In December 2022, two men became stranded on a remote road in northern New Hampshire after their vehicle slid off the road. One was injured. There was no cell service. No way to call 911.

A last-minute decision to bring a handheld ham radio changed everything.

From higher ground, a weak signal made it into the Mount Washington repeater. Multiple operators across the region picked it up. Through heavy static, broken audio, and patience, they worked together to pull out key details… location, conditions, and the need for help.

At one point, they even switched to a simple “key up” signal system just to communicate yes or no.

Hours later, rescue crews arrived.

This is real-world proof of what we talk about all the time… when everything else fails, ham radio still works.