Two-Way Radios Explained: What Actually Works When Cell Towers Die

🔗 Everything I check before an outage, in order, here: https://ralphharmonbooks.com/ Two-Way Radios Explained: What Actually Works When Cell Towers Die The pair of two-way radios in your junk drawer promised 36 miles on the box. In a real neighborhood they will reach about half a mile to a mile. That gap is the reason most people who think they have a communication plan do not have one. I am Ralph Harmon, prepping since 2009. During my nine-day outage my phone showed full bars for 36 hours and could not complete a single call, and that is what pushed me to actually learn this subject. In this video I break down the five radio services a regular person can legally use in the US, what each one is good for, and how to turn radios you may already own into a working plan tonight for the price of an index card. What you will learn: Why a cell tower with full bars can still be useless, and why you should text before you call FRS, GMRS, MURS, CB and ham radio explained in plain English, cheapest to most capable The $35 GMRS license that covers your whole family for ten years with no test The $25 handheld every prepper forum recommends and why you cannot legally use it the way they tell you to The one formula that tells you your real range: square root of antenna height in feet times 1.5 Why a $60 antenna on a mast beats a $400 radio on your belt Repeaters, and the one question you must ask before you plan around one Privacy codes, AA batteries, NOAA weather receive, and the mistakes I made so you do not have to A six-step build plan you can stop at any point and still be ahead of your street Nothing for sale in this one. No sponsor, no link. Most of what I cover costs less than a tank of gas. Test it before you trust it. Timestamps: 0:00 The 36-mile lie in your junk drawer 0:00 Why full bars and no call happens 0:00 FRS: the drawer pair 0:00 GMRS: the one for families 0:00 MURS: the quiet channels 0:00 CB: the truck's ear on the road 0:00 Ham radio: 35 questions away 0:00 The $25 radio problem 0:00 Range, height and the horizon formula 0:00 Repeaters and their weak spot 0:00 The index card plan 0:00 Privacy codes, batteries, NOAA weather 0:00 The mistakes 0:00 The six-step build 0:00 Homework and recap Next video: lighting a dark house for two weeks with what is already in your closet, and the one lantern that dies by the third night. Have you ever been somewhere the phones stopped working? Tell me what you actually did in the comments. Disclaimer: This video is for general educational purposes. Radio licensing rules are set by the FCC and can change. Check current FCC requirements before transmitting on any service. #TwoWayRadio #GMRS #GridDown #Prepping #EmergencyCommunication two way radios explained, two way radios for emergencies, GMRS radio explained, GMRS vs FRS, FRS radio range, GMRS license, ham radio for beginners, ham radio technician license, CB radio emergency, MURS radio, emergency communication plan, communication when cell towers down, cell towers down what to do, grid down communication, power outage communication, prepper radio, prepping radios, best radio for preppers, walkie talkie range truth, two way radio range, radio repeater explained, GMRS repeater, NOAA weather radio, baofeng legal, Ralph Harmon, grid down prepping, emergency preparedness, SHTF communication, disaster communication, off grid communication, family emergency plan, hurricane communication, blackout radio