Normal People Preparing for TEOTWAWKI – Communication is King

One of my greatest fears when it comes to TEOTWAWKI is that I’m going to be separated from my kids.  If I’m out running errands in the nearby town that I do most of my shopping in and we experience an EMP while I’m out, I’m concerned that I won’t be able to contact my children.  While I have given my oldest children (17-year-old twins) instructions on what to do if an EMP hits, not being able to contact them in an emergency scares me.  Communication is king.

So if TEOTWAWKI hits, why worry about communicating with other people?

(1) You’ll want news

If TEOTWAWKI hits, you’ll want news just as much as, if not more than, anything else.  You’ll want news of what’s going on around the world, around the country, in your corner of the country, or even just around the corner.  Your NEED to know what is going on will be the lifeblood of your community – it doesn’t matter how big or small your community is.  News will give you hope – even if it’s false – which is a distinct possibility.

(2) You’ll need meds and other items

There may come a time when you need medicines or other items.  You may need to communicate with other people in order to find out someone who may have them.

(3) Barter

You have items to trade.  Other people may need those.  While you never want to announce what you have over the open airways, having a way to communicate with others will allow you to find opportunities for bartering.

(4) You’ll need to coordinate with other members of your group.

If you are working together with other people in your survival group, you’ll need a way to communicate with each other, whether it’s to coordinate a defense of your area or to report something you see or to protect others around you.

So How Do You Communicate During TEOTWAWKI?

Listen-Only Devices

You will need a radio. While you can only receive on a radio, it can provide an incredible amount of valuable information.  It will be one of the more surefire ways to find things out during TEOTWAWKI.

Cellphones

During TEOTWAWKI, cell phones won’t help you communicate very well if you use them in a conventional way.  But there are plenty of “unconventional ways” to use cell phones during any emergency, let alone TEOTWAWKI.

1.)  When you can’t get through in a call – use your phone to text.  During Hurricane Harvey, 7800 cell towers were knocked out.  Phone calls wouldn’t go through in most circumstances, but texts can sometimes get through anyway.

2.)  Phones aren’t just for communication.  Use your apps.  There are so many apps that can help with preparedness.

• Red Cross First Aid – Whether it’s broken bones, bleeding, anaphylaxis or a multitude of other things, the red cross first aid app will walk you through what to do step by step
• FM Radio app – Need to hear the radio but want to use your cellphone?  You can use this app.
• Essential Oils Reference Guide – If you are an essential oil aficionado, then this is the app for you.  It will tell you which oils will work for various conditions and which way you should use them.  It can also sort by oils, telling you what each oil is good for.
• Weather Bug – There are a multitude of weather apps.  This just happens to be the one that I use.  I’ve also heard of another called Storm from the website called “Weather Underground.”
• PlantNet Plant Identification – Need to know what plant you have in front of you?  This app will help identify them.
• FEMA – This will allow you to put in zip codes for your loved ones.  Once you do that, it will let you know when that zipcode has an alert – whether tornado warnings or severe thunderstorm warnings or any other type of warning.
• Useful Knots – Need to know how to tie knots?  This app will walk you through the knots and how to tie them – step by step.
• Wiser – Come in contact with a hazardous material?  This app tells you what you should do and how you should handle the situation.
• ICE  – In Case of Emergency App.  It will keep vital medical information available to first responders on your phone and will list out ICE information on your lock screen.
• Zello – This was the most downloaded app during Harvey.  It’s an app that makes your cell phone into a walkie talkie.  Using Zello to send messages takes so much less bandwidth than a cell phone call.  It will allow you to convey information to a pre-programmed network of friends and family by sending ‘blasts’ – information that you need to get to the network that you already set up.

3.)  Record a new voice message as your “answering machine” message so that if someone calls you, they know you’re alright.

Communicating using Radios

Wattage

Each communication device has a different amount of energy that it needs to operate.  You’ll see different radios have different wattages.  The higher the wattage, the better the radio will be able to transmit.  This is especially important if you will be trying to communicate without a line of site i.e. over mountains or into the next valley or anything that you can’t see from where you are. What’s the downside of a higher wattage?  You’re going to go through batteries much more quickly.  Some radios will allow you to change and determine your wattage so that you can use a higher wattage if you need to communicate further or use a lower wattage in the hopes of conserving your battery life.  Range deals with how FAR the radio will transmit.

Wireless FRS Radio for Communication

FRS stands for Family Radio System.  FRS Radios are a way to communicate that is an updated version of walkie talkies.  In order for these to be legal, they have to operate between 462-467 MHz which means that they are kept off of Ham Radio frequencies (that you have to be licensed to talk on) and law enforcement frequencies.

FRS radios are great for communication between family members in fairly close proximity.  Even if they say they are good for 20-25 miles, the truth of the matter is that they are usually clear about 1-2 miles out over fairly flat terrain.  FRS Radios are easy to learn and to operate, so they are a great choice for beginners.

This type of radio would be perfect for your survival group as you work together for the welfare and protection of your community.  This will allow you to communicate simply and effectively over relatively short distances of a mile or two.

GMRS Radios for Communication

GMRS Stands for General Mobile Radio Service.   This type of radio does require you to get a license to operate it, but unlike Ham radios, you don’t have to take a test.   And what’s better is one license covers the whole family.  They usually have a true range of up to 25 miles and the quality is still decent at that range.

The biggest downside to using GMRS radios, especially you’re hoping to get information, is that there aren’t a lot of people using them.  Do you have a loved one who lives farther away than 1-2 miles, but closer to you than 20 miles?  These are great for being able to talk with someone who isn’t closeby but you need to keep up with or someone who is traveling from a short distance to be with you.

Ham Radio for Communication

FRS radio doesn’t require a license.  GMRS radios require a license, but you don’t have to take a test.  Ham Radios require you to get a license by taking a test in order to transmit – now.  If we ever get to TEOTWAWKI and are living WROL (Without Rule of Law) then all bets are off.  Ham radio has three different levels of licenses that you can obtain – Technician’s license, General, and Amateur Extra.   Each license level adds different frequencies that you are allowed to transmit on.

These have so many upsides.  The biggest upside is that they can communicate over very long distances.  My son has heard people as far away as Ontario and we live in central Illinois.  You can use antennas to allow you to communicate with people even farther away.  One of the biggest benefits of using a ham radio is that there is a network of operators worldwide where you can relay information and hear lots of news.  If you really wanted to get information on what is going on in the world, using a Ham Radio is probably the way to go!

What About You?

With whom will you need to communicate if everything goes crazy?  How do you plan on communicating with them?  Do you already have any of these ways of communication in your house?  Which have you had a chance to practice?  Share with us in the comments, so that we can all be better prepared.

Together let’s Love, Learn, Practice, and Overcome

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