Tips for Communicating in an Emergency

The FCC ^ | 27 August 2011 | by: Jamie Barnett, Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau

[bd476]

yefragetuwrabrumuy wrote: "They just keep getting better and better. A few suggestions about their use.

The first is that extra batteries are good, but it is also a great idea, for several reasons, to have a DC to AC converter, so you can charge your walkie talkies from your car’s cigarette lighter socket.

The second is that when you use walkie talkies, if there is interference, using alpha-numeric code is a big help. But take it a step further. Use a simple, one use code, which will defeat most of the snoops out there.

Thank you, Yefragetuwrabrumuy! Those are excellent ideas. I'm going to look to see if Costco still carries them and re-check their range. Otherwise I think the local Fry's carries them, too.

[bd476]

7thOF7th wrote: "Spot Connect provides a capability to send out a 40 character msg via satellite to anywhere in the world. Check it out!"

Thanks for the tip. I thought all GPS devices had the ability to send out an emergency call for help even without a paid subscription service.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I would seriously consider both Amazon and ebay as well, as they get some super deals on brand names. Fry’s is unpredictable for both price and selection.

(I think a good sign that their management went a little loopy was when they decided to give different “themes” to their stores. My local store chose ‘golf’ as a theme. To me this screams, “Our profit margin is so high that we are now wasting money on bizarre decor.”)

I’ve gotten several electronic goodies on ebay that I’ve been very pleased with, such as small stun guns for $10.

[Romulus]

It's not fun to be without power and phone in an emergency situation.

Huh. In my world, if you still have phone and power, it's not an emergency situation.

[Romulus]

Bingo. After Katrina, I had no power for six weeks (yeah, I was lucky). After 10 days, I could get incoming calls on the land line. No cell service. No incoming cell service on my cell number anywhere, because cell switches in the 504 were down. People have no clue how hard it was.