Pretty much
all modern communications depend upon electricity. It doesn’t
matter if you’re talking about radio, television, the Internet or
telephones, every device we count on to communicate uses electricity
for its power source. Should the grid go down, those devices will
cease to function.
Nevertheless,
if there is one time when some form of communication is needed, it’s
during a major catastrophe. You’ll need to be able to find out
what’s going on, inform family members that you’re okay, and find
information to survive. Without the ability to communicate, all
problems will be magnified.
While the
power might be out, there will probably still be some communications
available. The federal government established emergency
communications procedures that radio stations are required to
practice. Many of those radio stations have generators for emergency
power.
The Details
Battery-Powered
Radios. To start with, you
should have a battery powered radio. Even better is to have a radio
with a built-in generator. While not common, these devices are
specifically designed for use in undeveloped areas or in the case of
emergency. With one, it is possible to tune in on the emergency radio
broadcasts to receive important information about what’s happening.
Cell
Phones. The main landline phone
system may not have the same emergency power system available, but
since most cell phone services have emergency power systems at their
retransmission towers, you may have limited cell phone use during a
grid-down situation. However, circuits will probably be overloaded,
and you’ll likely have trouble getting your call to go through.
Ham
Radio. The worldwide ham radio
network is probably the most reliable communications system in
existence, perhaps even more reliable than government systems. The
thousands of ham radio operators use their radios to communicate with
friends around the world. They also stand ready to serve the
community during all types of emergencies. While other communications
might be down, if you have a short-wave radio, you’ll be able to
find out what’s happening by listening to the news that these
hobbyists provide.
Taking
that a step further, you may want to consider getting your own ham
radio license. To do so, you have to take a class and pass a test on
basic radio theory. The Morse code test is no longer necessary and
has been eliminated. With a license, you are able to both transmit
and receive over ham radio frequencies.
Portable
Two-Way Radios. There are a
number of short-range two-way radios on the market that could be
excellent for family communications in a grid-down situation.
Typically, these radios have a range of three to five miles, enough
for your home and neighborhood. If the power outage is accompanied by
general social unrest, these radios would be a necessary part of your
home defense system, allowing family members to contact each other
when an attack is imminent.
Internet.
Depending upon your means of connecting to the Internet, you may
still have service during a power outage. You’ll need to be
operating off of battery power to connect to it, but many services
are likely to be operating off of emergency power systems.
Lots
of Batteries. In today’s
world, where we use so much electronic equipment, batteries are
important. Whatever communications devices you use, you’ll need
batteries to run them. Stock up. Fortunately, one of the major
manufacturers is now advertising a ten-year shelf life for its
products.
Solar
Charging. In addition to a good
stock of batteries, it makes sense to get a solar battery charger.
Unless you live in a place where it rains 350 days per year, you
probably have enough sun to charge your batteries and keep your
communications running.
The Bottom Line
The biggest
problem people will face in communicating during a grid down
situation actually resides in their homes. Without electrical power
in the home, many of the items we use to communicate won’t be
functional. However, with battery-operated devices, such as cell
phones and laptop computers, we can have some communications
available to us, even if extremely limited.
The key to
ensuring communications in such a situation is to have several means
available to you, as well as a reliable source of power. Each
situation will be unique, and the communications that are functional
in one situation may be different than those available during a
crisis of a different kind. With a variety of systems available, you
can continue trying until you find one that is up and running.
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