From IT World:
Ham radio attempts to fill communication gaps in Nepal rescue effort
Amateur radio has stepped in to fill communication gaps in Nepal, which is struggling with power outages and a flaky Internet after a devastating earthquake on Saturday killed over 5,000 people.
The hobbyist radio operators, also known as ham radio operators or hams, are working round-the-clock to help people get in touch with relatives, pass on information and alert about developing crises ever since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit about 80 kilometers from Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu.
A bit more:
The electricity supply has improved in many parts of Kathmandu, but when there were power outages, ham operators resorted to transmitting at low power, an operation known as QRP, which requires as little as 15 to 20W, said Satish Kharel, a lawyer in Kathmandu, who uses the ham call signal 9N1AA. “When the power was out, I used to plug into my car battery,” he said.
Ham operators in Nepal and India are working in shifts to keep communications going between them and hams in other parts of the world like Turkey, Australia and New Zealand, Bhide said.
The equipment is relatively cheap too - you can get a really nice hand-held set for under $200 and it takes about 20 hours of casual study to get a license. A more powerful rig (one which can reach around the world) is about $1,500 on up but there is a lot of cheap used equipment out there and the option to build your own is a path that has been well traveled.