Hello from Brooklyn!

[daniwrath]

I sort of "fell into" prepping accidentally, perhaps the way so many others do: by living through an extreme natural disaster and thinking, "I'm never going to be unprepared again."

I was living in the heart of Brooklyn, New York when Superstorm Sandy ravaged our city (and great swaths of 10 states) in fall 2012. All I had was a couple gallons of water and a tiny transistor radio, through which I heard then-Mayor Bloomberg describe the chaos of the city.

It occurred to me that it was outrageous than in a hyper-connected place like NYC, rain and wind could disconnect everyone from each other. Neighbors couldn't communicate with each other, emergency services were being dispatched to the wrong areas, and no efficient allocation of resources was occurring -- all because cell towers were down and power/wifi were as well.

Now I've spent two years developing a technology called goTenna (you can learn more here, if you're interested) that enables people to use the phones they already have on them to communicate 100% off-grid, no matter what.

I'm on these forums to learn more about how others prepare, what is useful to them, what isn't, and how to generally be a more responsible and self-reliant citizen in times of emergency.

 

[Dani]

Welcome daniwrath. There a lot of good stuff here so look around. If you have a question, just ask.

 

[jimLE]

howdy from a texan .... and welcome to the forum and family...there's quiet a few knowledgeable folks here that'll gladly tell ya what you need to know,or at least point ya in the right direction and/or give ya a good idea or 2..and by all means jump right on in with any replies you have on a topic.and start new topics if/when needed..

 

[Gazrok]

Handheld and base HAMs are the eventual plan, while in areas of the ranch, we're looking to install the old school crank phones used during WWI, to talk to other areas of the ranch, during an emergency. Currently though, we use CB radio in an emergency, though not great on range. Will definitely look at your device though. Intriguing.

 

[daniwrath]

Handheld and base HAMs are the eventual plan, while in areas of the ranch, we're looking to install the old school crank phones used during WWI, to talk to other areas of the ranch, during an emergency. Currently though, we use CB radio in an emergency, though not great on range. Will definitely look at your device though. Intriguing.

Hi Gazrok, thanks for sharing some insight into how you prepare out on your ranch. goTenna might particularly useful out in a ranch setting since propagation in wide open flat areas is 6 miles on the ground – higher if you elevate yourself (e.g. if you put one on top of a building/barn for instance). Eager to hear any feedback you have to provide.

 

[Clyde]

I sort of "fell into" prepping accidentally, perhaps the way so many others do: by living through an extreme natural disaster and thinking, "I'm never going to be unprepared again."

I was living in the heart of Brooklyn, New York when Superstorm Sandy ravaged our city (and great swaths of 10 states) in fall 2012. All I had was a couple gallons of water and a tiny transistor radio, through which I heard then-Mayor Bloomberg describe the chaos of the city.

It occurred to me that it was outrageous than in a hyper-connected place like NYC, rain and wind could disconnect everyone from each other. Neighbors couldn't communicate with each other, emergency services were being dispatched to the wrong areas, and no efficient allocation of resources was occurring -- all because cell towers were down and power/wifi were as well.

Now I've spent two years developing a technology called goTenna (you can learn more here, if you're interested) that enables people to use the phones they already have on them to communicate 100% off-grid, no matter what.

I'm on these forums to learn more about how others prepare, what is useful to them, what isn't, and how to generally be a more responsible and self-reliant citizen in times of emergency.

Welcome and thank you for taking time to join Doomsday Prepper Forums.com. Your presence here is much appreciated. We look forward to your posts, and hope you enjoy the community!

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have in the proper area, and I know you will get an answer, as he members on here are extremely knowledgeable and more than willing to help!

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