Prepper Kit #10 – Communications Kit

Recently I did one of those Facebook Questionnaires.  I never do these, but for some reason this one just called my name.  I had to ask a bunch of questions of my husband about myself.  One of the questions that I was supposed to ask was, “Where will you find me?”  He answered without hesitation, “In the car,” and he’s right.  I feel like I spend more time in the car than just about any other place.  But spending so much time there means that I expect to have instant communication with any of my children who are not with me at any given time.  It doesn’t matter if I’m the one at home and my daughter is gone babysitting or if she’s home with 1 or two of the kids and I’m out with others.  I rely on the ability to be able to instantly communicate with them should the need arise.

But what would we do if there was a disaster and cell phones weren’t working?  How would we be able to communicate with friends and family who we need to get in touch with?

Cell Phone

While I won’t keep a cell phone in my emergency communications kit, I do think we need to talk about cell phones with communication.  Don’t trust a cell phone to work on most emergencies.  Most of the time one of the three things can go wrong.

• Depending on the situation, it’s possible that all cell phones can be jammed.
• It’s possible that cell phone towers could be damaged or down.
• The last thing that could go wrong with cell phones is that you have too many people trying to use the towers at once so you can’t get through.

Ways to use cell phones during emergencies

• Try texting!  Texting tends to go through better!
• Download and use apps!  During the riots, I used a police scanner app and searches of #Ferguson on Twitter to tell me where the action was and what areas I should avoid.
• Record a new message so anyone who can get through hears that you are safe and where you are and/or where you are going.

SHTF Communications – Two Way Communication

Before we jump into what we should keep in our emergency communications kit, there are a couple of items that will make it easier to understand as we go through this section.

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 along those lines. 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 Range deals with how FAR the radio will transmit.  But, buyer beware.  When we were first looking into two-way radios on Amazon, as we read reviews a 20-25 mile range radio, would usually work only for 1-2 miles.

Emergency Communications Kit

What should you keep in your emergency communications kit?   I think there are three different items which fit well within the parameters for a communications kit.

1.)  Wireless FRS Radios

For our communications kit, we have purchased FRS Radios.  FRS stands for Family Radio System.  It’s 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 are a great choice for beginners.

2.)  GMRS Radio

We also added some GMRS radios.  These require a license to TALK on, but not to listen in on.  The upside to these is that, unlike Ham radios, you don’t have to take a test to get your GMRS radio license.  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.  These are great for group communication, but not for getting communication from outside your group.

3.)  Ham Radio

Transmitting using a Ham radio requires a license.  Fortunately, you can listen in on a ham radio without having a license.  Now that being said, getting a Ham radio license isn’t a big deal. My son got his when he was 11 years old.  He studied with my dad and earned it within about 3 months of starting to study – at 11!

There are different types of Ham radios.  You can get handheld ones that look just like walkie talkies.  You can get what are called base stations.  These are built to be more stationary.

These have so many upsides.  They can communicate over very long distances.  My dad operates a ham radio here in Central Illinois, but he’s listened in to people from as far away as Ontario.   You can use antennas to allow you to communicate with people farther away.  One of the biggest benefits to using a ham radio is that there is a network of operators world-wide.  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?

Are there any other ways you plan to communicate with loved ones if a disaster strikes in your area?  I’d love to hear.  Leave a comment below, so we can all become better prepared.

Together lets Love, Learn, Practice, and Overcome

There are links in this post.  Some of the links may be affiliate links.  Some of the links may not be.  My promise to you is that I will only recommend the most economical version of the best quality of items to serve you. These are the items that I have bought for my own family.  You can feel free to use my affiliate links, of which I will get a small amount in compensation, or you can choose to search out your products on your own.