Prepper's Communication Handbook by Jim Cobb

Author:Jim Cobb
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781612435398
Publisher: Ulysses Press
Published: 2016-01-19T05:00:00+00:00

Baofeng UV-5R Ham Radio

This transmitter is very popular among preppers for its small size and inexpensive price. It is an excellent option for the bug out bag as well as for home use.

If your primary concern is gathering information, a standard emergency radio that runs on either batteries or crank power will suffice. Most of the ones sold today will tune in AM/FM and NOAA weather broadcasts. Some of the nicer ones will also bring in shortwave transmissions. The Kaito Voyager Pro is one of the best on the market today and will handle all of those transmissions, plus it adds solar power to the mix.

For two-way communication, it is hard to beat a small handheld ham transmitter/receiver, or transceiver. The Baofeng UV-5R is very popular among preppers due to the small size and wide range of capabilities. It takes some effort to get it programmed properly, though. My advice is to invest in the proper programming cable so you can program the radio using a free downloadable program called CHIRP.

Be sure to keep spare batteries in your bug out bag, ideally one full set for each radio or other device you’ll be carrying. You might also consider picking up a portable solar panel. They have really come down in price recently and are rather affordable. Many of them fold up into a size not much larger than a spiral notebook, though around an inch or two thick. You can use the solar panel to charge not only your cell phone or tablet but a set of batteries, too.

EXPECT IT TO BE COMPLICATED

When I was in school, one of the only computer languages being taught at the middle and high school levels was BASIC, which stands for Beginner’s All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. It was, well, pretty basic in that much of it was written in very simple terms. The instruction to print, for example, was “Print.” One of the first types of commands you learn in BASIC is the conditional “If/Then” statement. Basically (no pun intended), if a specified condition were true, then the program performed a certain action. If the condition were not true, the program moved to the next step or sequence.

Your communication plan is going to be filled with If/Then conditional statements, even if they aren’t written in that format. For example:

IF Dad can’t be reached by telephone at work,

THEN send him a text.

IF text messages aren’t going through or there is no response,

THEN send him an email.

Obviously, this can get complicated quickly. That’s okay, and really, it is to be expected. There’s no way around it. As you acquire more and more means to communicate, there will be ever more steps in the communication plan. The PACE protocol alone specifies four distinct steps in the process, each of them very much If/Then conditions.

Complicated isn’t necessarily bad, provided you take the time to fully understand each step in the plan and ensure all involved know the parts they will play.

A SAMPLE PLAN

Let me put it all together to demonstrate how this works with the fictional Branson family.

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