Learning + Tutorials

For most of us, having access to electrical power has become so second nature that we hardly give it a thought. It's so abundant to be almost free, and there are lots of places all around to plug in your cell phone when it runs out of juice.

But if the grid goes down for a long period of time, or you need to charge your devices on the move, then you need to consider sources of portable power if you are serious about prepping.

You need to provide 1 gallon of water (3.7 liters) per person per day for you and each of your family members if you don't have access to clean water or a faucet.

Think about that for a minute. That's a lot of water. 

A half gallon (2 liters) is what you need for drinking each day - in warm weather or during periods of high stress or activity that amount could double.

Should traditional modern communication systems be unavailable, having a backup way to communicate far distances is a smart thing to have.

It's not uncommon for large storms to take out cellphone and land line phone systems and with them likely goes the internet as well.

The easiest and most useful backup option is one that's been around a very long time - and it's long range radio communication via voice and telegraph.

You may have heard it referred to as Ham radio which is slang for Amateur Radio.