Suggested Ways Of Communication

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If there is a large problem after the rollover, any suggestions on how to get information on what is going in our own backyard and around the nation in the mist of confusion?

LAB

-- Lorrie Brown (labfaith@aol.com), December 10, 1999

Answers

I would suggest smoke signals and signaling mirors, but that's what the gubmint is using now, and it ain't working.

Kook

-- Y2Kook (Y2Kook@usa.net), December 10, 1999.


Tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Look for the smoke signals.

A large black plume from the direction of LA, Chicago, St. Lois, New York etc. means things are going very badly.

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), December 10, 1999.


Get a Baygen with the shortwave band. You don't batteries and if you spend a few extra dollars, you can also get the light. About 30 secs of cranking will give you about 25 mins of radio and light. Any of the Y2K products sites will have it or you could try Radio Shack. If you are going to have it shipped, I would do it real soon. http://www.totalsurvival.com/welcome.html

-- John Malone (Paranoid@mybunker.com), December 10, 1999.

On a more serious note.

Get a good shorwave. There are links on the prep forum

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic=TimeBomb%202000%20% 28Y2000%29%20Preparation%20Forum

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), December 10, 1999.


Lorrie, I love your phrase "mist of confusion" (or was it supposed to be 'midst'???)...anyway no mattter what happens (or doesn't) there'll be many AM & FM & TV stations that have sufficient power to broadcast the local, state & national news for a long time--certainly 3 days!

If things get rough & nasty SOME stations will still broadcast-- although perhaps on a much reduced schedule. Alternative means of communications are Amateur radio operators and anyone with a shortwave radio.

No need to worry about hearing 'something'...the real problem will (as always) be to sift the truth out from the 'spin'. There'll probably be an incredible chorus of voices trying to convince us that all is well, the 'inconveniences' you're suffering are NOT due to Y2K and by the way...please don't even think of taking your money out of the bank.

-- Voices (FromThe@Ether.com), December 10, 1999.



Ah, a Phil Collins fan! I recognize the mist of confusion...

To answer your question about getting info:

1) Scanner 2) CB 3) Ham Radio 4) Shortwave Radio (a la Baygen, etc)

What you want to know and what you have to spend will determine your final options. If I didn't have much money, I'd make sure that I had one of the radios that can pick up aircraft and TV sound, as well as other stations. Sony, etc make some for under $50 -- those are Wal- Mart, Best Buy, Service Merchandise, Target items. Be sure to get one that can run on batteries.

For scanners, I won't tromp on toes here because you get what you pay for and every serious listener has his or her own fave units. If you're just getting into monitoring, try to borrow several different units and see what you like, as well as figuring out if your local PD has a trunked or non-trucked system. I have a unit that was less than $100 from Radio Shack. Coupled with an outdoor antenna (also Radio Shack), I can keep tabs on the electrical and phone workers, plus police cars when they are nearby. There is also A LOT of static because this is a cheap unit.

Ham radio equipment is really expensive and out of reach for most of us who don't already use it as a hobby. Further info at the ARRL site: http://www2.arrl.org/index.html

CBS -- Borrow one and see if it does what you want it to. I picked up a unit for $49 at Anderson's. It has 14 channels and a DC plug, which I'll run from my deep cell battery. CB is marginally useful, depending on whether your neighborhood is going to maintain communication cells. Neither CB nor FRS (family radio) has much range without some major tampering. I like to monitor the CB during times when the roads are clogged with cars so that I can hear what the truckers know.

For shortwave ... if you don't get a wind-up one, there are other units around -- Best Buy, etc. Again, you get what you pay for, and most units can be improved with antennas of various types. There are too many variables to go into.

Basically, before you go shopping, take a few minutes to 1) define your goals ... what do you want to hear? and 2) figure out your budget. I would stay away from used equipment, unless there is someone around who knows a fair amount about radios to guide you.

-- (ladybuckeye_59@yahoo.com), December 10, 1999.


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