I’m a 30+ year ham radio operator, IT guy, light prepper, general-purpose geek. I’m approaching this in more of a “Boy Scout” Be Prepared sort of mindset, rather than an “the apocalypse is imminent” manner.
Power:
When the power goes out for “normal” reasons (weather-related or other localized infrastructure issue), it is good practice to have backup power, whether in the form of a regular desktop UPS (for short outages) to protect equipment, or, for longer outages, a battery bank with an inverter/charger and/or a generator. Solar panels can be very helpful if your location makes them practical.
I currently use telecom-grade 12V batteries connected together with a 2000W pure-sine inverter/charger, and have wired a few AC circuits in the house through that. I also have my cable-modem and an “emergency” little router connected directly to the 12V DC bus (which will keep us online, if the cable is working) - and Life can continue relatively normally in that configuration. If the outage is long enough, I can start my gas generator to run my HVAC, recharge the battery bank, etc - and then shut it down to resume (quiet) battery-only operations.
In the case where you’re looking to better survive a major abnormal power outage (EMP caused by CME or other), you’d be well-served by keeping a set of emergency electronics in a Faraday cage, which will protect them from the EMP-induced currents. I have a metal trash can for this, which does a pretty good job of shielding the contents from outside EMF. Clearly, in that situation, your available power budget is very low, so you’ll want to focus on what you’ll really need in that situation - communications, food and water. You’ll not want to be in (or near) a major metro area in that case. Low population density will help a great deal, though having friendlies to share responsibilities is critical. It pays to make sure you use your available power as efficiently as possible in general, but especially so when that power is at a premium. When running on battery, every watt must count. Fortunately, there are many ways to be efficient.
Communications:
With whom are you trying to communicate? Who is your “community”? If in a SHTF situation, I’d be focusing on my immediate family, but I’d likely be working to bring together the like-minded - and for me, that would probably involve my church. Consider with whom you’d be allying, with a mind not only on how they’ll help you, but how you’ll help them.
Typical cell phones will not last more than two days on standby, if you take steps to minimize power drain. Cell sites generally don’t have more than about 8 hours of battery. The central mobile switching offices are regularly overwhelmed when power is out, as it is the only communications (phone and internet) the public has when the mains power fails. On 9/11/01, the cellular network was absolutely unusable.
FRS/GMRS radios operate in UHF spectrum, and are generally reliable for a mile or so - though they can go much further if you have line-of-sight.
I strongly recommend you get a ham radio license. It is, by definition, a decentralized communications mechanism, and while it can be overheard and the origin of signals can be triangulated, any communications there are likely to be itinerant, and very hard to track - particularly if you change frequency regularly. Equipment isn’t terribly expensive, and there is a very strong community of hams who like to help other hams. Clubs are everywhere, and are generally very supportive of one another. There are a ton of free resources that can help you study for the license test. One certainly can get equipment and (not legally) transmit without a license, but if you don’t know much about radio and electrical fundamentals, you’ll find they’re not going to work very well, particularly in an emergency.
Centralized systems like ham repeaters will run for a while on battery, and beyond that, many clubs will work to keep those system running through a protracted outage with generator power. Repeaters don’t require a ton of power to operate, given that most of the time, they’re not transmitting. They can provide good local-area coverage, absent cellular and/or internet. Repeaters are mostly for 146MHz and higher bands, though there are a few around 50MHz and 28MHz.
However, ham radio has a very large amount of long-range RF spectrum available. The lower the frequency, the bigger the antenna is needed for efficient transmission, but the more opportunity there is for distant reception, particularly at night. Look at “QRP” operation, and efficient, directional antenna use.
Having a plan is good, but it needs to be adaptable as the landscape, weather and other uncontrolled variables change. What works well for a rancher in Wyoming may not be practical for those who live in an apartment in Chicago, or in a house in suburban Phoenix.
