Home / The guide / Part 3

Communications

A layered plan to keep receiving information, talk across the estate and with neighbours, reach family further away and call for help when grid power, mobile networks and internet are all down for a long time. It covers PACE planning, broadcast and alert receivers, licence-free and amateur radio, satellite devices, comms power, lightning protection and drills.

Why it matters

In a long blackout the household is cut off from news, family and emergency services unless it has its own means to listen and talk. Every other system on the estate, from medical care to security, depends on knowing what is happening and being able to ask for help. Radios that run on your own batteries, plus paper plans everyone knows, keep that link open.

Plan: who must reach whom, and how (Plan)

1. List what the household must be able to do without networks comms-1
2. Write a PACE communications plan comms-2
3. Make paper contact lists, meeting points and a channel card comms-3
4. Check licensing and legal limits in your country comms-4

Receive information without internet (Design)

1. Set up broadcast receivers that need no mains power comms-5
2. Add an official alert receiver suited to your country comms-6
3. Learn your country's warning signals and alert channels comms-22
4. Build an offline information library comms-7

Short-range radio for the estate and neighbours (Install)

1. Choose a licence-free or simply licensed handheld radio service comms-8
2. Range-test the estate and agree a neighbour channel plan comms-9
3. Consider a low-power mesh text network (optional) comms-10

Regional and long-distance: amateur radio and satellite (Install)

1. Get an amateur licence and join an emergency radio group comms-11
2. Set up VHF/UHF amateur radio for the region comms-12
3. Set up an HF station with an NVIS antenna comms-13
4. Add radio email with Winlink (optional, licensed operators) comms-24
5. Earth and protect antennas and the radio room from lightning comms-14
6. Check what your phone can already do by satellite comms-23
7. Choose satellite devices and understand what they depend on comms-15

Power and protect the comms kit (Test)

1. Size a dedicated comms battery and solar charger comms-16
2. Set up charging, spare batteries and rotation comms-17
3. Store spare radios safely and protect equipment comms-18

Practise and live with it (Run)

1. Run comms drills that simulate cascading failure comms-19
2. Set a daily listening and check-in routine comms-20
3. Review the comms plan every year comms-21

Open in the interactive guide