Communication When SHTF - Best Radio? Other Ideas?

Your best form of communication is Talking to your Neighbor. Seems a few countries need to learn that lesson.

Great post.

Yes, Spot connect uses the globalstar satellite constellation and has absolutely no local terrestrial dependencies. Same as the isatphone, actually easier to use for a beginner as the aiming of the antenna is not as critical as a satellite telephone handset. I've used this in forested areas (with a small clearing) and offshore.. Works as advertised. My friend uses the regular spot Velcroed to the dash of his 152 as a backup to a epirb. Works in flight, and in motion in a car as long as it has a clear view of the sky.. Glass without built in defroster is ok as it's transparent to RF energy.

Also remember that spot is a burst data modem and as such uses much less power then an open voice channel, consequently it will get through even if the network is at capacity.. Like SMS on a overburdened cell network. The global star network gets a bad rap for telephone service as their older birds had some decay to the main mission antennas, but that did not interfere with the simplex data portion of the system, now that they have been launching new birds to retire the older ones the phone service will also improve. It should be noted that spot has saved MANY lives and it's effectiveness as an asset tracking system and emergency locater/messages platform at that price point has no equal.

You should also consider the rescue plan that is offered at activation time, it covers helicopter airlift and is worth the price of the entire system by itself.


Awesome, thanks for all your help and sharing your expertise. SPOT sounds like the way to go for what I'll need.


You got it! Good luck with your prepping and remember not to neglect the value of old fashion simplicity. The American space program spent a million dollars to develop a pen with a pressurized internal magazine and could write in any attitude and zero gravity..... The Russians used a pencil.

Get a hard copy sectional chart, compass, plotter and learn how to use it, plenty of videos on the Internet if you did not go to flight school. This is what prepping is all about.. Learning new and interesting shit.

My preps paid off already several times, to be honest, I don't reallly care about totally worse case, if it comes to that I will turn my weapons on myself and family and spare us the aftermath, some shit you just really don't want to survive..

For example:

[link to www.youtube.com]

Awesome, thanks for all your help and sharing your expertise. SPOT sounds like the way to go for what I'll need.


You got it! Good luck with your prepping and remember not to neglect the value of old fashion simplicity. The American space program spent a million dollars to develop a pen with a pressurized internal magazine and could write in any attitude and zero gravity..... The Russians used a pencil.

Get a hard copy sectional chart, compass, plotter and learn how to use it, plenty of videos on the Internet if you did not go to flight school. This is what prepping is all about.. Learning new and interesting shit.

My preps paid off already several times, to be honest, I don't reallly care about totally worse case, if it comes to that I will turn my weapons on myself and family and spare us the aftermath, some shit you just really don't want to survive..

For example:

[link to www.youtube.com]


Haha, NASA.

Thanks again. I've really been taking to this survival stuff, thanks for that advice too. It's becoming an obsession pretty quick, but I find going back to nature with minimal gear fascinating. Even if I never have to use it. Never bad to look out for the family. Maybe see ya on the flip side.

Haha, NASA.

Thanks again. I've really been taking to this survival stuff, thanks for that advice too. It's becoming an obsession pretty quick, but I find going back to nature with minimal gear fascinating. Even if I never have to use it. Never bad to look out for the family. Maybe see ya on the flip side.


It's been a pleasure too, I'll see you around.

Also agree with your new hobby, I posted about my experiences on a previous thread copy below..

Again, good luck bro.

Perhaps I can chime in.

A few steps that helped along the way, in order of execution.

1) make a commitment to yourself that once you start on this path there will be no turning back, the direction and means can change but the goal must not.

2) begin your research now, not conspiracy fare but in prepping, bushcraft, electrical, woodworking, radio, satellite communications, hunting, small arms, small engine repair, sanitation, first aid, law, food preservation, backyard livestock, gardening, navigation, vehicle systems and operation (land sea air), radiation effects / survey measurement / abatement.. That's the basics, once you delve into the given subjects the rest will come automatically as your needs arise. Try to resist the pressure to become a master in all of your study, you don't have time and it's not nessicary IMO, that's what the library is for.

Start a bookshelf, no political or fiction. Just hardcopy reference to the above subjects. The great thing is that there is not much value placed on this material so it will be cheap or free to acquire. Get a laser printer and laminator and start a binder of PDF material from the web. Volumes of info for the above subjects are available free with just a google search. Use bit torrent to get huge caches all at once to save time and increase diversity. The goal is not to master and read every page but to build your own hardcopy reference library, organized well enough to put your hands on the detailed info within a few moments of need. When you have any spare time, review your library.

3) Obtain means to make pottable water. Get several life straws and carry them in your car and one in your workbag, then a berkey or propur, and backup parts for the system. Learn how to clean and use it everyday for the benefit and smooth operation. Learn basic water catchment with tarps and containers. Later as you get land you have many more options but this is paramount to start right away and should be your first prep purchase.

4) Start with a food cache. This could be a few 50lb bags of rice, and a means to cook it. If your money resources are plentiful then buy a year or two of mountain house or MRE, it will be quicker but you can build a nice cache for $500 at any SAMs club or costco as well. Once you have your immediate stash built, start buying more of what you use on a daily basis and rotate it. Be mindful of regulations,and red flags, spys (the fed ex guy) do your research and act accordingly. Your preps should be less focused on gear and centered on food and water so this category will never be finished. There are volumes of info on this most important subject so make use of it and get started right away.

5) Begin small arms training (yes training) and start your security plan and acquire the tools to implement it. Gun shows are a must, don't be political there, just be a fly on the wall and don't buy an arsenal all at once. If your local laws leave you defenseless (NYC) then skip right to step 6.

6) Move to safe area. Now this sounds like a impossible task but just like operating a complex vehicle, when every step is broken down into a simple procedure, it's not nearly as hard as you think.

A) Location: No matter where you go, you still need to earn a living, so don't plan to give up your day job and move to the end of the earth. Using your job as a center point, use google earth to draw a circle around your job and go no farther then 100 miles. This is totally workable as a commute and you will get used to it in a few weeks. I know it sounds crazy to drive 200 miles per day, but think of the alternatives of living in any major population center. Use commute time to listen to audiobooks, podcasts and other research material. Look at the laws, zoning, resources, restrictions and liabilities in that circle and find candidate areas to begin looking.  Once you narrow it down, buy raw land, if you can access power (even if you must put in your own pole) then that should be given preference. Telecoms and water can be remedied but power is much harder to live without right away. Water can come from many sources, you can catch rain and store it, you can use atmospheric water generators, you can haul it (in large quantities), you can dig your own shallow well depending on your strata using DIY techniques. But almost all need some form of electrical power to be practical. (except rain catchment) for me, power was a must, and it made it possible for me to use this land right away. 

B) If you can't find power available in your best location, there are also options open beyond the gasoline generator. If you have more time than money, start building your own solar panels from raw cells. The price point is about half what commercial systems charge but it is endless, tedious work to tab cells, get glass, and encapsulate your panels against water intrusion. The upside is your end product will be much cheaper and you will have the tools and skill to expand and repair the array yourself... Priceless. Turbines can also be used in tandem but beware of regulations against it and the attention that an 75 foot tower with turbine attached will cause.

If you live in lush wooded area, wood fire heat is a must and also you should investigate using a wood gas generator for electrical power. Kits and ready to fire systems can be had for between $3000 to $20000 and you will have an endless fuel supply in any heavily forested location. Much better then solar or wind, but it is dangerous and you will need to do your homework before placing an order.

C) Purchasing options: raw land should be purchased with cash, not credit. No loans, no banks or real estate agents to suck your blood. Get fee simple land if possible. Don't try to buy 100 acre ranch just yet, just enough for a simple homestead.. A 100x100 lot in the right location will be enough. Depending on your location you might find such a lot at under $10K (such as within 100 miles of NYC) other places you can get on eBay and make private payments on a interest free owner financed location of 10-20 acres for the same price for $100/month. Remember to have a job within 100 miles before considering any location. If your serious about taking your survival into your own hands, 10k can be had in short order (borrow,steal,kil). And that should be your cap, in my area there are plenty of lots that will fit the bill for under 5k and some under 2k, you just have to get out and look.. Craigslist is your friend, just be safe.

D) Accommodations: Get a copy of the dirt cheap survival retreat, learn it and live it. Get on eBay and buy a good four season travel trailer that is sized just enough for you to get by in. If you keep it free of clutter, your demands will scale down over time and you will be totally comfortable in a 27 foot with a slide out. As the economy gets worse, your ability to get a better trailer will increase as people dump almost new models on eBay for pennies. Learn about skirting, tank heating and all of it's systems, water, LP, power. A modern travel trailer is a self contained living unit designed to give all the comforts of home without any grid at all. Your only goal with this method will be to constantly increase it's insurance time, external water, propane and power. Keep in mind that using a travel trailer your land will be totally useful from the moment your trailer is rolled in place, and then you can focus on increasing stores of consumables, propane, water, food etc. Also this has another advantage of being flexible in mobility, if the land your bought becomes a political / regulatory nightmare or uninhabitable... Hitch up and drive to site B. Only a blue water sailboat offers more flexibility.

7) Communications: Only after all the above has been accomplished should you begin this vital part of your preps. Once a major even is under way you will be starving, not for food but for information, I know this first hand and I have had to relay comms for my well prepped but totally in the dark neighbors. This is the easy part. Use cellular air cards and smartphones first, then satellite broadband like exced by viasat, hand portable satellite telephones such as Inmarsat or iridium (plenty of prepaid emergency options out there), then if that tanks, break out the SSB and cb radio. This gear is relatively easy to use, cheap to buy and totally priceless once your in the dark as to what's going on in the outside world. Don't overlook this, hunger for timely information is just as bad for morale as hunger for food. You don't need to become a radio gear head, a $200 shortwave receiver, a $100 cb and a prepaid account on some kind of satellite based service is all you need. The learning curve will be child's play when compared to the modern computer and Internet.

Other items to note, whenever possible use propane. It is the most versatile fuel I have found. It can be used to cook, take hot showers, heat your room, run a refrigerator, run an electrical generator, it's cheaper per gallon then gasoline, stores almost forever without additives as long as the tank is intact, was available when gasoline was not, can be safely stored in large quantity unlike gasoline, your travel trailer will be fully kitted out to take full advantage of it and it's quite safe with reasonable safety measures.

Do a little bit of preps every day, even if it's just gathering info for your library or taking a class at your local occupational school. And finally... Pick your company carefully, if your friends are resistant to the lifestyle, don't wast time or OPSEC to get them on board, you will make new friends. If your wife is resistant, educate her, but don't give in to the resistance, if you are a husband or father it's your duty to take personal responsibility for their survival, no matter if they like it or not. If she is reasonable or loving, she will come around as things get worse and your clearly survival minded choices begin paying back. If not, proceed anyway.. You are all they have, the system won't save you or your family and they will need your help in the near future. Be kind to your fellow man, when possible put back preps for your neighbors in need, no man is an island and we are going to need each other to get to the other side with our humanity and soul intact.

Don't fear the difficulty of beginning this journey, it's the price you must pay to have a chance to see a better world, and the more you prep, the better you feel, the less the news depresses your mind and the more optimistic you become.

Thanks for listening.

I really like the SPOT connect looking at it. One, we'll have our smart phones with us and it's one less thing to charge. If I'm understanding correctly, it doesn't matter if cell networks are down or not. Still tapping into the same satellite technology as the IsatPhone, no? Just without voice capability?

Would you agree that this would be sufficient to get everyone coordinated in my family via text or emails?


Yes, Spot connect uses the globalstar satellite constellation and has absolutely no local terrestrial dependencies. Same as the isatphone, actually easier to use for a beginner as the aiming of the antenna is not as critical as a satellite telephone handset. I've used this in forested areas (with a small clearing) and offshore.. Works as advertised. My friend uses the regular spot Velcroed to the dash of his 152 as a backup to a epirb. Works in flight, and in motion in a car as long as it has a clear view of the sky.. Glass without built in defroster is ok as it's transparent to RF energy.

Also remember that spot is a burst data modem and as such uses much less power then an open voice channel, consequently it will get through even if the network is at capacity.. Like SMS on a overburdened cell network. The global star network gets a bad rap for telephone service as their older birds had some decay to the main mission antennas, but that did not interfere with the simplex data portion of the system, now that they have been launching new birds to retire the older ones the phone service will also improve. It should be noted that spot has saved MANY lives and it's effectiveness as an asset tracking system and emergency locater/messages platform at that price point has no equal.

You should also consider the rescue plan that is offered at activation time, it covers helicopter airlift and is worth the price of the entire system by itself.


Marked for later reading, good job op.

Lots in here, thanks. This is gold, lots of thought. Anyone reading along should check this out as well.

Also OP, if your into raw bushcraft.. Check out some of the best.. "the woodsmaster" from Ron hood. On DVD You can find a few copies on bit torrent to see if it's for you but it you like, I recommend you buy directly from them as the stuff online is hopelessly incomplete. The hood family has put a hell of a lot into this stuff, from basic shelter all the way to crafting bronze tools, I bought almost the entire collection in a sitting and I was not disappointed. Ron hood past away last year, his wife who is also a contributor in the material and son benefit directly when you buy from them, so keep that in mind.

Again, I don't know them, I don't sell anything and my field is not in survival. Only like to relay what works for me to save others time and money, like others have done for me.

Also check out videos and books by:

Ray mears

And "when all hell breaks loose" by cody lundin, it's very easy to follow and entertaining.

Essential is the "doom and bloom survival medicine handbook" Actually got some non preppers to pick this one up after showing my copy to them.

Take care all,

Alpha Mike Foxtrot

Ya buddy! Got those two Woodsmaster DVDs a while back. Guess I'm on the right track in some regard. Got a bunch of survival books, plant identification for my area, etc.

I'll check out those other ones you mentioned, haven't come across those. Thanks, I'll be sure to grab that survival medicine handbook. I appreciate any and all suggestions.

Whoa just went to Ron Hood's site and realized how much stuff is on there. Crazy.

how do I power my faraday cage protected cb after the EMP?

some cars won't work.

Woah, text not posting for meeeee

Correct, some should be fine.

Unfortunately it's all a academic exercise because there is no modern precedence to establish data points from. Other vehicles should be fine too such as:

Pull start go carts
Steam engine locomotives

Most light fixed wing aircraft made in the 60s and 70s (avionics will be toast, but nothing critical to VFR flight should be damaged.. Engines are run from magnetos, instruments are pitot static pressure and vacume, all should be ok.. Battery may be toast but you can hand prop to start. Should even survive pulse while in flight if fuel tanks are close to full.

Most marine engines, pull start for sure.
Lawnmowers

Basically any gasoline motor that uses no electronic components in critical areas. Any reciprocating engine that uses a magneto for ignition, some older diesel vehicles from the 70s, old military trucks.

Now that's some list of items that should still work fine, any of which you should be able to also use to generate some sort of electrical power, to try and answer the shielded cb radio question. To be sure your in a position to really make use of what's left, you should stockpile some spares like oil, spark plugs, filters, pull start cord assembly and repair manuals, going back to your library and skill building, small engine repair and BASIC electrical theory would help a lot.

Also dont forget...Chainsaws

Midland two ways . SurvivorsSupply.com

NO "RF" in SHTF.........even computerized watches emit RF that can be picked up by sophisticated aircraft........

And a non electronic system for monitoring absorbed radiation dose like a radsticker.

Some iosat tablets

Seriously folks,

This is important, nuclear plants require external power to provide cooling to the SFP and core, even after scram. If the EMP knocked out the power, even if it's a peacetime solar event... You WILL be dealing with radiation in the environment.. Unfortunately.

[link to www.youtube.com]

If your into DIY you can make your own Kearny fallout meter at home, look it up in nuclear war survival skills free PDF.

Yes your correct, but your position will also be revealed the first time you have any heat source.. Even body heat.

FLIR is much more common on aircraft than signals intelligence gear, even most police forces have it. For myself, there is a prep cut off point, if the drones are covering every inch of ground with FLIR, just waiting to glass any movement below without mercy, there is not much of a chance using any conventional lifestyle or tactics. When that comes to pass, I would just go wire up my motorcycle and look for the first Juicy target to drive into.. If there is no chance at all then who ever is causing it deserves no mercy.

That is as far as I choose to go on this topic........you are however, correct

Exactly, im all for playing out survival to see what could be done but there are a lot of things I really don't plan for, or ever want to live through. If there is any chance for a future then I'm all for it, but if it's general nuclear war, a occupation by a high tech enemy who is bent on killing everyone on sight, an ET invasion, actual hell on earth, etc. What's the point? I don't want to see that, if there is absolutely no chance to even poke my head above ground and see the light of day then fuck it man, I guess I'm needed elsewhere. My reasoning has been, and in my opinion is that people should be prepping for earthquakes, hurricanes, job loss, NBC accidents.. Things that have a much better chance of surviving, and have bettern odds of happening then total grid down forever terminators flying in the sky live like rats in caves eating moldy bread while sitting in front of a burned out tv with a fire in it sobbing for the next 15 years. If that is what I have to face no amount of stores, mental or physical training will help you, just luck.. And if you are lucky, you are killed in the first half hour of it. Again, I find prepping to be fun, uplifting and empowering, that's a big part of the appeal for me, helping my neighbors, getting a water treatment system back on line, fixing broken engines, tending to injuries, planting seeds, protecting my community, feeding people... Not red dawn, terminator 2, the road warrior or the day after

Thanks for listening.

to the OP glad you read the NO coms part, but good point you made. my family will be at there homes so i have no need to talk with them on my route to them, they know about how long it will take so if im not there in X amount of time im not comeing.
but i see a need for coms.
you can listen in on others to see what they are talking about, great idea for a possible early warning system

Just think....and let your imagination make movement for a bit of time.....think and look around you for fuck's sake.

Just think....and let your imagination make movement for a bit of time.....think and look around you for fuck's sake.


I'm sorry but I don't see where you going with this? Are you trying to say that if I was more observant that the fact that things WILL get worst case based on what is observable? That a worst case in you opinion, is in fact inevitable? If you are privy to some exclusive information that I am not, perhaps you are right, but based on historical observation I would not agree. We are not in that dire level yet, and although the possibility and potential has often been present throughout history, the black death, WWII, Chernobyl etc. We are still here. Humanity still thrives due in part to those will accept the risk, prepare for the consequences... and act to do the best they can rather then be paralyzed by fear of a worst case coming to pass. To be clear, a worst case is something I won't bother to dwell on or make endless futile preparations for, I simply establish a logical threshold for what I am willing to endure, and accept my fate if it is crossed.

Or have I misunderstand you?