How Do We Communicate if a Melt-Down Occurs?

vanity | 6/11/10 | jobim

[jobim]

In the event that the catastrophe takes place which we all are thinking about and talking about in these days under this regime, whether it be a global financial shut-down (see this scenario: http://www.grandpappy.info/honehour.htm), a military strike somewhere, or some such dire event unleashes sudden freeze-up of our society: How do citizens communicate?

CB? Short wave? Our lifeblood is communication. What are our options to maintain this link to patriots across the country?

[ASOC]

You win the prize for both the shortest and most incomprehensible answer to date! Congratulations.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"

[combat_boots]

With nasty, bity teeth, too, I’ll bet.

[P.O.E.]

[I see my hands]

"A small 4’x4’ trailer... that I can hook up to my Jeep and bug out with."

You will be targeted on the road, IMO.

[mrmeyer]

"That's what the kids are for."

LOL. Dad said we were for carrying groceries into the house and shoveling snow. Your comment takes me back.

[GonzoGOP]

GMTA = Great Minds Think Alike

[Right Wing Assault]

GMTA - Great Minds Think Alike.

[Mr. K]

Yeah- I remember the classics

“Here I sit, broken hearted...”

[occamrzr06]

http://wickedhowtos.com/index.php/2007/08/17/how-to-build-a-catapult/

[AFreeBird]

[Mr. K]

I suggest this one:

[UCANSEE2]

If Hams used WindMills, they could kill two birds with one stone. The Windmill would double as the antenna.

[hoosierham]

Four wheel drive is good.So is extra fuel,a clear destination WHERE YOU CAN BE SURE OF YOUR WELCOME.

Ability and means to defend yourself.Usual survival foods,tools,etc.

Every ounce of weight should be carefully planned.

Being one of tens of thousands stuck in traffic on a road BORDERED BY THOSE 20 FOOT HIGH NOISE ABATEMENT WALLS IS NOT A GOOD FEELING.(I still wonder if those walls aren't more about containg a fleeing populace than containing noise.)

[hoosierham]

But the signal would have flutter!

[dragnet2]

Amateur radio works really well.... As long as it's battery powered.

I have solar powered and battery powered...From CA, I can talk to ships off the coast in Alaska, Europe, or people living in the Australian desert, tiny south pacific islands, or to someone in downtown Philadelphia.

All without AC power.

Believe it or not, HF frequencies are teaming with amateur radio people communicating in code as well as voice with homemade antennas, and solar power/batteries etc.

Even without a collapse, it's a lot of fun.

[ASOC]

LOL

I was thinking it had something to do with Charlies Angels...

AS a general question — anyone got a source for FT-43 rocks for there old boat anchors?

[Natural Born 54]

Everyone assumes that the internet would be totally unavailable whereas it might just be the internet the government lets you use. Why would the gov. stop access to all commerce web sites, from mom and pop shops all the way to Fortune 500 corps. for instance? With astute planning, why wouldn’t it be possible to continue to use the internet by working within a restricted system. Anyone else thought about this?

[pyx]

How do citizens communicate?

Using low power (called QRP) homemade transceiver kits (there are many) such as the battery operated Pixie 2 for only $9.95 from HSC Electronics and building this very simple kit with only a soldering pen, a multimeter and great guidance provided freely from an experienced helper (called an Elemer), pretty much any man or woman could very easily contact other states and other countries using very simple to learn Morse code (continuous wave or CW for short) and a good piece of wire for an antenna. The entire battery operated Pixie 2 QRP rig fits within an small Altoids tin box and is easily concealed.

There are also very inexpensive Single Side Band (SSB) voice communication transceiver kits available that you can build as well or are available pre-built. Please note that CW QRP tends to transmit and receive at a much further distance and is more easy to transmit than SSB at the same power. In my opinion, anyone who doesn't have a backup method (insurance) to communicate and get news, is foolishly playing with fire, should a disaster (man made or natural) occur. CW will still work in floods, fire or power outages. As another poster mentioned in Katrina as well as in other disasters, when radio, television, cell phones and the internet is not working, CW was working just fine.

The American Radio Relay League website is a tremendous source of learning, training and research information. I most highly recommend you bookmark it. For FReepers from Canada, the radio amateur organization in Canada is called Radio Amateurs Canada or RAC.

Radio amateurs (HAMs) are almost always helpful and knowledgeable. HAMs are your local, state and international radio experts.

[tacticalogic]

There’s always the ignition coil transmitter.....