Resilient Emergency Communications

Logistics and Transport
Malthouse
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Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by Malthouse »

As per discussions in the Network threads, CB thread and Night Time Emergency thread....

Text Messages are very convenient and work 99% of the time, but the mobile networks are not reliable and get really wobbly in an emergency.

The internet is probably also to be considered a likely victim in times of crisis.

One idea, assuming land lines are ok, would be to have a recorded message that could be updated. We could then call the number and listen to the info there.

(Radio communications are also being given some consideration too, but in terms of national coverage that is not a quick/cheap fix. For local comms though it is indeed cheap and reliable.)
preppingsu

Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by preppingsu »

Re landlines.

I'm not sure I would want people to have my landline number (and I certainly couldn't afford to set up another line just to have a message recorded just in case of emergencies).

I'm sure other people feel the same.

The other side of that is an answer phone requires electricity. What happens if the electricity is out?

We only have a phone that is powered by the phone line. It doesn't connect to an electricity socket. I believe that should still function during a power outage.
Malthouse
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Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by Malthouse »

The phone message idea only needs one person to set it up. And it should be possible to have it on battery backup.

Just one idea, hopefully there will be more :)
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Steveo82
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Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by Steveo82 »

The only option for shtf is radio, it's stand alone and you maintain the infustructor. I personally would love a text facility but cost is an issue. I was speaking to a radio engineer and the way he explained it to me wasa text/audio message would be piggy backed from user to user so nation wide coverage could be established without a central main station and the individual user wouldn't require high output systems.

It all depends on how many people value communication if shtf.
Malthouse
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Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by Malthouse »

Here is a quick summary of where I think we are at with radio communications...

Licensing as an organisation is available for all UKP members, there is no need for individual (as per Ham) licences so long as we all stick to the right setup. There are several different types of licence and we can even trial one without too much paperwork.

The radio options, as they have been discussed so far seem to be...

CB Good range, mid-priced kit is available, can be used to contact non Preppers. But, no privacy and reliably clear channels can be hard to find especially in a national emergency where phone comms have gone down.

PMR446 Very cheap kit, can be used to contact others too. But, range is very poor and will suffer even more than CB when it comes to crunch time.

HAM Highly versatile with excellent range in some conditions and lots of fairly sensible people who could be contacted. But, expensive kit and requires an operator's licence.

PBR Cheap entry level kit, some level of privacy, no operator's licence, range can be excellent and the kit is versatile and in many cases will do most of the above as well. But, requires a qualified person to set up and there are fees ranging from 75 to 10k payable every 5 years.

As you might guess, I am in favour of Private Business Radio. To get started the costs are very low, with useful radios out there for less than 40 quid. There is equipment available for a few hundred pounds that will not only allow communication over many tens of miles on our own private* frequency but also allow us to monitor broadcast radio from great distances, aircraft, maritime, CB, ham and a whole lot else.

* Nothing is really private, it is a matter of scale of course.
KrisWard

Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by KrisWard »

I am into the idea of us having our own frequency. I do have a number of sets of PMR466, and thats it really. Next year I do want to look at alternatives, and was thinking of getting a basic amateur HAM license. But I am always open to suggestion for those who know more than me on this subject.

Cheers all
Malthouse
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Location: Plymouth

Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by Malthouse »

Cromicon wrote:This is a very interesting topic! Do you have any specific equipment recommendations for both base station and mobile? Thank you.
Quoted from the CB thread, but replied here so as not to take that one too far off topic (probably too late but trying :)).

The exact equipment depends on the frequency, but lets say for the sake of discussion that we decide to 172.000 MHz - the same group of frequencies that the emergency services have used for generations and one of the frequencies available on a low cost group licence.

For handhelds you cannot beat the Boafengs, specifically the UV5RA. They are on eBay for as little as 30 quid. These little things have superb battery life and take disposables too, they will receive broadcast radio as well as being a two-way radio for both VHF and UHF. I have the programming software and am happy to set them up for any members on here. They have a 4w (advertised as 5) output so powerful for such a small device. The only weakness really is that they do not do aircraft bands.

As for base stations, my current favourite is the Yaesu FT7900. There are more powerful radios, i.e. higher output, but for the money this model does everything you could want. Perfect for either a base station proper or in a vehicle. These will receive just about any signal above 108MHz (where broadcast radio stops). Cost will depend on the antenna that suits you best, but around 250 will do a good set up.

In terms of distance I have had reliable two-way comms between well set up base/vehicle station running at medium power over 50 miles, in the right conditions the range is much much better than that.
Cromicon

Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by Cromicon »

Thank you, having a radio set up is on my to do list and you've given us all something to chew on I think.
ForgeCorvus
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Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by ForgeCorvus »

Malthouse:
So, the Boafeng handhelds and the Yaesu base station that you mentioned are the 'Ford'or 'Mora' level kit (inexpensive rather then cheap, and quite high on the benefit to cost ratio). After those we start looking at small steps in abilities for large leaps in price ??


What sort of range are we looking at for the handhelds?
jennyjj01 wrote:"I'm not in the least bit worried because I'm prepared: Are you?"
Londonpreppy wrote: At its core all prepping is, is making sure you're not down to your last sheet of loo roll when you really need a poo.
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Malthouse
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Location: Plymouth

Re: Resilient Emergency Communications

Post by Malthouse »

ForgeCorvus wrote:So, the Boafeng handhelds and the Yaesu base station that you mentioned are the 'Ford'or 'Mora' level kit (inexpensive rather then cheap, and quite high on the benefit to cost ratio). After those we start looking at small steps in abilities for large leaps in price ??
Exactly right. Yaesu have been making quality radios at good prices in their own right for years, Baofang are nothing more than a Chinese knockoff company imitating brands like Kenwood. But both score well. The Yaesu will have way better sounds quality, for example.
ForgeCorvus wrote:What sort of range are we looking at for the handhelds?
Out of the box, without any tweaks or 3rd party antennae, they will do 2 miles on the right frequency. Range is hard to pin down in black and white though, it is so dependant on so many factors.

For example if I plug in an antenna that is attached to my car and park at the top of a hill, I can quite happily pick up transmissions from 60+ miles away and that same handhed.