Tag: shtf
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Building an EmComm Go-Kit Inventory You’ll Actually Update
Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness guide. Every go-kit inventory starts out accurate the day you build it and slowly drifts out of date as batteries get swapped, gear gets borrowed, and expiration dates quietly pass. The fix is not a better one-time inventory. It is a system low-friction enough that you actually keep…
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The FT-857D as a Shack in a Box: Why It’s One of My Favorite SHTF Radios
Part of our The Yaesu FT-857D: The Complete Guide. One Box, Every Band You’d Actually Need When I think through what a grab-and-go radio needs to do in an actual SHTF scenario, the list is short: reach the local repeater network, monitor and work HF for anything past line of sight, and do it all…
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MAGNET: A Nationwide HF Network for Mutual Assistance Groups
MAGNET connects Mutual Assistance Groups across the US over HF, using digital modes for grid-down comms. Here’s what they do, who runs it, and how to reach them.
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The Frequencies Every Ham Radio Should Have Programmed for SHTF
The exact frequencies I keep programmed into every radio I own, from NOAA weather to GMRS, MURS, CB, and ham simplex calling channels, so I’m never scrambling to find them when it matters.
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What Is AMRRON? The American Redoubt Radio Operators Network Explained
AMRRON is a volunteer network of licensed and unlicensed operators built to keep information moving when normal communications fail. Here’s what it actually is and how it works.
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MURS vs GMRS vs FRS: Which One (or Combination) Actually Fits Your Family
I write a lot about GMRS and FRS on this site, but MURS almost never comes up, and that’s a gap. It’s the license-free service most people have never heard of, and for certain family and neighborhood comms setups it’s worth understanding alongside the two everyone already knows. The Quick Version FRS is license-free, low…
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What Is GhostNet? S2 Underground’s Off-Grid HF Comms Plan Explained
GhostNet is S2 Underground’s free, off-grid HF communications plan: weekly check-in nets, regional data bridges, and ALE. Here’s how it works and where to find it.
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Building a PACE Communications Plan for Grid-Down Scenarios
How to build a PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency) radio communications plan combining GMRS, ham radio, and non-radio backups.
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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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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.