Why it matters: Nearly every disaster that takes the power grid also takes cell towers and cable internet with it — they share the same poles, power, and backhaul. Starlink is different: a dish on your roof talking directly to satellites, needing only electricity you can supply yourself. During recent hurricanes and floods, Starlink terminals were routinely the only working internet in affected counties.

What it is: A satellite dish (about the size of a pizza box), a router, and a subscription. Setup is genuinely plug-and-play — the dish aims itself. Speeds typically run 50–200+ Mbps, enough for calls, video, weather radar, and keeping your UPT Ready squad in sync when nothing else works.

The preparedness angles:

• Standard (residential) — everyday internet that doubles as your disaster comms. The dish draws 50–75W: a mid-size power station runs it for hours, a generator or solar setup indefinitely.
• Roam plan — can be paused month-to-month and taken anywhere; popular as a pure emergency kit item that costs nothing while parked.
• Starlink Mini — backpack-size dish drawing 25–40W, made for exactly the bug-out and field scenarios preppers plan around.

Honest limitations: It needs a clear view of the sky (heavy tree cover degrades it), very heavy rain or snow can briefly interrupt service, and it depends on a commercial provider — so it complements, rather than replaces, your radio plan (see the PACE guide in the Library).

Power pairing tip: a 500Wh+ LiFePO4 power station plus a 100W folding solar panel keeps a Mini online indefinitely — the same rig already recommended in the Power Outage guide.

Visit Starlink.com ↗

GMRS: practical local radio. GMRS stands for General Mobile Radio Service. In the United States, it is an FCC-licensed, UHF two-way radio service that uses assigned channels around 462 MHz and 467 MHz. Its most common role is short-distance voice communication among families and groups. Think of GMRS as a more capable walkie-talkie system for situations such as:

• Family communication while camping, skiing, hiking, or traveling in multiple vehicles
• Off-road, overlanding, and convoy coordination
• Local event, neighborhood, or property communication
• Backup communications where cell coverage is poor or congested
• Use through a local GMRS repeater, where available

GMRS licensing: GMRS requires an FCC license, but there is no test or exam. A qualifying adult obtains the license, and eligible immediate family members can generally operate under it. The license term is ten years. GMRS is designed around a narrow, specific set of channels and ordinary voice communication — a strong choice when the objective is simply to coordinate reliably with people you already know.

GMRS equipment and range: GMRS radios are commonly handhelds, mobile radios installed in vehicles, and base stations at home or on a property. Unlike basic license-free FRS walkie-talkies, GMRS can support higher-power operation on certain channels and can use removable antennas and repeaters when permitted by the rules. Actual range depends more on terrain, antenna height, buildings, and repeater access than on a number printed on the box:

• Handheld to handheld in dense city terrain: often a short local distance
• Handheld or mobile units with clear line of sight: potentially much farther
• Through a well-sited repeater: local or regional coverage may be possible
• Do not rely on “up to X miles” packaging claims without considering the environment

Amateur radio: the broader radio service and hobby. Amateur radio, commonly called ham radio, is an FCC-regulated service for licensed individual operators. It supports personal communication, technical self-training, experimentation, emergency and public-service participation, and radio sport. It offers access to a much wider range of frequencies than GMRS, from HF bands capable of long-distance propagation to VHF and UHF bands used for local and regional communication. Depending on license class, operators may use voice, digital data modes, Morse code, television-like signals, satellites, and other permitted methods. Ham radio may appeal if you want to:

• Learn how antennas, propagation, repeaters, and radios work
• Talk locally through repeaters or directly with nearby stations
• Make contacts across states, countries, or continents using HF
• Communicate through amateur satellites or digital networks
• Join local clubs, contesting activities, public-service events, or emergency preparedness groups
• Build, modify, test, or experiment with radio equipment within the rules

Amateur licensing: Every person who transmits needs their own amateur license and call sign. New applicants must pass an examination administered through the Volunteer Examiner Coordinator system. The entry-level Technician license provides substantial VHF/UHF privileges and limited HF access; higher license classes expand HF privileges. The exam requirement is the tradeoff for much greater operating flexibility.

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Choose GMRS when most of these are true:

• “I need radios for my household, travel party, outdoor group, or vehicles.”
• “I want a license without studying for an exam.”
• “Most of my conversations will be local and practical.”
• “I want one license arrangement that can cover eligible family members.”
• “I mainly want reliable voice communication, possibly with a local repeater.”

Choose ham radio when most of these are true:

• “I am interested in antennas, radio theory, and learning how wireless communication works.”
• “I want access to more frequencies, more modes, and potentially long-distance communication.”
• “I am willing to study for and pass a licensing exam.”
• “I want to join a local amateur-radio community or public-service activity.”
• “I want the freedom to explore digital radio, HF, satellite communication, or equipment experimentation.”

Example: a weekend road trip. A family taking two vehicles into areas with weak cell coverage would usually find GMRS the easier fit — coordinating turns, stops, trail conditions, and arrivals, possibly through a repeater covering their route. A person who enjoys that use case but also wants to learn about antennas, contact distant operators, build a home station, or participate in emergency communications would likely benefit from an amateur license as well.

Important operating rules: GMRS and amateur radio are separate FCC services. A radio may be physically capable of transmitting on both kinds of frequencies, but authorization follows the service and frequency, not the appearance of the radio.

• A GMRS license does not give permission to transmit on amateur bands
• An amateur license does not automatically authorize GMRS transmissions
• Use the appropriate equipment, call-sign identification, frequency/channel, power level, and operating rules for the service you are using
• Do not assume a local repeater is open to all users; confirm its access and usage policy before transmitting

Bottom line: GMRS is the practical local communications tool — easy to start, no test, and excellent for families and groups. Ham radio is the flexible communications hobby — more effort to get licensed, but a much larger world of technical learning and local-to-worldwide operation. For many people it is not either/or: GMRS handles family and travel coordination, while amateur radio becomes the longer-term hobby and skills path. This guide is educational and U.S.-focused. Confirm current FCC rules, license requirements, and local repeater policies before operating.

Satellite-capable cell phones. Since 2022, mainstream smartphones have added the ability to reach satellites directly when no cell tower is available. Apple introduced Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 14 and later, then expanded to Messages via satellite (texting friends and family) and roadside assistance requests. Google added satellite SOS to recent Pixel phones, and carriers such as T-Mobile have launched direct-to-cell satellite texting (built on Starlink satellites) that works with many recent phones in dead zones. Feature names, supported models, and pricing change quickly — confirm what your specific phone and carrier support today.

What these features have in common:

• Text-class messaging only — short messages to emergency services, a few contacts, or a carrier text network; no ordinary voice calls (early voice trials exist but are not something to plan around)
• Manual sky-pointing — the phone guides you to aim at a satellite and hold still; messages can take 15 seconds to several minutes each
• Clear sky required — heavy tree cover, canyons, and buildings block it; indoors it generally does not work
• Battery is your everyday battery — a phone at 8% after a long day has very little emergency runway
• Availability is conditional — specific phone models, software versions, regions, carriers, and sometimes a subscription after an included free period

Dedicated satellite phones. A satellite phone is a handset (or a vehicle/base unit) built to talk to a satellite network as its primary connection. The major networks are Iridium (true pole-to-pole global coverage, 66 low-earth satellites), Inmarsat (geostationary satellites covering most of the planet except the extreme polar regions), Globalstar (regional coverage across North America and other zones), and Thuraya (Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia). Typical handsets include the Iridium 9555 and 9575 Extreme, the Inmarsat IsatPhone 2, and the Globalstar GSP-1700.

What a real satellite phone gives you:

• Voice calls to any phone number on Earth, plus SMS and, on some units, slow data and an SOS button tied to a 24/7 response center
• Independence from every terrestrial system — it never touched a cell tower to begin with, so a regional blackout or network overload changes nothing
• Purpose-built hardware — a proper external antenna, rugged/water-resistant body, and a battery sized for hours of talk and days of standby
• Airtime plans — prepaid minutes, monthly subscriptions, or seasonal plans; the handset is a one-time cost, the service is ongoing
• A middle path: satellite messengers such as Garmin inReach or ZOLEO — no voice, but reliable two-way texting, tracking, and SOS on Iridium for far less than a phone

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Rely on your satellite-capable phone when most of these are true:

• “I mostly need a way to call for help if the worst happens.”
• “My trips are day hikes, road trips, or short backcountry outings.”
• “A short text to family that I am safe is enough.”
• “I do not want to carry, charge, and pay for a second device.”

Add a dedicated satellite phone when most of these are true:

• “I need to actually talk — coordinate, describe an injury, or run a household or team during an outage.”
• “I spend real time where there is no coverage: remote property, offshore, mountains, or international travel.”
• “My communications plan cannot depend on a phone battery that is also my flashlight and map.”
• “I want a device that works the same on the tenth day of a grid-down event as on the first.”

Example: a hurricane week. Cell towers are down across the county. A family with satellite-capable iPhones can text a relative that they are safe and request emergency help — valuable, but each message means standing outside, pointing at the sky, and waiting. A neighbor with an Iridium handset calls the insurance adjuster, checks on elderly parents two states away by voice, and coordinates a fuel run — from the porch, in a few minutes, every day that week. Both are preparedness wins; they are wins of very different sizes.

Practical notes for either device:

• Test before you need it. Apple provides a satellite demo mode; satellite phones should be powered on and registered outdoors monthly
• Pre-load contacts and a medical ID so an SOS carries useful information automatically
• Cold drains batteries fast — keep the device warm and carry a power bank (see the Power Outage guide for pairing with a solar setup)
• Know the legal picture — some countries restrict or ban satellite phones; check before international travel
• Layer, do not replace. Satellite tools complement your radio plan (see the GMRS vs. Ham guide and the PACE guide in the Library) rather than substituting for it

Bottom line: If you own a recent smartphone, you may already carry a satellite emergency lifeline — learn how to use it this week. If your preparedness plan needs communication rather than just rescue, a dedicated satellite phone or messenger is the tool that turns a blackout into an inconvenience. Device capabilities, coverage, and pricing change frequently; verify current details with the manufacturer and carrier.