Thanks Sroz. BTW, becoming a ham is pretty darn cheap. The exam (however many you are able to pass in one sitting) costs $14. The radio (Baofeng UV-5R) with accessories (antenna upgrade, additional high capacity battery pack, rainproof speaker mic with cord, USB programming cable) cost $114. Then this morning bought an up-to-date sheet with all of the state of CO repeaters on it ($3). Thats $131 for everything, including tax and shipping.

Russ at Ham Radio outlet said that he would be happy to talk to any of you guys looking to get into ham and walk you through what you need to do. Although I went the cheap route on the radio, Russ does recommend some better Yaesu models that they carry at the store. I wanted to go cheap, since I didn't want a lot invested if for some reason it wasn't for me.

One thing he suggested was starting a COAR-15 radio net and prepare to use it if SHTF. Might be useful to find out who is interested, and maybe schedule a meeting to figure out how involved people want to get and what the net should be used for.