We know what’s coming and we are prepared.
In the wake of Helene, recent CA fires, recent cellphone outages, etc., I was asked about establishing communications plans for families and groups using radios. IMHO, one should start with GMRS with the expectation of getting a technician class amateur radio license. These two licenses will ensure an ability to communicate in the event of disaster or cellphone breakdown/overload.
Before I start, you may want to take a look at a blog by Kevin Macaraeg of ICOM America on the differences between VHF/UHF. The characteristics of these frequency ranges should be considered when building a solution. Link: https://blog.icomamerica.com/2021/11/17/differences-between-vhf-and-uhf/
There are "free" and no license spaces in these radio spectrums. Information on these can be found as follows:
Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) is a channelized VHF service: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/multi-use-radio-service-murs
Family Radio Service (FRS) is a channelized (low power) UHF service: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/family-radio-service-frs
Whether you choose to (or not) pursue an amateur radio license, I would encourage you to get a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) license [Link: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/general-mobile-radio-service-gmrs]. This is a channelized UHF service allowing more power, detachable antennas, and repeater functions. It does share channels with FRS which allows a GRMS operator to communicate with users of blister pack FRS radios when needed.
I would strongly encourage pursuing at technician class amateur radio license at a minimum. Here's the FCC site: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service.
Study links and walking through the process:
https://www.rars.org/HowToBecomeAHam.php
https://hamstudy.org/
https://hamradioprep.com/ham-radio-study-guide/
There a number of apps to aid in studying. Once you consistently pass the practice tests, start studying the next higher class until you go to testing. If you pass the technician class test, take the general. If you pass the general (even if you have not studied for it), take the extra exam.
Police in Winona Minnesota are stunned after every single one of their Flock cameras were suddenly removed in a single night.
According to the police department, all 8 of the town's cameras were cut down and hauled away.
Police are asking for the public's help to identify the individual, but the public has been responding with comments such as:
"The Flock cameras tore themselves down"
"Whoever did it, was fishing with me"
"Whoever it was, was at Bible study with me"
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Nearly 20,000 people are publicly vouching for a man accused of cutting down Flock cameras in a small West Virginia town.
People commented:
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"He was saving my neighbor's dog from a fire all day, couldn't be him."
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"This man is innocent. I saw him serving at a soup kitchen."
-"Couldn't be him. He was helping me replace the roof on a homeless shelter."
The man, Wesley Jackson, has pleaded Not Guilty.
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US diesel crack surpasses $100 a barrel for the first time on supply disruptions
... and the supply of refined fuels is already nearly exhausted. A hard landing is visible ahead, for farmers, for trucking, and ... well, for everything that requires food (people) and energy (the entire economy).
These are very likely the final days of relative normalcy during which to prepare. Get ready.
🌾 🌍 🚜 JPMorgan warns a massive global food supply crisis could begin next year as fertilizer shortages tighten agricultural supply.
JPMorgan is the latest institutional research desk to warn that the next global food crisis may already be taking shape, driven by what its analysts describe as the "Five Ws": War, Weather, Warehousing, Water, and Waste.
In a new report titled Food Security Is National Security: A Compounding Storm, a team led by London-based senior global economist Nora Szentivanyi warned that disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz and the emergence of a potentially historic El Niño could weaken crop yields, constrain agricultural production, and keep food inflation elevated through the first half of 2027.
"Successive shocks since COVID have compounded, eroding food production capacity and keeping food price pressures elevated into 2027," Szentivanyi said, warning that "this is not a short-lived shock; it has reduced the likelihood of near-term disinflation, and the food ...
