Can you still make phone calls via ham radio in your car?
You would need to check with the club or repeater trustee to see if
their repeater(s) have active phone patch capability. That said,
I don't think I've heard of repeaters actively removing phone patch capability.
I'd pull off to the side of the road to do it.
And, I did just that years ago in southwest Little Rock. I was
taking a friend to an appointment, when I saw something out of
the corner of my eye. It was a pickup truck, next to a gas station,
with the hood up...and it was on fire!!
I thought "this could turn real bad in a hurry", so I pulled off,
activated the autopatch, and called 911. It took 4 rings before I
got an answer. I gave my name, told them I was a ham radio operator
(giving my callsign), telling them where I was, and what I saw.
They thanked me, and I disconnected from the autopatch. Thankfully,
there was a fire station about a mile west of there, and shortly
after that, I heard the siren. The truck was still blazing when
they got there, and they promptly put it out.
They thanked me for calling it in, and I heard them tell the
owner "I wouldn't try to start that if I were you". :P
No one was hurt, but that could've been a real bad situation
in a hurry.
Daryl, WX4QZ
... There can't be a crisis today; my schedule's already full.
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