Means of communications

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Crazyboat

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Please share your knowledge of communication devices.

Trying to keep this nonpolitical, given the recent event in Tn where communications building was blow up it made me think, if the grid were attacked and went down how would we communicate?

The internet could be shutdown, I think all land lines these days go through a modem, so they are out and cell phones can be taken down by destroying antenna(s).

So that leads me to CB for local communications, Ham/Short wave (which I know very little about). I'd say it's easier to have a Ham/short wave radio out in the country as space and town ordinances are few, but I live in town so to speak and having a huge tower to support an antenna is not going to happen.

So, solutions, ideas, thoughts, recommendations?
 
I think it is a huge exposure. This is so much a part of our lives I doubt the impact can be really appreciated.

Holy Moley. I cannot imagine having to go back to laying out spools of wire.
 
Amateur radio (Ham) is best bet. You can get a FM handheld for a few hundred bucks. There most likely is a local club that runs a repeater in your area, that gets you more throw. No need for the tall mast that attracts lightning.

The lowest level (tech) FCC test isn't hard to pass, you just got to read the study guide. Very little math involved.
 
I suppose it depends greatly on the overall scenario. The Tennessee situation is an isolated one, where just the local network was compromised, rather than a wholesale collapse of the communication grid.
Handheld FRS radios are fairly cheap and plentiful, but short ranged and rely heavily on a battery supply.
CB has a longer range but are relatively not man portable, with a few exceptions, and again reliant on a battery supply.
Short wave and HAM systems are stationary by nature, but will get you distance and power, assuming the power grid stays intact, or one has a generator.

Now, if it's a genuine, SHTF scenario, and one is worried about governmental monitoring, then radio is out completely, and one is left with face-to-face speech. Much more secure, assuming both parties know each other.
Wire does have a certain security to it, but is quite impractical, considering the materials needed and man hours to institute, and the possibility of compromise from third parties.
That's as close to political as I will get.

Roger
 
Satellite phones is another option although not readily available. Semi four was mentioned, there's also Morse if lines are still intact. The bad thing is that it's not so much a way to communicate as it is people that know how to interpret signals. Short range you could use a drum, bells, or anything that makes noise. Even the native peoples had ways to communicate over long distance using smoke. If needed at night time you could use anything that emits light although it would be limited by atmospheric conditions. It's going to depend a lot on how much information needs to be shared and over what distance.
 
lckstckn2smknbrls said:
Many years ago in boy scouts I learned semaphore.

Im 1/16th Leni Lenape and learned smoke signals as a kid, but all I remember is the curse words.


images




Each one of those will get your face slapped all along the eastern seaboard.
 
GTS225 said:
Short wave and HAM systems are stationary by nature, but will get you distance and power, assuming the power grid stays intact, or one has a generator.

Every June, the ham radio community runs a nation-wide exercise, called "Field Day" to make as many
contacts across the nation as possible in a 24 hour period. A large portion of the participants operate
away from their home location without using power from the grid. Generators, Solar, Batteries, everything
you can think of that is not connected to the commercial power grid.
Radios and antenna systems are hauled out and erected, just as would happen in a local or national
emergency. I have made phone (voice) contacts from coast to coast from here in Iowa using an antenna that
was erected the morning the event started.
Almost any HF radio (frequencies up to 50MHz) you purchase today requires a 12V supply and will
operate from a vehicle, given an antenna with an appropriate matching network. Given a fishing reel
mounted on a bow, a capable antenna using a spool of #14 wire can be strung up in a tree in a few minutes.

These days an Amateur License, good for 10 years, can be had for under $20.00 (some study is
required to pass the license exam/test).

regards
-Willy
KC0JFQ
 
The recent bomb was an eye opener for me. About 25 years ago I worked for a Motorola outfit installing radio/ telco/ data gear for E911 dispatch, and did some tower work and mountain site work and installs

I was under the impression that cell and other systems had backup/ alternate routing. But there were all kinds of outages in the region of the bombing. That does not say much about redundancy, backup. or reliability

I think you are incorrect about the phone system and modems however. DSL I'm sure uses a modem, and many big cities MAY have gone that route for everybody, but that does not "mean" that an internet crash will take down that system

Cell towers SHOULD be independent, so if you are in a large service area, "moving the phone" should get you coverage

You will find all kinds of radio trickery which you need to discount. "Free band" and other nonsense

CB.......The fact is, the only LEGAL cb is an FCC (whatever the current word for 'approved', "type accepted" and unmodified. Period

FRS. This is low power ONLY and even though some radios with higher power for other channels are sold, some of these also are not legal. VERY limited range

GMRS. I have not kept up on this, it requires a non technical license, and you are allowed more power, but still limited, "line of sight."

Amateur or "ham." I was first licensed in about '65. Amateur radio ain't what it used to be. Activity is far less generally than it used to be. you do NOT need a "big tower" or even a huge wire antenna to get on the air. Especially in some emergency, where power might be out, you could "get on" by throwing a pre-made wire up in a tree, sling shot, lots of ways to "skin that cat." A license is required, and there is a fair amount of stuff you cannot do.......discuss business for example, especially if you will profit. In my Motorola days, I had a nice mobile setup and had a lot of fun on the road. Amateurs can run a fair amount of power, legally. 1500W output on SSB (singe sideband). A typical HF transceiver is 100W nominal output. Depending on your area, there may or may not be a fairly active VHF/ UHF community, with repeaters to increase distance. "Around here" that part is severly diminished, and "clique-ish"
 
440roadrunner said:
The recent bomb was an eye opener for me. About 25 years ago I worked for a Motorola outfit installing radio/ telco/ data gear for E911 dispatch, and did some tower work and mountain site work and installs

I was under the impression that cell and other systems had backup/ alternate routing. But there were all kinds of outages in the region of the bombing. That does not say much about redundancy, backup. or reliability

I think you are incorrect about the phone system and modems however. DSL I'm sure uses a modem, and many big cities MAY have gone that route for everybody, but that does not "mean" that an internet crash will take down that system

Cell towers SHOULD be independent, so if you are in a large service area, "moving the phone" should get you coverage

You will find all kinds of radio trickery which you need to discount. "Free band" and other nonsense

CB.......The fact is, the only LEGAL cb is an FCC (whatever the current word for 'approved', "type accepted" and unmodified. Period

FRS. This is low power ONLY and even though some radios with higher power for other channels are sold, some of these also are not legal. VERY limited range

GMRS. I have not kept up on this, it requires a non technical license, and you are allowed more power, but still limited, "line of sight."

Amateur or "ham." I was first licensed in about '65. Amateur radio ain't what it used to be. Activity is far less generally than it used to be. you do NOT need a "big tower" or even a huge wire antenna to get on the air. Especially in some emergency, where power might be out, you could "get on" by throwing a pre-made wire up in a tree, sling shot, lots of ways to "skin that cat." A license is required, and there is a fair amount of stuff you cannot do.......discuss business for example, especially if you will profit. In my Motorola days, I had a nice mobile setup and had a lot of fun on the road. Amateurs can run a fair amount of power, legally. 1500W output on SSB (singe sideband). A typical HF transceiver is 100W nominal output. Depending on your area, there may or may not be a fairly active VHF/ UHF community, with repeaters to increase distance. "Around here" that part is severly diminished, and "clique-ish"
I work directly across the Hudson river from the WTC, when they went down we lost cell service. I forget how long it was down, but it was certainly down for the day. PS, thanks for the details.
 

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