Emergency Ufozs Comms?

[Blast]

For $199 plus a monthly service fee on can get the ZOLEO satellite personal locator beacon. The neat thing about this is it allows you to send text messages via satellite pretty much to any cell phone in the world.
https://amzn.to/3roU87z
Get the text numbers of people you want to reach internationally before TSHTF, add them to your phone, connect to the ZOLEO and pre$to, you can text them and they can text you back even if they have cell service but you don't.

You can also just send GPS coordinates. Set up a cheat sheet where sending from a specific set of GPS coordinates means a specific message. Or go full "The Martian" and set up a GPS coordinate "alphabet" to let your feet do the talking.

-Blast

[Blast]

If you go through the relatively simple effort of getting the lowest ham radio license, search around for a nearby ham club. There will be people in it who have spent thousands of dollars on equipment and antennas, able to reach around the world. Make friends with them and then if a situation occurs, they may be willing to help get messages around the world, even delivered to specific, non-ham people. Your 3-watt handheld just need to reach Germany from Idaho. You just need to reach a ham with better equipment than you.

Also, being part of a club put you in contact with the wonderful world of used equipment, especially if you aren't a jerk. Being friendly, respectful, and helpful to older hams is appreciated by most of them.
-Blast

[flybynight]

Ok so something else I remembered. Old rotary phones used to still be functional when power went down as they do not need to be plugged into anything but the phone line. Is this still workable in the fiber optic cable  age ?

[Moab]

Ok so something else I remembered. Old rotary phones used to still be functional when power went down as they do not need to be plugged into anything but the phone line. Is this still workable in the fiber optic cable  age ?

I remember this as well. As long as you have a hardwired phone line i dont see why it wouldnt. Most folks with dsl have one iirc. But if your like me and only have fiber optic. Probably not.

[Crosscut]

Ok so something else I remembered. Old rotary phones used to still be functional when power went down as they do not need to be plugged into anything but the phone line. Is this still workable in the fiber optic cable  age ?

I remember this as well. As long as you have a hardwired phone line i dont see why it wouldnt. Most folks with dsl have one iirc. But if your like me and only have fiber optic. Probably not.

Stop it, you guys are making me feel like my current tech is from the Dark Ages   

We have only the old standard 2-wire tip/ring telephone service  that doesn't require any local power to function.  No rotary dial, but have a hard-wired touch tone phone in the garage and another in the preps.  The one stored away has speed dial memory and caller ID that needs external power, but it doesn't require it to make a call.

[NT2C]

My very first job that didn't involve working for my dad was as an installer for NY Telephone.  Let me just say that anything that takes out power for a large area for longer than about 72 hours is also going to take out all telephone service, even "old-fashioned" hardlines, if they aren't already out due to those self-same lines being physically broken.  Like it or not, phone systems of any type require power.  During normal times that power is supplied by utilities, and by backup generators and banks of batteries when utility power is out.  Back in the days of strictly copper wiring the Central Office (CO) supplied the signal to your phone, with exchanges and switching frames supplying the actual power and local routing.  You still had phone service when the lights went out because of those generators and batteries, but they don't have more than about a 3-day capacity or didn't back then.  Things are different now with fiber but the requirements for power haven't changed much.

[NT2C]

If you go through the relatively simple effort of getting the lowest ham radio license, search around for a nearby ham club. There will be people in it who have spent thousands of dollars on equipment and antennas, able to reach around the world. Make friends with them and then if a situation occurs, they may be willing to help get messages around the world, even delivered to specific, non-ham people. Your 3-watt handheld just need to reach Germany from Idaho. You just need to reach a ham with better equipment than you.

Also, being part of a club put you in contact with the wonderful world of used equipment, especially if you aren't a jerk. Being friendly, respectful, and helpful to older hams is appreciated by most of them.
-Blast

This is indeed an option, especially if any of your local ham buddies participate in NTS (National Traffic System), and especially if you have access to the club station.  I would reiterate though that during an emergency getting traffic passed to keep us all in touch is likely to be a non-starter.  I'd also suggest that getting your general ticket instead of merely a tech ticket is the better way to go.  Your friend/club probably won't mind passing one or two messages for you but more than that and they'll be inclined to hand you the mic and let you guest operate.  If you have your general they don't need to hang out and be the control operator.

[MacWa77ace]

Ok so something else I remembered. Old rotary phones used to still be functional when power went down as they do not need to be plugged into anything but the phone line. Is this still workable in the fiber optic cable  age ?

I remember this as well. As long as you have a hardwired phone line i dont see why it wouldnt. Most folks with dsl have one iirc. But if your like me and only have fiber optic. Probably not.

Stop it, you guys are making me feel like my current tech is from the Dark Ages   

We have only the old standard 2-wire tip/ring telephone service  that doesn't require any local power to function.  No rotary dial, but have a hard-wired touch tone phone in the garage and another in the preps.  The one stored away has speed dial memory and caller ID that needs external power, but it doesn't require it to make a call.

these phones run on a separate power system from your electricity. when the power goes out so does the power to these phone systems but they have a system network of battery backups that will usually work for 3-4 days. After that they will go down to.

And yes this is a wired system that requires a monthly deal with your phone provider. We called it a land line.

the phone in the photo, rotary, is a pulse, and the button phones are tone. usually your local phone network land line provider will allow one or the other but not both on the network.

My house is still wired for land lines. And i can convert that to work with my fiber optic thru my fiber provider but that costs almost as much as a basic land line per month and if the internet goes down or the power goes out I lose the line because it work like a standard VOIP but connecting to the house's input for the phones.

[NapalmMan67]

?

[Moab]

?

Are u joking? Or is that serious? What are they?

[woodsghost]

?

Are u joking? Or is that serious? What are they?

I'm going to assume someone took the idea of "2 cans and a string" and put radio transceivers and batteries and antennas in there so he could have the "upgraded" 2 cans and a string.

Pretty fun!

[Crosscut]

If you go through the relatively simple effort of getting the lowest ham radio license, search around for a nearby ham club. There will be people in it who have spent thousands of dollars on equipment and antennas, able to reach around the world. Make friends with them and then if a situation occurs, they may be willing to help get messages around the world, even delivered to specific, non-ham people. Your 3-watt handheld just need to reach Germany from Idaho. You just need to reach a ham with better equipment than you.

Also, being part of a club put you in contact with the wonderful world of used equipment, especially if you aren't a jerk. Being friendly, respectful, and helpful to older hams is appreciated by most of them.
-Blast

This is indeed an option, especially if any of your local ham buddies participate in NTS (National Traffic System), and especially if you have access to the club station.  I would reiterate though that during an emergency getting traffic passed to keep us all in touch is likely to be a non-starter.  I'd also suggest that getting your general ticket instead of merely a tech ticket is the better way to go.  Your friend/club probably won't mind passing one or two messages for you but more than that and they'll be inclined to hand you the mic and let you guest operate.  If you have your general they don't need to hang out and be the control operator.

Just thinking out loud, but maybe start by identifying other members that are nearby geographically and explore what grid down communication methods might be possible with them individually.  I'd doubt many members are within LoS of each other for vhf/uhf simplex comms, but maybe a few are in 10m/CB range or can each hit the same (non-linked) repeater which is cheaper and easier than everyone having an all-mode HF transceiver.  At first it might just be a few islanded networks with a couple members in each, but it only requires one of those members to be able to reach a member in a different network (by any mode or means) to extend the range/expand the network.  Lengthy messages to those outside your own network might not be possible, but members acting as a hub between networks might pass a short sitrep for members in their local area, and pass on the sitreps received from the other networks within their own.

Those desiring to could use the maidenhead grid map to describe where they are and/or what grids they might be able to reach.
https://qrznow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/grid_square_map_1.jpg
http://sam-europe.de/graphics/grid/world.png

[Raptor]

In the event of a grid down, SHTF event my backup comms plans includes WGSO @ 990 on the AM dial.
I use it for business announcements as needed.

If it can transmit; it will transmit.
It will stay on the air as long and return as often as possible to the air.

It is also here on a web pod cast and will likewise stay active as long as possible.

https://tunein.com/radio/WGSO-990-s29157/

It is a local "rinky dink" AM station so it's broadcasts are limited to my AO but that is what fits into the plan and why it was selected.

Obviously in an EMP event it is likely that the transmitter will be damaged and without power the generator will run only as long as fuel is available.

[NapalmMan67]

?

Are u joking? Or is that serious? What are they?

I was joking posting it.  But yeah, they are a thing.  Woodsghost nailed it.  Pretty sure it's more of a gag/toy than reliable comms.

https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-a-Wireless-Tin-Can-Telephone-Arduino-W/


.

[MacWa77ace]

In the event of a grid down, SHTF event my backup comms plans includes WGSO @ 990 on the AM dial.
I use it for business announcements as needed.

If it can transmit; it will transmit.
It will stay on the air as long and return as often as possible to the air.

It is also here on a web pod cast and will likewise stay active as long as possible.

https://tunein.com/radio/WGSO-990-s29157/

It is a local "rinky dink" AM station so it's broadcasts are limited to my AO but that is what fits into the plan and why it was selected.

Obviously in an EMP event it is likely that the transmitter will be damaged and without power the generator will run only as long as fuel is available.

Raptor sending the AM signals in the PAW. What a Legend. 

[MacWa77ace]

There's always the abandoned radio station strategy. If you can 'Comet' to the daily broadcast schedule. 

[Moab]

There's always the abandoned radio station strategy. If you can 'Comet' to the daily broadcast schedule. 

No you didn't!!


Lmao!

[flybynight]

In the event of a grid down, SHTF event my backup comms plans includes WGSO @ 990 on the AM dial.
I use it for business announcements as needed.

If it can transmit; it will transmit.
It will stay on the air as long and return as often as possible to the air.

It is also here on a web pod cast and will likewise stay active as long as possible.

https://tunein.com/radio/WGSO-990-s29157/

It is a local "rinky dink" AM station so it's broadcasts are limited to my AO but that is what fits into the plan and why it was selected.

Obviously in an EMP event it is likely that the transmitter will be damaged and without power the generator will run only as long as fuel is available.

Raptor sending the AM signals in the PAW. What a Legend. 

Can I call in song requests?

[Moab]

In the event of a grid down, SHTF event my backup comms plans includes WGSO @ 990 on the AM dial.
I use it for business announcements as needed.

If it can transmit; it will transmit.
It will stay on the air as long and return as often as possible to the air.

It is also here on a web pod cast and will likewise stay active as long as possible.

https://tunein.com/radio/WGSO-990-s29157/

It is a local "rinky dink" AM station so it's broadcasts are limited to my AO but that is what fits into the plan and why it was selected.

Obviously in an EMP event it is likely that the transmitter will be damaged and without power the generator will run only as long as fuel is available.

Raptor sending the AM signals in the PAW. What a Legend. 

Can I call in song requests?

I seem to recall a post apocolyptic film or tv show yh a dj in it.

[Raptor]

Yes several of the shows have call in shows. So call in and make your requests.
I have paid adverts on some of the popular shows because of the market segment that listens to the shows.

No reason in a SHTF situation that would change.  990 on the AM dial.