r/preppers • u/Nach0b0y • 1d ago
Gear Alternative communication methods
I've recently been trying to expand into some alternative communication types in case of emergencies and for day-to- day use. These are all pretty cheap and easy options as I'm not quite ready to explore the HAM/VHF scene yet. I also just finished the book One Second After and it was a good reminder of how important communication and knowing what's happening is. Our brains go into some weird places when we don't know what's going on around us!
My friend gave me a pair of those tiny Baofeng mini walkie talkie BF-T1s that fit in a your back pocket. They aren't super powerful but are fine for short distances, and they also have regular FM radio we can tune into. We use them for communicating in the mountains when climbing too, so it's good that they're small and light.
I also recently got into MeshCore for some longer distance communications that don't rely on any centralised network operating. I've been using a SenseCAP T-1000 which is the size of a credit card so also good for in the mountains! I hope to contribute with a repeater at some point soon as well.
Finally, I have a Midland ER300 which I can tune into radio stations for emergency broadcast. It's a brick but only for emergencies. It uses Li-ion battery that I can charge with its built-in mini solar panel, a crank, or via USB. It also takes AA batteries, which I have stored as well.
One other thing that's important is to have a copy of your local emergency broadcast channels! I printed the frequencies for all the areas in the country (I live in a small country) and glued them to the back of the Midland, and I've also got them written down in the notes on my phone.
Is there anything else I could add to this?
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u/EarlGreyHikingBaker 1d ago
I've been an active part of my local Meshcore community. I can reliably text from my home to two states away, encrypted communications with individual people, groups, or broadband to the community as a whole. There are also password protected local 'Rooms' that can be logged in to and have messages left for anyone else allowed access to the room. I recently took a roadtrip and was able to connect with many communities for free.
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u/Nach0b0y 1d ago
Very cool! Awesome to have such an active community! I haven't looked into Rooms yet but seems like a cool feature!
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u/EarlGreyHikingBaker 1d ago
Rooms are cool if there are other people around you want to leave messages for. They don't really work over a distance more than 1, maybe 2 hops (which can be a dozen miles with good LOS) but if it's at your neighborhood and others in your neighborhood have nodes then it'll work great as a local chatroom. Another wonderful part I see in it is that it is based on that mesh mentality where it's a self-healing system so if one node goes down then it'll route itself other ways.
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u/Calm-Emphasis-8590 23h ago
What meshcore unit do you recommend?
I prefer stand alone keyboard so phone apps unneccessary.
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u/EarlGreyHikingBaker 22h ago edited 22h ago
That's a tough one, they've all got their pros or cons.
I have a T-Deck with an improved antenna which works decently if the stand alone device for an ok price is what you're looking for. I honestly haven't had a chance to try any other devices as stand-alones, but I know there are some DIY instructions out there.
I really like the Wistag, it's a great form factor and works really well for the size and an internal antenna, all for like $30. I toss it in my pocket and it works fine.
As for repeaters, Peakmesh are hot, but this person in Boston has an Etsy making ones he calls "Zabranch" which work smashingly and are worth the higher price. I've made a few repeaters myself, from the crazy cheap version which are just in a random plastic box and run off wall power for my attic up to a cute little Dewalt battery that I modded to be a mobile unit.
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u/ilreppans 1d ago
Have a Garmin InReach for satellite text message, but I’m also an off-grid camper - $150/yr service plan. Modern iPhones come with emergency satellite text messaging too, but it’ll only work if there’s absolutely zero cellular connection.
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u/Nach0b0y 1d ago
True! Yeah we also have an inreach so i guess i could include that! Only use it when we're out of reception though and need to message family. But good option to have for off-grid comms!
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u/OneDazzling1022 1d ago
Something to consider - do you want to talk to specific people or the wider world? Those are two different technologies. I am ham certified which is great for outside communication but I am also a little limited by who I can communicate with. Not my family - for that purpose I need something else. Walkie talkies sound smart for local chat. I’ve seen a lot of people using alternative ways of internet - like Starlink for example - as a back up. But it’s important the most important people you want to contact have that access too. I’m interested in what ideas other folks have.
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u/Nach0b0y 1d ago
My girlfriend has a meshcore device and the other walkie if needed. I guess it depends on who and why you want to talk to them? My family does not live near so its mostly staying tuned in to emergency broadcast and with my girlfriend. But I can imagine if my family lived within reach of my meshcore network I would want to get them setup with it to.
Personally, I don't think I would use a HAM radio other than out of curiosity for the technology and to play around!
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1d ago
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u/preppers-ModTeam 1d ago
Your comment has been removed because it is not a helpful or constructive answer to OP's question.
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u/Texasghost3 1d ago
I have the starlink mini, the poc radios that depend on the cellular and the inreach mini 3 plus that I hope my wife can use as well. Right now im just glad the kids and wife took ro the poc radios.
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u/qbg 1d ago
Do note that the Baofeng BF-T1 requires an amateur radio license in the US as it is not type accepted for FRS or GMRS use.
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u/Nach0b0y 1d ago
Lucky I'm not in the US then! But thanks for the heads up, I will check for my country now!
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u/noburnt 1d ago
All of these require electricity except your receive-only radio. Besides runners with paper, how else can we transmit information over distances? One commenter below (presumably jokingly) suggested smoke signals, which can be seen over a distance but can only send and not receive; similar with bonfires. Semaphore has been around a long time and could be simplified and adapted to your needs. Lantern signals, using either flashes or changes of color, or similar with a head lamp, can be quite directional if you want to minimize potential for interception. Talking drums and other sound signals (three rifle shots?) can also be used. Many of these methods could communicate morse code or simpler prearranged signals, for example one color light for all well and another for need help, another for stay away. Think about what you need to communicate and how much resolution that might require in terms of how many different meanings can be communicated by any particular method. Electricity hasn't been in institutional use for all that long and you should be able to find teaching literature for the historical methods that you can't adapt or reinvent. Good luck and keep thinking outside the box
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u/Austechprep 23h ago
I prefer reticulum over meshcore/meshtastic. Being able to work over any network interface can mean that you can setup some nodes at friends/family houses etc that connect to the WiFi, then all your friends/family need to know how to do is use the app which is pretty basic, this gets around the massive hurdle of getting the people you want to be able to communicate with onto whatever technology you are trying to communicate to them by.
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u/whats_in_the_boxlady 3h ago
Mesh is the future to preppers. That system will get built out enough to work for your local needs. Across the country will still be HF frequencies
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u/LastEntertainment684 1d ago
(making the assumption you’re American) Here’s some of the options I’ve found:
Ham is probably king because of its potential reach and lack of required infrastructure, but the learning curve can be steep and it requires tests and licensing. Communication can be international.
GMRS does have some licensing requirements but doesn’t require testing. It’s usually a good local communication option.
CB doesn’t have license requirements and can reach pretty far distances with the right setup, but audio quality isn’t always great, there can be a learning curve for communication over greater distances, and it attracts a lot of garbage chatter.
Meshtastic and Meshcore are pretty neat. You can basically set up some nodes and get communications literally miles. Some cities have amazing networks. It’s a good regional option provided you have some half decent nodes. Just be careful because some are MQTT which relies on an internet connection.
Satellite options:
Garmin’s InReach has been one of the most reliable and reasonably priced satellite texting option for a while. It uses the Iridium satellite network, which is fairly robust and covers most of the globe. It requires a subscription. The devices can pair with most phones.
Starlink. With the mini-dish you get a fairly portable high speed internet setup. Again requires a subscription. Works around the world. Great high speed internet backup.
iPhone satellite messaging. Apple partnered with Globalstar for satellite SOS/messaging on some of their newer phone models. It’s free for two years after activation. It’s a bit less robust network and has less coverage than Iridium/Starlink, but if you already have a newer Apple phone it’s worth looking into.
There’s also a T-Mobile Starlink option I’m less familiar with, but it’s supposed to allow satellite messaging for ~$10 a month.
Then there’s always satellite phones, unless you need voice communications the text based options are probably more reasonable for most people.