications paths.
A repeater can also fail. Knowing how to communicate directly—called simplex—and having an agreed backup plan remain useful skills.
The Household Lesson
You do not need a mountaintop station to apply the same thinking at home.
What needs to keep working when the electricity stops?
Perhaps it is a phone, a light, a broadcast receiver, essential medical equipment, or a refrigerator. Identify the need, choose an appropriate backup, and test it before relying on it.
The Caravan Club repeaters continuing to operate during a reported power outage offer a local reminder: preparedness often looks like equipment quietly doing what someone planned for it to do.
And behind that equipment are people who made the effort before it was needed.
Learn more about the Amateur Radio Caravan Club.
Sources and Local Reporting
The overnight outage, battery operation, and reception observations are based on reports received by the author and his own listening. The suspected wind connection and exact outage time were not independently confirmed. The VCARA repeater status was supplied by J. Carter, Valencia County ARES Emergency Coordinator.