Phone Towers go out, No communication.

[-]

Advanced961@reddit

I had a similar chain of thought a couple of days ago when a stork cut off both to the entire county which included phone and internet for about 4 hours.

After research I found that my only options are;

Local communication; GMrS radio . I bought a cheap set of BAOFENG UV-5G Plus. I’m currently in the process of learning how to use it. It requires a license with no test that’s renewable every 10 years.
Starlink mini. I considered completely switching to starlink as a provider but it’s super expensive by comparison to what I currently pay… so I’m still investigating how I can do this as a backup with just one time investment and pay as you go fee if I ever needed it.

Ps; I haven’t signed up for a GMrS license yet as I want to get a P.O. Box address first. Apparently the license being a public domain thing, makes your full name and full address publicly accessible on the internet!! So I’ll be leveraging the P.O. Box instead

[-]

EnergyLantern@reddit

After owning Baofeng for a couple of years, I can say that you have to check your equipment for burning out. You should probably go with a BF-F8 from Baofeng Tech because they are built to last a little longer and Baofeng has poor quality control. I have returned three different Baofeng radios and two of my Baofeng radios are acting weird.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Definitely do the P.O Box. I Have one and love the privacy of it and knowing my mail is okay sitting there if I am out of town. .. I will look into GMrS.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

That's only a problem if you go around blabbing your callsign online.

I'm an avid ham radio operator, been one since 1990. I only use my callsign over the air (as required). I don't use it online, nor do I have callsign license plates on my car. I've literally *NEVER* had a problem with it.

BTW, it really doesn't matter. I can look up your full name and your city and get your home address. Especially if you own property, but even if you rent. I could likely find you even if you use a PO Box for your FCC address.

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PenguinsStoleMyCat@reddit

I have T-Mobile and Verizon service on my phone (Galaxy S25 Ultra), a lot of phones are dual SIM now. I use US Mobile (Verizon) as my second SIM and have unlimited talk and text with 2gb data for $10/month. Each additional gig is $2.

My main plan is unlimited and I use this as a backup. I actually used it this weekend when I was in a building that was giving me no signal on T-Mobile. I vacation in a mountainous area every winter and Verizon is the only service that gets signal in some spots.

While some carriers share towers and backends in some areas it's an inexpensive low effort backup.

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elittle1234@reddit

I have an Iridium satellite phone. I know someone else with the same phone. If you're lucky enough to be able to get the phones to connect, reception is horrible most of the time.

I really don't get how people use them to communicate. Maybe if you are on the ocean or someplace totally clear of trees and buildings, they work much better. You can't use them in a house or car unless you invest in an external antenna.

Ham radio is the way.

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justanotherguyhere16@reddit

New iPhones and pixel phones both have the ability to do satellite texting

Look at the stories from western NC after Helene.

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General_Raisin2118@reddit

This is probably the best answer, and on top of that T-Mobile is in the process of rolling out satellite coverage as well though I'm not positive what the hardware requirement is. It's defiantly something to investigate now rather than try to figure it out in the dark.

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Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit

Are you refering to Starlink? I have concerns about privacy and security using that system.

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Leopold_Porkstacker@reddit

Do you have the same concerns about cell phone service?

Because you should.

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Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit

Based on how things are going I have the feeling about anything owned by big business.

Amazon is breaking into medical care, it has terrified me from the beginning.

[-]

Successful_Yoghurt34@reddit

Tell me more, what is especially bad about this? Hackers getting medical info about people, or what

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Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit

Sorry this is long but I appreciate the ask:

So for me its having seen how they treat small businesses that sell through them and how their business model changes as they monopolize industries.

Amazon started as a book seller. They under cut the pricing and sales of so many books stores. Running them out of business. Then as they got more successful and had less competition their prices went up. They changed their promises after solidifying their customer base and creating a pretty hefty monopoly. Increased prices and reduced shipping time even while they increase membership dues. For example adding commercials to a commercial free service mid contract because they can. I know folks who sell through them and the customer service is horrible because they are too big to fail and they dont care about those small businesses except as a tag line when selling the idea to customers. "We support small business". Plus they fight unionization of their employees and support politicians who want to cut social support services.

Now imagine those types of issues only with life saving medication accessibility and profiteering. No more walgreens, cvs or rite aid to compete. Just amazon owning everything, jacking up prices, providing telehealth services, sending the wrong meds or someone elses meds to your door, all while getting stupid rich off of our money that we are paying just to survive

Its just not for me. I wouldnt trust them with my data or my medical needs for anything. That said I may not have a choice after awhile. Because amazon runs everyone else out of business. Sucks in its customer base with super low prices and then jacks up costs after its gotten rid of the competition.

If you have never seen Idiocracy, you should check out the medical scene. That movie shows a version of medical care that makes sense when you remove intelligent people from the process, focus on profit gathering and let 'robots' do all the 'work'. I could see amazon pioneering that.

idiocracy medical scene

[-]

Cyber_Suki@reddit

Theres no greater example of medical idiocy and profiteering than the current American healthcare system. Lets use the Cleveland Clinic as a perfect example. Ranked #2 globally and #2 nationally.

450 for a 15 minute appointment with a family / GP?!? Incorrect billing incorrect testing incorrect information is the norm. There are so many examples of how horrible this institution is as far as extorting money and subpar care. But it makes billionaires and insurance tons of money.

Amazon is actually offering a way around insurance. So are concierge doctors. The system as we know it does not work. I am not saying that Amazon is a savior. I’m saying that we are in a world of hurt with the current medical system.

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Successful_Yoghurt34@reddit

Thank you my friend.

God the future is BLEAK

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Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit

Awww, thank you so much!! That is my firsr ever award, I appreciate you!

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Successful_Yoghurt34@reddit

Of course! You're a good egg.

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Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit

Keep up the possitive vibes ❤️ Knowledge helps and you are asking really good questions and listening to the responses!

We can vote with our money and let these jerks know how we feel. There are some anticonsumerism groups that also focus on not needing everything to be new. And prepping groups to help us feel more comfortable in risky societal times.

You've got this!

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bl0odredsandman@reddit

No. Starlink is it's own internet service completely different from phone service. Some new phones can use the phone company satellites to text or maybe call. Not sure about being able to call, but I know they can at least text. I think the iPhone refers to it as SOS mode or something like that. It's only if the cell service is down though and should only be used in emergencies.

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addywoot@reddit

Enable WiFi calling on your phone and use it.

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bl0odredsandman@reddit

And if you're not near anyplace that doesn't have Wifi? That's what SOS modes are for.

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addywoot@reddit

No….. I’m saying if you have Starlink, enable WiFi calling and use it with your phone.

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Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit

Thanks

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SevenOfZach@reddit

Just in case you missed the other messages. They were confidently wrong and it is in partnership with Starlink.
https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/satellite-phone-service

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Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit

Thank you, I was wondering why my Thanks message got down voted!! You are right, totally missed those!

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antidumb@reddit

T-Mobile has partnered with starlink for its satellite service. https://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/satellite-phone-service

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east21stvannative@reddit

Although the Starlink technology seems to work well, the fact that a loose cannon like Musk could flip the switch or triple the rates at any time is a concern for me.

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General_Raisin2118@reddit

They're calling it T-Satellite, but it seems to be in partnership with Starlink, yes. I believe the Iphone specific service is though Globalstar. T-Satellite still in Beta at the moment, so I'm not sure the details overall, but if Starlink is good enough for the Ukrainian Military's drone operations, It's probably good enough for me to text my folks that I'm alive and heading their way.

What privacy and security concerns do you have?

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crash______says@reddit

Elon Derangement Syndrome concerns

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Hot-Adhesiveness-438@reddit

To be fair I have not dug into it a bunch but Musks involvement with the system and the accumulation of US Data paired with Palantir. Plus using Starlink as a bargaining chip with tariff negotiations it is feeling very Skynet.

"Force" all countries and people to use the same network. Ignore privacy and data accuracy like Twitter and be the main source of data that the world consumes.

Palantir's Alex Karp said the company will use "the best products available on the market" to help its allies and hurt its adversaries

Starlink and Tariff Deals

Palantir Surveillance Database

[-]

ScumBunny@reddit

We went through Helene and had zero service for 2 weeks. Only after they got a hot spot set up at the fire department were we able to contact our families. My iPhone is a 13 (I think) and my bf has a newer android.

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justanotherguyhere16@reddit

Yeah an iPhone 13 is too old. I think it starts with 15 and up

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BJ42-1982@reddit

My iPhone 14 Pro has this capability

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ScumBunny@reddit

Planned freaking obsolescence, gotta love it. I haven’t even paid off this damn phone yet and it’s already on its way out.

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justanotherguyhere16@reddit

Ehhh. I’m all fairness I think this is more a “new technology allowed” versus “intentionally made obsolete after a couple years”.

Though Apple is amazingly good at the 2nd

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ScumBunny@reddit

Absolutely. If I don’t do the updates, my autocorrect stops working entirely, apps won’t run, service gets spotty. I’ve had iPhone for over a decade and definitely noticed the pattern.

Next phone I get will be an android. My bf rarely has problems with his 10+ yo phone. 🤞

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PNWoutdoors@reddit

I'm not sure if this would work. Here's why I say that:

I recently went camping in an area that was just barely on the edge of service. Like, my phone could pick up a bar and think it was connected, it new the Verizon network was there, but literally nothing worked.

I found a part of the campground where the service totally cut off. At that point, my phone told me I could use satellite texting. But if it thinks there is a network there, even if it's not usable, that option doesn't come up (I'm on a Pixel).

So the issue I'm wondering is what if your phone is still connected to the towers, but there is no actual service to the towers. This is like if I'm connected to my home WiFi but my internet provider goes down. There will be no internet signal, but my devices are still connected to the WiFi, they just can't do anything.

If the phone still says "hey there's a network here", but the network doesn't work, I'm not sure the satellite option would come up.

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BJ42-1982@reddit

Unplug your WiFi

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justanotherguyhere16@reddit

They specifically asked for “what if the cell towers in my area lose power”

So I answered.

That being said, you are likely able to do so if you dial 911, the phone tries to connect the call through the tower’s back haul and it fails. It likely transfers over to the satellite feature.

I doubt you are the first person to think of this (but it’s impressive that you did) and I’m guessing that the software takes it into account.

It’s a good tech support question though to make sure.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

Last i checked it was sms only, a phone call wouldn't go through

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certifiedintelligent@reddit

if you dial 911

No cellphone can make a call over current satellite service.

That's coming in the next year or two, but right now, all you get is texting.

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justanotherguyhere16@reddit

I mean that’s what the directions say.

How it works: 1. Initiate the call: If you're in an area without cellular or Wi-Fi service and need emergency help, dial 911.

Connect to satellite: The phone will prompt you to connect to a satellite if it can't connect to a cellular network.
Follow on-screen instructions: The phone will guide you through positioning the phone to establish a satellite connection.
Communicate with emergency services: You'll be guided through a questionnaire to describe your emergency and send the information to emergency services.
Receive help: Emergency responders will receive your information and location (if shared) and will be able to communicate with you via text messages, if needed.

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PNWoutdoors@reddit

I read it as "if the towers go out" not necessarily that the power goes out, and in that case I kind of assumed the area (and the towers) still have power but lose service.

Just wanted to highlight the potential that even if the towers stop providing an actual connection the phone could still try to use it.

[-]

justanotherguyhere16@reddit

And as I said, impressive you thought of the backhaul part of it.

Would be curious to find out

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PNWoutdoors@reddit

Yeah it would be interesting if there was a way to test it, but I'm not sure there is.

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ObscureSaint@reddit

I'm not sure if this would work.

It would work. You're rambling on about Wi-Fi networks and cell towers are nothing like wifi. If there's no service, you're not connected.

Usually when you're not sure about something, that's the time to ask questions and learn more, not write five paragraphs guessing. :)

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Tricky-Friendship-39@reddit

The wifi analogy made total sense for what he/she was referring to.

A device like a cell phone tower can still be pinged by a cell phone, even if there is no connection from the tower to the broader network.

It is exactly the same concept as connecting to a wifi router even if there is no signal from the ISP.

[-]

shikkonin@reddit

It is exactly the same concept as connecting to a wifi router even if there is no signal from the ISP.

No, it isn't. Your phone can see the tower, but it's can't connect to the network if the backhaul is down. The tower itself can't authenticated your phone.

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Tricky-Friendship-39@reddit

That is exactly what the was I said. Your phone can ping a tower that isn’t connected to the rest of the network. Your phone will ping the tower but not have any service to send or receive data, because the tower doesn’t have service.

You aren’t correcting me, just restating what I said.

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shikkonin@reddit

And the phone will also not think it is connected to a network. Unlike in the case of WiFi.

The phone will also not show you as connected, nor will you have any "bars" on it. Unlike with WiFi.

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Tricky-Friendship-39@reddit

So going through your post history you seem to have a tendency to start inflammatory arguments, utilize ad hominems, and generally be an internet tough guy.

This conversation isn’t going to go anywhere productive, I am sure you are very happy with your life and I will let you get back to it.

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3Dprintr123@reddit

yes, but in a real SHTF scenario, all those satellites would either be hacked or taken out by an emp

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justanotherguyhere16@reddit

Well that goes a tad beyond the whole “what if a ce tower is out”

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Feeling-Reserve-8783@reddit

This is still only the pixel 9, and only for emergency communications with emergency personnel, not true texting? Is that correct? (I have a pixel 8 pro so haven't paid much attention to what doesn't involve my phone, but that was last I heard)

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Tinman5278@reddit

You are correct. It is "Satellite SOS" service. You can't use it to send a text to your spouse asking them to pick up milk at the store.

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certifiedintelligent@reddit

iphone user here. While this works, it doesn't work well, and people need to manage their expectations about it before they rely on it for more than it can do.

Yes, it works, but you're going to have to be outside and actually aim your phone for satellite reception. If there's terrain or buildings in the way it won't work. It's also pretty dang slow for round trip messaging.

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kalitarios@reddit

Which side/end is the business side to “aim” at the satellite?

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

From what I've heard iPhone needs line of sight, the T-Mobile version does not. I would think it should, as starlink does, but what i heard is that it does not need line of sight. One person said it worked inside his car.

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wool@reddit

This did not work for me during Helene. The area has too much terrain variability without clear line of sight to the satellites. My phone definitely supports the feature but I never successfully got any message out.

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Cold-Call-8374@reddit

Yep! I got to test that out last month when tornadoes knocked out cell service to my area and my power was out so no Internet. It's not great, but it was also not nothing.

I'm considering setting up a landline so that I have phone service during an outage. But it's such a specialty service now it's actually kind of expensive.

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pitfighter69@reddit

I am in Northern California just south of Sacramento. My wife's grandma lives in the house next door. She is very old fashioned and insists on having a traditional landline for her primary communication. However, even the landlines operates thru the internet router. So when internet crashes, so does her landlines. She has done much research into it and there is no traditional landline service in our region that even offers service that comes directly from the pole and doesn't use the internet router. So before you switch to a landline you should check to see if that is even an option in your area.

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Unique-Sock3366@reddit

I tested mine recently. Works great.

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No_Day5399@reddit

So odd. A mere 25 years ago, it wasn't as it is. We've been so conditioned to use them for our very existence.

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Hot-Profession4091@reddit

Like all preps, communication is an escalation ladder. I wrote quite a bit about that here but start with an AM/FM/Weather radio. Preferably something solar/crank powered in case the outage is lengthy. Local commercial radio stations are still likely to be the best source of local information in an emergency, although, that has been changing as we see more stations go to pre-recorded syndicated programming.

For your particular case, it seems you don’t really have anyone to communicate with locally, so the next rung in the ladder, GMRS, may not make sense for you.

For communicating hundreds of miles, you are stepping up into amateur radio. Voice communication at that distance would require a significant investment of money and time on both ends, so I would be more realistic and learn about Winlink. It lets you send an email via packet radio. Assuming the problem is local and you can reach a gate outside of the affected area, you could send emails back and forth with your loved ones. That still takes a significant investment on your end, but you wouldn’t need to convince anyone to also study for a test and spend $1k or more on radio equipment.

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3Dprintr123@reddit

the test is easy as heck, and you dont need 1k. im reaching Russia with 700$ worth of equipment

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Hot-Profession4091@reddit

Did you include coax and antenna in that cost? Entry & grounding? Power supply?

Also, I never said the test wasn’t easy. I said it takes an investment of time and money on both ends to establish reliable coms.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I live in a rural area in AZ and all my family lives in MI. I have a strong community network of friends and co workers here. I guess I was just looking for something to check in with family etc due to the situation I had got me thinking of more long term scenario of communication is out and how I would communicate then. .. I will look up winlink and thanks for the link, I will look at all that later to see if I am missing anything.

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Hot-Profession4091@reddit

A satellite phone is really your best bet for your family.

If you have a local community, it may be worth looking into GMRS. No test, just a $35 fee. It makes the barrier to entry much lower which makes it easier to convince folks to buy into an emergency method of local comms.

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Swimmer7777@reddit

Ham. I got one and have learned as much as I can about the buttons, frequencies, etc. I don’t have a license yet, so I can’t transmit, but I do listen. It’s a perishable skill, so keep practicing. I plan to get a GMRS too. It’s interesting to see how much info I’ve retained from using basic radios in the military years ago. If an emergency comes, I don’t think anyone will be calling you out for using ham. In fact I’ve heard it’s legal in an emergency. I hike a lot and don’t have service, so a ham radio is key. More for helping other hikers.

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armacitis@reddit

My mother told me to stop buying ham after I filled her freezer with it

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I hike a lot too and for local communications I just use a cheap radio that has good range. My friend here has the other one and we tell eachother where we are going incase we dont hear from eachother by a certain time we head head eachothers hike area and scan channels. But this is like a 3 mile at best walkie talking thing that can pick up other frequencies but nothing on a major scale

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DutchGM@reddit

I have a satellite phone, charged and loaded up with minutes, ready to go. It costs about 400 a year to keep it activated, but I find it worth it for piece of mind.

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9volts@reddit

/r/Hamradio

/r/Baofeng

/r/AmateurRadio

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Thank you for the links!

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WardenWolf@reddit

Cell towers should last at least a few hours after the main power goes out. As others have stated, newer cellphones often support Starlink texting. It's part of why I'm upgrading very soon.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

If you need contact multiple states away, ham radio has reigned king.

For local/regional emergencies, the new hotness gaining in popularity is Meshtastic, especially since there is no license required, and equipment is cheap.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Not regional. Local, yes. Regional to me is

BTW, LoRa has been around for a decade, and Meshtastic for at least 5 years, and it still isn't reliable enough.

The coverage actually sucks outside of very populated areas. I'm in upstate New York, and the closest Meshtastic node is at least 76 miles away. Even Albany, the capitol of NYS and home to several colleges and universities, is devoid of nodes.

Given that the typical range of a single Meshtastic node is about a mile or so, if you don't have a high enough density of nodes it's simply not going to effectively work. Put up a node, and yeah, you can communicate if you're within a mile or two of it and the person you want to talk to is within a mile or two of it.

Even in New York City, there are only (as of the time I post, 10:17 EDT) about 8, or 10 if you include the ones across the river in Jersey City. Manhattan has just 3 nodes, none of them farther north than 45th Street. From Hell's Kitchen up through Harlem, zero nodes.

https://meshmap.net/

There are just 8 nodes in the entire state of Maine.

There are precisely zero nodes in Wyoming.

That "new hotness gaining in popularity"? I'm just not seeing it. It will have to expand by at least an order of magnitude to become popular enough to be useful and reliable enough for emergency communications.

By order of magnitude, I mean you'd need at least 10 nodes for every one node now. And probably more.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

You're looking at MQTT nodes (and even then, only MQTT nodes that are utilizing the official Meshtastic MQTT server). Those are nodes that are connected to the internet. I honestly don't see the point in connecting them to the internet for communications, since they are OTA (over-the-air) devices.

If you want to get a better map of the nodes, you need to have a radio that can get info from OTA nodes in an area (and even then, that is dependent on whether or not a person has enabled GPS or set a fixed location). But I'm highly skeptical that in all of NYC, there are as many nodes than there are in the small town of Manchester NH.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

But if you're trying to send word to someone who is *NOT* using Meshtastic, and in range (isn't there a 62 node limit?), you absolutely need to be able to hit a node that has internet connectivity.

That's going to be a major problem with a widespread communications outage, and likely even with a widespread power outage: How many nodes are run off of commercial power and don't have a battery backup? I'm going to guess most of them. Yes, they can run off of batteries and are very parsimonious with Amp-hours, but I'm guessing the typical hobbyist's node is run directly off of mains power.

Meanwhile, I've got an Icom IC-735 powered with a Marine deep cycle battery, connected to a notebook computer through a SignaLink, and I can use the Winlink network to send and receive e-mails (including to and from non-hams) through HF gateways that are hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

No HF gateways within 100 miles or so from me, but that's OK, I can hit ones reliably much farther away than that.

Now, it's not plug-and-play, requires a license, and some expensive equipment along with the knowledge to use it. But with my setup I could be on Gilligan's Island in the middle of the Pacific and still be able to get help.

Meshtastic can't do that, it requires close-in infrastructure to work.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

Not sure where you're getting a 62 node limit from. Might be a limitation from 10 years ago, but certainly not today. Took some quick fingers to catch it with a screengrab, but looks like updated versions with ESP based chipsets can have 200.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

As for trying to send word to someone that doesn't have it, your IC-735 radio on Gilligan's Island is going to do squat trying to get a hold of someone who doesn't have a radio either. Not sure what the point you're trying to make is.

You missed the entire point of what I was telling you.

Using Winlink HF Gateways, I can send and receive e-mails with people who do not have any radio equipment, or indeed a ham license, at all.

THAT'S ACTUALLY THE POINT OF WINLINK:

https://winlink.org/

Winlink Global Radio Email is a network of amateur radio and authorized government stations that provide worldwide radio email using radio pathways where the internet is not present.

I can be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and use my setup to send an email through an HF gateway that is hundreds or thousands of miles away. That gateway connects to one of 3 servers geographically distributed world-wide, which then sends the e-mail to its destination over the Internet. Any replies will be waiting for me to connect up to a gateway again for me to download.

I can e-mail my non-ham brother who lives in the middle of Yellowstone Park that way. He doesn't need a license or any equipment other than the consumer devices (computer, smart phone) he uses to send and receive e-mails.

Yes, there have to be a number of hams willing to run gateways. But there are:

https://winlink.org/RMSChannels

Click the radio button that says "VARA", the most popular HF mode.

Far fewer HF gateways than Meshtastic nodes, *BUT* I can reliably hit HF gateways hundreds of miles away. That's the beauty of HF radio.

If there is a large power/communications outage like the Northeast blackout of 2003:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_2003#Communication

I'd still be fine. I can communicate with a gateway outside of the blackout zone and send e-mails letting friends and family know I'm OK.

So I think you really don't understand what you're talking about.

[-]

Ryan_e3p@reddit

For a person who believes there are only 8 nodes in all of NYC, who is still under the belief that there's a limit of 62 nodes in the database, who thinks that repeater nodes aren't utilizing solar panels to stay indefinitely powered, and thinks MQTT is somehow OTA, I really don't think you're one to be harping on who doesn't understand what they're talking about.

Especially when I stated from the start that ham radio reigns supreme.

JFC guy, you have weird hills to die on. "OMG someone mentioned something inexpensive and easily made available for local and regional communications, I better fire up my talking points for global communications with expensive equipment that requires licensing and compare the two!"

Hot damn, you old hams are a weird bunch.

[-]

dittybopper_05H@reddit

Yeah, you're right. We're a weird bunch:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meshtastic#Limitations

Bandwidth limitations can cause network congestion when many users attempt to communicate simultaneously. This was demonstrated at the 2024 Hamvention in Dayton, Ohio, where the network crashed after excessive traffic from a single user's MQTT bridge overwhelmed the system. In response, developers created specialized firmware for large events, allowing between 2,000 and 2,500 nodes to operate simultaneously at conferences such as DEF CON.

[-]

Ryan_e3p@reddit

Weird, I thought you said there was a 62 node limit?

And you really ought to read the source of that wikipedia reference. It isn't the "nail in the coffin" you were probably hoping for.

The Texting Network for the End of the World | WIRED

Primarily, it shows the support that this has; there was a problem, and in response, a solution was created. It also highlights the strong end-to-end encryption that this offers, even OTA. It has location-tracking capabilities for families and friends. It goes on about the size of the client units themselves, being the size of a pack of cards of even smaller. No one is going to be getting their ham radio license, hauling around a marine battery, laptop, transistor radio, and setting up a field antenna while hiking every half mile or so to broadcast their location to friends and family. Not at their apartments, where people setting up antennas is generally frowned upon. No one is going to carry around all that equipment at a large festival like a town fair, amusement park, large parade, or other place where cell congestion is likely to occur.

Client devices and repeaters can easily be configured to be 100% private; to ignore any information or packets as needed. If I wanted to, for example, set up a private mesh between me, and my cousin who lives 20 miles away, it would cost me less than $200. Three $30 nodes (one for me, one for them, another for the repeater), a few 18650 batteries to power the nodes for a week or more (one for me, one for them, and if I wanted to go overkill, 4 of them for the repeater), and for the repeater, a basic $4 5v 200mAh solar panel to keep it topped up. Easy and simple. Private, end-to-end secured communication, no license needed, a repeater configured to ignore all other traffic (though having the public channel on there would be good to get public messages or calls for assistance from others). If my neighbor has a buddy that lives within the coverage of the repeater who wants to communicate, I can give them both the channel info. Their direct communications are also end-to-end encrypted without me seeing them. If I wanted to start a secondary public all-access router on a different modem setting (as PV Mesh recently did) to help accommodate a growing userbase, that's as simple as putting up another $30 repeater node with those modem presets.

Speaking of PV Mesh, here's a link if you want to know more, including the setup for the routers: Routers – Pioneer Valley Meshtastic Network

And look at that! All of them operate 24/7 through days of clouds and rain, because of even moderately sized battery packs (some as low as 1.2Ah!) and the thing you said they didn't have, solar panels! Some as small as 5W, even!

Remind me again, if you had to power your setup with solar, how many watts does all your equipment draw? If you had to set up from-scratch communications between you and someone even just 40 miles away with no utility-provided power for a week, what would it take again? What's the cost?

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Weird, I thought you said there was a 62 node limit?

I did, and that was a mistake on my part.

Remind me again, if you had to power your setup with solar, how many watts does all your equipment draw? If you had to set up from-scratch communications between you and someone even just 40 miles away with no utility-provided power for a week, what would it take again?

Are you ready for the math? Because there is going to be some math!

*YAY!*

Group 27 size marine deep cycle battery has a capacity of 80 Amp-hours at 12 Volts. But it's a lead-acid battery which means you can only draw 40 Ah out of it without causing long term damage. Of course, in an emergency, you can draw more.

Radio draws about 1.5 Amp-hours on receive, and 20 Ah on transmit.

But that's at the full 100 watts output. I run it around 20 watts when doing digital so the current draw is actually around 6 Ah.

For a receive-transmit cycle of 4 to 1, that's an average draw of...

[Whips out Pickett N200T pocket trig slide rule]

((1.5 * 4) + 6) / 5 = 2.4 Amp-hours

BTW, the receive/transmit cycle is much longer, like 10 to 1 or more when receiving messages, and shorter, like 2 to 1 or 1 to 1 when transmitting them, I picked what seemed like a decent average.

So with a capacity of 20 Ah, that's a total of 8.33 hours of operation. You only need about 20 minutes to send and receive emails, so doing that twice a day is 40 minutes.

8.333 hours * 60 minutes in an hour = 500 minutes

500 minutes / 40 minutes a day = 12.5 days of operation.

So nearly 2 weeks before needing to recharge, completely without solar.

Laptop battery, with the WiFi and Bluetooth turned off and the screen brightness turned down, lasts at least 12 or 13 hours*.

SignaLink is powered by the laptop through it's USB connection.

If I had to run the equipment via solar, using of course the deep cycle battery as a storage medium, I would need a panel that delivers...

12 volts * (2.4 * .667) = 19 watts, but you need to essentially quadruple that because clouds, sun is low in the morning and in the evening. Add a fudge factor, and call it 100 watts even.

Solar insolation is about 1000 watts per square meter. Solar panels are roughly around 20% efficient these days, more or less, so 1000 watts * .20 = 200 watts per square meter.

So about half a square meter of solar panels should do the trick.

[Takes a drag on cigarette.]

Was it good for you too?

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

I noticed you specifically edited my quote to drop the last line: What's the cost?

Since again, I argue that Meshtastic is great for local and regional purposes, I think 40 miles is a fair distance to cover. Don't even worry about including encryption. Forget running indefinitely 24/7. Just one week of keeping it powered on. You can keep it simple and basic when it comes to geography, no worrying about mountain ranges getting in the way, no tower tenant fees. Assume that there's a 500ft tower between the two of you. No installation costs, just the costs of equipment and the cost of licenses.

How much are we looking at for that? Provide sources to your equipment.

I'll do the same! Heck, I'll give you an additional handicap, and not DIY the repeater to really limit my capabilities and increase my cost! 😁

Repeater: $89.90 https://www.seeedstudio.com/SenseCAP-Solar-Node-P1-Pro-for-Meshtastic-LoRa-p-6412.html

Aw, heck, for the end-users, I'll splurge a little and get something twice as expensive as I usually use: Lilygo T-deck (2x $70): https://store.rokland.com/products/lilygo-t-deck-portable-microcontroller-programmer-lora-915-mhz-h642

And finally, a couple solar panels for the end users for $25: https://www.amazon.com/Soshine-6w-Performance-Monocrystalline-Cellphone/dp/B09ZL3F7CT

My total cost: $255.

[Lights my Cuban, takes a pull from my glass of fine Scotch]

So good.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Cost?

Radio was used, $200 with a huge and stupid L-C-L AEA antenna tuner that I hate and don’t use. Radio is used for other radio related activities and spends almost no time for Winlink. It spends most of its time listening to FT8, maybe 1% of the time I’m using it for Winlink. Prior to getting the FT-891, it was my primary HF radio for years.

So amortizing the cost based on how often it, the laptop, and the SignaLink are used for Winlink?

Maybe $5 or $10 dollars, spread out over something like 10 years. Add the battery, maybe $15.

Of course, that’s without a solar panel or controller.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

"Here's a non-answer, giving numbers for used equipment, skipping a lot of stuff, and spacing out the cost over a decade"

Showing a complete lack of integrity with this conversation. I've seen posts by you in other threads, and honestly, I expected more than shitty half-answers and obfuscation of real cost.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Well, do you buy a LoRa node and throw it out after a year?

I’m sure the answer is no. You probably don’t use it for anything else, though, right?

I use my equipment for more than checking my @winlink.org e-mail. Much more. It’s literally the smallest fraction of its use.

So I think it’s perfectly kosher to spread the cost out over the time period I’ve had the radio, and via the percentage of use. Standard accounting procedures.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

It is a disingenuous cost you are providing, and you know it. If someone came up to you and said "I want to get my license and build something right now to do that, how much will it cost me", you aren't going to respond with "Oh, well, maybe $5 or $10 should do it."

You are being intentionally deceitful.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

No it isn’t. I didn’t buy all the equipment solely for Winlink. In fact, the only real cost to me was downloading the software and the time it took to install it and set up an account.

I ALREADY HAD ALL OF THE EQUIPMENT NECESSARY FOR OTHER (HAM RADIO) PURPOSES.

So really the cost to me should be zero. I would have the exact same setup, minus the software, if I didn’t use Winlink.

I was being generous in admitting to some cost. And dividing up the cost based upon use is a Generally Accepted Accounting Principle, so it’s not disingenuous.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

"I already owned the equipment, so if someone asked me how much it would take to buy all the equipment and licensing to do the same thing from scratch, I would tell them the cost is zero"

Anything to avoid answering the question, it seems.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

I answered it fully and honestly. You just can’t admit defeat.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

No, you didn't. You first edited my quote to remove the part of the sentence, ending in the question of "how much would it cost for someone to do this from scratch", then after repeating the question again to you, you still refuse to answer.

For someone who recommends this as a way to communicate to people in prepping, the fact you refuse to clearly answer the question of "how much would it cost for equipment and licensing for someone new to get started from nothing" says a lot. It's just weird. If someone asks me "hey, how much would it cost for me to buy a 50lb bag of rice", I can show them a price. If someone says "how much money is it to buy a few Meshtastic nodes today" I can give them a direct price of how much it'll cost them. If someone wanted to build out a standalone DIY solar setup from nothing, I would be able to price out how much parts cost.

You? You're giving answers of "I already owned it" and "I use it for other things", which doesn't do shit for someone who wants to get started from scratch. Telling them "it'll cost $5, maybe $10" because you stretch that over a decade is disingenuous. If I want to buy a radio and I go to the register, they scan the box, and charge me the amount it costs. They don't ask me "how long do you plan on keeping it" and divide that cost over the decade I have it. When I paid for my license, the FCC didn't ask how many minutes per day I planned on using it when paying for it and calculate the cost over 10 years. The answers you're giving are bullshit, and I am so glad that people can plainly see it.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Here’s more costs for you.

You need to take at least 2 tests to use HF gateways except the ones on 10 meters.

Volunteer Examiners can charge up to $15 per test sessions, and the FCC charges $35, so up to $100 just in regulatory fees.

And you’ve got to study for the tests. That’s mental effort.

But I’ve been licensed since 1990, and I’ve held the highest available license for over a decade.

You literally asked me what MY cost was, and I answered you honestly. You couldn’t accept that.

For someone coming in fresh, no knowledge? It’s going to cost a lot both in terms of effort and money.

Probably $1,000 if you bought everything new.

But you get capabilities far and above what Meshtastic can do. It’s not as convenient, user friendly, or as portable. But you can communicate where you can’t with Meshtastic, essentially anywhere on Earth.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

You literally asked me what MY cost was, and I answered you honestly. You couldn’t accept that.

Here's where I asked how much it would cost to start from nothing:

First time: https://www.reddit.com/r/preppers/comments/1lkv6lh/comment/mzxom5f/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

If you had to set up from-scratch communications between you and someone even just 40 miles away with no utility-provided power for a week, what would it take again? What's the cost?

And again: https://www.reddit.com/r/preppers/comments/1lkv6lh/comment/mzy17ps/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

I noticed you specifically edited my quote to drop the last line: What's the cost?

Since again, I argue that Meshtastic is great for local and regional purposes, I think 40 miles is a fair distance to cover. Don't even worry about including encryption. Forget running indefinitely 24/7. Just one week of keeping it powered on. You can keep it simple and basic when it comes to geography, no worrying about mountain ranges getting in the way, no tower tenant fees. Assume that there's a 500ft tower between the two of you. No installation costs, just the costs of equipment and the cost of licenses.

How much are we looking at for that? Provide sources to your equipment.

I don't know how I could've been more clear with you, so if you want to try to feign ignorance, good luck with that. Your shoes must be worn out from all that tap-dancing around the answer you've been doing.

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shikkonin@reddit

As for trying to send word to someone that doesn't have it, your IC-735 radio on Gilligan's Island is going to do squat trying to get a hold of someone who doesn't have a radio either.

That is 100% and unequivocally bullshit. Winlink (among many others) provides exactly this option. That's why it exists.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

And if the other party you're trying to teach is having the same communications (cell/internet/power) outage, it doesn't help them much.

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shikkonin@reddit

Read the post. Different states.

Not to mention that this is irrelevant. I was addressing your bullshit statement of requiring a radio for the recipient, nothing else. Nowhere did I claim that it is an end-all be-all solution.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

Weird, it looks like I can contact 4 different states in my coverage map. I never claimed that this was an end-all be-all solution either, so.... 🤷🏻‍♂️

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shikkonin@reddit

Weird, it looks like I can contact 4 different states in my coverage map.

So? Good for you.

I never claimed that this was an end-all be-all solution either, so.... 🤷🏻‍♂️

And nobody, absolutely nobody is pretending that you did.

Plain and simple: you told a lie. And got corrected for it. Accept that.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

And what lie is that, specifically? Feel free to quote me

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shikkonin@reddit

I quoted you in the very beginning. But just for you, once again:

As for trying to send word to someone that doesn't have it, your IC-735 radio on Gilligan's Island is going to do squat trying to get a hold of someone who doesn't have a radio either.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

If the recipient doesn't have no power/cell/ internet since they're likely in the same region/local area having issues, how does that help them?

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shikkonin@reddit

That is irrelevant. Wholly and utterly irrelevant to your lie.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

There was no such lie. Go ahead and read what I first posted here.

Repeat it back for the class.

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shikkonin@reddit

There was no such lie

Do I need to quote you again?

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

Since you don't want to repeat it for the class, I'll go ahead and do it:

If you need contact multiple states away, ham radio has reigned king.

For local/regional emergencies, the new hotness gaining in popularity is Meshtastic, especially since there is no license required, and equipment is cheap.

Here's the link, where you can see that I haven't edited it.

The problem is that you ignore context for the sake of your own arguments.

So, let's play a game. Let's build a local communications network. I'll make this easy. I'll offer you the same question I offered to someone else:

If you had to set up from-scratch communications between you and someone even just 40 miles away with no utility-provided power for a week, what would it take? What's the cost?

This is easy. I think 50 miles is a fair distance to cover. Don't even worry about including encryption. Forget running indefinitely 24/7. Just one week. You can keep it simple and basic when it comes to geography, no worrying about mountain ranges getting in the way, no tower tenant fees. Assume that there's a 500ft tower between the two of you. No installation costs, just the costs of equipment and the cost of licenses.

How much are we looking at for that? Provide sources to your equipment.

I'll do the same! Heck, I'll give you an additional handicap, and not DIY the repeater to really boost my capabilities and increase my cost! 😁

Repeater: $89.90 https://www.seeedstudio.com/SenseCAP-Solar-Node-P1-Pro-for-Meshtastic-LoRa-p-6412.html

Aw, heck, for the end-users, I'll splurge a little and get something twice as expensive as I usually use: Lilygo T-deck (2x $70): https://store.rokland.com/products/lilygo-t-deck-portable-microcontroller-programmer-lora-915-mhz-h642

And finally, a couple solar panels for the end users for $25: https://www.amazon.com/Soshine-6w-Performance-Monocrystalline-Cellphone/dp/B09ZL3F7CT

Total cost: $255.

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smsff2@reddit

I read your entire conversation, but I didn’t understand any of it. Still, I upvoted your detailed post—this technology looks really cool! So, these little devices can communicate over a distance of 20 miles?

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

Just like with handheld radios, there are some caveats. Radios generally work via line of sight (unless you start getting into things like utilizing atmospheric conditions to bounce the signal back to earth; that's how I can listen to broadcasts from Asia here in the East Coast).

I have my primary node just strung up in a tree 90' up; that gets me a little more than 11 miles before curvature of the earth starts to mess with things with contacting someone at ground level. However, there are nodes in the local area (20-30 miles away) that are hundreds of feet up (one is, IIRC, over 1,000ft). Those act as repeaters to help signals go really far out. You'll find the same thing with your standard GMRS or VHF radios; repeaters are needed to overcome curvature of the earth, or get over mountain ranges (or even down into valleys).

I can readily communicate with nodes that are a hundred miles or more away due to a well established mesh network of repeaters throughout New England. No license needed, and it can be done with a device that costs as little as $30.

Of course, just like with consumer GMRS handheld radios that can be used to talk to people dozens of a hundred miles away, it requires 'help' from others setting up those repeaters. But, if you didn't want to rely on others and wanted to set up your own private, secure, encrypted communications network with someone 20 miles away, you can do it for cheap. Repeater nodes are inexpensive, and can be run near indefinitely, being powered only by a small battery and solar panel.

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shikkonin@reddit

And none of that is relevant or even related to your lie of HF radio with Winlink being useless unless both ends have a radio.

It remains a lie, no matter how much context about Meshtastic you add.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

See, this is the problem with you hammies. You just love to ignore context. So far, three of you have altered/edited/made up shit that I said to try to prove your points. And I get it. You're threatened that in the decades that you've been around, something else is coming up that threatens what little local & regional power you had, and it scares you that people can get it on the cheap without licensing.

But quit with the victim complex. Between that and the serious gatekeeping your community has, it isn't buying you any favors.

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shikkonin@reddit

Nobody is scared, nobody is losing any power.

You just need to stop lying about simple facts.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

If you take a quote out of context, and continue doing so even after pointing out the context, yeah, that's altering/editing/making stuff up.

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shikkonin@reddit

If you take a quote out of context, and continue doing so even after pointing out the context

There is no context that makes your statement true.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

Ty for the link. As expected there isn't much in the so-cal mountains

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BuildBreakFix@reddit

I wouldn’t rely on Meshtastic unless you are relying on only your own nodes. I’m in SoCal and when the power was out here in January with the fires a lot of our mesh disappeared, a lot of nodes were grid powered and after the first few days some of the nodes died.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

January was definitely a learning experience lol. We were down 5 times, 3-5 days each time. Glad they did, too, there were serious issues that needed repairs after 2 of them.

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BuildBreakFix@reddit

Yep, that experience is the reason I have a solar powered node on a mast above my roof line.

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dudertheduder@reddit

So does meshtastic work like air tags, other people's tech create a network for comms? But without other people's tech then you can't comms further than a standard Walmart walkie talkie?

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smeeg123@reddit

Basically yes

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

More or less, yeah. In areas where it's been established, there are nodes set up on mountaintops or communications towers that can cover a vast area (similar to GMRS repeaters). In New England, for example, the mesh is especially rich, from near the coast of CT all the way up to Keene NH via the river valley, east to Manchester NH, and just touching outer Boston.

Text-only comms (due to low data rates available), but a node can last a week or more with a little 18650 battery (or indefinitely with a small 200mAh solar panel).

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EffinBob@reddit

That's been my experience. If you're in area with a lot of people using it, this can be a somewhat viable solution for local comms, though my guess is you likely won't be contacting work to tell them you're going to be late with it. If there is no one else but you, and I find this to be very common when I travel, it's a nonstarter.

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HiveTool@reddit

Local area ham radio repeaters are still better. Most of the have E-power and will give you 40+ mile range 80 in opposite directions

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

That has to do with altitude. A node set up on a mountaintop tower is going to get the same distance. LOS (line of sight) is how radios operate. That's why a handheld radio on the ground doesn't get as much distance as one on a building, or one on a building gets compared to one on a tower.

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HiveTool@reddit

I’m an active ham. I live in Iowa… zero mountains.

I can hit a repeater 60 miles from my driveway with a $30 baofeng and rubber ducky antenna. You may not understand what you don’t use

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

You don't have curvature of the earth in Iowa? Because I'm quite certain that in order to hit a repeater 60 miles away, it has to be elevated.

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HiveTool@reddit

Do you think people install repeaters on parking meters. You were talking about mountains. Is there something preventing people from getting 20-40 Feet off the ground in your area of the world

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

40ft elevation is only going to get you 7.7 miles.

Radio Line of Sight Calculator for use on VHF/UHF Ham Bands

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HiveTool@reddit

What are you even claiming??? Let’s recap… 1. You claim local ham radio is inferior to mesh radio which depends on untested technology and is totally dependent on numerous points of failure

I state ham radio is still the best solution for OP stating that a person with a hand held can achieve 40 miles direct or communicate with someone in an 80 mile circumference.
You reply with some irrelevant statement about LOS like someone can’t use a radio tower repeater with a handheld because it would invalidate your claim.
I give you real world experience that invalidates your claim
you begin more irrelevant claims trying to muddy the reality of proven technology and to elevate your meshtastic experiment.
I try to understand why you are deliberately limiting local radio communications to to single individuals holding hand held radios with no LOS and you continue to claim LOS.

Everything you claim is not only untrue but it’s irrelevant. 5-6 watt handheld to handheld yes you need to be semi close 5-6 miles. You do not need LOS 25-50 watt radios with 20’ high antennas can talk simplex easily with 25-30 miles again without visible LOS.

Adding in a repeater tower (a single point of failure) at 300’ in the air should gain you 120-160 miles of communication range… if you put it on a mountain top who knows the mileage you could attain.

I made contacts in Colorado Springs from the top of pikes peak a few weeks ago. On 6 watts of power. Trying to limit legitimacy to reality to further meshtastic is silly.

Is it a cool new tech yes. Can it be superior maybe but not without a whole network of failure points.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

Lol

I literally said at the start that ham radio reigns supreme. Dude, you've got some major issues with reading comprehension, and you're flat-out making things up of what people said (example: I never once said ham was inferior).

Hot damn, you ham people are weird. "Oh look, there's an alternative method of communication, I better make shit up and lie about people to further the cause!"

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RedSquirrelFtw@reddit

First I hear of Meshtastic, looks really interesting!

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

r/meshtastic

Solid community. Happy to help you out there!

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MIRV888@reddit

Wait wait wait. You're relying on a bunch of stranger's gear working in an emergency? That's a bad move.

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

You don't need to. You can set up your own. You can make a solar node for under $100 easily.

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Virtual-Act-9037@reddit

I took a course about surviving natural disasters that included a good tip for this situation. Don't try to call anyone. Send a text. As soon as you get within range of an active tower, the text will go out and any pending texts will arrive. This way if coverage is spotty, or if you are evacuating after hunkering down, you can keep family informed about what is going on, as much as is possible.

If you have a large family, try to set 2 or 3 people as call "hubs". You want them to live as far apart as possible. If a disaster happens, you don't reach out to everyone you know, you reach out to the hubs and they track what is going on with everyone and can send out group texts if needed. Saves on battery power since you just need to reach out to one person instead of the entire family.

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silasmoeckel@reddit

The ultimate coms prep is ham radio. Long distance and local. Great for knowledge like all of my family's cars report their position.

Starlink is more useful than ham while it still works at least which is 99.99999% of things we prep for.

Really you should e looking to a fiber to the home option.

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smeeg123@reddit

This starlink + ham radio + sattelite sms phone

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

They are putting Fiber in my area next year, if all the contacts go through. I live in a rural area so while 4 miles down they have it, its not expanded to my area yet. I am holding off on getting internet until that happens.

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silasmoeckel@reddit

Starlink a free dish with the resi lite plan for a year. After than it's a great fallback.

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Led_Zeppole_73@reddit

That would be nice. unfortunately there is no internet service in my area except Starlink. Copper land lines here are even being abandoned. NE US. I do have a CB base station and have a blast. I’ve made contacts over 1,000 miles away running 4 watts over a speaker wire dipole antenna on my roof.

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shikkonin@reddit

So cell phones are out. So what? There's still internet, landlines (ok, still internet), the post office, neighbours' internet, library internet, McDonald's internet, etc.

left with no communication to family that lives multiple states away or work.

What would that line of communication gain you?

I don't have home internet because I use my phone.

That would be a good prep then.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

During an outage here there is no internet. And the closest McDonald's is 30 miles away. The local library does not have wifi. Landlines are expensive and probably also out in an outage. How are you going to call 911 with no cell and no internet? It's an issue my community is looking for a solution to.

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shikkonin@reddit

During an outage here there is no internet

During a cell tower outage, internet is not automatically affected.

Landlines are expensive and probably also out in an outage.

Prepping is expensive. Landlines are also not prone to be affected as easily as cell towers.

How are you going to call 911 with no cell and no internet?

That wasn't the question.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

Not OPs question, but relevant to the topic of communication when cell towers are down. My area does not have wired internet, so when cell towers are down there is no internet for many people. It's starlink or nothing. Many landlines are now offline when towers are down. There's an explanation elsewhere in this thread. My comment was in answer to the comments about connecting being unnecessary.

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certifiedintelligent@reddit

I have a Zoleo. It has an email address and phone number that I can send/receive messages via satellite. I chose the Zoleo over other satellite messengers because it is the only one where others can easily message me without me having to message them first.

Costs about $20/mo to keep it alive which, like most satellite devices, you need to pay because you can’t activate it or change the subscription via satellite.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

That's not bad, thank you

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I will add Zoleo to the list of devices to look up. Thanks!

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NewLawGuy24@reddit

Landline for mundane outages.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

My friend still has a landline, it's 80 bucks a month. I canceled mine when it hit 45

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Ryan_e3p@reddit

Not a lot of companies deploying POTS anymore. A lot of them migrated to POTS over fiber; so, while the internal wiring of houses may be RJ12 (the kind you just plug into an old school rotary or touch-tone phone), it goes through a media changer to convert to fiber. It makes it easier to deploy pots lines, but on the other hand, it requires equipment that if power is lost, also goes down.

The few companies that do still deploy or even maintain POTS lines charge a lot for them also, unless somehow grandfathered in.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

I saw Mundane Outage open up for Blind Melon back in the 90's.

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Drexx_Redblade@reddit

All the other posts provided you with good options, so I'm gonna go against the grain and say you don't actually need instant communication with people. What does it really change? I grew up in the 90s cell phones weren't really a thing for most people, everyone somehow went along with life just fine. If 12hrs without internet has you concerned I think you may need to take a step back and assess your dependency on it.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

Emergency services. When we lost cell towers most people lost internet, so no wifi. There was literally no way to contact Emergency services without a 15-20 minute drive, and no way to know if roads were closed.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I grew up in the 80s 90s too but I'm not exactally in a days driving distance to my parents house. I live states away and was just looking for options incase it happens in a longer duration. A check in, message etc was all I was looking for options on how to do that when services go down.

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malaliu@reddit

We recently lost service for nearly a week. 1st day is the most stressful. Then you remember that the world won't explode and start to enjoy it. Friends and family were either in the outage area as well. so weren't worried.. or outside of the outage area and just checked the outage maps, saw there was an outage and didn't worry.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I guess I got to teach my parents how to check the outage maps.

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malaliu@reddit

I imagine the States would have access to that. In my country there's an accessible online map that'll list any network outages, the reason and estimated length of outage.

Honestly, for what you've described, I don't really see any need to panic or even prepare. Shit happens. People keep talking about 'worrying', and 'being able to communicate with family and loved ones'. A few days of noncommunication shouldn't be a reason for extended family to be thrown into a tizz..

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

We were out of power 15 days in January, and several areas lost cell service. Starlink is the only internet, so most people didn't have internet. Calling emergency services becomes a real issue when the nearest phone call is 15 miles away by narrow mountain roads, and power was off due to extreme fire risk, which would easily close off roads. At this point it's easily a life and death situation.

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TheSensiblePrepper@reddit

Either Ham Radio or Satellite Phone Service are the only answers here.

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roberttheiii@reddit

Starlink is worth considering as well.

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OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit

Starlink functions poorly in heavy rain (ask me how I know) is vulnerable to lightning surges (ask me how I know) and in any really major disaster will go down because it needs ground stations and power like everything else. It's also somewhat expensive. It has a place, but it's not a full solution.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

Mine went out in heavy rain the first year, but not since. As it can bounce signals around it'll work mid ocean, ground stations don't have to be close.

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roberttheiii@reddit

I only said it is worth considering

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xboxps3@reddit

Starlink kept people in Asheville online through the recent hurricane aftermath. It's definitely a good tool to mention.

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Led_Zeppole_73@reddit

We’ve had it for a year and haven’t experienced any problems so far. We also have no other options.

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BillyDeCarlo@reddit

No way I'm putting anything in regard to my survival in that guy's hands.

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Longjumping-Army-172@reddit

Please explain why you'd need Internet of any kind for survival? I'd go with "It's an expensive solution to a non-problem".

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Select_Property_8650@reddit

Meshtastic/lora is missing

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OutlyingPlasma@reddit

Perhaps I'm missing something but I don't see much use for Meshtastic. From what I can tell it's a mesh texting app with some relativity inexpensive associated radio hardware. The problem is why do i need to send a text to a very few strangers just a few blocks away? How does this help anything?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not hating on it, I'm glad it exists but what real service does it provide in an emergency without connecting to a broader network?

Lets say I had a localized disaster. A windstorm that took out power, blocked streets and took out cell & internet. I need to text someone out of state to let them know I'm alive and everything is fine. How would this help? The meshes are not big enough to span a state. Looking at the map they appear to be little more than a few houses. On top of that they are hop limited to 7 devices so it's barely going to get out of the local disaster area let alone a few hundred miles to another state.

With a large area disaster like an earthquake it's going to be totally useless for the reasons I mentioned above.

Now if it also tied into the existing cell network and/or internet to relay text messages into standard SMS then we might be onto something but from what I can tell that is not the case. It doesn't tie into the internet and can't send messages across other networks. It's just limited to the local area mesh.

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Nicetillnot@reddit

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willwork4pii@reddit

“Promising tech” is what I would file Meshtastic under.

I’ve been playing with it for close to a week. Reliability is non-existent.

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Meshtastic/Lora is missing because outside of areas where you have a large number of people willing to experiment with it, it's very short ranged and useless.

That pretty much limits it to relatively affluent urban and suburban areas.

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Rich_Tear7479@reddit

I'm hoping to deploy ready to use lora relays within local family and nerdy or prepper-frienly friends to find out the limits of such a system

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overkill@reddit

It's really only as good as your local mesh.

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Significant7971@reddit

Lora is "long range" compared to 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi as it's running 915Mhz. It's name is a bit of a marketing ploy. As a 2M radio has significantly further range than Lora.

Both are not suitable for true long range, between states, communications.

Ham radio, HF bands permitting, or sat phone, are the only real viable answers.

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TheSensiblePrepper@reddit

While I agree they have a place, not for long distance over several States away like OP mentioned. That is why they were omitted.

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Most_Art507@reddit

Ham radio, either 2 metres / 70 cms and/or HF with a good antenna.

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Bugsy_A@reddit

That's what I was gonna say. HAM is still the most robust and reliable no matter how old it is IMO.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

We had a lot of power outages in January and several areas lost cell towers after a day. I have starlink and could only run it for a few hours a day, working on a fix for that. Fortunately my local cell tower is at the nearest evacuation center and they have generators but reliable power for several days of starlink are definitely on my prep list

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Eazy12345678@reddit

human error happens all the time. any service outage is 99% of the time human error. the goal is never have business affected by outages.

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InternationalRule138@reddit

As others have said…new iPhones have satellite messaging. I have screen shots of the directions to do it saved on my phone in case I ever need to know.

Other than that, redundancy is always good. You should, of course, have an emergency radio for the purpose of receiving emergency notifications - like a weather radio. That really should be the priority.

After that, redundancy. Often, if one company has towers down, another company is still up. Research who uses what towers in your area and see if you can find a back-up/burner phone for emergencies. Having internet is also a backup communication, often it stays up, but you may need a plan to power your router to be able to keep it going - so consider a battery back up or other plan.

Or, to be honest, I have a starlink ready to go if I should ever need to use it.

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GridDownComms@reddit

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qbg@reddit

But nothing and really no direction for when the phone towers suddenly go off and I am left with no communication to family that lives multiple states away or work. I don't have home internet because I use my phone.

For the sort of outages that wouldn't make the nation-wide news, I'd look at heading over to a library or a place with wifi and using the internet there to tell them.

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Bad-Briar@reddit

Maybe get an Iridium sat phone. Or get a CB license and equipment.

I heard something about new cell phones that could also use the low orbit satellites (Starlink). I might look into that. Iridium works, but it isn't cheap.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Yeah I think when I can upgrade my phone if android hasn't came out with the satellite feature, I will be switching and getting an Iphone.

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Bad-Briar@reddit

Sounds right to me.

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GeforcerFX@reddit

Many phones and phone plans support WiFi calling. So if just the cell towers are down you can still send and receive calls while connected over wifi. You do need to set this up in the settings on the device they need you to fill out an emergency form typically. Also RCS and iMessage work over the internet so text messages would still work as long as the other person also has RCS and or iMessage. You the have the myriad of ways to talk to people over the internet through like 18 different messaging service or good ole email.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Would that work if the network is out? Like if ATT went total black?

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GeforcerFX@reddit

Total network outage would affect WiFi calling as well since the network still needs to route the call. Local outage still works fine as long as it can get a connection to the network servers so they can route.

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IndependentTeacher24@reddit

Breaker 19. Break out the cb radios

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theUnshowerdOne@reddit

Get a HAM license. It's not too hard and I'd imagine you can find some free classes in your area. I just have a 2-way transceiver in my truck. The HAM community is really great.

We had a major power outage last winter (4 days without power). I found out more information on what was happening and who was affected over my 2-way during the drive to work than I did over the rest of the day.

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Dangerous-School2958@reddit

Garmin has a satellite device that can text etc

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Yeah I am seeing this mentioned a lot here. I will look into it

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One_Contribution_118@reddit

I’ve had an inReach for 12 years now. I bought it when it was originally sold by Delorme, before Garmin bought it out. I’ve only ever had the cheapest plan (not sure if it’s still called the Safety Plan), but I pay $11.95/month. I can send text messages directly from the device or pair it with the app. For me, it was the most affordable option, especially since satellite phone plans are very expensive. I’ve taken my inReach on road trips, air travel, hiking, and even carried it daily when I commuted 30 miles through a mountain pass that had no cell reception.

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Dangerous-School2958@reddit

Not cheap and needs to be activated before the emergency

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MIRV888@reddit

Do you live somewhere rural? The whole point of a cellular network is a mesh of redundant transmitters and receivers to enable service and allow travel without losing connection. If the whole network dropped that's kind of a big deal. If you don't mind me asking, which network dropped for 12 hours, where, and when (AT&T, Sprint, Spectrum, Etc.)?
Details aside if things go seriously SHTF, you gotta expect cell service goes with it. So you're back to CB's and HAM or satellite I guess.

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shikkonin@reddit

The whole point of a cellular network is a mesh of redundant transmitters and receivers to enable service

Not really, no.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I do live in a rural area but a 25-30 minute drive into the city. The whole area was effected when Verizon (yeah the most expensive) had a person that did that and for the week everyone in the area that had verizon was on and off network until they fixed it. So thats what got me thinking what if..

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MechaGoose@reddit

Look into Meshtastic. I think they call nodes “rubber ducks” I could be wrong but they sort of act like cell towers and if you overlap their range you can set up small networks. Whole community of Lora wan/Meshtastic users.

Or just old fashioned radio

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Partyslayer@reddit

HAM radio!!! Or Starlink.

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AFirefighter11@reddit

We have SpaceX Starlink Satellite Internet. It can be purchased on the Roam plan, then you can put it on Pause until it's needed, though it's suggested to turn it on every few months (or so) for 24 hours to download and install updates. But, not required for the latest options. Look at the Mini as it's more self-contained than the standard Gen 3 option.

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Swmp1024@reddit

I'm in a hurricane prone area and our cell grid often collapses after a bad storm. My family and I have ham radios and maintain comms by texting on APRS. This has a huge range in my area. I often have to work during hurricanes so it's nice to be able to check in.

We also have a tower with a cross-band repeater so I have voice comms for about 13 miles around my house. This is nice for when you are in the neighborhood, etc.

I have also used sat communications like Garmin inReach and they are great. Would likely be a more practical choice for most people.

But I really appreciate doomsday resilient comms and am a bit of a nerd so like having completely off-grid communication capabilities

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MrBrawn@reddit

Im the same as you. In addition I also have a backup starlink for internet. Last hurricane thry made it free for a few weeks.no guarantee it eill work in a SHTF scenario but for long term outages its pretty great.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I would be working in emergencies too. I would also like to just check in with family of the otherside of the country. Others have mentioned the Garmin. I will have to look into that.

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Downtown_Bee_9430@reddit

Hi everyone,

My name is Stefano Reposi, and I’m the producer of Progetto Happiness (The Happiness Project), an independent documentary YouTube channel that explores the many different ways people find happiness across cultures and traditions around the world.

You can check out our channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@ProgettoHappiness

Together with Giuseppe, the founder of the project, we’ve admired the values of the prepper community—individual freedom and sustainable off-grid living, to name a few—for years.

We’re excited to share that we’ll be traveling to the US at the beginning of September to film a documentary focused on what happiness means to preppers. Our goal is to raise awareness about alternative, more sustainable and secure lifestyles, and to share knowledge, guidance, and practical tools that can help like-minded people improve their chances of survival in any situation.

We’re completely flexible with our travel plans and are willing to go anywhere in the States to meet and learn from members of the prepper community. If you’re interested in sharing your story, or know someone who might be, we’d love to connect and discuss the possibility of collaborating.

Thanks so much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Stefano

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SailplaneArsonist@reddit

Same thing I used to do when the power went out - read a book, take a nap, eat a sandwich, and pet the dog. I understand wanting comms in disaster situations but when it is simply a matter of "wait some hours and everything will be back on" I don't even bother. If I get lonely I will flip on my ham radio station (battery powered) but that's more just to pass the time than figure out the mystery of no internet or grid power.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I am very good occupying myself in power outages etc. I am also not reliant on my phone. I was just thinking of options to reachout to family just to send them a message of I am not going to be in communication because xyz. My family isnt in neighboring states and it would be nice to let my parents know I am okay if something were to happen long term.

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SailplaneArsonist@reddit

Yeah, I guess that seems to be pretty common. Must be a new generation thing, always gotta be connected. I don't have an insatiable need to be in contact with everyone at all times. Hell, half the time I just turn my phone off on the weekends and enjoy the time off. It would be a better place if more people did that.

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Hdaana1@reddit

Starlink internet

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Longjumping-Army-172@reddit

Well, you have a few options that might work for you, but they all come with a bit of expensive and downside.

Probably the best option would be one of the satellite messenger options. There are some that connect to your phone via Bluetooth or wifi...a few stand-alone options that look like the old Blackberry phones or PDAs of the ancient world (i.e the late 90s and early 2000s). Some allow direct, two-way communication with in-service cell phones.

These units aren't cheap to initially (many around $200-300), require a monthly subscription and additional fees.

Some phones/cell services are beginning to add this capability/service as well. While I can't say for sure, I'm sure this will not be a free service when fully implemented.

Now, another option is Ham radio. But this will get pretty complicated. You're not just going to grab your Baofeng in Virginia and call up your brother in Oregon. But you might get a message to them...and even a reply hours or days later.

You'd be required to have a Ham license (probably about $100 for test prep, test fee and your license fee, a couple of weeks to prep for the test and a few free hours to schedule a test), a radio or 10 (depending on the privelages you go for) that range from $25 to thousands of dollars.

For an out-of-state check-in with a Tech license and a UHF/VHF radio, this is how your contact would look. You'd make contact with another Ham. If that Ham is willing, they can either make the call via telephone (if able) or attempt to contact another Ham who can/will. Then they will reverse the process with the reply.

Some systems will allow you to be patched into the cellular system. I'm just now studying for my tech license, so I don't know what that entails.

Of course, if it's just a localized cellular outage, you can just travel to an area with service. Also, most cell phones these days have Wi-Fi calling and texting, so you can just go to a store, restaurant, library, etc with free Wi-Fi.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Yeah for some reason, I didnt think of the wifi option and mixed my situation on a large scale thing. From what I am reading its HAM and Garmin is the way to go for large scale .. Now that you mention it, I do have my old blackberry from my ancient teen years that I kept that I can dig up. But if the cell network like ATT, Verizon etc the Blackberry phone is subscribed to would that be out too as it was a network outage?

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Longjumping-Army-172@reddit

Yes. There are a few satellite messengers that sorta look like the old Blackberry...i.e. handheld, screen, keyboard...but they're in the $300 range to purchase plus subscription, activation, etc

It's easy to forget about your available options in the minute. We had a three-day power outage starting May 30. The storm that took down the power also took out provider's service out in my home area for about 7 hours. I was at work with a working phone, but I couldn't check in with my family. About two hours in, my wife was able to call me on my step-son's phone. He has a different provider.

I'm still looking at ham options, though.

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RedSquirrelFtw@reddit

Reminds me of the Rogers outage about a year ago like half of Canada without internet service due to a CM that went wrong.

Theft of infrastructure is also a huge issue here in Canada as theft is no longer punishable here. I work in telecom and we get thieves cutting our fibre, tower wave guides etc almost weekly.

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SebWilms2002@reddit

"A plan is communication when communication fails."

Being prepared reduces or removes the need for instantaneous communication, because everyone is already on the same page. Ideally, if SHTF, you shouldn't rely on being able to instantly reach who you need to and formulate a plan of action. That's like waiting until you're soaking wet to put on a rain coat.

Second to planning, is backup communications. There are civilian, consumer satellite phones available. New iPhones include free satellite communication if networks are down. You can also get accessories (ACR Bivy Stick) which turn whatever smartphone you own into a satellite messenger. Satellites would likely be the last network to go down if things go sideways, the exception being a Carrington level solar event which would certainly cause major damage and losses to satellites.

Anyway, the most important communication happens before there is an emergency.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Yeah my family and friends heee have plans incase something major happens but I was more thinking myself locally (small scale where I am only effected) that would need/like to tell family states away I am out of communication for a few days because a stupid network issue

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TreeApprehensive2059@reddit

I live in Houston and experienced total loss of all communication during Harvey. I bought starlink. I use it at my hunting property also. Its nice because I only pay for the service during the months I use it. I have redundant power setups, so that is not an issue

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Is this something you can pay as you go? As in IF it happens pay for it then end it so I am not paying for it when not in use? .. I guess i will look that up.

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pcsweeney@reddit

This sounds amazing. I would love for my cell phone to no longer work 😂😂

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Haha it was nice but not when I was trying to finalize plans.

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LaserGuidedSock@reddit

GMRS and Meshtastic are 2 things I've gotten into recently

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Thicc_Juniper@reddit

Would this be a good option? It looks like they can communicate to each other

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/888769/

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I seen a lot of Garmin on here. I will be looking them up. THANKS

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RepairManActionHero@reddit

My local phone company is still using plain old telephone systems, they haven't switched entirely over to VOIP yet. So, when the power goes out, I still have home phones, if I plug the receiver end into my battery bank. If I had an older wall phone, it could draw all of its power from the phone line. Some jackass burnt down a couple acres of wood around here and it took about a day to get the Verizon repeater fixed. I just called my family and told them to call the house phone if they need to get a hold of me and started watching my physical media library, lol

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I will be getting Fiber next year in my area, if they sign the contracts and maybe they will have a bundle of home and internet

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KJHagen@reddit

I guess I am old enough to remember not having cell phones and computers. They are a great convenience, but I think we could (re)adjust to not having them for a few weeks or so.

Having said that, it is good to have a wide circle of friends including maybe a ham radio operator or first responders who may have a way of contacting a base station with connectivity.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I didn't grow up with cell phones either. Infect they weren't popular until I was in 11th or 12th grade and it was free minutes after 7pm and free weekends or something like that. I know I can re adjust easy locally. But I was more thinking of checking in with my parents as they are on the otherside of the country.

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KJHagen@reddit

Yep! We’re in the same boat. We’re in a rural mountainous area that loses power and cell coverage (for short periods) fairly frequently. Our adult kids are spread out. One’s in a big city, one’s in a midsized city, and one is in a fairly rural area on the coast.

We have a good circle of friends and neighbors that help us out and can likely brainstorm a communications solution.

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Due_Satisfaction2167@reddit

I don't have home internet because I use my phone.

This is a fairly straightforward backup plan. Go get home internet service from a different provider and setup home WiFi.

As a backup-backup… keep some envelopes, stamps, and paper around?

I get everyone is accustomed to digital communications, but you can send letters with the postal service like it’s 1925.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I am waiting on fiber to be installed in my area next year, if they get the contracts signed. So I will have internet at home.

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BillyDeCarlo@reddit

Have options. I wouldn't rely on anything "satellite" because a very likely first strike is HEMP, which would take them out, as well as solar CME/EMP. China has demonstrated the ability to hit satellites with ground lasers. Even other satellites up there from Russia et al have weaponized capability (including HEMP).

Have options. Our area has a prepper group and we've all started building out our Meshtastic network with roof repeaters, mountaintop repeaters, etc. Yes, it is crossing over into neighboring states with bumping up the hop count. These devices can be stored safely in faraday pouches, and opened/turned on in a back to the stone ages SHTF scenario. Might not reach grandma in Podunk, but if your spouse/partner and kids are nearby at school or work, you'll likely be able to reach them during a cell/wifi outage.

Ham radio is an option too, but you're not passing that exam unless you're ready to seriously geek out on some electronics/physics stuff. I think in SHTF there will be lots of unlicensed folks jumping on their baofeng radios and talking over each other or just jamming it. Meshtastic is texting, so no worries there. That said, I'm studying for my ham as well.

Have designated meeting points for your loved ones. Have a plan and make sure everyone knows it.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Oh thats interesting!! I will have to see if my area has a group like that. I haven't heard of one but I am sure even 45 minutes away there is one. Good luck on that test!

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Internal_Mood_8477@reddit

NintendoDS pictochat?

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

Haha sure, you can FaceTime my almost 70 year old, technology inept parents and try to teach them that THEN you can teach me because I only know duck hunt and mario on nintendo. :) But that is a really cool idea for gamers!! I will have to look into that one.

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HudyD@reddit

Amazing how we prep for hurricanes but one clumsy dude with a wrench can take us straight back to the 1800s

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I was shocked! It made me realize how someone can have everything we use to communicate in their hand and be so dumb at the same time.

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Usernamenotdetermin@reddit

We lost cell for almost a day once. Biggest impact was to traffic - evidently no one remembers how to drive without mapping your car. Have a gps enabled map of some nature. Have knowledge of local roads so you don’t need the maps. And practice both. And if there is any chance you could actually have to leave an area for an emergency, a cell tower tablet running Gaia app works off of gps also. So download the app or one like it

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

I will look into Gaia. Thanks! Yeah I am a map person and love hiking by maps etc..Rand Mcnally is in my BOB.

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ResolutionMaterial81@reddit

VOIP for starters; Signal text & voice, etc

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PrisonerV@reddit

Yeah with modern cell phones, most people wouldn't even notice the outage.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

For some reason, I didnt even think of VoIP!

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AntelopeFamous4385@reddit

That kind of outage really makes you realize how quickly we lose the ability to coordinate anything. Even just checking in with people nearby becomes way harder

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

I believe my son is a victim of this.

He never learned how to navigate without a smartphone.

Also, he and his generation are exceptionally bad at making advance plans and sticking to them. When he was a teenager one time his girlfriend's parents dropped him off at the mall and I was going to pick them up. I said "Be at the X entrance at Y time". I get there, no kids. I wait for a while, then decided to walk through the entire mall. Couldn't find them.

I didn't have a cell phone at the time.

But that didn't enter his mind. They decided to do something else (they had her mother pick them up), and didn't call me at home or text the distaffbopper before I left to go get them.

The problem with that is that if you don't get used to making plans and sticking to them, you don't know how to make plans and stick to them.

Instant portable communication has given us the ability to change plans at a whim, on the fly, but the price going forward is the loss of the ability to actually stick to a plan or navigate for yourself.

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OtherwiseAlbatross14@reddit

Multiple states away means your options are pretty much ham radio on both ends or the internet. The simplest thing if the towers were go down would be to just find wifi to connect your phone to.

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SpaceKraze@reddit (OP)

For some reason, I didnt think of this at all and this would be an option I will use. Thank you.

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HiveTool@reddit

Ham radio.

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Sea_Staff59@reddit

HAM radio

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FullOnBeliever@reddit

Meshnet. Build it. It’s COOOLLLL!!

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JadeChipmunk@reddit

I've been trying to figure out stuff for this, my mom lives about 45 miles away from me. If something were to happen and we can't just call each other, what could we do to get in touch? We have a location to get to depending one what exactly is happening, as long as travel is able to happen, but how can we communicate? Long distance walkie talkies don't go that far from my understanding, are we down to only satellite phones in this case? Please help hahaha

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Led_Zeppole_73@reddit

CB base station at either end, I have a 4-watt radio and a 3-element Yagi on a pole. No lisence required. A setup like this costs roughly $600-$700 brand new to the door. If need be, I could set up a portable unit for roughly $100-$150, although range locally would be reduced to about 20 miles.

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EverVigilant1@reddit

I have thought about this. I will need a ham radio license and some of the smaller, less expensive equipment. There have been a lot of posts about those here and I'm not familiar with them; others who are familiar with them have posted on them in a lot of detail.

Comms are a big hole in my preps, I have to admit.

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hsh1976@reddit

I work at a university that is essentially an island in the city. At the time, all of the copper landlines went to one building on campus and then left "the island" to an AT&T switching station in the city.

There was a pretty major fight that broke out in a dorm. Caller said they thought someone had a gun and the police responded in full gear. Whole campus was locked down. Those copper landlines were quickly overwhelmed with people trying to call out and get information. Not long after, the cell towers were overrun too; cell phones couldn't call out. This 400 acre spot in the middle of a large city was essentially cut off. Entry, egress, communications, etc. Even the Internet was offline.

I reprogrammed my work radio and added a local amateur VHF repeater and was able to hear the old timers talking about the lockdown. I threw out my call and started chatting about things. They were able to give me information that they were picking up via scanner traffic.

When we got a new trunking radio system years later, I made sure that the local amateur repeaters were programmed in my and few other radios. It was a real eye opener on how quickly communication backbones and fail.

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OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit

My plan is to assume in any really major disaster or conflict, the internet and cell service will be down for weeks, and not to worry about it.

People lived for millennia without instant communications. I grew up without it. A lot of modern folk are addicted to instant communications and it's fundamentally unhealthy.

The only alternative to cell service in a major disaster is solar power and ham radio. It's hit or miss, requires experienced operators on both ends and a communication schedule. And for what, to see how Aunt Edna's rutabagas are doing in the hurricane? Aunt Edna is going to be busy anyway and you can catch up after service is restored. Which in the US rarely takes more than a few weeks; I personally never saw an outage of over a few hours.

The most significant prep for any major disaster is to learn how to cope without electricity or communications for an extended period. Practice turning your phone off for 8 hours a day and just catching up in the evenings. Eventually extended it to a full day. You'd be surprised at how freeing this is.