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Holy crap! The more I learn, the more I am overwhelmed

CB radios. Walkie talkies and short wave radios are a must. If you can afford it get some extra walkie talkies to pass around to family and friends. Or even perhaps your neighbors. Neighbors can be turned into neighborhoods waches. Just so others can take shifts on watching to inform others of dangers

I really love you guys. Wish you lived closer. I just went into the Meetup website and searched for preppers - nothing in my area. So disappointed. I know that none of my immediate neighbors are preppers. Our closest relative is 3 hours away and she is not a prepper. The sister who is a prepper, is 5 hours away. My hubby and I would love to find some like-minded folks to meet up with. People say to not be lone wolves. but it is hard when there is no one else around to hang with.

Personal recommendations: 1. Skip FRS (unless supremely strapped for cash). Since GMRS covers the same frequencies and with more power its a no brainer. Since the license is only $35 for 10 years and covers the entire family, it's the way to go. The hardest part by far in the whole process is navigating the FCC website to get the license. Only the government can screw up something so simple. By the time you are done you may want to slit your wrists. 2. With GMRS get to know the repeaters in your area and use them. They can be quite handy, even in a disaster. Many have backup power and will run for a couple/few days even with total loss of grid power. The info you can get may be critical in those days. 3. Ham radio. Technician class is easy to get (there are 5 year old technician class operators, nuf said). It's also a $35 license for 10 years, but only covers the person taking the test. However, it opens up many more options. There are also repeaters for VU frequencies in ham. Many ham radios will tune in the gmrs and cb frequencies so you can also listen to them with that. So, a ham rig will do more in many ways but keep in mind, if they are fcc compliant they will not transmit outside the ham frequencies so you can't talk to gmrs and cb folks with them...legally. 4. CB. This has been considered to be the wild west of radio with people being disorderly and channels being crowded. But, this also means there are a lot of people using them so you might be able to glean some useful info here. Notes: 1. The higher the frequency the more line of site it is. So, frs/gmrs/ham VU freq, etc are very line of site. So you may need to find a hill/building/whatever to reach out. Often it's the repeaters the help you get around this, as they mention in the video. Don't underestimate the usefulness of repeaters. 2. The lower the frequency (in general) the more you can propagate long distances. But this is where your licensing comes into play because you need to understand ionosphere bouncing etc so you can be successful. This is where the general class ham license comes into play. Here's how the ham radio classes effectively shake out: A. Technician class, lowest/easiest to obtain. Allows VHF and UHF plus 10 meter HF. So you are mostly limited to local contacts, though not entirely. Easiest enty. B. General class. Technician class + Majority of frequencies in HF bands. So, you can do local contacts or long distance (aka DX in ham lingo). Most bang for buck though radio costs can range from relatively cheap to off the wall. C. Extra class. Technician + General + rest of frequencies/modes in HF bands. That last 10 % allowing you to do it all. There is a small company called better safe radio. He sells shtf radio equipment. For instance he sells a Wouxun UV9GX which is a gmrs radio but is also an 8 band radio(I don't recall all of them but gmrs, a couple hams bands, NOAA weather, AM broadcast, FM Broadcast, and whatever else) so it receives on a ton of frequencies and comes programmed with all the emergency frequencies in the radio so you can scan them. There is also an equivalent ham version of the radio. I would recommend covering as many bases as possible. Have one good radio for two way coms then something to listen on as many others as possible. I have several radios but if I had to have just one I would probably use the UV9GX. Read radio reviews. Each has their own pros and cons and spec sheets are only part of the equation. I have a midland mobile for my wife because I wanted the simplest touch and talk radio I could. For mine I have a Wouxan which can do more but isn't as straightforward to operate. If you want a rather humorous channel to learn about gmrs you can watch notarubicon. There is some occasional salty language but not often and he is hard on sad hams but lots of god info. Don't forget to get extra batteries, battery eliminators, better antennas, etc.

I'm working with my Pastor to get a Base Station Ham setup in his Apartment. . He lives only 4 Miles or so away. We can ALMOST talk handheld o handheld, but not quite. I was THRILLED when our Pastor got HIS Ham License! He went all the way, as I did-We both hold an EXTRA Class License. My wife has her Technician Class. A simple vertical antenna on each of our homes about 20 Feet up, will give us the direct comms we need. Our Head Elder had a Tech license, but he let it expire. I'm working to get him to re-certify. There are Two other Men in our church whom I would like to see get THEIR Licenses; Then we could cover the ENTIRE Area our Members live in.

I also got a ham radio license because my husband has one. It is fun! It took some studying but it wasn't that difficult! We knew a guy that started a ham group for teen girls several years ago and they got more into it than the boys because they liked the social aspect of it.

I have been a licensed amateur radio operator for 60 years since 1962. W2CH

One of your best AND VERY important! You think of things we probably dont! You are such a great teacher and leader. Thanks so much.

Oh boy, if I mention this to my kids they will have me committed for sure !!! They think I’m crazy for just storing food and supplies 😏

Getting a ham radio license isn't all that difficult. I took a free class through the AARL and bought a study guide, Easy Way Ham Radio. I studied and got both my Technician and General licenses. I'm in a great Ham Radio club!

If anything happens we should all remember that we shall not fear the lord is with us. ❤❤❤❤

Another great video. Thank you Jonathan and Kylene. Terrific information. Happy trails!

Great information, much of which I was not aware of. We've prepped on so many other levels, but not on communication. This will be a new goal for us, to get prepared in that area. Thank you so much for all your valuable research. I'll be looking into GMRS radios for our family. Our older boys are only 7 miles away so that should work. Blessings from Under the Median.

Thank you guys. ❤❤ Absolutely awesome.

GREAT production!!! We have FRS, GMRS, and Baofeng (I know it's HAM but is really a class of it's own - HAM Lite?) and hand-held CBs. We establish Comms with our daughter's families every few months and know what frequencies to go to in a SHTF situation. I was an early deployer to both the first Gulf War and Iraq. Our unit brought Motorola Walkabouts to Baghdad to supplement our SINCGARS and TA-312s we were the most informed company in the brigade. Communication is key. Keep 'em coming.

So important!

After an EMP, all that's going to work are semaphore flags and Aldiss lamps. I have both. Best wishes to you all.

I am a Ward & Stake Emergency Communications Specialist (ECS). We use a tiered system form our Emergency Response Communications (ERC) program. FRS for "neighborhoods", GMRS, and Amateur radio. To cover the Wards & Stakes, and to reach to the Council & Area.

Another good thought provoking video, I have been prepping for a few years. There is always something that can suprise you, recently my phone, my backup phone and both my laptop's crashed, as a consequence l lost all photos, videos, contact lists. I know I should have everything backed up, but didn't.

Thank you! Excellent video, very useful.

The absolute most important is getting information. The giving of it at a bare minimum is for emergency services. Everything else is icing in the cake.

We have a wide variety of people in our Ham radio club. We have a nurse, a couple of guys who are electronics experts, a retired Marine A6 pilot,a truck driver, corrections and police type people and the list goes on. It seems no matter what problem you have, one of the club members can solve the problem. Good group of people with a vast experience base.

Good video , thanks for sharing , God bless !

An impprtant thing for people to know about the small solar chargers is that they will take forever to charge if the sun is all you have. If they are already charged, they will charge things fine. But to recharge them with solar, really, can take a week or more. Don't count on them. Not good enough. I have found that most people who have them, haven't really used them. Your video is really helpful overall. Thx.

Winlink: It's what people use for email when sailing on their boats at sea. Ham Radio: 80-meter NVIS voice link. Reliable skywave communication to all other stations within a few hundred mile radius. Not to mention routine global voice or data contacts, depending on frequency and radio propagation conditions. If you're a serious prepper, you need to be a ham also. Suggest you view explore this for your subscribers.

I love your channel...I've got this subject matter taken care of. And I bought a fairly good supply of rechargeable batteries to compliment those devices. Tossing depleted batteries is verboten in the family. Reuse, reduce, recycle. Always Be Prepared

Great video!

What if there is no electricity, cell phones or social media? If the cell service and internet goes down you better have a satellite phone or ham radio in a faraday box and pray your faraday box worked.

Great video. I am an Extra class ham radio operator .I teach radio stuff in my county an will use your video for my group

Remember a technician can talk around the world if power grid is up via Echo Link, DMR and other RF/Computer. You both did an excellent video!

Ya'll are impressive human beings 🖖👽

I live in West Virginia I use CB radio and Ham Radio I get about 30 to 50 miles on My CB Radio and on Ham Radio around the world

You don’t need a license to have a HAM radio only to broadcast. If it is an emergency situation, you can broadcast for help, so it’s worth having a ham for emergencies. You can also just listen to frequencies to hear what is going on from people on the radio in your area.

I have a solar phone charger, along with a landline phone. Also if need be I have the capabilities for a CB radio.

My dad was a ham operatoe, i believe he was extra class. He loved talking to people about it. I wish i had gotten into it when he was still with us.

Don’t forget about using your car to charge your stuff. It’s clean power, and convenient.

Great video guys. Like everything, no lost is ever complete. I see suggestions for Zello. I'd add to the one-way comms a scanner that can decode your local emergency communications systems. Police, fire, EMS etc. Good source for up to date local information. Unfortunately none of the radios are very budget friendly. There are apps out there. Most if not all are on a few minutes delay. 73 Have a Merry Christmas!

I have, as I've said before, set us up with several ways to charge 12V devices with simple, practical solar. Two panels I got from Harbor Freight. They work just fine.

I don't have a Ham license but in a emergency I will use and TALK on the one I have .

Off grid texting with Meshtastic is a great option.

21:22 "Inverter generator " ! made my day. Also you may transmit on a ham radio with out a license only for saving life or notifying of a great disaster / catastrophe. No Bla Bla Bla rag chewing.

I have an HF Antenna setup on my property.. It's a simple Dipole, cut for the 80 Meter Band. I use an Antenna Tuner to work ALL of the Low Bands with it. The Dipole is simple 14 Gauge Wire Antenna with Black Insulation on it. Unless you KNOW I'm a Ham, you can drive by my House and NEVER see the Antenna. I did this on purpose, because in a SHTF situation, I don't WANT to Advertise that I have the gear! The people who NEED to know, do.

Doe s your book have air pump during nuclear event? Thanks for another informative video!!

Keep your electronic devices in metal containers, underground if you can (ammo cans are good but even a regular sealed metal container can help). This will help protect them in case of an EMP and make the easily portable and locatable in case you need to bug out. Basically you are creating a Faraday cage. I have not tried Faraday bags if anyone has I would be interested in your experience.

Late great General Curtis LeMay said "Congress can make you a General, but only communications can make you a commander." We too need communications to manage emergency response.

Which net do you guys check into? I participate in the Herriman and sometimes Draper group. Also, during an emergency, non-licensed people are allowed to broadcast. Also, technicians can use 6m which can theoretically reach around the world using atmospherics.

Great video. You can talk all over the world on ham radio with a tech license using systems like IRLP and EchoLink. A 5 watt handheld that can hit a IRLP repeater can talk all the world.

I was wondering what type antana you upgraded with ?

Great content thanks. One thing, MURS is FM not AM

My name is John and my wife was an ob/gyn nurse practitioner after being an ob/gyn nurse. My degree is in industrial education, shop teacher, close to engineer but less math. I knew there was some magic in Mrs. Provident Prepper. She is excellent.

Lol I left my phone in a guys car and didn’t have any information. Didn’t even know where he lived. I used my son’s phone and used Messenger to contact the guy to let him know he had my phone and it worked.

as A TECH you can use 10 meters between 28.300 and 28.500 voice and 28.000 28.300 cw and digital

Can you suggest a ham radio that is inexpensive but yet will do the job?

Does a satellite phone help you anymore than a cell phone? Do the SATS communicate directly from the user to the satellite? If the cell tower is down can a SAT still meet one’s communication needs?

If cell towers go down, your celly is useless.

Nice vid - Also consider when there is no power - none. No fuel for the generator, no sun for the solar charged batteries, and so forth. And consider becoming a member of the local emergency oriented ham club, often associated with the local city or county. Knowing how to use the radio is of prime importance, and knowing how the local systems are set up and how they operate. Practice with the club and others. Incompetence is obvious especially in an emergency.

Nice i have a FRS radios in sweden 🇸🇪👌

Is garmin in wave the same as spot-x?

If you know what you are doing hand held can go far

As I type this, there are more radios on and communicating on the CB band than everything else combined. Any SHTF communication plan that doesn’t include CB falls short in the real world.

Couple things: I recommend looking into adding Zello to your communication plan. It is an app for most devices. It allows voice communication even if there is only texting available. Uses a very tiny amount of data. If the towers are loaded this usually still works. Also MURS is not AM. It is FM.

Ham radio is the only way to go. It’s not dependent on infrastructure.

MURS is FM, sorry edit: FRS is 1/2 a watt to 2 watts cannot have a removable antenna , GMRS 5 watts to 50 watts and can use high gain antennas repeaters and both frs/gmrs can converse with each other.

I am new in the prepping community and am trying to figure out communications, since I have my dad who lives 20 miles away in New York, and my mother lives in Florida 1135 miles away. Still very confused on which option can help me get in contact with both! Would appreciate if someone could direct me in the right way. It also seems as if even if a ham radio can reach them, I will not be able to privately speak to them, it seems to me like satellite phone is the only option for that?

27 Mhz CB ssb radio with the right antenna will give you 20KM easy (and more)

Social media imcl FB are never “private”

Are there any FMS radios that will reach 35 miles that's how far my daughter is

MURS is FM (frequency modulation) not AM (amplitude modulation.)

I have a radio…it says bk radio on it. Is it any good?

If choosing HAM you should at least go for the General class. It opens up so much more than the Technician class. If the grid goes down most repeaters have enough gas or diesel for a few days or more. HF on a QRP rig will reach farther.

Because of my speech disabilities/challenges, 2-way radios or speaking on the phone just won't work for me. Texting, on the other hand, would work. S'pose email would too, but that is dependent on the internet being up. I'm much better at monitoring communications then relaying the information by group text or group FB post.

The cell phone addiction is Horendous, every one is un able to survive without one, there must be a way to change that

The Midland HH50B is a good portable battery operated NOAA weather radio. It’s simple for those of us who are technologically challenged. There are no SAME codes to input. Turn it on and it works. An old fashioned hard wired landline always works. Your cable tv phone is out if your provider is out. The electric grid can and will go out. We had a 50 mph wind come in that took out electricity for a city of 100,000. It snapped electric poles and 100 year old oak trees in half. Traffic lights were out. Cell towers were not working. No talk, no text, no power for three days. The electric company had out of state crews making repairs. It took 8 hours per pole to dig the old one out, replace with a new one, and wire it up. The only way we were able to get news or find shelters was through a local radio station that operated on a generator. It was like living in the stone ages. Great video!

Never leave a solar-powered device or battery charger in the front or rear window of a vehicle! It will overheat and start a fire! Leave it on the windowsill in the house, and monitor the temperature.

Even satellite phones would be useless in a grid down scenario. Any phone subscribership requires terrestrial server authentication, and when the servers go down, guess what...no phone call.

Two-factor authentication for many Internet sites often requires access to a cell phone to verify you. To some extent, if the cell network goes down, you may get locked out of your Facebook group.

👍

I laughed out loud when I saw the FT-411, and the Icom W-32? I've owned both of those in the past. Both are good, but the Icom is Better. I currently own a Yaesu VX-8 QUAD Band Ham Walkie Talkie. I hold an Army M.A.R.S. License in addition to my Ham Ticket, so my VX-8 has the Transmitter Mods to operate on the Mars Frequencies. It also CAN operate on the GMRS / FRS Channels, but I don't because my Radio is not legally allowed to work there.

These people think that a license is going to matter during a shtf scenario 😂

MURS is FM; Perhaps the author mis spoke saying A

Good day, we have load shedding basically on a daily basis. When the cellphone towers batteries ran out of power then cellphones are useless. What else can be used except cellphones? The same with the internet towers.

Every needs a garmin inreach mini , an APRS capable ham radio

I want to get a ham for my two sons and me for Christmas. One is 3 miles away; the other is 15 miles away. So, now I understand that I need 2 hams for each and three faraday cages so we can keep our extra ham protected. All I need is a recommendation for the hams and cages. I get overwhelmed on Amazon trying to figure out what to get. We all have generators, but I'm hearing that they may be useless in an EMP event, so do I need to get us all some sort of solar powerbank to put in the cages, too? Just tell me what to buy, please! I want to be able to communicate with my sons and their families, and I want to order before the rail strike. Thank you so much! We're all smart enough to pass the ham test.

if you think the internet will be available on demand in the case of an emergency, your dreaming! In emergencies, cell availability will be less than marginal. Everyone will be trying to use it and you wont get through for a while. Same for the internet, the bandwidth will go to close to zero because of all the congestion. Do not base your communication strategy on cell or internet availability (on demand). Develop a plan to communicate at non peak times at certain intervals as well. Learn to use winlink on hf to send and receive messages. Everyone can send messages to your winlink email address without a radio. You just need a radio to receive them.

Please let him talk !!!

The only problem I have with a ham license is you are putting even more of your personal information out there for everyone to see. For me my info is everywhere why put more .CB are nice.

@providentprepper MURS is FM modulation.

What about the hard wired landline phone?

What's app got hacked too, if you have to use this kind use signal at least its not hacked today, also zoom ect selling your videos ect to everyone.

I have a Baofeng, but I have no idea how to use it and no one I know has any idea either!😕

It's a fantastic video,.... and I appreciate the mention that you can LISTEN to HAM (if not licensed), but not transmit. Think about this: If the SHTF has occurred, and HAM is the only thing working for you,..... is it really a big deal if a person transmits? - especially to save themselves or others? I think a little "slight-of-the-rules" would overshadow the fact that the FCC is probably NOT going to track down every "illegal user" when the world is in such a state! I say, use what you got,...... even if you break a rule or two. Might just be the ONE THING that saves you & the family. I know MY family comes BEFORE the govt. Just saying,.....

I have not been able to figure out how to listen on my Ham! I’m so amateur

I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that Facebook Messenger will ring the device or phone of anyone on Facebook (if they have WiFi) whether or not they understand how it works.

Very good video. Have passed the dutch novice exam in June. 73's de PD1XAN. P.s. is that a Yaesu FT-470 ht (my first ht..)?

Most electronics, not connected to the grid, will not be affected by an EMP. They will be fine. The RF energy from an EMP have to enter the grid's long transmission lines to be converted into damaging current. There is a lot of "theory" about this, but I doubt small devices, isolated from the grid, will be hurt.

Thought murs was fm

Couldn’t make it past Facebook for disaster communications. 😐

I would like to know. What is going to happen if u don’t have a license? At that point ( shift). Who is goi g to come find a person without a license

FYI - MURS is actually FM. It's not AM.