# 15 - EmComms Preparation
In my Emergency Communications (more commonly referred to as EmComms) plans I will be utilizing multiple types of radios including Citizen's Band Radio Service (CBRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS), Family Radio Service (FRS), and Amateur Radio (HAM) on several bands eventually including 70cm, 1.25 meter, 2 meter, 6 meter, 10 meter, 20 meter, and 40 meter.
While I am studying for my Amateur Radio license exam I decided to also apply for a GMRS radio license which I received yesterday. My new GMRS callsign issued by the Federal Communications Commission is WRAE542.
On the GMRS frequencies, only one license per family is needed. My entire family can now legally transmit on the GMRS frequencies by using my callsign. On the amateur radio, or HAM frequencies, each person has to be licensed and uses their own individually assigned callsign.
I am scheduled to take my amateur radio license Technician exam next month and I will also attempt the General license exam on the same day.
Having the General license will open up HF band frequencies to me for regional and international communications in addition to the VHF and UHF bands that the Technician license will allow me to use to accomplish local communications.
My vehicle is already set up for all of the above mentioned radio services. I also have hand-held radios for mobile use in the field.
In the next couple months I will begin building a portable self-contained EmComms radio system that incorporates all of these radio services in one case that I just finished the designs for.
The portable EmComms system will run on 12-volt deep-cycle batteries and have solar panels and a wind turbine to keep the batteries charged for off-grid communications needs.
I will do a video on the EmComms system when I get it built showing all of its functionality and how the system will be deployed.
By utilizing all of the various radio services I will be able to have a more well-rounded EmComms plan and will be able to communicate on multiple platforms with people from other areas.
The more information you have about a situation, the better prepared you can be to handle and therefore overcome the situation.
Previous Episode:
Coming Episodes:
In upcoming episodes we will also take a look at "Water Purification & Sanitization" as well as "Vacuum Sealed vs. Mylar Bagged Food Storage". We will also take a look at the shelf-life of "Home Canned Foods" and the viability of using them in our emergency supplies. We will also have future episodes on Emergency Communications or EmComms.
Also we will have an episode on the need for a Wilderness First Aid training even if you live in a city. We will also take a look at the need for "Sanitation After A Disaster".
