Category: Preparedness
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Setting Up Winlink: RMS Express, VARA, and Sending Your First Message
Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness guide. I’ve explained what Winlink is and why EmComm operators rely on it, but I’ve never walked through actually setting it up. This is that post: getting Winlink Express and VARA installed and sending a real message through the system for the first time. What You Need A…
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Building a Faraday Cage for Your Backup Radios
You don’t need to buy a purpose-built product. Here’s what a Faraday cage actually protects against and how to build one.
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NOAA Weather Radio: The Cheapest, Most Overlooked Piece of a Comms Plan
A NOAA weather radio does a different job than your GMRS or ham gear. Here’s why it still belongs in your kit.
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GMRS Is Great for Family Comms, But It Won’t Save You When SHTF
GMRS gets recommended constantly in prepping and family communication circles, and for good reason. But it’s not a complete emergency communications plan by itself.
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Ailunce HD2 Review: A Great EmComm Handout Radio, With a Warning
I use the Ailunce HD2 as a preprogrammed EmComm handout radio, but there’s a documented spurious emissions problem you need to know about before you buy.
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Sample Winter Field Day Planning
Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness pillar Winter Field Day is approaching quickly, and planning is officially underway. Winter Field Day (WFD) is a prime opportunity to test our emergency communications capabilities, operating skills, and portable gear under challenging conditions. Whether you are planning to operate for a full 24-hour shift, drop by for…
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A Comms Plan Your Non-Ham Family Members Can Actually Use
A simplified emergency comms plan for the family members who will never get licensed and never want a full radio lesson.
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Building a Comms Binder: Manuals, Serial Numbers, and Frequencies in One Place
One binder, not three scattered systems. Here’s what actually belongs in it and why paper still matters.
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A Check-In System for Elderly Parents Living Alone
A phone tree breaks down at exactly the wrong moment. Here’s a simple radio check-in system for an aging parent living alone.