By Matthew Sharp Way back in 2001, I worked with a gentleman whose wife frequently made trips back to her home country of Argentina. In December of 2001, making these kinds of trips frequently was a bit “problematic” security-wise. One day at work, I spotted my coworker stepping outside to make a phone call. This was
Read MoreBy Derek Gill 2 of 2 in the seriesOverland Communications Overland Communications In our previous piece on Overland Communications, we touched on the many options available for contacting your off-road group or other members of civilized society. In this piece, I want to talk about how to maintain a reasonable level of Internet connectivity while you’re out in
Read MoreBy Derek Gill 1 of 2 in the seriesOverland Communications Overland Communications There are so many ways to stay connected in this world we so love to explore. The problem is that there are so many options, we either default to the bad ones or we take the advice of someone that doesn’t actually know what
Read MoreBy The ITS Crew License free, low cost, two-way communication. What’s not to love about MURS? MURS stands for Multi User Radio Service, and is one of the best kept secrets in personal and family radio communications. Formerly available only for business communications, the FCC has kept five MURS frequencies license-free and open for public use since
Read MoreBy The ITS Crew Amateur radio consists of a series of radio frequency bands designated internationally for public, non-commercial use. Various types of information can be transmitted over the bands, such as voice, video, and digital data. A doorway to the world, amateur radio can be used to communicate with people both local and distant. Even
Read MoreBy ke4sky The general public needs to be aware that cellular or PCS portable telephones may not “work” during an emergency when everyone tries to use them at once, because the system becomes “overloaded.” CERT, Neighborhood Watch and families should consider alternative means to check on each other’s kids, elderly neighbors or keep in touch to
Read MoreBy Bryan Black Cell phones have become our primary communication devices because of their versatility, portability and ease of use. However, the problem with relying on them too heavily is that during an emergency, the likelihood of them failing can become a big concern. If we think about contingencies and recognize the limitations of the devices
Read MoreBy ITS Guest Contributor Amateur (aka HAM) Radio has proven time and again to be an invaluable option when existing communication infrastructure fails due to natural or man-made disasters. This article is the beginning of a series of four articles providing guidance on what to do after earning your HAM Radio license. This series will include tips
Read MoreBy Matthew Sharp Fresh off the heels of ITS Muster IV, I’ve taken some of what I learned on building a Bolt Bag and applied it to my home “Bolt Bag,” which generally speaking, I always have with me. A Bolt Bag contains mission essential equipment that you’d never want to be without, no matter what your
Read MoreBy Nick H. The ability to navigate terrain with a map and compass is a skill-set that’s become lost in recent years due to technological advances like GPS and its integration into our smartphones. For many of us, navigating a city without a GPS would simply seem ridiculous. In a sense, we’ve become so used to
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