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... They were the only high-speed long distance communication used continuously for thousands of years, falling out of favor after the telegraph was invented.
I don't know if anybody knows how many pigeons were used in this manner, but it's estimated that the British used over a million pigeons during the 2 world wars.
Pigeons were to air mail what the musket was to firearms
The OP hasn't been on line much since starting this thread,
and I am still waiting to see if he will read the thread and clarify his question.
We have the mobile version and can turn it on and off when we want to. We use it when we’re RVing off grid. The thing people need to understand is that the signal is from satellites but, it does use ground stations to direct the sat locks or something like that. So, if all power is down, it very well may be inop.
After posting this I saw a post regarding the ground stations. Sorry about that.
We have the mobile version and can turn it on and off when we want to. We use it when we’re RVing off grid. The thing people need to understand is that the signal is from satellites but, it does use ground stations to direct the sat locks or something like that. So, if all power is down, it very well may be inop.
After posting this I saw a post regarding the ground stations. Sorry about that.
For listening you'll need a multi-band shortwave radio. Don't skimp. Get a Sony or equivalent brand. Also, learn how to use it. Generally you'll get more channels in the evening, but exactly when the sweet spot is depends on where exactly you are on the planet. And the weather. Virtually all these types of radios also get regular bands like AM/FM, NOAA weather alerts etc, but not all AM/FM NOAA weather alert radios get shortwave.
For 2-way communication you'll want to learn how to use HAM repeaters if you want to cover any distance more than a few miles. You don't need a license to learn how to use them (this will require you to know how to program your radio), but you need a HAM license to actually use them. Unless there is an emergency. Of course in the case of an emergency, the repeaters may go down.
Thanks for the info terracore. Can you recommend a particular model of shortwave radio?
I thought the OP was implying monitoring/listening (e.g. whatever news is available) more than broadcasting. For myself, that's my primary concern as well, with a short-term natural disaster as the most likely scenario to be planned for, secondarily a possibility of the grid going down for whatever reason (aforementioned natural disaster or due to humans doing something intentionally or not).
That's exactly what I'm looking for. Sorry about the delay, but I've been in the hospital. But I'm back now.
Thanks for the info terracore. Can you recommend a particular model of shortwave radio?
I have a few models I've played with but don't have enough experience with them to have an informed opinion (and they are all discontinued models so it's not like a recommendation would matter). It also depends on what you want out of the radio. You might want two, a transceiver for listening to local broadcasts, repeaters, etc, (it would also give you the option to broadcast), plus one with the frequencies for listening to news etc being broadcast from all over the world. Most of the transceivers can be programmed, some of them can be programmed to operate beyond the frequencies the FCC approved them for. Your question is a good one, but there is no easy answer because there are so many variables and price points to consider. If there is a resident expert with an opinion I wouldn't mind knowing myself. My receivers are all analog and I'd like one with a digital tuner.
If you want to go beyond the basics (AM FM Weather, ect) I have heard the Tecsun is a good radio.
TECSUN PL-660 Portable AM/FM/LW/Air
Shortwave World Band Radio with Single Side Band
by TECSUN (Electronics) $130
Just know, anything beyond the basics, is going to have a learning curve.
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