How Will You Communicate When the Power Grid Goes Down?

[@viktor.egelund]

Remember that no messages go via the Iridium network only. All communication goes via Garmin servers and data center. If that is down, all inReach will be down.

[@outdooremergencytech]

That's a great point, and something I was wondering about. Let's just hope that the Garmin servers never go down. Thanks for the information. Rick

[@km0999]

It would be interesting to find out if Garmin (and the servers) are prepared for a longer power outage. Also the iridium ground stations would need to have power in order to keep the satellites operating.

[@NickSlingerland-yd8hy]

Not to mention if everyone was trying to communicate with these things and Garmin did have their system up, communication might be extremely backed up and slowed down.

[@modaconcepts09]

I assume I’d need 2 devices and 2 service plans for myself and the family member I want to stay in contact with?

[@truckindawg1]

@@km0999 I would imagine they would be using a combination of gas/diesel generators, and or solar power. Just a guess.

[@CoolOldBiker]

Ssb cb - murs , gmrs simplex ... No need for nerdy ham stuff - tho im a ham lol - i dx all over the world ,especially on 27.555mhz ..talked to Belgium and germany yesterday with just 400 watts and a verticle ant. I have 3 solar. Portable banks i keep charged ahead .. Its not hard if you know the differance bands of radios using voice not text ...

[@outdooremergencytech]

Good points. Thanks for posting this. Rick

[@donausmus4281]

Grid down, the sat com authentication grid will be down as soon as the generators at the link facilities run out of fuel. The sat phones the Senators supposedly got are military direct link. Normal citizens will have to pass through these authentication link networks.

[@outdooremergencytech]

You're exactly right. The satellite communicators will work in local power outages, as long as the power outage doesn't affect the satellite servers. I believe the best thing for a true grid down situation is a ham radio. I am going to start covering some of this more serious electrical outages in the near future. Rick

[@truckindawg1]

Thank you, man! Your video by far answered my question better than any other source of information I found. Unfortunately, the questions still remains. Will the Garmin in reach still work in a total , nationwide grid down situation due to the subscription requirements. And would Garmin or the NSA shut it down? Again, this is the best one I found yet.

[@outdooremergencytech]

Glad I could help! The short answer is NO, when the power grid goes down, the satellite communication servers will not relay any of the data, even if the satellites are still operating. The best thing for that situation is a ham radio, which is something I need to start looking into. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@truckindawg1]

@@outdooremergencytech yeah, Next question would be what ham bands would be best for both short AND long distance communication? It will likely require getting more than one radio that operates on several different bands. I just don’t know which bands would be most usable. It seems 10 meter is pretty much dead, although that would likely change in a grid down situation. I don’t know that much about ham radio or what bands to use.

[@outdooremergencytech]

Great questions as I'm just getting into ham radios, I'm really not the best person to answer these questions. Give me a few months and I may be the man for answering a lot of these questions but as for now, I need to send you on to someone else. Have you taken a look at "Ham Radio Crash Course?" He has thousands of videos and has been at this for 14 years. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKatgIuAqZ11ipY Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick

[@truckindawg1]

I suppose it’s also a really good idea to invest in a good ham Radio. Actually, probably two radios. store one in a Faraday bag or something (just in case) and hope for the best. I do not have a ham radio license however, in emergency communication situation, they ain’t gonna be one needed. It ain’t gonna be enforced.

[@outdooremergencytech]

Yep, you're exactly right. I was responding to your first question and was bringing up the ham radio when I noticed your second question already had the correct answer. Let me know if there are any other questions you may have. Rick

[@nicolecarone12]

what do you suggest to communicate with a family member that is about 300 miles across state in case of one of these emergencies.

[@outdooremergencytech]

A 10-meter mobile station up to 200 watts will only transmit around 50 miles. Some portable ham radios will transmit up to 300 miles but that depends on the transmitting power, type of antenna, and the environmental conditions. A base station with 1500 watts can transmit worldwide, up to around 4,000 miles and is probably what you want to focus on. Also, a handheld or mobile radio may be able to transmit up to 500 miles with a linked repeater. Check out this article for more information. hamradioprep.com/ham-radio-range/ Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick

[@CoolOldBiker]

If your discussing servers than your not off grid Only direct radio to radio is guaranteed- no middle man !!!!

[@outdooremergencytech]

You're absolutely right. When the lights go out everywhere, the servers will be down and these satellite communicators will not be helpful. Rick

[@truckindawg1]

PS as a sidenote, I’m hoping Apple opens up satellite text messaging for their customers without it needing to be an emergency and only being able to contact emergency services. I don’t know if Apple will do it but I hope they do. However, again it’s still going to rely on some kind of ground-basedsystem and servers unfortunately

[@outdooremergencytech]

Agreed. I have seen that you can now message emergency services, but that would be great to be able to message others. Too bad we're all in a world of hurt when everything does go dark. Rick

[@sandramalovrh392]

If grid goes down, I want to be able to contact family about 100 miles away. So, would having 1 garmin gpsmap 67i and then any other garmin that is in your listing be able to communicate with each other? I need something simple that the elderly and young can both use easily. And if that works, what would you recommend for a affordable option with the garmin gpsmap67i?

[@outdooremergencytech]

First, if the grid goes down but it's only a local or regional outage, then you will be able to communicate, as long as the Garmin servers are not connected. Second, I would prefer the Garmin GPSMAP 67i for this type of scenario. Third, if you have a nationwide grid down scenario, the Garmin satellite communicators will be useless as Garmin's servers will be affected. In this case, I would go with a Ham radio / shortwave radio. You should have a few handheld shortwave radios and a base station or portable station for longer distances. The handhelds will only go out a few miles. Here are a few ham radios to consider: amzn.to/49G8fIu amzn.to/3JmuubE Let me know if you have more questions. Rick

[@marieroma1]

I live in the UK and my family is in Spain. Is there any way I can contact/communicate with them in case of a major outage ? This stuff is so confusing …

[@outdooremergencytech]

You would be able to contact others in a major power outage, but that depends on several factors. Let's say you have a Garmin. 1. As long as the power outage doesn't take down the Garmin servers then you could still communicate with a satellite communicator. 2. If the other people also have satellite communicators then there's no problem, as long as you can keep your devices charged. This brings up a good point for battery chargers or generators. 3. If other people only have cell phones and the cell phone towers are affected, then it's possible you may not be able to communicate with them. There are too many factors to discuss here other than to say that there are many testimonies of people using these satellite communicators to message others here in the U.S. after a large hurricane has devastated areas. If you want to ensure you can communicate during large regional blackouts, then you may want to look at ham radios or short wave radios. I am currently looking into those and will be making them part of my reviews here in the next week or two. Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick

[@bhamptonkc7]

Satellite communications don’t work in a national grid down ground assets are required for all messages.

[@outdooremergencytech]

Agreed. If Garmin's servers are down then the satellite messages won't go through. If it's a local power outage and Garmin's servers are not affected, then the messages will go through. This is the main reason I will be starting to discuss ham radios in the next week or two. Thanks for leaving the comment. Rick

[@griddownpowerup]

Awesome content! If you're looking to explore these topics even further, we actually produced an award-winning documentary called Grid Down Power Up - Documentary, narrated by Dennis Quaid, that dives deep into these issues. It’s available for free on our channel, and you might find it really insightful. We also have some resources on our website for taking action, like contacting legislators and public utilities. Please help us spread the word

[@outdooremergencytech]

I'll check it out! Thanks for the heads up and I'll head over to your channel now. Rick

[@cheristevens2706]

Where would I get this

[@outdooremergencytech]

If you're talking about the Garmin GPSMAP 67i you can learn more about it in the link below and also buy it from there. amzn.to/3TiQSaz Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick

[@cheristevens2706]

@@outdooremergencytech which one is good for a grid down . And would I need a license

[@outdooremergencytech]

In a grid down situation, IF THE GARMIN SERVERS ARE STILL IN SERVICE, I would recommend the Garmin GPAMAP 67i. It's an all-in-one device with the most features of any satellite communicator I know of. If a region or nation wide grid down situation, you would need a ham radio. I am reviewing those now and you will start seeing some videos here soon. Rick

[@johnstiles7464]

What if an EMP takes out satellites?

[@outdooremergencytech]

Then all hell will break loose and that's where you will be better off having a ham radio. I have satellite communicators now but I am now starting to review ham radios / shortwave radios so keep an eye out for those upcoming reviews. Let me know if you have any other questions. Rick