What will GMRS radio communications be like when the grid goes down?

In a grid down scenario, activity on the radio communications bands is possibly going to be more congested than you could ever imagine. What are we going to do about that? Here are some quick thoughts.

1. Recognize that is is going to happen. Remember that you read this today. Don't panic. You know ahead of time that this is going to happen.

2. Repeaters will often over power most handheld radios unless you are a long distance away from the repeater. Try to focus your time on using a repeater that you have a strong signal to and from. If you get a weak signal from the repeater you are using, the signal from that repeater could get blocked by people near you who are using radios on simplex channels.

3. When a grid down scenario happens, radio activity will not be that heavy initially for the first hour or two. People will be assessing their immediate situation and trying to get home. Then they will then have to find their radios and turn them on. Once people have had time to get their radios and turn them on, things will be congested. Then after a day or two many people's batteries will start to go dead. And unless they have the means to charge things up, they won't be heard again from then on.

4. Those who regularly check into nets know a little bit about how repeaters work. To talk on a repeater, your radio has to be configured to talk on a frequency different from the one you listen on. People who haven't practiced with their radios probably won't know how to set their radios to talk on a repeater. Therefore, relatively few people will be using the repeaters.

5. Try to have per-arranged times to communicate with others. If possible schedule times of the day when there are less people likely to be on the radio. Planning ahead like this also helps you manage your own battery power for greatest overall life. If you don't have to leave your radio on continuously, you extend your operational time capabilities.

6. Remember that with GMRS radios, if multiple people are talking at the same time, the strongest signal gets through over top of the weaker signal. The more power you have, and the higher up you or your antenna is, the more likely you will be able to talk over a crowded channel.

7. With radio, not everyone can talk at one time. If possible, try to volunteer to run a net. If you cannot do it, try to help the person who has the strongest signal to be the net control. The reason we have a net control operator is so we can have an orderly flow of communication on the radio. You may be the only one who knows how to do this. Help get a net going in your neighborhood on a local simplex channel.