RibbitRadio.org is slowly gaining popularity. It is a great way to send messages to people off-grid or with no cell or internet service. You only need a HAM or GMRS radio, and a smartphone (iOS or Android) device to get started, though there are some useful accessories that are nice to have.
A community of survivors have established base camp, and the community is humming with tasks being done, enjoying life as best as possible, and the community needs to communicate. There are several ways of doing this, and mesh network text messages and radios are the best ways. So do you need someone to handle dispatch?
Meshtastic is gaining popularity faster than I had ever thought. It is a great way to send messages to people off-grid or with no cell or internet service. You can build your own (check this post) or you can buy one already built on different sites.
The most interesting configuration whether you are doing SOTA (Summit On The Air) or POTA (Parks On The Air), or setting up a base camp communication station, is using a Solar Powered Battery Bank with your ham radio gear.
GMRS is a great way to communicate at distance for basecamp or survival situations. With the right radio, you should be able to communicate in the right terrain for about a 10 mile distance. With access to a repeater, that can be extended further. With linked repeaters, that can go across state lines and in some cases, multiple states. If you have made the decision to own a GMRS radio, whether it is an HT (handheld transceiver) or a mobile unit, there are some fundamental things you need to know.
There are a lot of acronyms for everything these days, and it would be nice to have a place to go to find ones specific to a category, in this case, communications.
A SitRep or situational or situation report was derived from the military during the Vietnam war era, and it is a good way to assess and understand the situation, understand any actions taken and still needs action, and anything else that may pertain to the situation so anyone and everyone can be updated. It is a good way to communicate in minimal time what the situation is, how to prioritize action items, and get things accomplished.
Building a Meshtastic transceiver for sending text messages without cell service and/or internet access is a good way to provide communication for your group in camp or survival situation to check in or communicate with your team. The range between two people is somewhat limited, but in an open area, it can go quite far (records are greater than 150 miles). I have tested them for over 1 mile where one device is in a home surrounded by antennas, metal, etc., and the other device outdoors with buildings and walls that limit the distance you can communicate. In the open, I easily got 10 miles.
This has been a problem with many situations from power outages, fires, floods, wide internet and cell outages or lack of coverage, and many other events that causes both cell and internet outages. There are many ways to send and receive text messages without cell and internet. I began investigating how I can send and…
This question is often asked of me but simply put, ham radio requires passing an exam in order to obtain a license, and GMRS does not require passing an exam. GMRS goes a step further where everyone in your household can use GMRS radios once you acquire the license with the same callsign. Ham radio…
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