Comms When the Network Is Down: Walkie-Talkies, Meeting Points, and a Family Plan

The Network Is Usually Busy, Not Gone

In a large emergency, phone lines often still exist. They are crowded. Everyone calls at once. The FCC's tips for communicating in an emergency start with that: keep non-emergency calls short, try a text message, and wait about 10 seconds before you redial so the network has a chance to clear.

A family plan treats the phone as one tool among several. Text first. Then a radio. Then a place to meet that everyone already knows. Then a card in every wallet with the numbers written down.

Alerts Come In on a Different Lane

Ready.gov's alerts page explains that Wireless Emergency Alerts are free, need no subscription, and are not affected by network congestion. Check that they are turned on in every phone's settings, including the phones your children carry.

Keep a battery or hand-crank radio for NOAA Weather Radio, which broadcasts around the clock and also carries non-weather emergency messages. The Eton all-band emergency radio in our Ready Room receives weather radio and charges from a crank or a small solar panel.

FRS and GMRS: Walkie-Talkies Without the Guesswork

Most walkie-talkies sold for families use two radio services the FCC calls FRS and GMRS. They share frequencies, but the rules are different.

FRS (Family Radio Service). The FCC's FRS page says FRS is licensed by rule. You do not need an individual license, and there is no age limit. There are 22 channels. The FCC notes that channels 8 through 14 usually reach less than half a mile, and the other channels go farther depending on terrain and conditions. Small FRS radios are a good fit for a yard, a campground, or two houses on the same street.

GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service). The FCC's GMRS page says GMRS requires an FCC license. The license runs for 10 years, the licensee must be at least 18, and any family member, regardless of age, may operate under that license. GMRS radios can use more power and, with a repeater, reach farther. The FCC gives a range of about 1 to 25 miles, depending on the station, the terrain, and whether a repeater is used.

A note on dual-service radios. The FCC says radios that transmit on the GMRS-only channels or above FRS power limits are GMRS radios and need a license. Read the box. The Midland GXT1000VP4 two-pack in our Ready Room is a GMRS radio, so plan to get the license before you transmit on it.

Amateur (ham) radio is a separate service with a bigger reach and a bigger learning curve. The ARRL explains that the entry-level Technician license requires one 35-question exam and lasts 10 years. Some radios sold online are ham radios. They are not FRS radios and they need a license to transmit.

Practice before you need it. Agree on a primary channel and a backup channel. Write both on the card. Keep messages brief, the same advice the FCC gives for phone calls. Say who you are, where you are, and what you need. Then listen.

Meeting Points: Three Places Everyone Knows

When phones fail, a place does the work. Choose three:

Just outside the home. A mailbox, a tree, or the neighbor's driveway. This is for a fire or a gas leak.
In the neighborhood. A library, a park, or a relative's house. This is for when you cannot get home.
Outside the area. A town, a friend's home, or a place in another direction. Ready.gov's evacuation page suggests knowing several places to go in different directions.

Walk or drive to each one with the family once. A child who has been to the meeting place is far more likely to find it.

One Out-of-Area Contact

The FCC recommends naming an out-of-area central contact. A relative in another state can often get a call or a text through when local lines are jammed. Everyone texts that person: "Safe. At school. Going to Grandma's." That person keeps the list and passes it on.

Choose someone who answers the phone, knows your plan, and agrees to the job. Give them a copy of the card.

The Printed Contact Card

Phones die. Numbers saved only in a phone are gone with the battery. Ready.gov's low- and no-cost guide suggests keeping important numbers somewhere besides your phone. The Ready.gov family plan form includes a fillable card. Print one for every wallet, backpack, and glove box. On it:

Each family member's full name and cell number
The out-of-area contact's name and number
Work and school addresses and phone numbers
Doctor and pharmacy numbers
Your three meeting points
Your radio channels, primary and backup
Medical needs and allergies
911 for emergencies, and 211 for local resources

Laminate it, or put it in a small zip bag. Replace it when a number changes.

Keep Devices Alive

The FCC suggests keeping charged batteries and car chargers ready, and keeping a corded landline phone if you have a landline, because most cordless phones need power to work. A 20,000 mAh power bank and a small solar panel cover phones and radios for days of light use. Lower screen brightness and turn off apps you do not need when power is limited.

Run the Drill

A plan that has never been practiced is a guess. Pick a Saturday morning:

Everyone turns on a radio and checks in on the primary channel.
Switch to the backup channel and check in again.
Each person texts the out-of-area contact one sentence.
Walk to the neighborhood meeting point without phones.
Fix whatever did not work.

Where the App Fits

StorehousePrep does not replace your radios, your card, or your practice. It helps you organize them.

Family Drills include a Family Communication Drill, Radio/Walkie-Talkie Operation, Out-of-Area Emergency Contact, Internet Outage Communication Plan, and Child Separation Reunion Plan.
Rally Map is where you pin your meeting points. If the phone has a GPS fix, the compass view shows direction and distance to a saved point.
Prep Roadmap's first phase includes a Communication Plan task: emergency contacts, meeting points, and a radio.
PrepAI runs on your device after a one-time download, so you can ask it to walk you through a radio check-in when there is no signal.

On the website, the roadmap is free to use. A 7-day trial opens Family Drills, Rally Map, and PrepAI.

For the rest of the household plan, start with The 30-Day Must-Have Plan.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up." — Ecclesiastes 4:9-10